Smaller sport bikes are all the rage, and MotoAmerica will have a KTM RC390 class running in conjunction with U.S. events. But now that WSB is considering a 300 class, how could they make it work?
The concept is a good one, i.e., low cost racing for younger riders, but a multi-manufacturer series (unlike the single make RC Cup planned by MotoAmerica) would seem to require some effort to balance performance among a quite diverse set of production motorcycles.
Both singles and twins abound in the small displacement sportbike category. Yamaha’s new R3, for instance, is a twin displacing 321 cc, while Honda’s CBR300R, is a single displacing only 286 cc. Of course, Kawasaki and KTM have their own engine formulas that don’t quite line up with everyone else.
If the series emphasizes affordability, of course, it is difficult to understand how these different motorcycles could be modified to equalize their performance. Additionally, you also see different wheel sizes in the class that may pose a challenge when it comes to a spec tire for the series.
We are all for low cost, small displacement racing classes, but we are having trouble understanding how WSB could make a 300 class work with the participation of several manufacturers.
Personally, I don’t think that a “cheap starter series” belongs on the world stage. It belongs in the domestic series. We need the domestic series to build the riders into competent racers, moving them through the class ranks, and THEN they go to the world stage once they have proven they are head/shoulders above the rest in their domestic series.
Seems to me that low cost production racing always ends up distorting the factory production line from low cost practical everyday transport into peaky, uncomfortable, and expensive toys for the wealthy – usually in the space of 15-20 years…. then the formula collapses and the circle starts again. Seems to happen with both cars and motorcycles, particularly supercar and superbike classes worldwide.
re: “Seems to me that low cost production racing always ends up distorting the factory production line from low cost practical everyday transport into peaky, uncomfortable, and expensive toys for the wealthy – usually in the space of 15-20 years”
sounds like the strongest argument yet for us to simply enjoy it for what it is and for however long it lasts…
the “British are coming” and so is the perversion. (azi gallops on horse wearing militia hat)
Well why don’t we just leave the forum just for you normg.
He and I don’t always agree, but I think the forum would be greatly lessened by his absence. Said party is obviously a well-read, very experienced, passionate enthusiast. Sometimes goes off a bit, but I think it’s all in good fun, I don’t see any malice. Best grow some thicker skin, or simply push back a little if you feel stepped on. But do your homework, first, as you’ll likely be called on statements lacking substance. Whatever you do, don’t mention the “excess weight” thingy, it’s like throwing a can of ether into the campfire….
Oh – by the way, as much as I would like to see a 450 cc multi myself, the problem (as stated by others), is that the collective marketplace would say, “How much??!!” Why, I could almost get a 120 hp, supersport 600 for that price!! Fuhgettaboutit!”
re: “the collective marketplace would say, “How much??!!” Why, I could almost get a 120 hp, supersport 600 for that price!! Fuhgettaboutit!”
yup, then round and round we go, where it stops, nobody knows…
oh wait.
Yes. Sometimes old Norm does show acute signs of Munchausens by Forum…..Go ahead, Norm, and skin me up with your moto wit.
perhaps, but then my question would go unanswered…? and that’s no good.
I say keep the rules real simple and let ’em race!
Singles up to 400cc, Twins or anything with more cylinders up to 350cc, and let the rest sort itself out.
Back in the 1980’s we ran air cooled FZ600s against much more powerful liquid cooled 600 Ninjas. Even at tracks like Willow Springs (where horsepower is definitely rewarded) the Yamahas did very well because they handled so much better. Additionally, the differences in machinery made for GREAT racing. When you’re young-dumb-and-full-of-….well, you know, you’ll find a way to lap a race track faster than a guy with 4 more horsepower. You just WILL. And it makes for great racing and produces some great racers.
Heck, a class like this might bring some old farts out for some racing that, speed-wise, resembles the middle weight class of 30 years ago.
