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Corporate January 29, 2001 |
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| Honda's Decision on the Naming of the Honda Four-Stroke GP Machine and an Outline of Its Engine |
Honda has decided the four-stroke
machine for the 2002 Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (WGP) will
be named RC211V. A decision has also been made that the engine will be a
five-cylinder, V-type, the first of its type in the world to be developed
for motorcycles.
The RC in RC211V indicates that this is a Honda four-stroke grand prix machine*1. 211 indicates that this is the machine for the first year of the 21st
century, and V at the end of the name has three meanings. The first meaning
is derived from the cylinder layout, which is V type. The second meaning
comes from the Roman letter for five, indicating the five cylinders. The
third and final meaning is taken from the initial letter of the word victory.
What type of engine should be developed was examined in accordance with
the revised Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme (FIM)*2 regulations
for 2002, and a V-type five-cylinder engine was finally decided on. This
engine was selected because it was believed that it would be able to satisfy
the two requirements Honda has historically pursued; "Concentration of Mass"
and "Reduction of projected areas"
The five cylinders, made up of the three front cylinders and the two rear
cylinders, have round pistons and four valves each. This is a five-cylinder
V-type, 20-valve engine.
For the intake system, PGM-FI (programmed fuel injection) has been adopted.
The minimum weight as stipulated by the regulations for four- or five-cylinder
engine machines of 145kg was realized.
| *1
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The name of
Honda's first 500cc four-stroke GP machine was "RC181." |
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| *2
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FIM regulations(only
revised sections for four-stroke machines) |
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Displacement: |
990cc or
less (Currently 350 - 500cc) |
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Number of
cylinders: |
Optional
(Currently four cylinders or less) |
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Minimum
weight: |
135kg for
three- or less cylinder engine machines |
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145kg for
four- and five-cylinder engine machines |
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155kg for
six- or more cylinder engine machines |
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(Currently,
101kg for one- and two-cylinder engine machines, 116kg for three-cylinder
engine machines, and 131kg for four-cylinder engine machines) |
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Fuel tank capacity: |
24 liters or less for 2002 and 2003 |
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22 liters or less for 2004 |
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(Currently, no regulations apply.) |
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Noise: |
115dB/A before race, 120dB/A after race |
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(Currently, 110dB/A before race, 113dB/A after race) |
| - Oval pistons should conform to the regulations for one category higher |
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(Currently, no regulations
apply.) |
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