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Honda NSF250R Coming to America

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HRC’s NSF250R Moto3 race bike was released under much fanfare at the Catalan GP, as the Japanese company singled out Spain as one of the most important markets for the 249cc four-stroke single-cylinder racing machine. The the Iberian peninsula certainly will have more young riders climbing on board the NSF250R than the USA, but that doesn’t mean those Spaniards will get all the fun. Announcing that the Honda NSF250R will be coming stateside, the NSF250R will be race legal in the USGPRU Moto 3 and WERA Motorcycle Road Racing classes.

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Racing

The Perfect Lap with Andrea Dovizioso at 1,000 fps

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After showing us Casey Stoner at 40x slower than normal, the folks at Red Bull have taken their high-speed cameras to work on another Red Bull sponsored rider: Andrea Dovizioso. Filming the Italian also at the Catalan GP, Red Bull shows us a man at his craft with every gritty detail exposed. It’s really quite interesting to see all the movement that occurs on Dovi’s motorcycle as the camera zooms in on his front wheel.

Imagining how small that contact patch is, and contrast that with Andrea explaining the perfect lap and what cornering a MotoGP machine is like, and you have another compelling clip from the drink that gives you wings. Enough hyperbole, watch Andrea Dovizioso at 1,000 frames per second after the jump. Thanks for the tip Craig!

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Racing

Casey Stoner on Developing the Honda RC213V

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Sitting down with Casey Stoner after the Italian GP at Mugello, the HRC media department asked a bevy of questions to the Australian rider. In the interview, Stoner primarily talks about about the upcoming 1,000cc 2012 Honda RC213V and its differences to the current batch of 800cc motorcycles. Stoner also sheds light on his riding style, how he operates during the race weekend to setup his race package, and what he looks for from a motorcycle to fit his riding strengths.

Perhaps the most interesting thing to come from Stoner’s statements is how similar the RC213V is to the RC212V, and his thoughts on over-taking and passing in MotoGP. While the insight is an important one, one should always consider the source, and it doesn’t surprise us that a GP rider would suggest that its an increase in caliber of rider that’s responsible for less passing and overtaking in GP racing. Engineers, for example, might suggest that it’s the electronics packages that have changed the racing. Read the interview after the jump, and leave your thoughts on that subject (or any other) in the comments.

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Racing

Official: Pedrosa Out for Assen – Aoyama in at Repsol Honda

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HRC has officially announced now that Dani Pedrosa will miss the Dutch round of the MotoGP Championship. Breaking his collarbone back at the French GP, Pedrosa’s place on the disabled list was extended when it was discovered that bone fragments were still lurking in his shoulder. Pedrosa underwent yet another surgery to repair his collarbone, but his return to racing has been an uncertainty lately, as some in the assembled MotoGP press have suggested the Spaniard will sit out the rest of the season.

Whatever the status may be on Pedrosa’s return, the Ductch TT marks the third race absence for the Repsol Honda rider, and accordingly the team is obliged to replace him. Moving up San Carlos Gresini Honda’s Hiroshi Aoyama, the Japanese rider will swing a leg over the third Honda factory team bike, while Marco Simoncelli rounds out the group on the fourth factory bike that’s still nestled in the Gresini garage.

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Racing

Dani Pedrosa Has Shoulder Surgery…Yet Again

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Dani Pedrosa underwent yet another shoulder surgery today, this time to fix a loose bone fragment that had become dislodged during the Spaniard’s recuperation from the broken collarbone he suffered from his crash at Le Mans during the French GP. How this complication with his shoulder occurred is a subject of much contention in the MotoGP paddock, as the Spanish press is adamant that Pedrosa re-injured his shoulder in a supermoto crash. HRC however denies this rumor, though the Japanese company has not offered a counter-explanation for Pedrosa’s current situation. The fact remains though that Dani Pedrosa’s healing process has been pushed back further, and Repsol Honda is not sure that Dani will be fit enough to participate in the upcoming Dutch TT.

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Recall

Recall: 2010-2011 Honda Shadow VT750

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Honda is recalling 3,020 VT750 Shadow motorcycles made between June 25, 2009 and March 28, 2011 for a back angle sensor that may have been incorrectly manufactured. Because of this defect, there exists the possibility that an erroneous reading could be taken from the sesnor, causing the engine to stall.

