The 6 Cylinder racebike that revved to 20k rpm in the 1960s
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Honda dominated the 1960s grand prix race scene by making high revving, multi-cylinder motorcycles. The RC166 was the pinnacle of it all
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Subjectively, the RC166 makes the best noise go ever come out of an internal combustion engine. The first time I ever heard it, I was absolutely shocked. It sounds like several bikes at once, revving in a perfect harmony. And it doesn't sound angry or vicious, but focused and purposeful. I love that sound so much.
I read years ago that Honda had a 5 cylinder 125cc race bike that redlined at 23,000 rpm at that time.
I love Hondas CBX1000, still to this day my dream bike.
I have one with 6 into 6 changes the sound but really enjoy my Benelli Sei better to ride
mc22 is pretty good too
The MV350/6 sounds also pretty good.
Saw that fabulous Honda Six in race action with the man himself, riding it as it was designed to be ridden.S.M.B. Hailwood. A sight and sound never matched since.
Bought TWO new Hondas back in the day. Twin cylinder and four cylinder.
For decades, there was an RC166 on display at the Ontario Science Center in Toronto, and it even still had some bugs on it from its last race at Mosport Park.
The bike was eventually professionally restored and then shipped back to Honda Japan.
money? my motorcycle is the only thing I'm happy to have in life. I have no other purpose to live, than to ride.
That is a pitiful nihilistic life.
Enjoy it, ignore the hater
It is definitely a highlight in my life.
That sounds pretty understandable judging by the amount of crap that surrounds us in our daily life. Some people find happiness doing fishing, hiking, solo camping, paragliding or whatever. In my case my happiest time is when I grab my motorbike and commute back home, just pure therapy.
You exist to go vroom neat
I was a spectator at the 1966 TT and the day of the 250 race we were up on the mountain section. We could hear the Honda coming for what seemed ages before Hailwood arrived. Never ever forgot that moment or that sound.
Ill in hospital and seriously grumpy, my late technophobe father asked if the ring tone of his old Nokia mobile phone could be changed so it sounded different from every other phone in the ward. I pointed out he could have any sound he wanted, anything at all.
He thought for a moment and said 'Mike Hailwood coming down the Creg Ny Baa on the 250 Honda 6 in the 1969 TT. I was there with your mum and she was pregnant with you.'
Took me all weekend but I found the recording and made it his ringtone, you could even hear the revs rise as the back wheel came off the ground half way down the Creg.
Never seen a smile like it. He used to look forward to the phone ringing after that.
G'day Bart, wow what a fantastic history story about Honda's Racing efforts, today has motorcycle racing the same influence on bike sales as it did in the past, Royal Enfields are kicking goals in the world market without a racing heritage of late, thanks for the video, cheers mate, Neil 🤠.
"4 cams" yes cat dad Bart on the ball
Had the honour of working on this 6cyl 250 as raced to the outright lap record of Canada's Mosport by Mike Hailwood when it was returned to Honda Canada from it's time as an exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre. What a fantastic piece of engineering. I believe it is now in the Honda museum in Japan.
So cool that you worked on that bike. I saw it at Mosport in the late 1970’s when it was brought out of retirement for a demonstration lap or two. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. The sound was incredible and you could hear it through the entire lap. I always thought of the mechanics working on it as closer to watch repair than large engine work.
Hi Len !
Thanks for your comment, if you were at Mosport that day you may remember that it was in an "accident" I think on the drop into corner 2 as a result of a Harley "Cafe Racer" that was somehow allowed on the track for those parade laps and dropped the Harley right in front of the Honda. It was ridden that day by the now late Tom Faulds National Service Manager Honda Canada, (and my boss ! ). That was also the first time I heard it running, I was pushing from behind to bump start in the Pits and when it fired and revved 4 feet from my eardrums...WoW ! (No wonder Im almost deaf now lol ).
Hi, could you tell me if this bike was running the round slide or flat slide carbs and were they the 5 jet design like the 125cc and 50cc ?
the story of Soichiro Honda and the races of the 60s are the stuff of legend. I've got a few vintage Hondas and they all just drip with that sophistication that can only be learned on the track. I've got a 65 Cb160, a 68 Cb450, and an 81 CBX... the CBX is the one that people want to point to when they think race bike, but I feel the 450 is the most 'race bike' of all. dual overhead cam 450, made 45 horsepower. first production DOHC, first production bike that can make 100/hp per liter out of the box. it's a little screamer too, will rev to just under 10K. I've unintentionally wheelied it at stoplights a few times. it's a hot hot bike.
