Production 1982-1983 Successor Honda NSR500 | Predecessor Honda NR500 Engine 500 cc two-stroke V3 | |
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Manufacturer Honda Racing Corporation | ||
The Honda NS500 is a 500cc Grand Prix racing motorcycle of the early 1980s, powered by a two-stroke V3 engine. Created as a replacement for the innovative but unsuccessful four-stroke NR500, the bike went against Honda's preference for four-stroke machines but proved very effective and quickly won the 1983 500cc World Championship with Freddie Spencer on board. Spencer was able to use the lower weight and superior handling of the NS500 to achieve higher cornering speeds, and getting on the power earlier leaving corners. Ron Haslam also won the 1983 Macau Grand Prix.
After a relatively short lifespan the bike was replaced by the even more successful two-stroke V4 engine powered NSR500.
References
Honda NS500 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA