F1, trickle-down, etc.

[Eric Bryant]

-----Original Message-----
From: James Montebello <jamesm at lapuwali.com>
To: diy_efi at diy-efi.org <diy_efi at diy-efi.org>
Date: Saturday, September 29, 2001 1:50 AM
Subject: RE: F1, trickle-down, etc.


>
>Hmm...For several years now, Kevin Cameron, an engineer who writes an
>excellent column for _Cycle World_, has said exactly the opposite.
>Current F1 engines have far higher specific outputs than current
>front-line 4-stroke motorcycle engines.  Pneumatic valve gear is not used
>by any of the bikes.  None of them approach the insane piston speeds
>currently seen by F1 engines, nor do they use materials anywhere near as
>exotic.

This is all true, but you're missing an very important point - every
four-stroke racebike nowadays is based upon a streetbike (with the lone
exception of the Harley-Davidson VR1000).  While the typical Superbike rules
are pretty loose, they still need to run factory head castings, crankcases,
and use stock internal dimensions.

Honda's RC45 bike made about 185 HP with 750 cc of displacement, which isn't
bad for production-based technology:)

>On street bikes, fuel injection has only very recently become commonplace,
>and still isn't universal on even the best-selling sporting machines.
>

Sportbikes are rapidly turning to EFI.  There's been a lack of acceptance on
behalf of customers until recently (because some of the first attempts at
EFI weren't all that spectacular), and there wasn't any government
regulatory modivation (we'd all be running around with Q-jets on our cars if
not for the EPA).

>Now that the premier class is switching from 2-strokes to 4-strokes, I
>expect we'll see some catching up.  But the very fact that they have to
>play catch up indicates that bikes are, in fact, quite a ways behind cars
>in the technology stakes.  Most bike companies are relatively small, and
>have tiny race budgets in compared to the F1 budgets of Mercedes, BMW,
>Renault, and Ford.  Honda is alone in serving both camps, and has
>certainly lead the 4-stroke charge in bike engines historically.

Ducati and Honda both spend about $30 million a year on their Superbike
efforts (and Honda probably throws nearly that much at their two-stroke GP
effort).  I'm convinced that the sponsorship money is there to allow some
serious technology in four-stroke GP racing.

If nothing else, at least bikes make for better racing than F1 cars, because
there's actually room to pass on modern tracks.  Additionally, the equipment
is a smaller part of the equation in bike racing.

Eric Bryant                      Grand Haven, MI
mailto:eric at bryantperformance.com
www.bryantperformance.com


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