It sure was, and still is! I have three CB450 based classic racers, alas gathering dust here in Malaysia!
I miss my 66 black bomber that bike was really a thing of beauty I didn't know what I had at the time either I got it out of a barn in western Nebraska for $50 and a 30 rack of pbr when I was about 16 and fixed it up back to like new I loved it but one day some slick dude came by and asked if id sell so I asked what hed give he told me $2000 and I thought I was rich haha it wasnt until later I found out how much the bike was actually worth oh well if I find another one I wont let go so easily haha
For its age the 450 wasnt horrible but gotta admit the power wasnt where it shoulda been, a few years later it was so typical Honda feel that it wasnt even fun. The SOCH CB550 was a different story, the engine could be pushed without losing its breath, i really liked it. About smaller high rev Hondas, they never mastered it. First time i tried a CBR400 i was exited but less than a kilometer later i was devastated, it had no handling nor engine to speak of. That was the day i realised Yamaha FZR400R was the only great little 4stroke four ever made and bought one a few days later, what a bike, it has no competitors.
@@pflaffik The CB450 had 100PS per liter, an amazing output for that time! It had great handling, contrary what many people said (mainly based on hearsay), and it had great tuning potential. In 1970 my CB450 with standard pistons and camshafts put out 58 PS @ 10,000 rpm - my CB450 based classic racers have 70 PS @ 10,000 rpm. In Japan I owned a CBR400 - I was exhilarated by both its handling and power! I don't understand at all your negative experiences!
Bout 10-12 years ago I had a cl450 and was absolutely amazed riding it vs a similar ago Harley. Light years ahead in fit and finish, power, poise, everything was better
Man. I'd love to see this channel cover Buell Motorcycles. Super cool bikes and a brand with a real roller coaster history.
The concept is more smaller cylinders, and it works great for some applications, (where higher rpm can be applied). I build little 2-stroke engines for a living, and one of the best ones is a 29.5cc engine that revs to 21,000rpm safely. A well modified 29.5cc makes up to about 7hp on pump gas.
The math is easy: If those top ends/pipes were made into a 6 cylinder engine, (177cc), it would make about 42 hp (peak somewhere between 15,000 and 16,000rpm), and rev to 21,000rpm.
You can build one yourself if you make the cases and put a crank together, (and the engine could weigh about 30-40lbs since the single engine is about 5lbs.). Everything else is available in retail today for a 6 cylinder 2-stroke build, reed valve or piston port, for a person with some talent to build. Doug in Michigan
That bike was one of the all-time loudest bikes I've ever had the pleasure of hearing run. It is the father of the Honda CBX, which Honda built just because they could. I still have my 1979 CBX that I bought new in 1983 from a local Honda dealer, it will go to my grave with me. I also own a GL1800 Gold Wing flat-6 powered bike, excellent machine in itself!
Badass video!
It is a shame you failed to mention the "Golden age" of motorcycle Road Racing in the early 1980s up to and a little beyond the 1990s when the likes of Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Michael Doohan, Kevin Schwanz, and slightly before when King Kenny Roberts were all trying and succeeding in what was called "Taming the Beast" in the 500cc Two Stroke racing world. Freddy Spencer was the only man ever to win both the 250cc and 500cc two stroke world championship in the same year on a Rothmans Honda in 1985. And he will be the only man EVER to accomplish this feet since the FIM rules changed directly after his accomplishment to not allow anyone to ever do that again. Those years were very exciting for both racers and fans. Those motorcycles were the pinnacle of modern road racing at the time and as explained by the racers very hard work to actually race such untamed beasts. More power than they knew what to do with.
I so agree with you - they brought in 1000cc 4-strokes (or was it 800? - I can't remember) to be able to compete with the 500 2-strokes, then banned the 2-strokes, and so now in MotoGP you have these ridiculous monsters that can only be ridden with the help of a computer or 3 on-board, with every driver aid you can imagine - and I find that completely pointless. Bring back the 2-strokes and make MM and the rest ride them - then we'd really find out! Wooooofff !!!