I’m with ya, spec racing has its place, but it would be cool to see these low-displacement machines mix it up against each other. Would probably result in some interesting trickle down for the consumer market.
re: “it would be cool to see these low-displacement machines mix it up against each other.”
see, Sammy’s dad gets it.
re: “Would probably result in some interesting trickle down for the consumer market.”
well we’ve finished “the race to the bottom” and here we rest on the ocean floor up to our friggin’ ears in “trickle down”, so we’re good. unbeknownst, we’re looking at it in the R3 picture at the top of this page.
with the OEM’s having done their part, now comes that dreaded moment when we “consumers” (only a focus group from HELL iirc) have to do our part. and see no free lunch, the trade off for availability of LCK (low cost kit) means WE ARE ALL OUT OF EXCUSES. that’s right, you don’t get to use that one anymore LOL, as i’ve officially taken it off the table.
right then, like so many triple screws on the Titanic, the “trickle down” must now STOP dead in the water (shut all the dampers!) engage it’s reversing engine, and the process of “trickling UP” various and sundry cash/coin to the domestic dealer networks must begin in earnest.
this theoretical “pot of gold” everybody thinks exists…? will then float “cross pond” back to the OEM’s and their respective engineering/manufacturing centres where the talented PRODUCERS (ie. the boffins who make all this possible) actually reside. trust me, the states (for God knows what reason) thunk it a good idea to convert itself to a nation of consumers…? so none of these people live here.
fail to do this and I promise, you will strike yet another UNSEEN berg in the icy North Atlantic. again, it’s that whole “mathematical certainty” thing.
re: “When you’re young-dumb-and-full-of-….well, you know, you’ll find a way to lap a race track faster than a guy with 4 more horsepower. You just WILL.”
unless of course DNA testing reveals, the kid spotted 4 horsepower is actually marquez’s 3rd cousin, twice removed on his maternal grandfather’s side, then he WON’T.
re: “Heck, a class like this might bring some old farts out for some racing”
sorry, I’ve ruled this an “altacocker free” zone.
I say let them choose a bike – probably the Ninja or R3 – and base the series around that bike. Allow for a displacement advantage for singles. If there is sufficient brand equity to be had from the series, the other manufacturers would pursue it. If not, it can be a one-bike class just like KTM’s gig.
Has great possibilities as bikes this size are the most common around the globe. It would be great to see technology and quality migrate to this size bike in production.
re: “It would be great to see technology and quality migrate to this size bike in production.”
and what of the inevitable price increases that move in lock step…? curious to hear your thoughts on THEIR migration…?
Yes, to borrow one of your favorites, “we’ve seen this movie before”. See 600cc SS market.
re: “Yes, to borrow one of your favorites, “we’ve seen this movie before”.
moderator, please score dave “2 points” for good use of the lingo.
thank you.
They should just run the support class on similar chassis rules to Moto2 and with 450MX engines allowing superbike type tuning mods.
Or use the Mini-Twins as per the TT – great bikes.
Just go with the KISS principle … keep it simple stupid. 300 cc, single cylinder, 17 inch wheels, 17,000 rpm limit and whatever else would simplify. 250 twin … sorry. 321 single … sorry. Eventually Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, etc. would all have a 299 cc, single cylinder, 17 inch wheel motorcycle and no one could gripe about … he’s got bigger/smaller wheels, displacement, more pistons, neener, neener, neener. I must say, although I do enjoy seeing The Doctor and MM and Lorenzo duke it out on the big Moto GP bikes, I do find the Moto 2 and 3 races more satisfying to watch. Especially the Moto3 races. It’s usually a 10 or 20 bike race to the finish. That’s because they’re all reasonably ( plus or minus 1% ) the same.
re: “Eventually Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, etc. would all have a 299 cc, single cylinder”
well everybody ‘cept Honda…
in a category where every cc counts, the displacement of their single will be something weird like 286.
You mean like VFR800 … 781 cc or CB 500 X … 471 cc or the legendary CB 350 … 325 cc. I think my old SL 70 was actually 70 cc. Seriously though, to be competitive they would have to make it 299 cc. A little bore, a little stroke and there U go.
re: “You mean like VFR800 … 781 cc”
yup.
re: “or CB 500 X … 471 cc”
yup.
re: “or the legendary CB 350 … 325 cc”
yup.
re: “Seriously though, to be competitive they would have to make it 299 cc.”
seriously though, to be competitive they have to make it MORE than 299 cc. singles vs multis are not equal on same displacement, hence the reason I’ve always said the extra displacement spotted ducati over the years has NEVER been an advantage. at least not any different than the extra top end spotted an I4.
in fact, there’s no better way of illustrating this than with what we’re doing here when we reduce the cylinder count down to 1 vs 2, and we drastically reduce displacement to take away the riders need to manage power and traction.
the more variables we eliminate, the more the motion seen embodies that predicted by the equations given to us in Classical Mechanics. Newton was right less is not more, MORE is more…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk-ZysyuaRQ
http://youtu.be/3fVnxNo9aPA?t=3m13s
In a nutshell …
” the more variables we eliminate ”
… says it all. No multiple cylinders, no 2 strokes, one displacement size, etc.
