What was the best Honda line-up?

On their factory/factory supported teams?

In 1989 Freddie Spencer rode a Yamaha for Ago, not for long I admit, but it was Eddie Lawson who was in the Rothmans Honda Team with Mick and Wayne that year.

I might have voted for 1989 except you got the lineup wrong. :)

Remember a bloke called Eddie Lawson who happened to win his fourth world championship in 1989 on a Honda. (Kanemoto) :)

Also Freddie Spencer rode a Yamaha in 1989. He was making a "come back" which in the end made him look like a bit of a joke. He often didn't even show up for races giving lame excuses like "my contact lenses were irritating me". He only competed in 10 out of 15 rounds.

Although 1989's lineup was Lawson/Gardner/Doohan, in reality only Lawson and Gardner were contenders. Doohan was in his first year in 500's but was handicapped for a lot of the season after grinding his little finger away in a fall at PI (right in front of me).

I would probably go for 1993 (Doohan/Beattie/Itoh)

1989, purely for entertainment value, I just loved Gardners riding style!

1993, the first season (not much but it is still the first) i remember about bike racing.

1993, the first season (not much but it is still the first) i remember about bike racing.

1993 wasn't the best season to start watching bike racing, because of the incident that paralized the great Wayne Rainey. For me it was an end of an era really. The accident wasn't just the end of Rainey's career, I feel it also was the end of Schwantz his career. He never really was the same after that.

1993 surely wasn't Hondas strongest line up. I don't know why Doohan wasn't in the hunt for the championship, it must have been because of his injuries he sustained the previous year.

Itoh, great test rider, just not good enough to be a championship contender.

Beattie, reminds me of Barros, a good rider, good enough to win some races, but not good enough to be a championship contender.

Lol, Beattie was more than good enough to be a title contender Gerbs, if you remember in 95 he ran Mick pretty close on the Suzuki, making Mick crasha few tiems and pressuring him into mistakes.
In Micks book he says that Daryl made him make those mistakes by simply never giving up and keeping the pressure on even if he was 2 seconds behind, that was how riders like Criville and Luca couldnt beat Mick, they werent consistent enough.

And I think people also discredit Itoh, for me one of the ebst Japanese riders, he was very quick on his day, rememebr he led in 95 at Suzuka before a crash, and could have won a few more times at Suzuka and Brno and Hockenheim on the rocket sledge injected bike. Not championship material but no worse than Nobu Aoki, Harada or Taira on a 500. Only Taddy and Takuma on a 500 were better.

Yeah, but Doohan was never really fair about his competitors. When he didn't like somebody (or some place, like Assen) he would always be VERY negative about that someone or place. On the other hand if somebody was his buddy, or not a threat, that person was one of the best riders in the field :laugh:. So if Doohan wrote that about Beattie, it doesn't mean anything to me.

When they raced I never ever had the feeling that Beattie was going to beat Doohan. My personal view was that that period, was one of the weaker periods in motorcycle racing. It was Doohans title to lose. That only changed when Biaggi came into 500cc in 1996.

2000 or 2003, maybe 2003 as Seté had a poor 2000. Including 2004 must be a joke; Barros as good as Rossi?

Biaggi came into 500 in 98 and won his first race, but thereafter didnt really challenge Mick until Brno and the odd race Mick didnt finish.

Beattie beat him fair and square three times in 95, more than most!

And in my eyes I agree with you, Mick had it relatiely easy from 94-98, much as Vale had it easy from late 00-05

Gosh I keep making mistakes! Arrrggghhh!


Anyway, Darryl ran Mick the closest, of course, the key races being at the Nurby ring where he pressured mick off and took the win, and Mugello, where he pressure mick off but mick managed to remount and retake the lead...what a guy. ;)

And all that froma guy with only five toes!! Fair play.

The onlt thing that marks him down against guys like Mick is his woeful year on the Roberts Yamaha in 94, he never got on with that bike or the tyres.

And after his big crash in end of 95 he was never the same man.

I'd go 1989 or 1992.

In 1989 both Lawson & Gardner were race winners, with it being Mick's first year, but there was also the tension between Gardner & Lawson's teams.

1992 both Gardner & Doohan had the speed to win, just injuries spoilt their year...... one wonders the seasonal result had Wayne not come off the second time at Suzuka, he really had his eye in that year, as his races later in the year showed.

what about 1997 when Takuma Aoki rode on the v-twin - repsol honda had 4 riders in the top 5 (Nobuatsu Aoki - elf honda came 3rd)...

honda really have dominated a lot in the past - glad they aint at the minute...

I dont think Gardner was really at all close to teh pace in 92 to be fair.

HRC had finally given in to Burgess and Micks request to stop going for top end power and made the bike more rideable.

Yes Wayne would have gotten good results that year, but only the bike was so much quicker than everything else, rememebr Beattie was getting podiums aswell first time out!

THe 92 NSR was a revolutionary machine that many riders could have won on, Mick dominated, it diodnt suite Gardners style as much coz he was rear end rider, Mick could do that but knew that pushing the front and getting low down power was quicker.