But the subject of this video is the Honda in-line six cylinder bikes which date from the 1960's
Seen honda have such history building reliable high revving 50cc. I can now confidently remove the rev limiter and advanced the shxt out of the ignition timing on my Honda NS50F.
Great history telling, terrific video. For a while back in the 60s, Honda were the very best engine manufacturer on the planet; the probably true legend of Honda building the original Lamborghini V12 is an emphatic confirmation of their engine design and building prowess.
Twenty-five years ago, I saw (and HEARD) a RC-166 six-cylinder flat out on the Daytona high banking at the AHRMA races. I also saw a RC-116 compete in the 50cc road races in the N E GA mountains, sponsored by Two Wheels Only motorcycle resort. No idea if they still run AHRMA's "vintage bike week" at Daytona (covid screwed most everything that was truly fun), but I have great memories and photos of the races, the pits, and the repair shop on campus of the community college next door to the Daytona track.
Hailwood on the 6 was almost unbeatble, and the noise was like music.
Bart! I love your videos. So well done. Lots of effort. Keep them coming!
I was lucky enough to see a couple of these (plus it's engine on a stand) at the Honda museum in Motegi. It's absolutely a must visit if you like racing
I would consider it a must see if you like any kind of human advancement in what we left of free enterprise back then.
Is true free enterprise in that museum also?
Tom a vp of Honda Canada brought this bike to the Windsor motorcycle club January meeting 1980s he had raced it as a young man he said after a few practice laps the engineers told him it could go to 22000 if needed. It was a very small gem.
Nicely done, thanks.
ICE engines are wonderful machines, they almost feels alive. These are great examples of what makes them so interesting.
4:12 - this statement is true in MotoGP and WSBK again today.
They’re reliable, and if they don’t crash out- they’re basically guaranteed to finish the race. Yet- they still somehow lack the speed to get any notable points.
I’m interested to see what they do pull ahead.
Typically, excellent presentation from this channel, once again. Honda's commitment to the evolution of their products throughout the fifties and sixties certainly paid dividends for a long time to come, and not just from motorcycles, either.
7:01 i wonder if that’s the inspiration for the pipes on the opposing gang bikes in first road fight in Akira?
MZ … Saxony …. West German Technology was it?? 3/10 Try Harder 😡
Love watching your videos
Great history telling
Honda was mostly my bike of choice, CB250, VFR800, Fireblade and Pan European. I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Hailwood several times when he stayed at the hotel I worked in near Snetterton. He had retired from bike racing and was trying (unsuccessfully) to race cars in the Formula 5000 series.
The quickest Honda I ever rode, and I've ridden many, was a VFR 750F in 1986. It belonged to my cousin who was a factory trained Honda mechanic and I hit 240 kph for the first time. Not much slower than my 750 MV Augusta F4 which can reach 250. Maybe Honda would have been better off to develop the V4 into a MotoGP bike than the transverse 4, they are certainly bottom of the pack right now.
I recall a story that when the 6 cylinder was first introduced they kept the engine covered and only had 4 of the 6 pipes installed. Everyone knew about the new Honda engine but a few minutes before the first session mechanics rushed up and installed the last two pipes, devastating the onlookers.
Can anyone confirm that story or is it just fictional?
True enough when it first appeared at Monza in 1964 the mechanics wheeled the RC166 everywhere with a tarpaulin thrown over it, when it was revealed as a six cylinder bike it stunned the paddock, however Jim Redman’s rival for the 250cc world championship that year Yamaha’s Phil Read instructed his Yamaha mechanics to wire two extra expansion chambers to his bike that exited either side of the seat he then casually pushed the bike past the Honda garage much to the consternation of the Honda mechanics.
@@johnr6292 I hadn't heard the Read/Yamaha addendum to that story. Thanks!
Brilliant video 👍
MZ was East-German surely?
Yes it was.
I think to remember, as now 75, that Mike Hailwood rode a bike on the limits of the possible, with metal speeds close to destruction and with a torque witch was only useable within a very narrow limit!
MZ’s were built in East Germany not West Germany at this time
My favorite Honda racebike of all time. Its truly bonkers that they engineered this in the early sixties. On paper with pencils and no computers at all.
You wanna' talk about drafting boards, pencil & paper, go look at a WW2 fighter plane. Especially a Corsair with its wings folded.
Of course they had computers!
