Crighton Racing CR700P – Because Pistons Are So Passé

At 300 lbs dry and producing 200hp, the Crighton Racing CR700P should catch your attention right away. Diving deeper into the machine, the CR700P’s 700cc twin-rotor rotary engine should further pique your interest — and then of course there is the Crighton Racing’s interesting past.

Astute observers will note that the Crighton Racing CR700P looks exactly like the Norton NRV588, and that is because of the involvement of Brian Crighton in both projects. A continuation of the project that started out in the Norton Motorcycles R&D laboratory in 1986, the Crighton Racing CR700P is the realization of Crighton’s dream to build a rotary-powered motorcycle that can top the very best racing bikes in the world.

For a bit of back story, Crighton’s work at Norton eventually evolved into the NRV588 project by the time 2006 hit the calendars. Finding rotary engines banned in virtually every racing league, and watching Norton Motorcycles go a different direction with its brand, the 700cc project was spun out of Norton and into Crighton’s own marque, Crighton Racing.

Now debuting the 700cc iteration of the twin-rotor machine, the Crighton Racing CR700P revives our rotorlust, and looks bonkers both on paper and on video.

The frame is still the SPONDON number from the NRV588 days, with the rest of the chassis being fairly “normal” with its Brembo/AP Racing brakes and Bitubo suspension pieces. The showcase element is of course the Rotron RT700 Twin Rotor Rotary engine.

Making 200 hp at 11,000 rpm and 100 lbs•ft of torque at 9,500 rpm, the Crighton Racing CR700P is easily in liter-bike territory with its engine output, though it is a bit peaky, as rotaries tend to be. We imagine the CR700P is a bit like a 500cc two-stroke in its power delivery, a thought that seems to be confirmed by the company’s video below. “Fucking quick” is the phrase, is it? Where can we sign-up for a turn boys?

Technical Specifications of the Crighton Racing CR700P:

Source: Crighton Racing