Honda's new RC213V

DON’T be fooled by the fact it looks near-identical to the existing Honda GP machine – this 2014-spec RC213V is said to be almost entirely new.

While the main bodywork change is a new ‘smiley’ face for the RC-V, with a single upturned mouth instead of the twin intakes of the existing bikes (and a notable contrast to the new Suzuki’s sad-looking expression), underneath all that carbon fibre the chassis and engine have changed significantly.

At a glance it looks like the frame has been reshaped around the swingarm pivot, while the fuel tank is one litre smaller to fit the new 20-litre capacity limit that will be introduced next year.

That new fuel limit also explains why the engine will have been altered, perhaps quite significantly, as it will have to be even more efficient if it’s to meet the new rules without a reduction in performance.

While new, the parts on the 2014 bike are interchangeable with the existing machine’s, so should Pedrosa or Marquez prefer the new chassis, for instance, they could adopt it immediately instead of waiting for next year.

Related Content

We've seen a few distant shots of this bike being tested in Japan but yesterday Suzuki pulled the covers of their new MotoGP bike at Catalunya for a testing session with the big boys. Suzuki's rider, Randy de Puniet managed to lap within 0.8 seconds of Jorge Lorenzo's quickest time, so not only does Suzuki's new bike look pretty, we know it goes well too.

Related Content

Related Content

Related Content

Related Content

Related Content

Related Content

Related Content

Related Content

Related Content

Related Content

de Puniet ... flying on the new Suzuki

SUZUKI'S 2015 MotoGP contender ended the Catalunya test day just 0.8 seconds off Jorge Lorenzo's best time.

Randy de Puniet rode the the new Suzuki prototype for over 70 laps and clocked a best lap of 1m 42.676, while Lorenzo managed a best time of 1m 41.904. Valentino Rossi's fastest time on his Yamaha was 1m 42.513.

Interestingly, de Puniet was faster than the majority of CRT riders and just over 0.1 seconds off Aleix Espargaro.

Related Content

Crutchlow tucks the front during Sunday's Catalunya MotoGP

JORGE Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi have both stated that even the hard front Bridgestones tyres are too soft.

Most of Sunday's crashes at the Catalunya GP were from riders losing the front. Talking to GPOne Jorge Lorenzo said: "The problem is always the same one at every race, even the hardest tyre mix is too soft. We have spoke on more than one occasion with the Bridgestone technicians, asking them to modify them, but for the time being no modification are expected."

Track temperatures for Sunday's race were higher than they'd been all weekend and were recorded at 52-degrees, all riders except for CRT rider Aleix Espargaro, selected the hardest front option.

Shinji Aoki, Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development said: “Conditions today were the hottest on race day so far this year which made the track quite greasy and a challenge for the riders. The heat made tyre management even more important; first of all managing the front-end load on the slippery track surface with a full tank of fuel in the early laps, and then managing tyre wear - particularly at the rear - in the later stages. Even though it was so hot, none of the works riders selected the harder rear option for the race as they wanted the better edge grip of the softer option. Considering we had such extremely severe conditions for tyres, the softer rear slick performed well today.”Valentino Rossi said he agreed with Lorenzo's complaint and that the tyres - which were developed for the 800s - were too soft for the heavier 1000cc bikes.Casey Stoner was critical of the tyres when they were introduced and when Rossi was reminded of this, he joked: "Casey must have been a magician, who could see into the future. But he was right."
Rossi went on to say: "They all lost the front wheel, because with the heat we were all at the limit. I also felt the front move and I risked finding myself on the floor three or four times, like Crutchlow, I was a bit more fortunate than others."

Related Content

Make sure you choose the bike communications system that suits why, how and where you ride

