Another Cycle News update

[Bill in OKC]

There is an update on the V4 in the Dec. 9 Cycle News... Did anybody else read it? More confirmations 72 degrees, designed in Noale, scheduled to race in prototype in late 2006 ala Foggy machine before it becomes a full production bike... interesting

[Beyote]

sweet victory. I just wish the whole bike was out in late 06. But better to work out the bugs and deliver a beautiful package, then a quick, half assed one. It will be interesting.

I just wouldn't have placed it in the FP.

[Ricky J]

I've heard that Clarkie will not only be tuning the thing but riding it too! :D

Come to think of it, that doesn't sound so bad does it?

[Bill in OKC]

I've heard that Clarkie will not only be tuning the thing but riding it too! :D

I am positive of it!!! :plus:

[vsgofast]

Any idea if a V4 would even be competitive against the I4 or is this another ill fated Cube?

[ZeroTwoRSV]

sweet victory. I just wish the whole bike was out in late 06. But better to work out the bugs and deliver a beautiful package, then a quick, half assed one. It will be interesting.

I just wouldn't have placed it in the FP.
They're not, the Foggy team will be running that new Audi 10 cyclinder diesel engine:eek:

[vsgofast]

I guess I'll keep my Mille til 2007/08 so I can get the V4!!!

[Bill in OKC]

I just wouldn't have placed it in the FP.

It said that racing a prototype in WSB takes a special exception to the rules - like FP got for a while until the production line started and the machine could be homologated.

[irix]

Any idea if a V4 would even be competitive against the I4 or is this another ill fated Cube?

The engine configuration is certainly competitive. The Ducati MotoGP bike is a V4, and consistently tops sets the fastest times in the speed trap.

[Ricky J]

Any idea if a V4 would even be competitive against the I4 or is this another ill fated Cube?

There will certainly be some holding of breath when it first rolls out. As pointed out, the Ducati V-4 is very powerful and usually contends for top of the radar chart honors but smooth power delivery may win you more races. Honda's RC45 won plenty of races and a World Superbike title despite being a fairly unruly beast that needed ALOT of development. As I recall it had an almost non-existent sweet spot for the rear suspension geometry: it was so sensitive to changes in chain-pull moment that once a workable final drive sprocket combination (and chainline) was found it was left alone and the gearbox internal ratios were shuffled as needed. It was very prone to either squatting or spinning unless absolutely spot-on. The Muzzy Kawasaki versus American Honda battles of the late Nineties were great fun to watch, Chandler's sweet handling ZX-7R looking effortless and Duhamel's RC intent on manslaughter.

Hopefully Aprilia get this thing right because alot can go wrong, same as with anything else. A review of lessons learned from the Cube wouldn't be a bad place for this project to have begun...

[bird]

What is the HP of the 550 twin? Is it gonna be a siamese version of that one?

[falco03]

[QUOTE=Ricky J] Honda's RC45 won plenty of races and a World Superbike title.................QUOTE]

ricky - do you mean the RC51?

[novos]

No the RC45 was a precursor to the 51 with the NC30 type SSSA.

two totally different bikes.

[evandewan]

Wasn't Chandler's Kawasaki a ZX 7 RR (as opposed to a 7R),

[scoon0224]

That offroad twin had light weight as it's most important challenge, rather than outright power, to get as light as the singles. How much could a DOHC 4 cylinder intended for massive tuning borrow from such a minimalist SOHC machine?

(plus it's 77degrees? with the V4 stated at 72, though the reliability of these reports tends to be questionable, in the details especially)

One interesting coincidence though. If you take the 450's bore, and the 550's stroke, it matches the F4 Mille's bore/stroke figures

[Ricky J]

Wasn't Chandler's Kawasaki a ZX 7 RR (as opposed to a 7R),

And me, a former owner of the '92 ZX-7R? In the beginning were the standard ZX-7 and superbike homologation special ZX-7R, for '96 Kawasaki added an R to each...

[evandewan]

The only reason I ventured a guess is: as I write this, there is a '96 ZX7RR sitting in my basement waiting for July and the annual pilgrimage to the temple of two wheels, Laguna Seca and MotoGP. Why does it seem so far away??????:confused: