Honda launches Casey Stoner replica Fireblade
Honda Australia has announced a special edition of the CBR1000RR 2011 Repsol Honda Fireblade in Casey Stoner colours and trim – sadly it’s only for the Aussie market but they have made a great video to promote the bike.
Star of the video is Australian Honda MotoGP rider Stoner who gets to put one of his own replica bikes through its paces.
The bikes will be limited to just 170 and are due into dealerships in Australia at the end of February.
Each Stoner special edition will come with a plaque of authenticity, a Repsol seat cowl and Stoner decals mounted on the motorcycle.
Purchasers of the bike will have Casey Stoner’s racing number 27, his signature and branding on the bike.
Honda's MotoGP gearbox explained
Patent drawings reveal the workings of the new gearbox that has caused a stir in MotoGP
Recently acquired patent drawings have allowed us to examine the workings of Honda’s new MotoGP gearbox. It’s clever. Very clever.
It uses gears that spin freely on the output shaft when they’re not engaged, with internal ratchet mechanisms in each gear. There are four pawls on each ratchet – two take drive loads when the ratchet is engaged and the other two are used to limit backlash. During engine braking, the backlash-limiting pawls take the load.
These pawls are normally held in the “neutral” position, so the gear isn’t engaged, by sliding rods inside the output shaft. These rods have indentations in them, so when they’re slid into a particular position, they allow the pawls for one gear to engage (the pawls are sprung, so they will pop out and try to engage the ratchets on the inner circumference of each gear as soon as the selector shaft allows them to). Honda’s DCT twin-clutch system (banned by MotoGP rules) uses hollow output shaft technology to run one shaft within another to drive both clutch baskets.
On changing up to the next gear, first the backlash pawls in the first gear are disengaged (but not the drive ones) and the drive pawls in the second ratio are engaged. As the 2nd gear pawls connect with the ratchet inside 2nd gear, they take the load and accelerate the output shaft. Because the ones in 1st gear act as a ratchet, they can remain engaged right up to that moment – when the output shaft starts spinning faster than the 1st gear output ratio, the pawls will get pushed out of the way. Then, in the second stage of engagement, the backlash pawls in 2nd gear will be released and slot into place while the drive pawls in 1st gear are locked out of the way.
This new take on gear engagement has a couple of key advantages: First, it’s a seamless-shift arrangement (1st will be driving right until the moment 2nd gear takes over, and so on) so there’s no loss of drive. Second, there’s no conventional selector forks or gearshift drum, so it’s ultra-compact (the selection process is done via the rods inside the hollow output shaft). A corollary of that is that the gears themselves can be wider, and therefore stronger.
Finally, whenever you’re changing gear, the parts are moved in a sequence that means you’re never moving a part that’s under load. That means it’s easy to shift gear and doesn’t need powerful hydraulics (which MotoGP prohibits anyway).
The downsides are that it could really do with an electronically-controlled clutch to make the most of the system – allowing a modicum of slip as the gears are shifted to smooth the transition from gear to gear. Downshifts will rely totally on the slipper clutch to soften the torque loadings.
At the recent Jerez MotoGP race, several Honda riders did mention that downshifts were sometimes a problem. This system, as far as we know, is in its development infancy but the potential appears to be huge and for such a revolutionary departure the bugs appear to be minimal.
JAPAN/EARTHQUAKE DONATION
The FIM supports the Japanese Red Cross and relays the following message:
The Japenese Red Cross heartily appreciate your kind offer of donation.
If you want to donate money to the affected population of earthquake and tsunami, please contact your national Red Cross/Crescent society, which may have already launched fundraising campaign within your country.
If your national society doesn’t collect donation or you wish to send your donations directly to the Japanese Red Cross Society, please direct your fund to the following bank account. If you need the receipt of your fund, please state so clearly in the comment section of the bank transfer order. All the fund received under this account will be transferred to the Distribution Committee, which is formed around the local government of the disaster-affected prefecture and to be distributed directly among the affected population of earthquake and tsunami,
Name of Bank: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Name of Branch: Ginza
Account No.: 8047670 (Ordinary Account)
SWIFT Code: SMBC JP JT
Payee Name: The Japanese Red Cross Society
Payee Address: 1-1-3 Shiba-Daimon Minato-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
Thank you once again for your generous offer. It is surely the source of encouragement for the affected population in Japan.
If you want to donate money to the affected population of earthquake and tsunami, please contact your national Red Cross/Crescent society, which may have already launched fundraising campaign within your country.
If your national society doesn’t collect donation or you wish to send your donations directly to the Japanese Red Cross Society, please direct your fund to the following bank account. If you need the receipt of your fund, please state so clearly in the comment section of the bank transfer order. All the fund received under this account will be transferred to the Distribution Committee, which is formed around the local government of the disaster-affected prefecture and to be distributed directly among the affected population of earthquake and tsunami,
Name of Bank: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Name of Branch: Ginza
Account No.: 8047670 (Ordinary Account)
SWIFT Code: SMBC JP JT
Payee Name: The Japanese Red Cross Society
Payee Address: 1-1-3 Shiba-Daimon Minato-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
Thank you once again for your generous offer. It is surely the source of encouragement for the affected population in Japan.
SBK 2011 Season has started
So... the SBK 2011 season season has started.... well this post might seems a little behind... but since Ducati has won the first race... they might want to defend the ranking in this second round..... Donington Park UK... will be the next battle for these gladiators.... don't miss it...
What's happened to the VFR1200 tourer?
Honda's missing bike that never was, but has it been replaced? The mystery continues
Read more: http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/whats-happened-to-the-vfr1200-tourer/17314.html#ixzz1EDB2Ux1x
Read more: http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/whats-happened-to-the-vfr1200-tourer/17314.html#ixzz1EDB2Ux1x
Yamaha World Superbike Team unveil 2011 livery
The 2011 Yamaha World Superbike Team has unveiled the livery they will run for the upcoming World Superbike season. The new design features a Yamaha blue corporate racing colour scheme. The livery takes its inspiration from both the famous Yamaha speed block design and also one of the colours of the current production model YZF-R1, giving the bike a modern sleek appearance whilst emphasizing Yamaha’s racing image.
The team features an all new rider line up for the 2011 championship with 28yr old Italian rider Marco Melandri, a previous 250cc World Champion, stepping across from MotoGP to partner 24yr old rider Eugene Laverty from Northern Ireland who steps up from the World Supersport Championship. The new livery will feature prominently on the leathers of both riders.
The team continues its winter testing schedule on the 21st and 22nd February at the Phillip Island circuit in advance of the opening round of the championship in Australia on 27th February.
Yamaha Factory Racing to unveil 2011 livery in Malaysia
Announcement !! Announcement !!
Yamaha is pleased to announce that it will unveil the final livery of its 2011 YZR-M1 on 21st February at 6pm at Sepang, Malaysia, the day before the start of the MotoGP test session.
Yamaha is pleased to announce that it will unveil the final livery of its 2011 YZR-M1 on 21st February at 6pm at Sepang, Malaysia, the day before the start of the MotoGP test session.
p/s - don't miss Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies will ride at the test in this new livery.
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