Karl on Cars

This post isn't just an excuse to show off my new bike (that's purely a bonus effect). Instead, I'm going to use the Honda RC30 to illustrate one of my favorite examples of "racing improves the breed."

See, this is the first Japanese motorcycle I've ever purchased. It has nothing to do with not liking Japanese products or trying to "support the home team," it's simply because I've never really liked the "feel" of most Japanese motorcycles. I grew up driving big block Mopars, with my first real car (after several glorified junkers) being a 1969 Plymouth GTX, powered by a 440 (7.2-liter) V8. That car taught me the beauty of torque, and I've been addicted ever since.

But, generally speaking, Japanese motorcycles aren't about torque. They are about multiple cylinders, sky-high rpms and horsepower. In terms of technical prowess, this philosophy is superior to using lots of cubic inches and fewer cylinders to create torque. In terms of riding (or driving) fun, torque still rules. I once heard it put this way: Horsepower is what you read about, torque is what you feel.

So while Japanese motorcycles weren't the torquey-ist kids on the block for most of the 20th Century, Honda is an engineering powerhouse and they like to overcome mechanical challenges. So they decided to create a V-4 engine (versus the inline fours most other Japanese motorcycle makers use) to take advantage of the increased torque and broader powerband offered by this design. And they decided to take it racing, too. This was in the 1980s, and by the late '80s the idea was paying off with championships in World Superbike racing. Of course they had to make street versions of their racing bikes, ergo the 1987-1990 Honda VFR750R, aka RC30.

But here's the best part -- the same characteristics that made the RC30 so capable on the racetrack (strong low-end torque and a broad powerband) also made it a great motorcycle on the street. Despite the bike's silly-high first-gear ratio (80 mph in 1st gear anyone?) it can pull cleanly away from a stop with the tachometer at just 3,000 rpm. Don't try that with a 1990 GSX-R 750, FZR 750 or ZX-7. Those bikes had to be spun to be fun, otherwise they'd fall flat on their torque-deficient faces. As a nice side benefit the RC30 ratains Honda's penchant for high rpm mechanical precision, so the RC30 can still rev to 12,500 rpm (with a second wave of explosive horsepower starting around 7,500 rpm). It also gets as good or better fuel mileage than comparable bikes.

"Does any of this pertain to cars in any way, Karl?" you're undoubtedly asking yourself (if you've made it this far). Yes! The point is that it's not only possible to translate racing designs into successful road products, it's something any manufacturing company could (and should) be doing. As with the RC30, Ford's original GT40 was designed from day one to have real-world road application -- unlike the competing Ferraris of the time, which were super-exotic, and super-fragile, racing machines that had no place in the real world. In both the Honda and Ford example, it didn't matter whether the companies were thinking road first or track first, the positive characteristics of both vehicles played out in both atmospheres.

As someone who just drove my 2005 Ford GT 100 miles to a racetrack (in total comfort and with lots of torque for passing maneuvers), then drove it at 140-plus mph around said track, then drove it home again, I really have no patience for the concept of a vehicle being "too race-oriented" for the street or "too real-world" for the track. A truly capable engineering team can create products that not only work in both arenas, but work better than the competition.

BTW, Honda's RC30 was eventually unseated from its championship throne in the 1990s -- by a two-cylinder, big-displacement Ducati motorcycle with even greater torque and a wider powerband. And even better street manners.

BTW, part 2, the Honda RC30 -- in showroom stock condition -- still holds the lap record for the Nurburgring.