The Greatest Racebike of all time... by far
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- čas přidán 7. 12. 2023
- This is the story of the Honda NSR500, the greatest grand prix racebike of all time
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Spencer , Lawson , Rainey , Schwantz , Doohan , Gardner ... Thanks for the memories !
Sir , I could not have said it better my self !!!!!!
I remember one particular race where 5 of those 6 you mentioned (before Doohan) all swapped for the lead multiple times, and was the greatest race I ever saw, that I will never forget. I will have to try find it online, but can't remember the name of the track or exact year.
U forgot Rossi. He was the last 2 stroke GP500 champion in a Honda NSR. And Alex Criville the 1999 champion that kind of forgotten.
@@johnb4840 I was at the 1989 Aussie GP, and that same sorta thing happened continuously during the race. Add in Niall McKenzie and Randy Mamola, Christian Sarron. Memories.
BTW, I was there the next year, too. I think Doohan won.
the 2 strokes were the GOLDEN days. I remember a feature for TV in Australia where Mick Doohan (retired) and Casey Stoner swapped bikes... Mick was clearly bored on the newer 4 stroke, while Casey was visibly shook, COMPLETELY different animals. Makes you wonder how they even fit their balls in those pants :D
Not only was the NSR the most blistering bike over the longest time, its still probably one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made, and its even better with its clothes off!
Amen🤑🦾🔥🏁
Not more beautiful than the Cagiva C594.
916?
@@stk0308 He didnt say it was the most beautiful. Learn to read.
longest time? I thought that was the MV Agusta
The close firing order on the big bang NSR was meant to provide a break in the power pulse. The power pulse break allowed the rear tire some "rest" to regain traction.
The 80's? I watched Kenny Robert's and Yvon Duhamel in the early 70's...now that was raw racing.
The Rainey and Schwantz era was the pinnacle of the motorcycle racing imo.
One of my most enduring memories is of watching Kevin Schwantz podium or bust racing style. I remember seeing him on one occasion getting held up by a back-marker. The camera zoomed in as he finally got past on the exit of a turn, back wheel spinning, front wheel in the air and turned round on his bike to give the other guy a certain well known hand gesture to make his feelings clear. To a teenage bike fan the level of skill on display in Moto GP was just awe inspiring.
Schwantz was a mad man on a 2 stroke. He stated in an interview how much he loved 2 strokes over 4 strokes. Him and Rainey battling at Suzuka was one of the best races ever IMHO.
@@stevel6939 Many years ago I was standing at the parts counter at a Honda shop and that suzuka race was on their tv. One of the greatest gp battles I have ever seen, I was standing there in awe with my mouth open going these guys are insane. I have tried to find that race on vcr, dvd, youtube, and I cannot find it. I would really like to watch it again.
fucq yeah!
I remember Kenny Roberts on his Yamaha, I was fascinated with his dominance at the time.
Roberts and his protégées were something else. Eddie Lawson and John Kocinski were near-unparalleled in 500 and 250cc bikes, respectively.
That was obviously a different era and I LOVE the stories from those days. Like how the engineers would uncrate the bikes from Japan, take a quick look over it, and just immediately start taking a Sawzall to the swingarm without even doing any laps.
Don't forget 😮No Electronic's not even ABS brakes n those were crazy men Hauling Ass on Wild Fast Bikes Super Bikes were Fun to ride on the street also
It seemed his biggest problem was whether his tire would last for the full race😅
@@johndef5075 Some things never change.
The Honda Interceptor was when I fell in love with bikes. The full fairing, the colors, and the V-4. Was a beautiful machine.
Oh yeah. I'd been a Yammy rider, but that Interceptor made me a Honda fan again, as I'd originally been as a teen on an Elsinore 125.
I owned a 3rd generation VFR years ago and regret losing it even now. Very best motorcycle I ever owned.
Couldn’t agree more with many of the comments made here. These two strokes were beasts of wonder…and the sound AND smell…!! Such a sensory experience going to these GP’s as a kid. I idolised Spencer and the NSR500. I was at Donington when he came around McLean’s IN THE LEAD!! I totally erupted! This was after more than a year out with wrist issues. Then a lap or two later he pulled, such a shame. That version of the NSR500 was pretty perfect as well, like his 85 bike.
