#MOTOGP BIKE SPECS PLUS#
What we have today are 250 hp plus bikes that are surprisingly usable given their massive output, and that’s why we are seeing these insane speeds. Without electronics making power usable MotoGP bikes would likely be faster with a solid 200 hp or so of usable horses. With 250 hp plus and no electronics, it would go one of three ways, spin, loop or acceleration killing modulation of the throttle. It would not be possible to put “250 hp plus” down in the first 3 or 4 gears effectively without the electronic wizardry that makes it possible. The Power these machines make would almost be totally useless if it were not for their amazing electronic packages that make them controllable.
Nonetheless, we know that these machines make enormous power that is only made useful and effective with the incremental advancement of electronics. Just recently though Danilo Petrucci mentioned that his Pramac Ducati is making 280 hp! Whether that is at the wheel, flywheel or crank or is even a true statement is anybody’s guess. It’s hard to comprehend something being more accelerative than one of those ballistic and evocative smelling machines – but today’s machines are 38 km/h quicker, a figure that is pretty mesmerising.Įver since the four-strokes replaced the two bangers MotoGP bikes have been rumoured to be making “More Than 250 hp”, it’s an unchanging claimed figure that has been put out numerous times by bike publications fed by MotoGP teams and insiders.
Biaggi clocked an impressive 318kph on a 99 YAMAHA YZR500 0wk1.įor some perspective, during the era of 190 horsepower, 130 kg two-strokes, the highest speed achieved at Mugello was recorded by Max Biaggi back in 1999, where he busted through the speed trap at an impressive 318.6 km/h aboard his Marlboro Yamaha YZR500. Either way we were back to monster power and slowly the speeds of the machines started to creep up once again, and it was Ducati leading that speed charge. Dorna had made the engines smaller, but the MotoGP technicians just made them spin harder and eventually make more power.įor 2012 we were back to litre MotoGP bikes, whether that be for safety, or MotoGP wanting to relate a little more to the manufacturers production superbikes, in terms of displacement and development hand-me-down purposes. The fastest of the 800 cc bikes were said to be making their peak power around 20,000 rpm.
Goal achieved right…well no, the 800 cc bikes were faster around the corners than the 990s, so potentially more dangerous, but it didn’t take long for the 800 cc machines to also start matching the top speeds of the 990s that they had superseded…ĭani Pedrosa actually broke the Ducati top speed stranglehold in the 800 cc era after the diminutive Spaniard clocked 349.3 km/h at Mugello in 2009, setting a new outright speed record at the time.