The SL 70 was 72cc 🙂
I loved my Honda CB77s and won a bunch of trophies with them back in the 60’s. I wish Honda would bild a new 305 with DOHC and 8 valves. A 286cc single is a disgrace when everyboby is building superior lightweights and Honda once had the 300 class act. A CB77R anyone?
In 1987 i buy a brand new white Ninja 250. I run it up to 2000. Before i buy bigger engine. It was the best bike a ever have.I still have it in the basement, is waiting my son to reach 16.
I have riddend bigger bike, faster one, etc… But my Ninja 250 is my best memory. A that time some friend whit RG250 and RZ250 were challinging me. But no one ever reach 16000 RPM, or the reliability of my Ninja. Remember 16000 RPM in 1987 !
In this time i was dreamming of 250 and 400 cc inline four i was seeing in Japan and Europe. I still dream to that today. I know it would be costly. But a small displacement inline four is the way to go to have fun. I choose a Ninja 250 or 400 four over a brand new Ferrari anytime.
I had the same thought myself – in the (80’s? 90’s?), everyone was lamenting the fact that the Japanese market had some great bikes in the 4 cyl., 400cc range that were not available here. I remember reading that cost was what made them prohibitive, that is why the 600cc class took off in the U.S. – we didn’t have the displacement and licensing restrictions present in Japan at that time, and the cost of building a hot 600 wasn’t much more than building a hot 400. It would have been interesting to match up the best from each class and see how they stacked up. Maybe an idea for a future article, Dirck?
re: “I know it would be costly.”
good, ’cause “knowing” is half the battle.
GT08 your username has earned a free upgrade. from hence forth you will be known as GT2860RS…
http://tinyurl.com/kk9ayuc
congrats.
It’s depressing to see a picture of the R3 only to find that there’s no test review of the bike included! Of the four bikes available in the “300” class, the R3 seems to be the most tempting, both in looks and performance.
What tracks would these production 300s run at?
Would they be running on some of these tracks with looooooong straights intended for bona-fide WSBK and MotoGP machines?
Would watching these production 300s on such a track seem interesting, or like watching paint dry?
These would likely be factory kitted bikes making somewhere around 55-60hp. That’s Moto3 power territory and those bikes clock at 145mph on the straights and are big fun to see on the track. 55-60hp was what factory 250 GP bikes made through most of the 70s and that provided some great racing.
re: “These would likely be factory kitted bikes making somewhere around 55-60hp.”
that’s big money, bespoke grandprix. in contrast, these would be the Thailand made antithesis so no.
re: “What tracks would these production 300s run at?”
likely a limited feature in much the same way the superstock bikes don’t run the whole schedule.
re: “it is difficult to understand how these different motorcycles could be modified to equalize their performance.”
re: “we are having trouble understanding how WSB could make a 300 class work with the participation of several manufacturers.”
the answer my friend is blowing in the wind… err… specifically the winds blowing down from Canada. for years the Canadian Superbike series has had both weight as well as DYNO controls. if you recall this is the series that gave us names like Picotte, Crevier, and Szoke, eh…?
http://www.csbk.ca/
gentlemen if you will, please direct your attention to page 19, Chapter 11, section T-1&2 of the 2013 rule book…
http://www.csbk.ca/images/competitors/2013CSBKRules.pdf
right then, everybody’s ballasted till they match the weight of the heaviest kit. now the great Henry Ford once said, “you can have any colour you like so long as it’s black”. to that end the great Norm G says, “you can do all the engine mods you like, so long as you don’t exceed 45hp and 25lb-ft of torque.
ballasting and measuring output is supported by the laws of Physics (power to weight ratio). it is universal and therefore beyond contestation. besides these 300cc “sippy cups” are only going to make so much power, so it doesn’t need to be kept hidden like some kind of friggin’ “state secret”.
