The 50cc Engine That Revved to 22,000 RPM... Then Honda QUIT Racing

In 1966, the Honda RC116, the final and most extreme version of a twin-cylinder 50cc grand prix engine that revved past 20,000 rpm, helped Honda sweep every manufacturers' world championship it contested that season: 50cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, and 500cc — a feat no manufacturer has matched since. Then, at the final round of the season in Japan, Honda's own factory team simply didn't turn up. This documentary traces the full arc: Honda's rough debut at the 1959 Isle of Man TT, three losing seasons against Suzuki and Kreidler's two-stroke engines in the brand-new 50cc World Championship, the 24-year-old engineer handed an impossible brief, and the real, sourced reason Honda's own rider handed the 1966 title to a rival without racing for it. Timestamps 0:00 A Bicycle Brake at 20,000 RPM 0:30 What This Video Will Explain 1:10 Honda's First Grand Prix, 1959 2:30 Beaten by the Two-Strokes 4:30 A 24-Year-Old Gets the Job 5:05 The RC116 Arrives 7:25 Why Honda Actually Walked Away 9:00 What Happened After 11:00 Closing Note- The creator don't own any of the content used in this video; it's included under fair use for documentary purposes. #HondaRC116 #MotorcycleHistory #GrandPrixRacing #VintageMotorcycles #HondaRacing #50ccGrandPrix #TorqueStories