Motorcycle specifications Crighton RacingCR 700 P 2017 Another way of shooting

Very few manufacturers have tried the Wankel rotary piston engine. Suzuki did try with its RE-5 in 1974, but without success. Van Veen, on the other hand, tried its hand at the end of the 70s with its OCR 1000. Even in automobiles, the engine's popularity remains limited. Its fuel consumption and pollution levels do it more harm than good.

yet there is one man who believes in it, to the point of devoting his vision of motorcycling to it, with a strong hint of competition. Brian Crighton. This English engineer was in charge of developing the engine for the RCW 588, the racing version of the Norton F1 with its Wankel engine. A weapon for competing in the Tourist Trophy in the 90s. However, the result was not emulation but jealousy. No competitor would play the game, and F1 was content with a parenthesis in motorcycle history. But what a parenthesis!

The story isn't over yet, and Crighton hasn't said his last word. The man hasn't stopped working. A few years after the RCW episode, his team created the NRV 588 for Norton. A number that indicates the engine's cubic capacity, but does not reveal the full potential of the mechanism. Imagine that this little engine, without camshafts or valves, belches out 170 horsepower and that the bike weighs just 130 kilos. Later, wanting to fulfill his vision, he created his brand in 2013, Crighton Racing. To put rotary piston technology back on the winning track.

today, his legacy is the Crighton CR 700 P. A machine of a higher caliber, also designed for the racetrack, with enough power to fight at the front and head on. The Rotron brand, which specializes in this type of engine, has used the NRV 588 block as the basis for a twin-rotor 700. Output is worthy of a MotoGP 4-cylinder. The CR 700 P boasts 200 hp at 11,000 rpm. Torque is even more surprising, at 15 mkg (the same as a Hayabusa) at 9,500 rpm. All this to power a motorcycle barely heavier than the NRV, with 136 kilos in the bag. We're back to the power-to-weight ratio we could only glimpse in the days of the GP 500.

with its exceptional technology, the bike's chassis has to be remarkable. The engine is housed in a 7000-series aluminum perimeter frame. The CR 700 P is suspended on Bitubo components, such as an upside-down fork and a right-hand monoshock. Braking is via Brembo 4-piston radial clamps on 320 mm discs.

the Crighton CR 700 P is just out of the testing phase, before looking to the future. Lord Crighton would like to develop a road version. First we need to improve the internal sealing and find a way to reduce fuel consumption. Then, we can imagine something striking for enthusiasts. You have to admit that a bike like this, as powerful as a hypersport and as light as a 2 1/2, with an engine like no other in today's production, would be a real eye-catcher. High sensations guaranteed.

M.B - Manufacturer's media