MORIWAKI used to produce “MH80R”, GP80 road racer with HONDA NS-1 chassis and CR80 MX engine.
There were 2 major concepts in MH80R.
1. It must have a reasonable price so more people can experience the machine, and 2. It must be a good tool to improve riding skill.
MORIWAKI chose a standard street bike frame and 80cc 2-stroke engine to achieve low cost. HONDA genuine parts are also intentionally used instead of special made racing parts.
It was because of its cost but also to restrict its performance. The “restricted performance” machine requires riders to understand the machine behavior and engine characteristics to run fast. When riders think while they ride and try to improve, they will be able to build up riding skill inevitably.
Many riders would be confused at their first experience with MH80R and thinking why this bike doesn’t stop, grip or turn. But soon they will realize importance of its strange characteristic as they continue riding it. Riders need to control the bike certainly… in other words, “It’s a great tool to correct bad riding habit and improve riding style.”
It is easy to see importance of having such motorcycle by counting numbers of riders in the history of WGP and WSB who once trained with MH80R, and the bike is still used for that purpose in recent years.
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