I love nothing more than jumping on my bike, getting in the zone and concentrating on the open road. It’s a great opportunity to switch off from the constant chatter and communication of the 21st Century. However, the reality is that sometimes this idealistic bubble has to be broken, as it’s not always the most practical answer particularly when going on a long journey or riding with a passenger. Motorcycle communication systems are a vital part of any biker’s kit for a number of reasons. The most common one being communication with your passenger. My girlfriend and I often go on trips around the Peak District, being able to talk to each other whilst on these longer journeys is absolutely vital, particularly if I want to avoid being punched in the ribs anytime she wants to take a break! Our system also acts as an entertainment system, which allows us to listen to

our favourite tracks from iTunes as we travel. The great thing about this is that as soon as one of us needs to speak the music volume lowers so we don’t have to shout above Rage Against the Machine! During the week, I’m often hopping on and off my bike to go and visit clients. It’s essential that I’m easily contactable during this time, whether it’s to let someone know I’m stuck in traffic or to respond to urgent business matters. The integrated phone system enables me to take calls whilst on my bike, keeping me connected with work even while I’m riding. The system I chose connects directly to my smartphone and my GPS system, I certainly find I get lost a lot less often these days, much to the relief of all my colleagues! For years now my mates and I have been talking about taking a motorcycle road trip in Europe, our plans are finally coming to fruition as we’ve finally organized our tour through the Swiss Alps. To say I’m excited would be an understatement, this is where my motorcycle communication system is really going to come into it’s own. Our Bluetooth system will allow us to talk to each other during our journey, we can link up to our GPS and listen to an awesome sound track as we ride past the mountains. For most motorcyclists, deciding whether to go for a Bluetooth system or wired is a pretty tricky one to make. Both options can be beneficial for completely different situations and if you’re anything like me and are on your bike a great deal you don’t want to compromise or spend double having to buy both. You want a system, which combines the use and portability of a Bluetooth, with the great dependency and connectivity of wired. I’m pretty chuffed with the system I settled upon, it does everything I need and it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg either. If you want to check it out take a look here. So now I’m all set up with my communication system all I have to do now is choose my Swiss Alps playlist, oh and I guess I better pack some thermals too!

Related Content

Related Content

Related Content

Suzuki's MotoGP contender

SUZUKI went public with their MotoGP contender at Catalunya today but the team won't be on the MotoGP grid until 2015.

The bike has been revealed to be a 1,000cc inline-four, quashing rumours that it would be using a V4 engine.

Suzuki's test rider, Nobuatsu Aoki is riding the bike today at the post-race MotoGP Catalunya test. Valentino Rossi's former team manager, Davide Brivio has joined Suzuki as their MotoGP project's team manager, while Randy de Puniet will join as the team's development rider and is also riding the new bike at Catalunya today.

A statement released by the team reads: "After two years suspension since 2012, Suzuki Motor Corporation has organised its test team to undergo more practical running tests at its advanced development stage and will participate in the official joint testing to be held at the Catalunya circuit in Spain. Through continuing running tests at the circuits inside and outside Japan for further development and refinement, Suzuki Motor Corporation will participate again in MotoGP racing from 2015. Suzuki Motor Corporation will feed back advanced technology to be derived through MotoGP racing activity to develop further attractive production models."

After quitting in 2011, it was thought that Suzuki would return to MotoGP in 2014. Their only win in the four-stroke era came thanks to Chris Vermeulen at Le Mans in 2007.

Related Content

TWO wins for Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider Shayne Byrne today (16 June) put him at the top of the championship standings while his Samsung Honda rival Alex Lowes had his most challenging weekend of the 2013 season so far and his first DNF in race one.

Lowes came away from an event without a podium for the first time this year, but it was not all bad news for the Samsung Honda squad as the temperamental Ryuichi Kiyonari proved he’s still got what it takes to run at the front of the BSB field with two strong third positions.

Josh Brookes did all he could aboard his Tyco Suzuki to stick with Byrne, but even some impressive acrobatics over the kerbs wasn’t enough to close the gap – the Australian crossing the line second in both races.

British Superbike Championship, Knockhill race results:

Race 1

1. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
2. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +1.069s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Samsung Honda) +5.013s
4. Keith Farmer (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +16.821s
5. Chris Walker (Quattro Plant Kawasaki)  +19.033s
6. James Westmoreland (Buildbase BMW) +23.733s

Race 2

1. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
2. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +0.814s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Samsung Honda) +8.637s
4. Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda) +12.723s
5. Chris Walker (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +15.620s
6. James Westmoreland (Buildbase BMW) +19.802s

British Superbike Championship standings after Knockhill:

1. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 166
2. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 136
3. Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda) 130
4. James Ellison (Milwaukee Yamaha) 80
5. Jon Kirkham (Buildbase BMW) 76
6. Chris Walker (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) 65

Related Content

Related Content