Allan Millyard built one from scratch, he has a channel on UA-cam. Pure engineering and manual skill
As amazing as Allan Millyards creation is, it bears very little comparison to the GP Honda's of the '60's, it having been made by (very cleverly) grafting two liquid cooled road bike engines together. His engine is much heavier, a lot less powerful and much bigger than the Honda GP race bikes.
@@peterg2yt agree but just thinking that he built a complete amazing bike from a 1/18 scale toy and with an hacksaw, a couple of files and a welder, et.c mostly basic tools; that's almost unbelievable
@@DifferentRides I couldn’t agree more (but its not a Honda).
This might be pedantic but "soy-cheer-oh" kills me. It's "so-ee-chee-ro"
There one not far from here....Honda is still looking for it! ;)
and Honda is the #1 Bike producer (and Engine producer) in the world. Their bikes are the best in the business, beautifully built and very reliable. Thing is, motorcycles are fading in popularity in the West, expensive to insure, 6 month riding season, depending where you live, whereas small runabouts are the thing in the East. Ducati may be winning GP, but they'd give their eye teeth for Honda sales. There was a rumour in the 90's that Honda would stop making bikes. Sales in N. America are .5% of their total world output, so I doubt they care much. Goldwing is gone and their lineup seriously curtailed. Their cars?. well that's another story. I've had Hondas since I was 17 for good reason. They last and I give a rats about GP.
Had many bikes, quads, wave runners and snowmobiles, they all seam to have a weak spot, fixing that makes a ride!
I have a 1991 Honda Nighthawk and a 1985 Honda V 65 Magna in my collection. Both bikes are trouble free and the engineering that went into the bikes is amazing, especially the engines. The only problem is I don't ride them as much as I would like. I do my best to make sure that all my bikes get ridden equally. Motorcycles need to be used on a regular basis or the "lack of use worm" creeps into the bikes. 400 to 500 miles a year seems to keep my bikes well oiled and in top condition. For me, that amounts to about a 45 or 50 mile ride once a month and starting the bikes up to operating temp (every 2 weeks) over the winter months. This gives me the opportunity to spot anything that might get out of sorts. I used to ride year round but no more. They go into winter storage for 3 months of the year, there's too much sand and corrosive chemicals on the road. By the way, These are the only Japanese bikes I own but I am on the lookout for a CBX, a bike that was misunderstood when it first came out, IMO.
I have an MB5 and it's so badass!!
I miss riding it
This is what is missing these days.... heroes and incredibly advanced one-offs that promoted racing into the Stratosphere!
150 mph on those tires is scary!
I was just thinking the same thing.
Why? They are so small, if one blows out, you probably won't notice it. :)
@@EarthSurferUSA Are you serious?
Contrast Mr Honda with the current crop of people that run corporations that know NOTHING about their products. The CEO of GM for example. I betcha she doesn't even pump her own gas.
They don't need to be good today. They have government help, dictation, and direction. Basically, it is the nationalization of our industries.
I had a 1979 Honda CBX with an after market 6-into-1 exhaust system and it sounded just like that 6-cylinder race bike. Maybe a little better because the CBX was 6-into-1 while the race bike was 6 separate pipes.
I've often thought about getting a 6-1 exhaust for mine, but I just love those 3 flared exhaust pipes on either side. makes for a mean machine. plus re-jetting and re-synchronizing 6 CV carbs DOES NOT sound like a weekend task I want to get around to.
@@aidanacebo9529 I sold mine about 15 years ago. Before I sold it I re-installed the factory exhaust system to boost its value. The stock exhaust system does not sound nearly as good as the after-market 6-into-1 system. The 6-into-1 system makes it sound like a Formula 1 car.
Same here, Bought a new 1979 CBX and put on a D&D 6 into 1 with a removable baffle. Best sounding bike EVER!
@aidanacebo9529 I had 6 into 6 on my Z13. A couple of mates had 6 into 1's cbx and z13.
Personal tastes of course, but the 6 into 6 definitely seemed to get the popular attention
Not so much, for me. Whatever exhaust a CBX has, it always sounds to me like it's just ready to really howl.... And then it runs out of steam, and it's time to shift. I think a lot of that is due to it's oversize intake (especially) and exhaust ports. JMO of course, but I do have quite a bit of experience with cylinder head development.
MotoGP has lost it with launch control, winglets and a GPS system that knows where a racer is on a track, and adjusts power, braking and wheelie control to suit that part of the circuit. How is any of that shit going to sell a bike on Monday? No wonder sport bike sales have dropped off in favour of retro bikes...