A class for 300cc I4s, 350 twins and 450 (MX) singles, all developed to Suberbike/Supersports levels, would make for the best sportbikes for the most riders, IMHO. In WSB trim, you’d get pretty much SV650 top end power out of them, yet have bikes that are silly-light for chucking around in tight canyons, and unintimidating for regular riders doing trackdays. Throw in 275-290 5+s as well, just to entice the design and production of some really cool screamers. Heck, whatever Yamaha can charge for their latest R1, I’d pony up twice that, for a similarly developed 300-class sportbike. Promised. 100% certain. And I know I’m not the only one.
My theory is that 600s rose to prominence in the 90s, because they were meaningfully less powerful and big than liter bikes. To such an extent that the way you rode them were different. Now, despite the relative power difference between the two being as great as ever, both classes are now so powerful that most mortals end up riding bot largely the same way, and neither even close to potential. So why not just get the “faster” one, with more tech and fresher looks?
A class of 300s, would drop power to levels where more Joe Average entusiasts could again be “racing” their bikes, rather than just managing power like ion a superbike.
re: “A class for 300cc I4s, 350 twins and 450 (MX) singles, all developed to Suberbike/Supersports levels, would make for…”
…one hella’ expensive motorcycle that ultimately can’t get out of it’s own way.
re: “whatever Yamaha can charge for their latest R1, I’d pony up twice that, for a similarly developed 300-class sportbike. Promised. 100% certain.”
re: “And I know I’m not the only one.”
fairplay, but you and your cousin are not a market make.
Like your ‘formula’ for engine size. KTM is nearly there but it would encourage Honda to migrate that great 450 MX engine to a street bike. And speaking of street bikes – any manufacturer wanting to participate should have to base their entry on a production model
re: “it would encourage Honda to migrate that great 450 MX engine to a street bike.”
nothing encourages Honda to do anything.
re: “any manufacturer wanting to participate should have to base their entry on a production model”
unbeknownst, you’ve just stumbled upon the definition for “homologation”.
Norm – fully aware of Honda’s deaf ears, especially to the US market and I also know what homologation means. I think manufacturers need to go beyond the minimums set by most race organizations and use true production based machines sold to the general public, not limited runs of a few hundred.
Road racing needs are very different from MX. kKTM and Honda’s 250cc Moto3 engines are completely different from the production engines, to the point of not sharing any parts.
Honda deserves credit for developing street engines & street bikes for the way riders really ride on the street. Hopefully consumers will evolve enough to ignore that these bikes lose the “spec sheet race”.
Let the rules and regulations get sorted by the WSBK competition. The current racing Superbike class is the most competitive on the globe. This on production based machines. The 300 class, so many different configurations to be sorted for level competition. Who gets the weight break, maximum cc’s , singles vs. twins ? If all the manufactures get involved with the WSBK competition committee for this class, it can be sorted out . I think MotoAmerica is on the right track with just the single manufacture involved (KTM). Just like the past AMA/DMG Vance & Hines 1200 XR series this was the closest and most competitive racing by far. Now is the time for us motorcycle junkies to get off the couch, and attend a live race if possible. Mid-Ohio is not on the schedule this year, I’m planning to attend the Barber rounds.
Q: “Who gets the weight break, maximum cc’s , singles vs. twins ?”
A: the Shadow knows…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMlRpN8ANrU
sorry I digress, I mean the dyno…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRDueDafFuo
Just wait until EBR and Hero release their new small displacement bike. With fuel in frame and underslung exhaust you can bet the new EBR with 300cc’s will be the best bike on the market!!! With American engineering and components but priced less than the foreign brands the new EBR will easily beat the ignorant and tyrannical manufacturers from Europe and Asia. EBR and Hero now have the endorsement of Tiger Woods to take the EBR brand to the next level of success. Remember folks, you heard it first from me, Blake Rudy from Kilgore, Texas and http://www.badweatherbikers.com. Erik Buell with the help of God will return America to be the greatest sport bike manufacturer ever. Just like he did when he built my Buell M2.
Hero would seem to be from “ignorant” Asia, unless you feel India to be more enlightened than Japan. I sampled a little of Erik’s music, I’m not sure so he his enlisting God’s help. We can be way more definite about Tiger Woods in this regard. Hero and EBR also have a few wins and championships to go before they catch the rest of Asia and Europe. They might not be such a lock to dominate their lesser “rivals.
whoa, that sounds like a case of Hero worship…
he sure kicked some butt in WSBK
maybe I missed the satire
re: “EBR with 300cc’s will be the best bike on the market!!!”
well it’s only 300cc’s, at that displacement, they’re all the best bike on the market.
