02-11-2014, 06:43 AM
(02-11-2014, 06:22 AM)redbirds_imp Wrote: Strange that Honda has been dominating Motogp with a V4 to everyone's surprise.
Actually, I think the current Honda MotoGP engine is a V5.
The Interceptor came out in '83 just after the Magna was introduced in '82. I drooled over both but was a college kid with just enough cash for tuition and an occasional pitcher of beer. (Okay, maybe more than occasional.) I made due with borrowing my buddies GS750e and my future brother-in-law's '82 750SC Nighthawk. I still have a soft spot for that GS - tight and nimble and could rev to the moon - the Nighthawk felt a little heavy and rubbery by comparison.
Anyway, Honda was reportedly surprised by the market response to both those early V4 production bikes. They were trying to homologate the engine and bike for racing purposes and only wanted to to sell enough to get that done. The Interceptor went on to win Superbike for three or four years, I think, in the eighties. And they had to juice the production numbers of the street bikes to meet demand.