Soichiro Honda was a true innovator and visionary and brought so many innovations to the race track.
Lessons learned from the race track have been implemented into Honda production vehicles.
Hondas are my favourite whether it comes to cars or bikes
Ironic that in ww2 even the desperate Japanese military industry couldn't take Honda's parts the quality was so atrocious. But he tried, and learnt
Well... Honda proved themselves for reliability. So they don't have a lot to prove these days. It would be amazing if they could make old racebikes that we could buy today. I would pay a good chunk to buy a 6 cylinder bike that revs to 22,000rpm.
Cheap alternative cbr250rr
@@swiftbobber I've looked for one in the states. They are ultra expensive or really hard to find.
@@girthquake9655 Check for 'George Beale Honda RC174'. There are 10 in existence.
I'm an old guy who experienced the problems,,sport bikes are pretty expensive and if you ever open up the throttle, you get in big trouble, the law makes you an outlaw. If you are not wealthy enough to own your own track then you can only run on established tracks when they are open,,you can look real cool on the street with any hot rod or motorcycle but if you dare open the throttle then you are in trouble,,I did all that because I am a rebel and got away with it most of the time,,now I'm just a spectator, admiring others, it's a different world now, all my people race on the weekends at legitimate tracks, no more outlaw stuff like I did back in the day. /OH we still having fun anyway...
depends here you grew up. 50 years ago there were no cops where I lived.
Too bad honda's starting to make nightmare to maintaian bikes...
search: CB300R spark plug change
I will
Fucking hell
Had a 954 Blade and it was horrible to work on compared to any GSXR I've owned, Honda love to over complicate things.
What they've been able to do with Marc is nothing short of spectacular. It's a shame that he's been bombarded with injuries!!!
Good stuff as usual
When you are bored, how about a video about Freddie Spenser and Honda?
You are talking to a bot channel. It will not consider your request, and if it answers, it won't be anything much of intelligence.
Personally, I don't like personal interactions with machines, and the world is going that way I guess.
I saw Mike Halewood on the 6-cylinder at Mallory Park where he lapped all the other riders; unforgettable.
you should do episode on allen millyard
Indeed, what he creates is incredible!!
Allen Millard does his own videos which explains pretty much everything about how he has made his amazing bikes.
Don't forget the 5-cylinder 125cc, based on the cylinders from the 50cc twin. Arguably even more remarkable than the 6-cylinder 250
One of only two Honda engines that was designed to rev in the 20,000 rpm range the 125cc five cylinder revved to 21,500 rpm & the 50cc twin revved to 22,000 rpm, incidentally more SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) technical papers have been written about the 125cc five cylinder engine than any other internal combustion engine in automotive history.
To add it still has I believe the fastest accelerating reciprocal mass in an internal combustion engine
I got to see and hear one of these being demonstrated at Cadwell Park about 15 years ago. Loud little bugger, louder than a Moto GP bike. It sounded mighty.
And there it is, being ridden up Cadwells Mountain @ 7:07
Love these videos on the history of motorcycles. Gotta remember the og’s always!
I would like to know some specs on the Lille 6
lol its pretty clear your not a big GP fan............ or you would have changed up that ending a bit.
you stated most love GP for its competitive nature and racing when compared to F1 only problem is within GP it is EXACTLY like watching a F1 race as the teams and their bikes are soooooooooooooooooooooooo advanced now days that half the race ends up being three or four guys walking away from the group and thats the whole race.
now in GP3 where the bikes are alot more stock and similar to eachother is where all your really good races are at !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and those are radical in aftermarket parts. but are a much more achievable concept by comparison
One question off topic and I subscribed already good work but are you from Canada 🇨🇦??????? ??????cause the way you pronounce you Z’s does not sound 🇺🇸 American
According to Jim Redman who raced one of the first Honda sixes, "Seventeen Thousand Is Where They Put The Redline".
Saw the Honds at bramds hatch in 66 also Mosport canada in 67. Loudest ever
I have a sparkplug from canada 67. Offers?
What I dont get is this is like the most efficient motorbike out there. Yet with 1960s technology. Imagine having a remake of this but with modern technology. Market that and there would be a drastic drop in carbon emissions, and everyone can still enjoy a gas powered vehicle.
