Guy Martin on CR700W…

Watched that yesterday. Very cool. He stated all the superbikes he'd ever ridden were mere mopeds against the Creighton.

Was wondering if the on-board footage showing the MC & Clutch reservoirs with all the fluid sloshing about, aerating etc would be any concern? Are these ever fitted with baffles or made much taller/narrower to reduce risk of bubbly fluid reaching the cylinders?
 
A look back at the rotary powered Norton....it actually goes back further but unable to find the first prototype at present
thevintagent.com

A Short History of Wankel Motorcycles | The Vintagent

The revolutionary rotary engine designed by Dr. Felix Wankel, henceforth known as the Wankel engine, is a design of tremendous promise, and expensive vexation. It seemed the wonder motor of the future in the 1960s, and many automobile manufacturers took a out a license on the design, from...
thevintagent.com thevintagent.com
 

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Tornado said:
Watched that yesterday. Very cool. He stated all the superbikes he'd ever ridden were mere mopeds against the Creighton.

Was wondering if the on-board footage showing the MC & Clutch reservoirs with all the fluid sloshing about, aerating etc would be any concern? Are these ever fitted with baffles or made much taller/narrower to reduce risk of bubbly fluid reaching the cylinders?
Click to expand...
Indeed, I can’t really imagine what 220bhp and 130kg is really like to ride. Like nothing else we could possibly imagine I guess.

Fun on a drag strip, but ‘challenging’ on a race track.

I‘ve ridden Cadwell a lot, but when I watched the on board footage I hardly recognised the track… the straights seem a LOT shorter than the Cadwell I ride !!
 
That rotary motor sounds very similar to a 2 stroke on the throttle. So far out of my comfort zone riding position and cost wise, but I would think it is fun to ride for somebody other than myself. Maybe my 45 year old self could ride it. He's long gone though.

Mr Martin was definitely pumped up when he got off. He did say it is light and fast. Fast many times.

Thanks that was fun to watch.
 
Obviously the CR is not meant for road riding, the enviro emissions specs alone would negate any chance of being approved. Also, not eligible for existing GP classes I presume?
So what is the business plan here, just an upper gentry's play thing for closed circuits?
If so, kinda like the Astin Martin DB 5 Bond car remake. Not road legal and 3 million pounds to have one.
 
Tornado said:
Obviously the CR is not meant for road riding, the enviro emissions specs alone would negate any chance of being approved. Also, not eligible for existing GP classes I presume?
So what is the business plan here, just an upper gentry's play thing for closed circuits?
If so, kinda like the Astin Martin DB 5 Bond car remake. Not road legal and 3 million pounds to have one.
Click to expand...
'The CR700 (which will not be road legal or approved for racing) will cost £85,000, but a less expensive road version (at around £45,000) will follow in the spring of 2024. “That will be a limited edition of 250,” added Cardozo, “but we could make 500 if the demand is there.”
 
Might need to build your own back yard track to ride it on any regular basis. As fun as it appears to me, I doubt it would be very easy to keep on the pipe so to speak. Sounded like it took a couple of laps for Mr Martin to enter and exit corners without the hiccups, and he knows what he is doing. Maybe he was thinking it had some midrange. 🤣

My guess is anyone with the scratch to own a CR700W is going to park it in a garage with other exotic hardware or in a man cave with the Van Gogh.

Can it be ridden on track days without a film crew? :)
 
Martin did say he would need to adapt his riding style to get the best out of the bike. Have heard one of the biggest changes for pushing a rotary bike hard is the lack of engine braking.
 
I don’t know what the toque curve is like, but the previous rotary racers had a very good spread of power.
I love Guy’s comments about the other superbikes being ‘mopeds’ compared to it.
 
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Tornado said:
Martin did say he would need to adapt his riding style to get the best out of the bike. Have heard one of the biggest changes for pushing a rotary bike hard is the lack of engine braking.
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Yes that is true. But also, as this ain’t no ordinary rotary engine, it’s likely to have different power characteristics to your normal 1000cc 4 cylinder SB.

Guy is not hanging around, it’s quite understandable that he’d need to adapt and get used to it before pushing the envelope. Margin for error decreases proportional to speed increase…
 
Tornado said:
Also, not eligible for existing GP classes I presume?
Click to expand...
The issue is how do you measure the capacity, there are effectively 3 combustion chambers on each rotor as you get 3 firings per full 360 rotation of the rotor which makes it 2100cc not 700cc if you follow that view.

Guy Martin on CR700W…


But there are alternate ways to look at it, ie firing points per 360 of crank (2 stroke) or 720 of crank (4 stroke)
 
kommando said:
The issue is how do you measure the capacity, there are effectively 3 combustion chambers on each rotor as you get 3 firings per full 360 rotation of the rotor which makes it 2100cc not 700cc if you follow that view.

Guy Martin on CR700W…


But there are alternate ways to look at it, ie firing points per 360 of crank (2 stroke) or 720 of crank (4 stroke)
Click to expand...
IMO it is indeed a 2100cc.

That IS the total swept volume.

So that’s what it is.
 
I guess if they get enough buyers, owners could setup their own race series. With the money flowing from their wallets to buy the bikes, should have loads more to buy a few tracks, eh?
 
Fast Eddie said:
Indeed, I can’t really imagine what 220bhp and 130kg is really like to ride. Like nothing else we could possibly imagine I guess.

Fun on a drag strip, but ‘challenging’ on a race track.

I‘ve ridden Cadwell a lot, but when I watched the on board footage I hardly recognised the track… the straights seem a LOT shorter than the Cadwell I ride !!
Click to expand...
Modern Moto GP bikes are.157kg min and ~240 hp. So, that is what it is like on a track.

You can buy a 2023 Ducati Panigale V4R which has 237.5bhp at a bloated 172kg.

Le Mans Moto GP this weekend. KTM is giving Ducati a run this year.
 
The best motorcycle you can have, is one which just slightly slower than every other. Then when you blitz someone, it actually means something.
Life would be nothing without ego.
I would never road race a very fast motorcycle. For maximum fun, the speed differential needs to be almost zero.
Motorcycle road racing appeals to my sense of humour. A convincing win has no value. Some guys try really hard when you get them going.
Small tight circuits are more fun than big open ones. BIg ones just feel better. I never worry about losing when the other guy is good enough.
My father was a shocking shit-stirrer. We all need a sense of achievement.
 
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With that sort of speed differential, you need to be careful not to pass other riders too fast and cause them to crash. The speed differential in some historic races is already sometimes too great.
 
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