Surely anyone who can both the 259 and 500 in the same season with some of those godawful weather conditions in Europe in 85, on two strokes, has to go down as the greatest ever accomplishment in the sport of motorcycle road racing…
I couldn't agree more with the point that you made about putting today's fastest riders on these old bikes and seeing how they would perform. Back then a 1/4 inch on the throttle was the difference between a brilliant pass.....or ending up highsiding into a rhubarb bush 200' off the track, especially with those TZ 750s, they were insane and the riders were a completely different breed of rider compared to today.
As an Aussie, I recall GP500 racing well. I worked in TV at the time and got to watch several of the local races either as a tech remotely or at the track I was simply gobsmacked at the ability and fearlessness of these guys. Remember Doohan riding with a broken leg and Gardiner at the first Philip Island?
The last race I ever watched as an excited kid was when Rainey crashed out at Misano. It changed for me then both as a fan and a rider and car racer.
Sorry to correct you but racing was going on at phillip island way way before gardner etc , my old man was racing there before i was born in the sixties .
@@Yoda-em5mt I suspect he meant the first PI MotoGP race ;)
You'd have thought Yoda would know these things....😉@@essentialmix1606
The guts and commitment these races have is astonishing. Brutality is just a single mistake away. I grew up in the 60's and 70's watching racecars and motorcycles kill almost every weekend.
I was a big fan of Jackie Stewart for obvious reasons.
I'm pretty sure it was a local station (Ch 7?) who pioneered live on-bike cameras. In fact, I think it was the doomed V-Four four-stroke, and Gardner was riding. Early 80s? I 63 now.
The greatest era in racing there ever was or will be. It's not just the machines, the riders weren't under half the media/manufacturer pressures they are now. So the riders then rode wild bikes and lived pretty wild lifestyles. The perfect era for involved, riders and fans. I can still remember the emotion of sitting on the Rothmans NSR500s and NSR250s at the Day of Champions. I knew it was special then. I raced a tuned NS400 triple for 2 seasons, yes I thought I was Spencer and Lawson, but won nothing.
I love this kind of honesty, cheers mate.
When it comes to motorcycle racing, Mick Doohan is the King of Kings.
Nobody else could drift a 2 stroke like Mick!
🏆
I’m a huge Doohan fan. But i always wonder what if Schwantz had something else than the Suzuki, who was far behind the others bikes.
@@rogerchtarponne4968
He was a beast!
He was the Wheelie King.
💪
czcams.com/video/NqlMYf6md_8/video.htmlsi=pfPEj_Xj_lt3RyxM
"So little passing in motogp" *cries in f1 fan*
It is quite sad that 2-t is gone. I still dream of owning a RG500 or RD500. One of these days...
Yes, these two bikes in the garage 😍
Need deep pockets ! 25000 each these days. If you can find one that wasn’t crashed or blown to bits. Best bikes ever though
My first AMA Superbike race came during the 1984 AMA National at Laguna Seca, scheduled just after the 1984 Belgian Grand Prix. This National event was during the MotoGp summer break, when Roberts rode his Yamaha OW69, Randy Mamola on is Gamma RG500, Mike Baldwin riding the HRC F1 bike and Freddy Spencer on the year old NS500. Spencer crashed during practice, but the F1 race was highlighted by the other riders pulling wheelies while exiting turns 1 thru 3, lap after lap, and of course Roberts was doing wheelies thru the corkscrew, which he did during the combined Superbike/F1 practice sessions. It was an event to remember.
@@BobbyOfEarth Yeah, wheelies, nowadays they have anti wheelie system, what a shame, this was so nice to watch, wheelies during the race.
I had the RG500 while still on my P plates back in the late 80's & 90's I up graded from an RD350 LC that was so tame in comparison
I still have the RG but its crashed with front end damage ( not my fault )& I have a hip replacement But WORTH IT !
Nothing beats the sound of some high reving two stroke engines and also the smell is unbeatable. I was lucky to see them race in the late seventies and early eighties at the Assen TT track. Our farm was only 25 miles away from the track.
Oooh, oooh that smell!
Unfortunately I've never experienced that particular variety, though I assume it's similar to the "swarm of angry wasps" noise that nitro & gas RC cars (also 2 stroke) output
I was there, PR manager of Suzuki GB in the early eighties when Sheene came back. I then married into one of those racing families. My then brother in law was Gardner's crew chief and went onto be Schwantz's too. The bikes and the atmosphere of GP racing back then was astonishing. I even wrote a book about those times called Barry Sheene and my part in his downfall.
