In almost every way, MotoGP motorcycles are different from normal motorbikes.

…but that is honestly where the similarity ends. Let’s take a more in-depth look at the differences now:

The bikes are fully functional prototypes, built from the ground up, and loaded with cutting-edge features that only the creators of the bike know about. As a result, they’re packed with mysteries that no team would want to share on public display.

Some ideas may never produce a result, yet they might still provide another team a hint of guidance, pointing the team in the direction it was heading with the bike, which might be enough for them to be surpassed.

Although some former riders or the “In Crowd” may be given a bike when the team no longer plans to use it, MotoGP bikes are never made available to the general public.

Because they’re prototypes, they’re produced in limited quantities. Maybe seven to eight with a maximum of ten produced for the team’s various riders. Engines are limited to seven per rider per season because of this choice of materials. The same bike is used by lower-level teams (satellites) the following year since it uses titanium, carbon fiber, and magnesium components all over the place.

MotoGP riders had long been able to program their ECUs for the specific requirements of a track, conditions on a certain day, and even individual rider preferences. However, there are limits to what an FIM-approved ECU mapping may be used for on a GP bike. This is not available on mass-production motorcycles.

Motorcycle tires called slicks have no tread and are used in motor racing, but they might be deadly on a motorcycle on a public road since they’re intended for racing.

The tires are not made from rubber any longer, but rather a complex chemical compound that is engineered to function effectively in a certain temperature range. In the dry, these temperatures are about 75 degrees C / 165 F on a road bike, and they may drop as low as 60C in wet weather.

At 75C, a MotoGP tire will be unable to provide adequate road grip. It would rotate normally, but as soon as the rider leaned into a corner, he or she would almost certainly fall off. It wouldn’t soften enough to grip the pavement when the rider threw the motorcycle into a bend since there was no heat in the tire (see example below).

The riders must trust the tires’ capability to carry the bike safely through a bend at least 100C/212F (which is the temperature at which water boils at sea level), according to MotoGP tires.

The rear tire should be between 120 and 248 degrees Celsius, depending on the demands of the track. A typical road bike’s tire would be destroyed by these temperatures. The pit crew will set up the bike for the day’s racing in preparation for each MotoGP race, with tire warmers being placed around both tires before the rider climbs on for the competition.

You may recall seeing a car lead the motorcycles around the track for one lap before the start if you have watched MotoGP races either live or on TV. This is known as the well-named warm-up lap, and while riders are pulling their leathers up and down to get comfortable, this lap is all about the tires and brakes.

When the tires are less than 100C / 212F, especially the rear one, these top-level riders will be unseated on one of the early corners owing to their lean angles. They must effectively manage the warm-up lap and get heat into the tires in both wet and dry conditions. The best way for them to do this is by weaving from side to side, hopefully avoiding other riders while doing so, although this isn’t always successful, as seen when Joan Mir and Karel Abrahams collided in 2019.

Abrahams’s front wheel came off (Not literally, but he lost control of it!) and he slid into Johan Zarco, who somehow remained standing. Mir also went down moments later when looking to avoid Abrahams and his bike slid into the Czech. “I don’t know what happened in the end,” Mir stated regarding the accident.

Mir was correct – the tires were icy. We could all see it on TV, and Mir was right – cold tires. Bear in mind that this is after the tire warmers in the pits had warmed up the tires. We observe a significant difference between MotoGP and standard motorcycles’ tire requirements. Several components may not survive more than a few hours because MotoGP cars use specialist parts under severe conditions during regular racing. The common compounds for road bikes are made for many situations and can endure for 2200 kilometers or more.

Apart from the basic price, continuous expenses are far greater on a race bike than they are on a road bike, where tires may survive 2,000 kilometers / 1,250 miles. They’ll be completely destroyed by the end of the plus-minus 22 laps on a MotoGP motorbike.

A standard 1000 cubic centimeter (cc) motorcycle engine can generate approximately 200 horsepower (hp) and 225 horsepower after a thorough tuning. While MotoGP engineers do not usually publish the hp at which their bikes operate, it must be close to 280hp in order to travel at the speeds they do.

When comparing a typical road bike to a MotoGP bike, the enormous price difference becomes apparent. In a dealership, the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade costs around U$28 000, but the MotoGP engine from Honda costs about U$200 000!

MotoGP bikes are all prototypes, therefore the anticipated production cost of U$1 million-plus per bike is not uncommon. The majority of manufacturers utilize third-party components (Ohlins suspension, etc.), but few bike-specific parts are produced, and these are custom-made for the individual rider.

Unlike their road-bound counterparts, several MotoGP machines now feature seamless transmissions that allow for clutchless gear changing and quicker recoveries from cornering and braking events. Pneumatic valves rather than spring valves are used in racing engines, which are considerably more efficient.

The price of a MotoGP bike may be many times greater than $1 million, as this does not account for research and development, which would otherwise lead to no improvements over the year.

