MotoGP 2014

lator-illa said:
everyone is hauling *** today.

And Rossi looks like he's in top form!
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He set his fastest time ever on the Sepang circuit! That means he definitely is in top form. I read an article one time where Rossi estimated he'd done something like 25,000 laps of the circuit, before the testing bans existed.
 
MotoGP
Session 3
Finished

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YA ROSSI!

I also still can't believe Aleix... if he can hold pace during a race then it should be a very interesting season.
Poor Cal and Nicky.
 
R1Style said:
YA ROSSI!

I also still can't believe Aleix... if he can hold pace during a race then it should be a very interesting season.
Poor Cal and Nicky.
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Oh man, during their interview, those two guys seemed sooo frustrated, this is going to be a long year for Cal if he is already frustrated on winter test 1. I think Hayden just forgot to ride a good bike, he will get it back but Cal has no hope
 
Honda using Stoner as their test rider and the #s were 0.3s difference between the factory & production bike.

Not everyone can ride like Stoner/Marquez, so I think it's going to be very challenging for the production Hondas to have real world 0.3s difference in race pace or quali. times.

Aleix time really shows hope for the Open Class, unfortunately it would probably require some sort of retirement/problem from the four factory honda/yamaha riders to get on the podium. It's still quite good for the Open Class to take advantage of that.

Ducati is a write-off, Dovi seems to have made his peace and is taking it in stride. Cal I don't think fully realizes that he'll never get his Tech 3 results. I'm not 100% sure how the electronics are aiding in rider performance. But Hernandez isn't doing that well with the open gp13 bike.

How quickly will the bologna boys churn out Open GP14 bikes?

Nakamoto's interview suggested fuel efficiency wasn't achieved by electronics, but rather engine/mechanical changes. He basically said that Honda production bikes are difficult to ride, and it's going to take some time to see results. He also said that Honda will develop the production bike throughout the season, which is a good sign; not before he said it's going to cost them extra.
 
iFly55 said:
Honda using Stoner as their test rider and the #s were 0.3s difference between the factory & production bike.

Not everyone can ride like Stoner/Marquez, so I think it's going to be very challenging for the production Hondas to have real world 0.3s difference in race pace or quali. times.

Aleix time really shows hope for the Open Class, unfortunately it would probably require some sort of retirement/problem from the four factory honda/yamaha riders to get on the podium. It's still quite good for the Open Class to take advantage of that.

Ducati is a write-off, Dovi seems to have made his peace and is taking it in stride. Cal I don't think fully realizes that he'll never get his Tech 3 results. I'm not 100% sure how the electronics are aiding in rider performance. But Hernandez isn't doing that well with the open gp13 bike.

How quickly will the bologna boys churn out Open GP14 bikes?

Nakamoto's interview suggested fuel efficiency wasn't achieved by electronics, but rather engine/mechanical changes. He basically said that Honda production bikes are difficult to ride, and it's going to take some time to see results. He also said that Honda will develop the production bike throughout the season, which is a good sign; not before he said it's going to cost them extra.
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Only problem with the claimed 0.3 difference between the factory and production Honda when stoner is riding is if you look back to when him and Hayden were partners at Ducati. Hayden was never 2 seconds off stoners pace. So in theory Hayden should be able to lap a lot closer to what Honda claimed stoner was running at.
 
Just watched this - If you can, order it as it is impressive to see the inside of what he accomplished and how humble the guy stays

mzqhr6N50aHm_7cZAkA1dwQ.jpg
 
iFly55 said:
Honda using Stoner as their test rider and the #s were 0.3s difference between the factory & production bike.