Dont bother with the title or author name then.
@@forddriver8827he stated the title. "Barry Sheene and my part in his downfall"
Ian Burgess
Oooooo good for you
9:27 they were actually OVER 200hp. They got dynoed at Jerez in '98 and somehow the press got access to the numbers, they were published in a spanish motorbike magazine. I remember and the Yamaha put out 203hp, the Honda 207hp. And with 135kg of weight. Insane.
I've always liked cars more than bikes. But when I was about 12 years or so I built a plastic model of an NSR250 or 500 and I've loved that era of motorcycles ever since.
Cool )
Today MotoGP is not worse than "the good old days" races. It is just different. But is is still breathtaking action with shoulder-to-shoulder fighting on tracks with speeds, what were only in dreams in 80-s and 90-s. And i am not touching safety side.
MotoGP has been the closest it has ever been. In the 80s the gap between the first two even went up to one minute. So yeah, it's a perspective thing
........and too boring to watch!
@@jamesadams2334 Must be some modern definition of boredom.
@@donlynch8285 Don't bother arguing with nostalgia addicts.
@@jamesadams2334 then don't watch it. it doesn't need you and your disingenuous and missinformed criticism.
Yes, it is close, since riders matter less than machines these days. Moto GP is going the way of F1. Back then rider skill was very important. These days it is all about tuning the traction control and aero.
One racing series that is still exciting is BSB. You never know who will come out in top, week in and week out. And I chalk that up to lack of TC.
The Smokers were awesome to watch. So much could happen within a race & they were always on the edge. MotoGP today is a snooze fest where 1 or 2 bikes checkout and the race is over on lap 3.
One of my mates is currently rebuilding his NSR125. Only been down a few months but before it was it was an absolute rocket. 100mph on a 125 is insane. Not surprised it's big brother has the reputation it does
Any 250cc Race bike from the 90's would put a liter bike to shame, even when we had R1's coming out the 250 GP bikes where a different beast altogether. Now, the likes of the Rainey, Schwantz, Doohan, Lawson et al were indeed a different breed, the NSR V2 was the beast from hell but which 2 stroke 500cc GP bike wasn't?
I also have a 96 NSR125 , crazy bike , im rebuilding it currently , crazy thing 180kmh on a 125cc
@@va7entino46 Not going to brag too much but I had a tzr50 with an 80cc engine that did 150km/h
Gear that sucker right and you can see 120 - just have a LOT of space. 😃
I remember my dad owned an NSR250 (The street version) when I was still a baby and it's still the wildest bike He ever had. I really want to get one so he can have the nostalgia with it but finding one that at least doesn't cost the same as brand new YZ450F is hard enough these days
Way to completely ignore the most dominating forerunner and all-time benchmark - the Yamaha TZ750 which made more power than any of these in it's original form and was completely unrideable except in the hands of King Kenny (his bike was detuned even) because tire, frame, braking, and suspension technology was not up to the ability of this engine.
There's no way a tz750 made more power than the last of the 500s
Valentino’s last 500cc win was on a bike with 168hp and that was considerably lower than a wsbk at the time.
There’s absolutely zero chance a 1000cc 4 stroke with 300hp would be rideable without electronic aids.
Indeed. In fact all the old riders have said exactly the same thing when discussing the modern bikes.
@@StefanMedici With that in mind i don't understand why those that say to remove electronic aids are yapping about.
My first time going to the local dragstrip was in 1966, and it is 1/8 mile, the bikes that were winning were Triumphs, I started riding motorcycles in the 60s and some were very fast, all you needed were balls & brakes, there were no electric Rider modes ect...just the ignition switch and the spark plugs, my 6th motorcycle when I was 14 years old was a Kawasaki H-1, all my friends said I would be dead in a week, Nope!! subbed 🏍
Both of my older brothers had H1s. Me & my twin had RDs.
yes ..remember these guys and dont forget fast freddie .. love those 2 strokes!!
The intro to this video kinda cracked me up, as an f1 fan it was completely identical to how people speak about modern f1, worse racing machines that are too aerodynamically focused to create a good spectacle etc etc etc. And the ending was the same aswell just like in f1 the advancements are so minuscule now it seems impossible to create something capable of dethroning the kings of the past but that sentiment is the same in every sport until one day the right machine comes around and just so happens to be paired with the right driver/rider and boom utter domination. Sure theres not the 1s a lap difference in performance between machines which is what makes the utterly dominant riders/drivers so amazing the consistency and the level at which they perform week in week out is just mind blowing.