You mention F1 and how a sports car for the road doesnt match a f1 car. With F1, the tech they use now drip feeds its way down to cars 10years later. F1 developed ABS in late 80s, in the 90s every new car was getting it.
Its the same for moto gp, they are the top tier of tech and that tech wil drip feed down onto road bikes.
If you want to see a road bike racing thats where superbikes come in. If i remember correctly they have to sell a minimum amount of a model to be allowed to use the bike competing in racing.
And sportbikes might be dwindling in sales but manufactures are now putting sport bike engines in adventure bike chassis, so you still got the speed and power, but also the comfort.
I love this channel! The content is always interesting and it’s great to stream at work. Excellent job👊
On the same race track, Mugello for example, the MotoGP bikes are faster than F1 cars, ie they reach higher speeds so you are not quite correct. The F1 cars are faster around each lap though due to down force so I'll give you that.
There is a video in the ethers,two mechanics walk onto to a stage and assemble a 250cc,6 cylinder,6 carb engine. Once fully assembled they start it up on the stage,people jump out of their seats. Quite impressive to see.
No, they run it, scare everyone, then strip it down!
This and other race bikes of the 60's were the real deal ... the pioneering days are always the best ... cars and bikes today are boring and mundane, just like the 21st century ... keep it real
Honda, com a filosofia do Sr. Honda, hoje continua ganhadora, tanto nas duas rodas, como na F1, e se am dúvida a melhor marca do mundo.
This engine had no two bearings that were the same size. The crankshaft was flexible when removed from the engine. The reason for this was that each part in the engine was sized for a specific load. All this was done with drafting tables and slide rules.
Although the Honda-6 was fast, Mike Hailwood always said it handled like a pig. But still a good historic bike with a lot of history and it does sound good.
worth a mention that Suzuki committed industrial espionage by bringing an MZ defector back to Japan
You'll be surprised to find alot of this in Dr. Porsche's formulas that were shared through the Axis.
Of what? Nearly all of porsches ideas he ripped from the Czechs (no real surprise as he was czech) and of course postwar the bike tech race was with the east Germans. So not sure where or what porsche comes into it?
Apart from value as a fairly rare bike it is not a great racer. The long crank makes a gyro action resisting a change in direction.
That is why Vtwin or 4 comes up strong.
9:14 goosebumps
Check out the size of the drum brakes on the front of those race bikes. They look beautiful. I'd like to get my hands on one.
I was lucky enough to hear these things racing as a kid. My dad and his brothers raced small capacity bikes as amateurs and the races ran at the same circuits as the big races and oh the sound and smell of them. I have been to some classic races where one was being shown and I cant help but tear up at their sound.
What about the smell of those Castrol 2 stroke oils??? Pure heaven
@@giggiddyAnd the crackle of a good stroker into the spark arresters, and Castrol R4 in a heated engine, now your talking. I sometimes put a teaspoon of R4 i nto my lawn moner just for the smell.
@@mercedesvan-doors34 LOL. I do the same thing for the castor smell!!!!!! I like you already!!! Cheers
Hard to believe oils at the time were capable of protecting these engines at 20,000rpm.
Caster based oils had been around since the first world war and had a pedigree of use in high performance engines here are some of it's qualities :
Castor oil will not carbonize at high temperatures (over 700F)
Castor oil has a high film strength, which helps prevent metal-to-metal contact between points on an engine. This makes castor motor oil an excellent racing lubricant for high-performance engines.
Castor oil does not “adapt” to its surroundings. Meaning, it stays in its current form regardless of climate, temperature, location, etc.
Castor oil has a natural attraction to heat. It will actively seek out the hottest spots in an engine.
Castor oil puts off an incredible smell. A smell that has acquired considerable fame ever since the first use in the early 20th century.
It was not an oil that fared well if left in an engine for lengthy periods and tended to laquer engine parts of course this was of little concern in a racing engine as oil was changed after short duration I used Shell M and Castrol R in my race bikes even after the widespread adoption of synthetics mainly because it had proved reliable and I was used to reading a spark plug colour to judge carburation.