Normal (non-super) bicycles have ABS fairings, which are a thermoplastic polymer commonly utilized in the production of injection molding products and are excellent for road bikes. Carbon fiber is used on MotoGP bikes, which is considerably lighter and more durable. Technology has advanced on normal bikes, but it has exploded forward on these MotoGP monsters. These motorcycles utilize up to 40 sensors that collect data from a variety of sources, including suspension travel, brake and exhaust temperature, as well as steering angle and fuel usage.

If you want to ride a classic bike, research the options. If you’re using straight forks instead of semi-active suspension on your street bike, you’ll want a more rigid fork that can handle larger drops and bumps; however, it might be expensive. A pair of front forks for a MotoGP racer will cost around $107 000.

The Honda CB1100 weighs around 245kg / 540lbs, whereas a MotoGP bike will weigh less than 160kg / 352lbs. The difference is due to the materials utilized: CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) is a high-performance, very light-weight composite material. It’s made from a resin and a textile composed of carbon threads that are less than a micron in diameter. A person’s hair is about 70 times larger. Carbon brakes, most teams utilize carbon fiber fork-sliders, and many use carbon fiber swingarms are all now installed on all MotoGP motorcycles.

Carbon brakes are said to have had the most significant effect on MotoGP bike performance, according to some. These brakes are composed of carbon-carbon rather than carbon fiber. This composite was originally designed for use on missiles’ noses. Wayne Rainey experimented with carbon pads and discs during practice for the 1988 British Grand Prix at Donington Park, which many people believe is when they were first used on a MotoGP bike, but with teams being so secretive…who knows?

Rainey was so impressed by the brakes that he insisted on racing them, despite the fact that they had never been used. It was less front-wheel inertia, rather than improved braking ability, that convinced him. This promised a significant benefit in a 22-lap race, and despite nearly crashing during the warm-up lap while the tires and brakes were still colder than optimum, he strolled away. (Does this sound familiar?)

The main purpose of a bike’s frame (also known as the chassis) is to keep the various components together and prevent them from coming apart. The suspension, seats, handlebars, fuel tank, and engine all rely on the motorcycle frame.

The three most important elements of the chassis are rigidity, flexibility, and weight. Despite carbon fiber being lighter than aluminum, most MotoGP bikes still use twin-tube aluminum because it is more rigid than carbon fiber. KTM is the only exception, as we’ll see later. Carbon fiber allows an engineer to modify stiffness, flexibility, and twist better than aluminum does, therefore giving him a greater probability of producing the precise amount of lateral flex required to improve grip and thus turning performance.

The optimal flex level, according to some engineers, can also create a self-turning effect by effectively twisting the wheelbase around the bend.

That doesn’t indicate that it’s intended to be as rigid as possible, but rather that it’s made to have a certain degree of stiffness. A swingarm must bend when the bike leans, but not turn. You may control the direction of carbon fiber orientation when utilizing carbon fiber, giving you the 3-D stiffness you desire.

Carbon fiber, on the other hand, is more expensive and more difficult to produce than aluminum. Carbon fiber would be lighter than aluminum because of the reduced strength required for a given target stiffness. The reason for a crash in which the swingarm was constructed of carbon fiber is rather perplexing. There are also safety concerns, but they aren’t due to carbon fiber being less safe.

After a large crash, the swingarm is taken back to the factory for inspections using x-ray and other complex procedures. This check can not be done on the track. For safety’s sake, you may need to replace the swingarm even if it is made of carbon fiber, which can be very costly.

Carbon fiber swingarms are difficult to create and difficult to produce, and they are suspect in the event of a severe impact. As a result, aluminum is still used today despite the fact that it isn’t as efficient. The price is also a big consideration.

If you applied carbon fiber layers to a comparable piece of aluminum, you may wind up with a heavier product since the fibers will run in one direction. You might wind up with something considerably more pricey that provides no real usefulness if you don’t understand the stiffness requirements in each direction.

The KTM MotoGP team’s Pit Beirer still believes in steel for the bike’s chassis, and after 18 straight victories in the Dakar Rally and five consecutive World Championships in Supercross, he has a point.

Carbon brakes are lighter than steel or iron discs, which are standard on regular bikes, and they are used on MotoGP machines. Carbon discs allow the rider to change directions without losing control and need high temperatures to be effective, so they can’t be utilized in the rain because the rain cools them too quickly.

Steel disc brakes are employed in the rain (and since different calipers and pads are required, MotoGP riders may change bikes during a race), but they have limitations.

The front brakes work the most, accounting for up to 90% of the bike’s weight as it transfers from the middle of the frame to the front wheel when braking is applied at speed. Effective and safe stopping requires carbon discs.

While a regular road bike may resemble a MotoGP bike to our ears and move like one to our eyes, there are hundreds of minute differences between the two levels of technology. They should never be confused.

Saffy Sprocket is a motorcycle youtuber and motorcycle maniac who describes herself as 'unapologetically weird'. She loves to go on adventures on her two wheels often making content as she goes. She likes to vlogs useful tips about biking, her long-distance trips as well as reviews bikes and products.