HONDA NSR500 (1984-1987) Specs, Performance & Photos

The Honda NSR500 was a road racing motorcycle manufactured by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) in 1984 for the 500cc Grand Prix motorcycling racing class. From 1984 to 2002, with the NSR500, Honda won 10 500cc World Championships, with six in a row from 1994 to 1999.

With more than 100 wins, the Honda NSR500 was the most dominant force in modern motorcycle racing. The bike was built on lessons learned from its three-cylinder predecessor and featured a V4 engine with a single crankshaft that made it lighter and more compact.

In 1987, Honda modified the engine, opening the V-angle to 112 degrees and fitting 36 mm Keihin carburetors between the cylinders, offering more cool air. By the end of 1987, the Honda NSR500, ridden by the Australian rider Wayne Gardner won a third of 500cc World Championship races.

The bike had an aluminum beam frame that housed an air-assisted fork with TRAC anti-dive system on the front and a Pro-Link shock absorber on the rear, offering excellent suspension performance and handling.

As for braking power, the Honda NSR500 packed dual-piston floating Nissin calipers with two 293 mm discs on the front wheel and a dual-piston Nissin caliper with a 215 mm disc on the rear wheel, providing strong stopping power.

The 1984 Honda NSR500 had at its core a 499cc two-stroke V4 liquid-cooled engine fed by four Keihin carburetors. As for the power figures, the bike boasted 123 hp with a peak at 11,000 rpm and 80 Nm (59 lb-ft) torque at 10,500 rpm.