HONDA’S GRUFFER 2017 POWER

The paddock was awaiting tests on the Tuesday and Wednesday after the final GP of the year, to hear the 2017 Honda engine.

            At tests in Misano earlier this year, the factory riders had exercised a bike with a much gruffer exhaust note than the current musical sound of the 90-degree V4 RCV engine.

            Crankshaft rotation was reversed for this year, to spin “backwards” compared with the wheels. But any inertial or gyroscopic advantages seemed outweighed by an overly feisty throttle response, spoiling acceleration as well as corner entry.

            A switch to closer firing intervals – the so-called “long bang” used by Ducati – would be aimed at improving this aspect. It would also bring Honda more into line with Yamaha and Suzuki, both turning their in-line fours into virtual V4s with a 90-degree cross-plane crankshaft design.

By Michael Scott