Not everyone can ride like Stoner/Marquez, so I think it's going to be very challenging for the production Hondas to have real world 0.3s difference in race pace or quali. times.
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I have a feeling that Stoner wasn't riding the factory bike at the limit during that test or they used an average time instead of his fastest lap. Hayden said that the bike handles great but he was left for dead on the straights.
 
boarder360 said:
Only problem with the claimed 0.3 difference between the factory and production Honda when stoner is riding is if you look back to when him and Hayden were partners at Ducati. Hayden was never 2 seconds off stoners pace. So in theory Hayden should be able to lap a lot closer to what Honda claimed stoner was running at.
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Dont think Nicky is going to be competing with the open yamahas unless they find some more power

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>They finally admitted the 0.3 second difference between RC213V and RCV1000R was with Akiyoshi, not Stoner. Stoner did 4 laps, was 1.2 slower</p>— David Emmett (@motomatters) <a href="https://twitter.com/motomatters/statuses/431341408562053120">February 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Snipes20 said:
Dont think Nicky is going to be competing with the open yamahas unless they find some more power

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>They finally admitted the 0.3 second difference between RC213V and RCV1000R was with Akiyoshi, not Stoner. Stoner did 4 laps, was 1.2 slower</p>— David Emmett (@motomatters) <a href="https://twitter.com/motomatters/statuses/431341408562053120">February 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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What a let down for Redding and Hayden, so not looking good that the gap will ever be closer to the others.
 
Pneumatic Valve Springs

The 1000-cc four-cylinder engines in MotoGP bikes can rev to 17,000 rpm. The top teams use pneumatic valve springs to close the valves, because at these engine speeds conventional coil metal valve springs are up against the physical limits for mechanical springs and aren't reliable. With pneumatic valve springs, the engine's valves are still opened by a camshaft, but the shaft of the valve pierces a pneumatic chamber and the end of the shaft is designed to operate as a piston at the opposite side of the chamber. The valves are still opened by a camshaft, but to close each valve a regulator allows a burst of high-pressure nitrogen into the pneumatic chamber and pushes the valve's stem back up—just like a conventional valve spring—to close the valve. After each valve closes, another regulator lets the nitrogen out of the pneumatic chamber and the process can begin again. At 17,000 rpm, each of the valves is opening more than 140 times per second.

Will my bike have it? In addition to the sheer expense and complexity of building such a system, the on-board nitrogen tank has to be pressurized each time the bike goes out on track. So pneumatic valves are unlikely to make it to street bikes anytime soon.

Seamless-Shift Gearbox

Honda's RC213V is leading the 2013 championship, in large part thanks to Honda's seamless-shift gearbox. The F1-derived technology allows the new gear to engage before the previous gear disengages. As a result, Asphalt & Rubber magazine reports that the Honda can shift in just 0.009 seconds—significantly faster than the Yamaha M1's conventional transmission, which takes 0.038 seconds.

Rider Valentino Rossi explains the advantages: "For me, in one lap it doesn't change a lot ... I mean the lap time. A lot of people speak about two-tenths for a lap—I think it's less than two-tenths. But the big improvement, I think, is in the 20 or 30 laps, because the bike becomes a lot easier to ride, is more stable, more stable in acceleration, but also more stable in braking."

Will my bike have it? If the seamless transmission ever makes it to the World Superbike class, each manufacturer will be forced to build 250 road-legal versions for public sale, so there is some hope that a seamless-shift gearbox will someday make it to the street.

Brakes

To meet their extreme braking needs, MotoGP bikes use purpose-built carbon disc brakes. Honda's RC213V uses dual carbon front rotors clamped by four-piston Brembo calipers machined from a solid block of aluminum. At the end of a braking zone after a long straightaway, the rotors can reach 900 degrees Celsius. The rear brake varies more between bikes. Riders can choose between various master cylinder diameters and two-piston or four-piston calipers.

Will my bike have it? Carbon brakes are incredibly powerful when they're at operating temperature, but dangerously weak when cold. They just aren't safe on the street, and likely won't be available for road use any time soon.


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WoBblyCaT said:
Not that it matters, but I wonder if there's a clause in his contract about getting injuries outside of MotoGP?
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I doubt it... most of the guys all ride some form in the off season, to stay in touch with their skills. It wouldn't surprise me to know Honda pays to have a helicopter sitting there waiting to go in case he breaks a nail!
 
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