Attending Moto GP at Laguna Seca from the beginning to the end. I seen some fantastic racing and lots of changes. I feel fortunate to live 4 hours away. Good memories!
I went to one in the late 80s & one in early 2010s …Complete Difference in Bikes
@@bobbyblenio4571 Indeed!
Number of years ago at Laguna Seca. They had demonstration race of electric bikes. I said then to a friend. That is the future!
nope, electric will kill the sport........5X as boring as Moto GP.@@larrys.3992
Few mastered 2 stroke like Joey Dunlop & Mick Doohan keeping in mind the tracks & road racing courses called for fearless commitment knowing an accident will be life changing or worse. I appreciate there are many other riders, Agostini and Hailwood come to mind, who also dominated two-wheel racing at various times, but I am an Irishman who calls Australia home so Joey & Mick it is for me. Shout out to Casey Stoner who is another story and period of racing all together.
Saarinen the forgotten hero...
Yeah, Wayne Gardner rode like a complete girl when he became World Champion. Edjit.
Yer Maun #3 indeed !
Rothmans livery is a legend
Totally agree, MotoGP has become boring. I even fall asleep sometimes watching the race. Now you can see
more than 15 riders within one second on Saturday's qualifying.
Same, Moto3 is 10x better to watch
I love when they do the uploads on classic races, genuinely watch them with interest
I’m confused, how is fifteen riders within a second boring? Even “experts” can’t predict the winner now, I enjoyed the racing then as I do now, insane skills required now as then
@@RobertJohnson-nx3fo Because a few years back, and especially with the 500 cc bikes, the bikes were more difficult to ride and you can differentiate better the great riders from the good riders.
Its a damn shame that honda has forgotten its world wide history making two strokes ! Motocross &Road racing
Honda CR-500 - best Motocross engine ever made
Followed the 125, 25 & 500cc 2-stroke racng back in the day. I rode small 2-stroke street bikes, so I loved the 125cc races in particular. Incredible max speeds (of 145mph from the race 125's) and fantastic tight racing.
My first street bike was RD 125 twin 2 stroke . Fun bike
@@gcrain464Crain-rd6hf Had a White and blue one. Loved that bike.
BSB best series to watch at the moment and Road Racing and the TT.
You left out the guys with the EXTREME-size testicles. The most AWESOME race bike of the two-stroke era was Yam OW69, 690cc square four rotary disk valve two-stroke that won Daytona by such a big margin they were outlawed. In the same vein the Yam TZ750, Suzuki TR750, Kawasaki KR750, all big fire-breathing two strokes. I was at a race in 1984 at Mt Panorama in NSW Australia and watched lap after lap as pilot Michael Dowson opened the taps of the Pittmans TZ 750 on the 3km straight while I stood trackside on a cutting in a hillside about 2 meters high about 2/3 down the straight. Every lap Michaels TZ was airborne way over my 1.8meter height standing 2 meters above the track for at least 30 meters. The Formula 750 bikes made the 500s look like kids' toys. They shredded tyres and at the height of their development were pushing 180hp weighing around 150kg. The best thing was ANYONE could buy one, in 1977 they were about $3500, when the 750 roady was about $1200. They are still WILD motorcycles.
Interesting video once again, I love your channel bart, and I know it's all about the nostalgia for a mainly elder audience. However the bashing of today's racing is completely unwarranted. The "good old days" are still here my friend. There are overtakes constantly in MotoGP, and there are 7 or 8 race winners in a season nowadays. Just because most of them are on Ducatis, the races are still epic to watch! Don't forget that in the magical 90s Doohan won 5 years in a row - what's more boring than knowing the winner ahead of time? (Case in point: F1)
Having electronic aids just means they are even closer to the edge every time, and they are riding a LOT faster. To say they would be bad on an old bike is absolutely ridiculous... Of course they would be if they've never ridden one. Do you think Schwantz could ride with his bloody shoulder scraping on the ground like today's riders?
You know what, he probably could. He could adapt to whatever is possible at the time, just like Pecco or Martin could adapt.
Nah. MotoGP is a yawnfest compared to the 500s. I stopped watching when the 2-strokes were constructively phased out.
@@cadman1973 if you stopped watching, how do you know?
