by "Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
Published 03/01/2017 at 15:35
by "Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
Published 03/01/2017 at 15:35
Tags: Honda
; RC 174
; George Beale
STARS: 6
Meet a Honda RC 174. Raced by the company in the mid 1960s, it was a 297cc six producing 66 bhp at 17,000 rpm, making it quite slow revving compared to Honda’s smaller bikes. Despite the engine size it raced in the 350 cc class and won seven out of eight races in 1967.
Only two now exist and Honda has one in its museum. They had a problem with oil leaks though and having been unable to fix this turned to
George Beale
, a British retired pharmacist with a reputation in the replica bike world and later suggested that he build a replica of one of their six cylinder bikes.
It was agreed that he build examples of the RC 174. The cycle parts were the least of his problems because the real task was this:
It’s made up of this lot (which is actually the 250 cc engine, but the layout is the same)
Getting hold of the original drawings would have been good, but there are none. So Honda gave him an unused engine to reverse engineer. He entrusted JPX in France with the task. Some ideas of the challenges facing them:
The crankshaft is built up from 13 individual parts. Beale’s plan was to have a single piece replacement cast but it wouldn’t fit so it had to be made just as the original.
There are as you would expect six conrods, so they just had to get one right and make five more just the same? Nope. There are three different types of rod.
There are four, not two camshafts. Each cylinder got a slightly different cam profile.
Nearly all of the bearings were ball, roller or needle. About one third were eventually found in the product ranges of bearing makers all round the world. That left two thirds to be made from scratch. Naturally all seven of the main bearings are different.
The original engine has six tiny carbs which had to be recreated. The cost? A little over $35,000 for the six.
Casting the block took 29 interlinked moulds and after that a mere fourteen hours of machining.
In the end Mr Beale made eight replicas over the course of several years.
Want to know what they’re like? Here you go.
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"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
03/01/2017 at 15:58, STARS: 1
Absolute insanity. Pretty nuts that Soichiro went from making mopeds in a shack to dominating World Moto GP in a span of about thirteen years. Even more nuts that he did it in a nation that had just had two A bombs dropped on it.
"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
03/01/2017 at 16:18, STARS: 1
Always remember - When Soichiro Honda says he’s doing something, he’s not fucking around. I’m pretty sure some laws of thermodynamics and material sciences allow exceptions for what he makes.
"DiExMachina" (DiExMachina)
03/02/2017 at 00:04, STARS: 0
RC166 is more insane. And 100cc less. ;)