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SPEEDtv.com | World Superbike | WSBK: 1200 Twins Are In: New Regs Announced | by F. I. M. | The latest headlines from FIM World Superbike | Bayliss, Corser, Haga, Toseland, Barros, Pitt, Lanzi, Xaus, Abe, Walker, Ducati, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Hon

[highsider]

Boooooooooooooooooooooooo.

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[SVRACER01]

1200cc RC from Honda?

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Originally Posted by SVRACER01

1200cc RC from Honda?

Yes please!! The new Hawk! Heck I would take a new 650!

[a13x]

Seriously. Read the rules. Not like the 1200's are getting away with murder. They have more restrictions than the 1000's.

Hopefully Aprillia, Buell, and KTM all step up to the plate.

[highsider]

So, if I put lots of restrictors on it, can I run a 2000cc Honda 6 cylinder?

[a13x]

Originally Posted by highsider

So, if I put lots of restrictors on it, can I run a 2000cc Honda 6 cylinder?

Well, it's basically the same thing FIM did to the 1000cc I4's when they entered WSB a few years back.

So ya, in theory.

[highsider]

Originally Posted by a13x

Well, it's basically the same thing FIM did to the 1000cc I4's when they entered WSB a few years back.

So ya, in theory.

yes, but I think the catch would be *I'm not Ducati*.

I just wonder where this will be in two years. If the Ducatis start winning lots of races, Honda is going to get ornery again and build a 1200cc twin that will stomp all over the Ducati. What then? Do we give Ducati 1400cc's?

Remember, we already did this "giving the twins 200 extra ccs" thing once.

[Evil_Weasel]

Did the 750cc superbike die for nothing?

[Wishbone]

to bad some one else didn't find this article already

[highsider]

Originally Posted by Evil_Weasel

Did the 750cc superbike die for nothing?

EXACTLY.

[a13x]

750cc Superbike died because American's weren't buying them when you could get a 1000cc for not much extra money.

The R1 effectively killed the 750.

[highsider]

Originally Posted by a13x

750cc Superbike died because American's weren't buying them when you could get a 1000cc for not much extra money.

The R1 effectively killed the 750.

While I am certain that you know more about this than me, I'm going to call on this one.

The 750cc bikes started disappearing with the RC51 and TL1000, which were Japan's response to the displacement advantage given to twins. The R1 was decidedly a response to being outsold by other manufacturers, but most of its technology was sourced from the R7.

[a13x]

The TL1000 was never a factor is racing period. It was tested for 1 season in AMA with lackluster results. It wasn't even campaigned on the world stage. That bike had zero impact on 750's, it barely registered on the motorcycle buying public.

The RC51 was actually Honda's only go at a mass-produced twin to fit the rules. Prior to that Honda was COMPLETELY using the rulebook to win by making small batch runs of racebike specials like the RC30 and RC45 (V4's). Go look up how many of those were made. THEY were the true response to the rulebook.

Yamaha aslo only made enough R7's to race. They stopped development of the 750 platform after the FZR750.

Kawasaki and Suzuki were the only two Japanese OEM's that raced what the sold with the ZX-7 and GSXR750, both of which are considered 'really nice motorcycles'.

The Japansese OEM's stopped building or caring about the 750 class when the 600's and 1000's began to sell strongly. The 1000's all took off with the redesign of the R1, which began the arms race in that class. Soon followed by the GSXR1000, CBR929, 954, and 1000, and the Kawi ZX-10.

The Japanese OEM's, like I already said, lobbied to have 1000 I4's in Superbike racing because.. THAT IS WHAT THEY WANTED TO SELL. While everyone agreed the racing between 750 I4's and 1000 twins was excellent, and that the 750 I4's (Kawi / Suzuki) were excellent bikes.. it didn't matter.

Heck, Eric Bostrom's last ZX-7 was actually bored out to 850'ish in AMA.


I'm not saying Ducati is innocent, I feel all the OEM's have their part to play in this. But saying they are the devil and cheating is outrageous. Go read the new 2008 rules. Bottom line is 1000cc twins and 1000cc I4's with same level of mods ARE NOT EQUAL. Fact.

[highsider]

Originally Posted by a13x

The RC51 was actually Honda's only go at a mass-produced twin to fit the rules. Prior to that Honda was COMPLETELY using the rulebook to win by making small batch runs of racebike specials like the RC30 and RC45 (V4's). Go look up how many of those were made. THEY were the true response to the rulebook.

Yamaha aslo only made enough R7's to race. They stopped development of the 750 platform after the FZR750.


.....

Heck, Eric Bostrom's last ZX-7 was actually bored out to 850'ish in AMA.

This is my point exactly - other manufacturers designed better bikes to fit the rule book, rather than building a bike and expecting the rule book to fit them.

At the end of the day, we, the consumers, won because of the rule book. We got RC30s and R7s, the manufacturers got to win races.