@@hmarciglad you said this 😅. You couldn’t be more right. There has never been more different race winners and the field has never been so close. Just look at qualifying times from back then to now
The 500cc era was all about throttle control and was considered the " wild rodeo " of modern times .
Gardner once famously smirked and said " you give it just the slightest bit more ,to go faster and it sent you to the moon " while twisting his right hand subconscious ly on TV .... They knew the consequences of that all to well .
They were " Hair Trigger " machines that were 130 kgs , no electronics or aero . Pure ability or it spat you off in a heartbeat .
@@hmarciBecause I watched it long enough to know it was boring.
I was a teenager throughout the 80's and a die hard GP fan, 80's and 90's racing was so engaging, I never missed a race on tv or at Phillip Island. I road a Yamaha RZ500 and I even managed to convince my girlfriend to get on the back of that little rocket a few times.
For me it began in the 1960's. Great bikes.
100% agree with you, Moto 3 is just brilliant.
Those drag races between the Aussies and Americans at hockenheim are still fresh in my mind. I wish I could’ve seen vale race these guys from the 80s and early 90s. And Sheene as well
Awesome vid man, great journalism. I remember those days, Kevin Schwartz being the first to slide the front as well as the rear wheel. Wouldn’t you love to have one of those in your garage 😜
The Isle of Man TT is never boring. Traditionally Honda used to start planning for these races a full year ahead.
Thank you Bart for helping me get through winter in upstate NY. Your documentaries are some of my favorites!!!
Those high sides were gut wrenching, but the racing was... well,...exiting!
Rossi got the tail end and said it was the scariest, and most incredible bike he ever rode.
To me, once the 500 two strokes stopped racing and the characters that tamed them retired, Moto GP as it was renamed, became boring. As an annual visitor to the Isle of Man TT and the North West 200, I'm guaranteed excitement and real men riding on the edge!
I don’t know about every rider but I know Mick Dooan the Australian who rode for Honda broke every bone in his body which ultimately led to his retirement and he isn’t the only one, a big price to pay just so people aren’t too bored, Isle of Man TT will be banned eventually in fact all combustion engine racing will probably be phased out I’m not saying I agree with that but if the governments are going to virtue signal about emissions racing should be the first to go because it’s totally unnecessary.
I'm going to my 1st IoM race in 2024! And I kinda stopped watching MotoGP when Rossi retired.
@@aural_supremacy Stopping pollution isn't virtue signalling mate, if you think it is , educate yourself. Everything changes eventually...
Agree .
Youve missed 20 years of spectacular rivavlries, racing, legends. Gotta get out of the past, you are missing the present.
Rossi/Biaggi was far greater than sheene/roberts. Rossi is the greatest in racing history.
All very true, but I fondly look back at the huge rivalry between Suzuki and Yamaha on square four and straight four twostrokes riden by Sheene and Roberts in the late 70's.
Those old 2-strokes were CRAZY! The riders were crazier who still managed to master the riding such difficult and ultra powerful machines with absolutely no electronic riding aid!
I am lucky to have witnessed the rise and rise of Mick Doohan - he was so talented that he could qualify in almost any position on the grid and still make it to the podium - mostly the top one! For me, Mick Doohan was one Aussie whom I liked more than Shane Warne (the GOD of CRICKET from Australia!!) - and that's really something special!!
He was the one who managed to master both the big-bangs and screamers!
Rossi is revered by a large number of people also because he was one guy who could successfully transition from the 2-stroke era to the 4-stroke era and still became Champion..That was no easy feat...
Rossi in his prime is out of this world... People say marquz is crazy but Rossi was twice talented and crazy in his prime than marquz ever was... That's why Rossi is greatest ever
Great video! One comment: I remember the Big Bang engine being touted as slightly less horsepower, but much more ridable. The tire was more likely to grip than to spin up and cause a high side, which also meant a wider usable powerband. At least that's how I remember it explained in the magazines and/or race commentary.
Mick Doohan refused to use that engine as he said he wouldn't change while he was still winning. He also knew being able to use the screamer effectively with his manual clutch / rear brake traction control system gave him an advantage. Those bikes also suffered understeer which is why he would stand it up and smoke the tyre out of some corners. Casey Stoners 2007 800cc was the closest thing since to an NSR500 screamer.
