HONDA TECH: THE BIKE TO BEAT
Six titles in seven years due to genius engineering and a certain Mr M. Marquez
Honda have won the last four MotoGP world championships because they have a freak of nature, Marc Marquez, riding their RC213V who can make the most of the bike’s strengths and at the same time ride around its weaknesses.
But this year Honda have a problem because this time it’s Márquez who has his weaknesses. The six-times MotoGP king is struggling to recover from complications arising from winter surgery to his right shoulder. This weakness in his shoulder has handicapped HRC engineers during pre-season tests, as their number-one rider cannot always push the latest RC213V to the limit, which is what they need to help them keep improving the bike. The bike’s problems are similar to last year’s, when HRC redesigned the 90º engine to produce much more power and torque. However, when you change an engine’s torque delivery you also change its negative torque delivery so the engine behaves differently on the overrun when braking into corners. This is a big deal in MotoGP now, because riders need to brake with the rear tyre as much as with the front. Last year Márquez and fellow RC213V riders Jorge Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow all struggled to get the bike stopped quickly, which used to be its big strength.
The Honda’s corner-entry turning is also an issue which prevents riders using the corner speed they’d like to use. This has a knock-on effect, because when they can’t roll through corners fast enough they compensate by opening the throttle harder, which consumes the rear tyre. Thus Honda are under pressure in 2020: their star rider isn’t 100 percent and their rivals – fed up with being beaten year after year – are trying harder than ever to end Honda’s domination.
CHASSIS
HRC are working hard on chassis stiffness in a bid to improve how the RC213V turns. During pre-season testing Cal Crutchlow tried a frame with its rear engine hangers removed. Perhaps HRC will try a revised version of their 2019 carbon-fibrereinforced frame.
REAR BRAKE
Crutchlow is the latest rider to switch to a scooter-style rear brake lever. He says it helps him to get the machine stopped more quickly because it’s not always easy to use the foot lever because he slides forward so much during heavy braking.
AERODYNAMICS
Since new generation aerodynamics arrived in 2016, HRC have tried to incorporate them into the fairing rather than bolt it on outside. 2020 design is the neatest yet with one update allowed per season.
2020 MICHELIN REAR TYRE
Tyres always work better on some bikes than others and neither Marquez or Crutchlow are 100 percent keen on Michelin’s stronger construction rear tyre, which has so much grip that it can overpower the front tyre in corner entry.
HOLESHOT DEVICE
Evidence suggests that Honda are also working on a ‘holeshot device’. Electronics are not allowed in launch gadgets so they must be actuated by mechanical means, either by cable, hydraulics or a combination of the two.