In article <
[email protected]>,
Ryan Cousineau <
[email protected]> wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Howard Kveck <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > In article <[email protected]>,
> > "Steady Rollin' Man" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > > http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos.php?id=photos/2005/jun05/italy05/manuel_
> > > qu
> > > in
> > > ziato
> >
> > 1964 Honda RC113 (a 50cc two cylinder, nine speed, cantilever front brake
> > race bike):
> >
> > http://www.vf750fd.com/Joep_Kortekaas/honda_race_history/rc113-1.jpg
>
> That's nuts! I'm a big old motorcycle nut, and I'd never heard that
> these little bikes used rim brakes.
>
> I assume they only got away with it because on most courses, the little
> bikes hardly used their brakes.
>
> Also, I have to guess that hub is an adaptation of a normal drum-brake
> hub.
>
> Wild bike, thanks for sharing.
Nah, it's actually just two sheets of aluminum that cover the spokes,
which is about what the hub in the pic the OP linked to appears to be
(except those are in carbon). The hub itself is not too different from a
bicycle hub. That hub/brake arrangement was on the RC113, 114 and 115 in
'63 -'65. The RC115 only weighed 50 kilos, and when you consider the size
of the front tire, a stronger brake might have been a detrimental thing.
You're right about them not being on the brakes much. Those bikes are all
about maintaining corner speed, even more so than the present day 125s
(although they can accelerate fairly well compared to those old 50s, since
they have more than three times the horsepower).
--
tanx,
Howard
Butter is love.
remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?