EBR’s version would perform, but it would be aesthetically lacking. All Buell products must be given a stiff beating with an ugly stick before leaving the factory. It’s SOP over at EBR.
I’m trying to remember a time when a US manufactured bike was the top sport bike on the market – 1925???
Don’t mistake race bikes for sport bikes. The bike that performs best on the street is seldom the one that performs best at the track. Everything from the torque curve to the riding position that’s right for one is wrong for the other.
It might cause some manufacturers to adjust their displacements a bit but WSBK already allows the 20% gift to twins over the 1000cc fours. So maybe a twins limit of 330cc and 399cc for singles could be workable. I’m not sure how far the Ninja bore centers will allow it to be bored but if they can get it to 65mm that would be 325cc. Honda could de-stroke the CBR500 engine to 46.8mm and that would make it a 329. De-stroked 450 MX engines would be exciting too. They could all do that if they would be willing to sell some streetable versions. All it takes is money.
While backing the CBR500’s displacement down would qualify it in that regard it wouldn’t be production and it would still be carrying around a frame meant to handle a larger engine with more grunt. I can’t see that as being an option.
With so many manufacturers straying this way and that displacement wise it makes it real tough to create racing classes that would be somewhat equitable.
As it sit, in a “300” class Yamaha seems to hold all the marbles, especially processing a small, but effective displacement advantage over everyone.
The CBR, with tuning aids of cam and intake and exhaust modifications could most likely be made to be in the hunt but then it’s not production.
Personally, I feel these small, but significant, displacement bumps are done to ensure performance advantages over their competition when prospective buyers go shopping. It’s all about sales, the hell with staying within displacement categories. Interestingly, Honda often misses displacement categories but undercuts them! It would seem that every manufacturer would run their engines right to the limit, or maybe a bit under to allow for cylinder over bores? Honda has done that on a number of engines. Perhaps the original engine design was of less displacement and they chose to not, or were limited by, push the original design too much. My old CB350K1 was a 325cc in the 350 class. Honda’s original CB750 was “only” 736cc.
re: “The CBR, with tuning aids of cam and intake and exhaust modifications could most likely be made to be in the hunt but then it’s not production.”
nor is it “low cost”…
which of course brings us full circle back to why we began talking about this in the first place.
re: “Personally, I feel these small, but significant, displacement bumps are done to ensure performance advantages over their competition when prospective buyers go shopping.”
YAHTZEE…!!!
re: “It’s all about sales”
DOUBLE YAHTZEE…!!!
re: “Interestingly, Honda often misses displacement categories but undercuts them!”
weirdos.
“weirdos” – LOL yeah Honda seems to think sticking their heads up their butts leads to enlightenment but bike after bike it turns out not to be the case
now imagine what their franchisees, tasked with the burden of selling all this weirdo kit must think…?
when Rudolph sets hoof into a Honda dealer he must think he’s landed on the “The Island of Misfit Toys”.
“They could all do this if they are willing to sell streetable versions”. The production version would qualify it but I doubt that WSBK would make them run that way. The bikes would all be kitted to make more power the way Superbikes have been for decades now. Maybe they will limit the kit cost and components to keep things reason.
Owned about 70 bikes over the years, including two or three Yamaha XZ550R Vision (V-Max motor cut in half vertically and tuned higher). The ’83 model included OEM full fairing with variable leg vents, closed/outside air/warm engine air, one of the coolest all-time motorcycle inventions. At various times I rode the ’83 Vision with and without the fairing, and loved it both ways.
In the street bike category, a proper well-tuned mid-size twin is about as close to perfect as a street bike can be. Aprilia’s XZ550 would be attractive if there were more dealers and if this model did not have such a horrible service record (virtually every early motor failed and Aprilia response was to ship new versions of the same motor with no alteration, destined to fail again).
Having said that, I have every intention of test riding this particular modern Yamaha 331cc twin. Am I the only person to dream about a state of the art adventure bike built around this motor?
Yamaha is back to taking no prisoners. Good on Yamaha!
The R3 is 321cc. The Vision punched out nicely to 650 and even 750 and was quite fast when chain driven.
I got to know Lucas Valley Road in Marin County like the proverbial back of my hand, traversing it both east and west at least a couple times per week in my commute. On my Vision, on Lucas Valley, I flew by every bike made through the early 90s, including a gray market Yamaha RZ500 ridden by a fast club racer.