I raced against Schwantz in an 8 hour endurance race at TWS. If you know you know. The man was insanely accurate, left me holding my hotdog in turn 10. Him and Blake were getting ready for the Suzuka in Japan. for the record his team came in fourth!
You raced with My friends Ronnie Lunsford ( R.I.P. ) Mark Campise , & Rusty Allen . Schwantz was one the greatest. It’s a shame TWS is gone now. I did one of the final track days there in 2017 on my 94 F2 .
Hey Bart thanks for the video, amazing memories...;D It would be worthwhile doing a short on the crazy research and development bikes that Ron Haslem was riding for the Elf Honda program. He was an absolute Boss, and was still placing 10-15th each week on a bike that came from outer space that was different each week. Cheers!
I went to Phillip Island GP from 1987 onwards, I live 1 hour down the road. The 500's and the men that rode them were so enthralling. I had an RZ500 too.
Good times
2 strokes never die......long live the stink wheel. My weapon of choice was the RG Gamma i had 2 they were brutal but so much fun.
In 1986 I first heard, then saw a Honda NSR400R screaming through the cobblestone streets of Rothenberg W. Germany. It's an instant in time I'll never forget.
I aways watch Moto3 first eventually I get around to the MotoGP race, Brad Binder on the KTM is still a hoot. I liked that you showed the Colombian rookie David Alonso when mentioning Moto3, the most exciting rider on two wheels!
No such thing and an NSR400R. There's an NS400R though.
@@cadman1973 Very well, I can't be held responsible for how many Rs Honda uses in it's nomenclature.
@@jfu5222 The NS400R and NS500, like the MVX250 which you've probably never encountered, are V3s, while the NSR500 is a V4.
@@cadman1973 I have seen the Honda V-3 400 in Europe and at home in Minnesota, there are a few grey imports out of Canada. A friend had an NS400R, but that was years ago. I don't recall seeing an NS500, but there are a couple of Suzuki 500 Gamma square fours in town.
@@jfu5222The NS500 was race only.
Love your videos!! SUPPER glad to see you hit 101K subscribers. Very happy for you!!
Great video! Very informative and well researched. Boy do I miss those two strokes.
I really enjoy your videos, very informative and interesting! Keep 'em coming.
Marc has livened it up at the last two rounds.
Excellent video Bart. Great racing and technical scenes with detailed, quality narration. Until your video I thought the Suzuki Gamma 500 held this crown Keep up the good work!
It's winter where i live but this video inspired me to go for a really chilly ride on my Honda
You meet the nicest people on a Honda!
I owned an NSR400 TRIPLE , in nsw,Australia. It was by far one of the quickest excellerating bikes ive ridden.
Nice video. Thanks for taking the time and effort to make it.
Oof caught a glimpse of the Cagiva, now that’s a bike to do a video on.
I attended all 3 500gp races in South Africa back in the 80s at the old Kyalami circuit and remember Freddie crashing when his NSR500 carbon fibre rear wheel collapsed on him during practise. Spectators took pieces of the wheel for keepsakes and there was a request on the PA to return them as it was such new tech the Honda guys wanted the pieces for investigation..
The YZR500 was first with most of the innovations you are crediting to the NSR, and if not for all of the fast riders (mostly American) retiring by 1994 Doohan and the NSR would not have been anywhere near as dominant. If you look at the results over the years it was back and forth Yamaha and Honda with Yamaha dominating from 78 until the ping pong started in 83.
If you lift out Doohan's dominance over a weak field for those 5 seasons it is a very close back and forth matchup, which is really the reason for so much exciting racing of that era. Both brands were really in it to win it with a real chance and it shows in the intense fighting. Add in Schwantz as the Suzuki wildcard and it makes for an era of the best racing ever on 2 wheels.
Came here to mention the Yam, which is conspicuous in it's absence from this video, But you got it covered...
Woulda coulda shoulda.
@@ivanjulian2532 Wow! Are you always this ignorant? You might want to study up a bit, because history shows that the NSR did the woulda coulda shoulda for most of it's history. If you had just bothered to read a little bit. It helps your brain. I promise.
Winning 10 out of 26 titles is not exactly domination when it's either you or one other brand for most of that time. You see how that works?
Plus the 'NSR500' was just a label on a machine that was completely reinvented every few years. But you knew that already. Right?
Good post, very true.
This season has been rather good so far.
