About this design
Handling and useable power delivery are more important in a racing motor cycle than they are in a racing car. The suspension only really works in a vertical plane and no one has succeeded in applying aerodynamic down force to bikes. And there is hardly a moment in a motorcycle race when a bike is not at the limit of one aspect or another of its adhesion. With regard to handling concentrating the mass of the bike around its centre of gravity is essential to agility and in that regard making the engine as compact as possible is clearly key.
These engines are extraordinarily light and powerful. Though powerful, racing engines are not particularly efficient, the out put is probably about a third of the input. Expressed another way to get 240bhp out of the back wheel you have to put about 720bhp in through the inlet manifold. Where does the 480 bhp differential between input and output go? Ultimately as heat, with a great deal of that dissipated through the radiators and brakes, particularly the front brakes. Both radiators and brakes are beautifully illustrated here.
Celebrate a great motorcycle, a great motorcycle manufacturer and a great illustrator, wear our 2006 Suzuki GSV-R t shirt by Peter Hutton.
Peter Hutton has been one of the UK's leading illustrators since the late 1950's. His reputation as an illustrator among the community of owners of historic vehicles is such that they are happy to partially disassemble their cars and bikes to allow him to deliver his take on the key components. In his own words: “Although I take some photos I do sit and draw the car, to draw is to understand how components fit together you see things you cannot see in a photograph, drawing requires total concentration and an image is ingrained in the memory for when pen is put to paper for the final drawing.”
I would say it shows.
There are eight of Peter's illustrations available on t shirts and I hope in time there will be more.