One particular Sunday, after breakfast in Pt. Reyes on the Marin Sunday Ride, some of us proceeded farther north up to Stewarts Point-Skaggs Spring Rd (me and two others, one on a VFR750, the other on an XT500). Throughout most of the day I was last, rarely second, the VFR750 always first. On the way south back home, the XT500 turned off to head home, leaving me still following the VFR750.
Finally, love had arrived. We turned L off Nicasio Rd, heading E on Lucas Valley. I could taste the joy being on my favorite crooked road. Couldn’t catch the VFR on the first 3/4 mile of fast sweepers. Then the redwoods arrived with the first series of tight slow corners. I passed him by the second or third turn under the redwoods, his image quickly disappearing in my mirrors.
After the summit, and the fast down hill corkscrews, I stopped and waited for him to appear. And waited. And waited. And waited. Finally he appeared, traveling slower than all day prior, fairing with more battle scars, turn signals dangling, possibly a cracked side case, and the rider seeing better days.
All day prior he was King Kong, on roads he knew better, on a much faster bike. He presumed he could pass me any time he desired. Instead, he crashed trying, on a road I knew better than he did.
A man’s got to know his limits.
Love that road. Have you ridden with Gabe? He lives in the area and does the Sunday ride on occasion.
Yes, Gabe and I go back quite a long time in Marin.
One morning after breakfast in Pt. Reyes, Gabe, myself, and others traversed a particular circle which ends right where we started (Pt. Reyes). On the last leg prior to Pt. Reyes, a group with which we were not familiar appeared, front runner being on a VFR750, and not far behind a gorgeous candy apple red GL1800 with female passenger, riding faster on those curves than you would believe possible, pulling light wheelies out of slow corners.
As per usual, our group paused to assemble at Pt. Reyes prior to continuing N. up CA-1 toward Tomales. Gabe pulls up next to me wide eyed and asks a couple of us, “Did you see that guy on the Gold Wing? He’s crazy fast!!!” or similar.
We continue as a group N. on CA-1. After a brief time, the stranger on a VFR passed me. Within one mile N. of the point he passed me is likely the worst curve between Pt. Reyes and Tomales, a sharp decreasing radius off camber pot holed right hander, a sharply rising rocky cliff only 30′ on the right, Tomales Bay only 100′ on the left.
I over cooked this turn myself at least once, encroaching well into the onward traffic lane. Having learned my lesson earlier, I slowed appropriately, turned, and stared at blue and yellow flames with black acrid smoke, a compact Japanese truck with major front end damage (totaled for sure), a totally engulfed motorcycle, and someone in shock standing on the side of the road.
Gabe appeared soon after. I finally saw the motorcyclist in the middle of the bike wreck, fully engulfed in flames. The heat was so intense I had to replace my helmet and gloves. We pulled the rider from the flames, but he was already DRT as we say, “Dead Right There.”
Strangely, the woman appeared who was the Gold Wing passenger. She said she was the VFR rider’s girl friend. I don’t know if it was because of her shock or disorientation, but she strangely mentioned it would be nice if we could save his clothing, because it was his favorite outfit. IIRC Gabe, ever the boy scout, had a pair of scissors we used to cut the rider’s leathers.
Not my favorite memory of the Marin Sunday Morning Ride.
I used to ride those Marin and Sonoma County roads on my ’67 Triumph Daytona back in the early 70’s when I was a student at Cal.
‘Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive
But to be young was very heaven.’
– William Wordsworth
re: “I have every intention of test riding this particular modern Yamaha 331cc twin.”
Q: “Am I the only person to dream about a state of the art adventure bike built around this motor?”
A: prolly, there was literally more than 2x the displacement (750ml) in the bottle of Prosecco I finished off at the Christmas party last night…?
Yamaha R3 would cream the others. Not a very balanced race.
I think the KTM might have something for it though.
Perhaps. We’ll probably never find out, tho.
There will be plenty of KTM, Ninja and YZF comparo test though.
re: “Not a very balanced race.”
correct. not until someone comes along and intelligently balances it.
Nothing short of a boring bar or cylinder sleeve could fix the 300cc class as it stands.
Not withstanding the fact that the Honda CBR300R does not have the rev ceiling of the others….and how times have changed….I cant believe I just said that about a Honda