Thanks for the video. There is a nostalgic remembrance for the 2 stroke era. I’m 35 and it’s mostly before my time but the energy when it’s talked about is a huge draw card. Doohan and gardnier are hero’s of my fellow Australians. Even the second hand market for 2T in Australia is bonkers but that won’t stop me buying one to love and own.
Love your stuff mate. Keep it up 👍
This is an awesome video, well done 👌🏽 and thanks for posting!
I can clearly remember the dominance of Freddy Spencer at the 1985 Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps
I remember watching him at Kyalami in wonder.
@@Davidkxf Yes, he was in another league
SBK is what is the real hero, and making competiton exciting these days, get into it mate! love from AUS. keep mking great videos.
One of the reasons I really loved VR 46 was his ability to ride the dragon like these guys did. Once the electronics started to proliferate his natural skills, no longer set him apart. I still like modern MotoGP but I agree the NSR 500 was definitely the golden age
Really nice job on this video, thanks
My first GP was silverstone 1979 and my bike broke down on the way home 😢
I have fond memories from the early 90's of spending evenings watching the MotoGP live with friends then hopping on our RG & RZ 250's for a blast around the streets. It was an incredible period where you could buy a cheap street legal version of what they used to race in the 250 GP & have fun with friends. I can't see people in their 20's doing the same today. Who's got the money for a Panigale these days?
Races in the 80s / 90s were not always close at all. Doohan used to win by huge margins. Today, motogp is super close. And anyone in the top ten can win, even top 12, previously unheard of in the sport. No one gets lapped anymore either, very common back in the day. Ducati dominates? Sure, but for a period in the 90s we used to call GP the Honda NSR cup too. But that Rainey, Lawson, Doohan era was the best, but not for reasons of close racing. The livery, the looks of the bikes (todays bikes are ugly imo), the riders weren't pint sized jockeys. And yes the tech is too much these days and the aero is making overtaking harder. But there;s still more overtaking than people are saying.
"For all twelve flat track fans." Hahaha epic! Personally, I've rode for too many years to ever have a bike with rider aids. So dumb. Thanks for a phenom vid on one of the slickest machines ever built!
I had an Aprilia Af1 Futura 125cc 2 stroke, and that machine was a beast and super fun. I imagine the brute power of a 500cc 2 stroke racing bike.
BSB... No traction or wheelie control, great racing
REAL racing!
Completely agree that Moto3 is currently the most exciting racing. Will David Alonso become the next Pedro Acosta next year? It will be interesting to see if Pedro Acosta on the KTM can become the next Marc Márquez next year, or if Marc Márquez on the Ducati can become Marc Márquez again. Fermín Aldeguer added some excitement to the end of the Moto2 season. Can he carry that into next season? Eight Ducatis this year seemed a bit much. It will be good if VR46 goes to Yamaha in 2025 and Yamaha can start getting back in the game again. Might be a long time before Honda gets back in the game again. Maybe no one will be able to beat Ducati as long as Gigi Dall’Igna is there.
Nobody cares about GP these days, its like ice skating compared to 2 stroke.
@@forddriver8827What a tard, it's expanding for a reason😂
My uncle raced and gave me his practice 1992 YZR500 in 1995 when I was 16. It was insane. You literally had to be given a blessing from Jesus to hold onto it, even though mine was detuned to be a club racer.
I was there back in the day. Beside the track. All the classes were gripping, 125, 250 and 500.
I still can't believe that Honda never built a version with lights and indicators, and I can't believe Yamaha and Suzuki only built theirs for 2 years.
Even today, I'm sure they'd sell like hotcakes.
Feel sorry for modern young riders who may never experience the power and feel of a last of the line two strokes. Leaving aside the 200bhp 500cc gp bikes, the last of the 250cc road bikes like the rgv 250 Suzuki and tzr 250 vee twins could put 750 and 1000cc bikes in the shade , having raced 250 cc based road bikes they couldn't catch big bikes on acceleration but could catch them on deceleration and higher corner speed. It was a real art keeping a 2 stroke up in is power band. . No electronic launch control, wheeley control. Ride modes , just the dubious connection of brain and right wrist..
Do you feel sorry that you didn't have to manually advance you timing? Do you feel sorry that you didn't have to deal with a total loss oil system? Get over yourself and your generation the world has moved on and it isn't going to die with you.