Because of the risk of stalling the motor may cause a crash, Honda is replacing the affected sensors free of charge, with a recall expected to start June 20, 2011. Concerned Honda Shadow owners can contact Honda Motorcycle customer service at 1-866-784-1870, and as always the NHTSA is available at 1-888-327-4236 or safercar.gov.

Source: NHTSA

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Racing

More Photos of the Honda NSF250R

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There was much ado at the Catalan GP regarding the Honda NSF250R Moto3 bike, likely because the Moto3 class is a big step in a larger movement currently unfolding in MotoGP, and the Spanish market is an important one when it comes to GP racing. With the 125GP class, which Moto3 is replacing next year, full of Spanish and Italian youths looking to become the next Jorge Lorenzos and Valentino Rossis, Honda no doubt wants to make a strong impression to its target market, even taking the NSF250R out for a parade lap with Alex Criville on-board. We doubt any other Moto3 manufacturer will get such a plug from Dorna, but nevertheless, find the photos the event after the jump.

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Bikes

Honda NSF250R Moto3 Bike

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The wait is finally over, as Honda has completely taken the wraps off its 2012 Honda NSF250R Moto3 race bike.

Launched at the Catalan GP today, the 250cc four-stroke machine will be one of several options aspiring MotoGP riders will pilot around in the Moto3 Championship.

The new NSF250R incorporates a front-intake/rear-exhaust configuratiom, while the cylinder has been tilted back 15° to help concentrate the bike’s mass.

Titanium valves help power throughout the rev range, and the cylinder design reduces friction between piston and cylinder by offsetting the cylinder centerline and applying nickel silicon carbide (Ni-SiC) for the cylinder surface treatment.

Mated to the motor is a six-speed gearbox, while the frame is based off the RS125R design, with modifications to suit the power delivered by the four-stroker. Total cost: €23,600, VAT included (Spain). Full technical specs are after the jump.

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News

Honda Doubles Down on India – Expanding Second Plant, Building a Third Plant

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Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, Honda’s wholly-owned motorcycle Indian subsidiary, has announced its intent to essentially double its capacity in the country’s rapidly growing motorcycle market. Expanding on the company’s second plant in the Tapukara Industrial Area of Rajasthan, HMSI also plans on now building a third production facility in the Bangalore area.

Both of these plants will produce 1.2 million units each when at full capacity (the second Tapukara plant currently does 600,000 units per year), bringing HMSI’s total production capacity in India to 4 million units per year. To put things in perspective, Honda’s production levels in India are about eight times the total motorcycle market in the United States of America…for all manufacturers.

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Rumors

Rumor: Honda Working on a 1,000cc V4 Sportbike

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Fanned by a recent article in Motorcyclist (and an earlier article in MCN from the same author), rumors abound that Honda is working on a 1,000cc V4 sportbike, likely to be called the RVF1000R. A supplement to Honda’s superbike offering, and not a replacement to the CBR line, the new RVF would be a more premium superbike offering, differentiating itself from its inline-four cousin in a similar manner as the Rc-45 and RC-51 motorcycles did in previous decades.

If rumors are to be believed, we could see the new Honda V4 as early as the end of this year, with the major differentiation over the CBR1000RR being both the RVF1000R’s price, performance, and exclusivity. If done properly, the new Honda superbike could be an opportunity for the Japanese company to build some brand value beyond making cheap & reliable motorcycles. While the Japanese manufacturers have a reputation for making quality bikes, their work has never been translated into lifestyle status brand value, which is something a premium superbike could help foster.

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Bikes

Spy Shot: Honda CBF Spotted – 700cc Naked Middleweight

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Spy photographers Brenda Priddy & Company have snapped some more shots of soon-to-be Honda motorcycles, with perhaps the best find being a new CBF model (click here for photos on Motorcycle-USA) that appears to be an automatic unit, possibly a dual-clutch transmission equipped model.

The naked street bike slots in with the middleweight offerings that we’ve recently seen from a bevy of manufacturers, the most notable of which being the Yamaha Fazer8. Not much is known about the new Honda model, as the Japanese company is notoriously well known for keeping its projects under wraps, though we can likely expect a debut of the new CBF later this autumn.

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