MotoGP's nastiest bike

Honda's recalcitrant racer  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ View in browser View in browser ARTICLES MAGAZINE SHOP DATABASE SHOP MOTOGP MotoGP's nastiest of the nasty bikes Mat Oxley | January 2025 Eddie Lawson's fourth and final MotoGP championship was a miracle – he won the title aboard arguably the nastiest MotoGP bike of all time. His engineer Erv Kanemoto reveals how they transformed the Honda's NSR500 and why 1989 was a pivotal moment in MotoGP technical development   Premier-class grand prix bikes were never nastier than in the 1980s – 500cc of vicious two-stroke power were pushing them towards 200mph, overpowering tyres, frames and suspension. Honda's NSR500 was the nastiest of the nasty. The single-crank V4 had a precipitous power curve that was too much for any chassis, let alone the strange things HRC created at the time. HRC tried to tame the NSR with weird geometry, frame rigidities and centres of gravity, none of which worked. The bikes were fast – quick enough to take Freddie Spencer and Wayne Gardner to the 1985 and 1987 titles – but they were hellish to ride and not getting any better... READ MORE SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Mat Oxley MotoGP's most spectacular rider is new champ Jorge Martin MotoGP has a new champion – Jorge Martin. Mat Oxley lauds the Spaniard whose riding technique is sheer performance art READ MORE Connect with us We're also available on Update your preferences Control your Motor Sport experience by selecting the content you wish to receive and stay up to date. UPDATE NOW Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy Motor Sport Magazine, 18-20 Rosemont Road, London, NW3 6NE  Company no. 05471049, Vat no. 871 544 60