I remember going to a moto go in the seventies at Assen in Holland and will never forget the screaming sound of the two strokes, and as a bonus a demo of a benelli six with special exhaust going around the track, great times
MotoGP has been so good this year
At 18 years old I bought a used BSA 441 Victor S. My Mom taped articles of motorcycle accidents to my mirror. She prayed for rain, and dang it, it rained for the first week or so after I brought it home.
I took it apart and put in new rings and adjusted the tappets. That little bike would pull up the front wheel a little to easily.
I still have the bike. The only bike I'd ever considered getting on nowadays would be a KTM Duke 390.
I rode a super bike of a friend and the thing wouldn't turn like a normal bike.
Loved my NSR250 production machine.
Really liked this video, excellent narration, interesting and very informative 😊
Thanks for another great video, cheers!
10:42 I am a huge fan and I absolutely love your videos, and I’ve learned a lot from your brilliant mini-doccos about bike history, I especially loved the one about Suzuki stealing MZ’s secrets during the Cold War! But, I have to speak up, as an Aussie, I feel obliged to tell you that Mick Doohan is pronounced very differently to how you’ve said it. (like Nick, not Mike, and Doohan pronounced like Ewan, not Dew-hand) 10:42
Great video. For me, the glory years of GP’s were the late 80’s and 90’s. I think they need to get rid of traction control and ride height devices they have today. Remember F1 in 1992 the William driven by Mansell was so dominant that F1 banned active suspension. It’s still not allowed to this day. A few years later they also got rid of traction control.
For me it’s time to change the rules.
Get rid of all these aero bits stuck on the bike, limit the electronics and do away with active suspension. The manufacturers will continue to leave if they don’t do something.
1990s was boring as fuck in Grand Prix and if anything it was second tier compared to wsbk
I was watching a race (can't recall which) in the late 80's early 90's and it was raining. In this open class race, the winner was a 250, smoked all the 600s 750s and 1000s that were spinning tire in the rain. I find it hard today to watch a race were the rider basically holds the throttle open, and then the electronics rides the bike. Part of the reason I own a well modified 07 CBR1000RR. The wheelie control, traction control, and ABS is between the ears. Pushing to the limit is restricted to the size of the danglings in your shorts.
Schwantz & Senna was always my hero in those era
I was very fortunate enough to watch late 80 and 90s 500cc GP races live, both on TV and on track. I don't care what others say, those guys were my 'superheros' and 500cc and to a degree 250 cc 2 stroke racing bikes were 'proper' racing bikes. Always talented riders showed through, riders being able to override and compensate for bike's short comings. Just think of Kevin Schwantz. That is why I still rate Valentino Rossi more highly than Marc Marquez as Rossi raced and won on 2 stroke 500cc. I pretty much stopped watching GP bike racing from mid 2000s when all the bikes became 4 strokes and all my 'superheros' retired. Only Rossi and Casey Stoner made me watch few races. Now GP bikes don't look like bikes, more like spaceship with 2 wheels with all those wings and electronic wires and gadgets everywhere.
Rossi will be the biggest thing in bike racing in our time, he is obviously a legend...
As a legend he is ahead of Marquez, is he faster than Marquez I think not.
Marquez is unliked by many perhaps for good reason but see any top level racer interviewed & they say he is the greatest....
The big bang motor was about lateral grip, not acceleration. That is why the XR750 worked...
Yea I don't understand the dig towards flat track in general, all the American talent during the 500 era cut their teeth flattracking lol
@@eddieproctor711 Not sure what you mean.
What you said in your first statement in the video can also be said about production bikes today as well. For me, the 4-stroke GP bikes are boring today, but not so much because of the engines, but rather the electronics as you stated. Yes, I'm an old guy and I do miss the good old days of 2-stroke racing.
Your comment shows why old people are hated, adapt dinosaur👀
@@drsrsv8884I agree with you, today’s racing is really good and close from lights to flag
@@RobertJohnson-nx3fo Yes, back then there was just 1/2 guys that could win.
Mick Doohan👀
TOP video bro. Very cool to see the 2 strokes etc.
1986 GSXR 1100 owned all. I added 36 mm Mikuni carburetors, an electric shift , Goodyear slick and wheelie bar. 9'80 1/4 mile at 146 mph
I miss the good old days of Yamaha 2-strokes dominating with Kenny Roberts behind the handlebars!
I love these deep dives u do. Im waithing for your history of the honda V4 line from the 80s. The interceptor, magna and sabre. I have a mint v65 sabre w 9k and that old girl is amazing