An ultra-compact 400cc 3-cylinder NS500 replica with the same upper cowling as the NS250R!
In the 1960s, Honda won all five classes in the World GP (50cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, and 500cc) before withdrawing from the sport. The machine that Honda used to return to the World GP in 1979 was a highly original engine with an oval piston, V4, 32-valve engine with eight valves per cylinder.
At the time, Yamaha and Suzuki were developing 2-stroke 4-cylinder engines, so Honda decided to go for a 4-stroke as part of their strategy to strengthen their offensive with production bikes.
However, things didn't go as planned, and the huge gap caused them to adjust course and develop 2-strokes. The NS500, which began competing in 1982, was a machine that stood out from the rest as a 2-stroke V3, and quickly took the world title in 1983.
The NS500 was the first two-stroke World GP machine, and even though two-strokes are easy to make power from, they didn't take any risks and instead designed it using the know-how of motocross engines, which had already proven themselves. They determined that top speed was only important for three of the twelve races, so they developed it to be compact and with specifications that were advantageous for cornering.
This strategy was successful, and while keeping with the concept of its modest performance that allowed it to keep up with the leaders without any trouble, they developed a replica of the world title-winning machine for Honda fans, and released the NS400R in 1985.
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Information Source. [ RIDE HI ]