@@xvdd1 vege power! Gosh the r had a great smell. Glad you brought that up: brings back memories
It really amazes me people had no trust in quality from Japan but would buy pos stuff made in the US :S
The RC166 did NOT rev to 20,000 the first incarnation revved to 17,000 & was later upped to 17,500 then in an effort to keep up with the phenomenally fast Yamaha RD05A its maximum ceiling was raised to 18,000 rpm which incidentally is where the rev counter on the RC166 stops, the only engines that were in the 20,000 rpm ball park were the 50cc twin @ 22,000 rpm & the five cylinder 125 cc @ 21,500 rpm.
You're absolutely right! Read my book: "Honda's Four-Stroke Race History 1954 ~ 1981"
@@joepkortekaas8813 Many thanks for the heads up about your book Joel it sounds like just what I am looking for.
@@johnr6292 If you would buy the book, let me know - there are a couple of inaccuracies in it that the publisher refuses to rectify unless I pay a hefty price!
@@joepkortekaas8813 Many thanks Joel I am kicking myself for not keeping all the technical articles that were published in the British & American motorcycle press in the 1960s & 70s.
The rev counter (Smiths ‘conical’ ATRC type) on the later type RC166 actually tops out at 20,000 and the 297cc RC174-6 rev counter tops out at 18,000. Yes, peak power on the RC166 is 18,000 and on the RC174 six cylinder it is 17,000 (same bore (41mm) but longer stroke.
Hi
MZ 2-strokes came from East-Germany. The socialist one. Greetings from Berlin
If you can get hold of a copy, *Stealing Speed" by Matt Oxley is well worth reading. Ernst Degner, Walter Kaaden, MZ & Suzuki, Cold War _real politik,_ defection, it's got the lot, and it's a true story.
See Ernst Degner there...killed by Socialists,as they usually do
Jump to 9:08 . It sounds like a fire-breathing 2-stroke!
I see great Honda content, I like.
If you came just for the sound it starts at 9:13. More melodious than Bach on a pipe organ.
Honda 's best selling motorcycle....... Not a monster but the awesome cub
Great video!! Honda, besides the 600s in the 90s (ish) NEVER built a bike that could win on a consumer level!!! Always some kind of bs...not at all like Kaw and Suzuki... ( yes I own 2 crfs 450, 2 honda quads and a goldwing....)
Aka. The Speed Buzzer.
Why no mention of the RC 149 - 125 - 5 Cylinder in 65 & 66 ???
You make a good point about Honda missing a trick not looking back. Their compatriots Fuji have carved a great niche making great cameras that look and feel like old cameras, which could translate well to making 80s looking sports bikes in the vein of the NR400 say, but with a modern 400cc. Put the focus on fun over outright speed by right-sizing it and splash it with fun liveries, like they used to.
As an outsider who enjoys looking at motorbikes, very few of them appeal to me now, whereas the 80s and 90s are chock full of fascinating, striking looking machines and they feel so much more accessible to Joe Public than the latest bewinged, 200hp litre bikes.
9:34 Oh my, that sounds amazing
Taking a step back from these formidable racing machines, to look at more mundane stuff, one cannot but admire the lowly Honda Cub. I owned one 80s example when I was cutting my teeth. A little engine that revved to 8k rpm, running on anything that resembled gasoline, with a few ounces of oil. At the same time it was making almost 100hp/l with legendary reliability.
I am not sure who designed it, but I am confident a tiny bit of the DNA of the racing bikes made its way there.
So - Ichi -Ro is how it is pronounced.
50 through 125 racers were small guys who had to run miles a day to maintain low weight and fitness to competitively ride. 250 riders had to also, but didn't have to be quite the tiny 110-115 pound bodies.
I never realized until now that ed sheerans singing took a massive nose dive at 18
They returned to racing in 1967 with a bored out rc166, the rc174 six cylinder Despite being just under 300cc it won the 350cc class by winning 7 out of 8 championship races that year.
Clearly this guy has never been to an underground camera racing circuit.
I remember those years well.... the RC166 sounded spine tingling at full chat.... in 1966 I was 24... 🙂
One cannot really understand what 20.000 RPM stands for until you realize it means 333 rounds a second, and therefore *eighty-three explosions per second* or thirteen per cylinder per second.
(if I didn't mess up my calculations)
My brother has a CBX in-line 6, 1000cc and I have a VFR700 v4 two of the best sounding four strokes I can think of.
How many times are you gonna say the same thing for fuck sake???,
Personally, I'd love to ride a new race-ready sport bike. But insurance companies in canada make it inaffordable. I know Canada is only like 1% of the global market, but it still hurts sales numbers.