MotoGP 850cc: Why Nakagami and Espargaro Don’t Miss the 1000cc Bikes

• Honda test rider Takaaki Nakagami and KTM test rider Pol Espargaro clearly prefer the new MotoGP 850cc bike to the current 1000cc machine.
• According to the test riders, the softer Pirelli tyres change the riding style more than the weight saving of over 10 kg.
• From 1 December, the full-time riders will test in Valencia for the 2027 season.

From 2027, MotoGP will race with 850 instead of 1,000 cubic centimetres of displacement. The ride-height devices will be dropped, the aerodynamics will be reduced, and Pirelli will replace Michelin as tyre supplier. Only a few riders already know both generations. Honda test rider Takaaki Nakagami and KTM test rider Pol Espargaro are among them, as they have ridden both the new prototypes and the current race bikes this season. Both would choose the 850cc bike without hesitation.

How does the new MotoGP 850cc bike ride?

More naturally and more simply, says Nakagami. The rider has less technology to worry about, and the bike responds more directly.

The 34-year-old Japanese rider raced in MotoGP as a full-time rider from 2018 to 2024. Since Aleix Espargaro suffered a serious back injury during testing in Sepang (Malaysia) in April, Nakagami has been carrying most of the development work on the new Honda RC214V. He describes what he likes about it like this: “I like it more than 1000cc. You don’t think about the rear height device. So it’s more simple.”

The aerodynamics are also smaller. There are still wings, and the riders have to use them. However, the bike pitches more under braking and acceleration again and is said to feel more like a superbike as a result.

Honda’s second test rider had already given concrete figures in May. According to Aleix Espargaro, the 850cc bike weighs more than 10 kg (around 22 lbs) less than the current machine, making it very easy to flick from one lean angle to the other. He therefore expects significantly more battles on track.

Why do the tyres make the biggest difference?

Because the Pirelli tyres are much softer than the current Michelins. For Nakagami, this change matters more than the lower weight of the 850cc bike.

“For me, it’s mainly the tyres that are a big difference,” says the Japanese rider. The test riders of the other manufacturers see it the same way. Michelin has been the exclusive supplier to MotoGP since 2016, while the Moto2 field has been running on Pirelli since 2024. Pol Espargaro already experienced the switch from Bridgestone to Michelin. Back then, the riding style hardly changed. This time, everything is changing.

Espargaro explains in detail why the Michelins are so different. They have to withstand the enormous torque of the 1000cc bikes over the entire race distance, even when a rider opens the throttle completely on the limit at the corner exit. That is why the carcass, i.e. the tyre’s underlying structure, and the rubber compound are very hard. That does not make them worse or more dangerous. They are simply built precisely for this uncompromising race machine. In Espargaro’s view, an amateur would not even be able to ride on them because he would bring the front tyre neither to the necessary pressure nor to temperature.

With the 850cc bike, things are different. Because it has less power, Pirelli can build softer tyres. According to Aleix Espargaro, they offer a lot of grip, and because the 850cc bike has less torque low down, riders can be more aggressive in the corners.

How demanding is the current 1000cc bike by comparison?

So demanding that, by his own account, Pol Espargaro could easily ride two races in a row on the 850cc bike. On the 1000cc bike, on the other hand, his heart rate is extremely high after just two laps.

The Spaniard knows this first-hand. As a replacement for the injured Maverick Viñales, he got back on the current KTM with Michelin tyres from Silverstone onwards, for the first time since February. He said he felt like a rookie and had to relearn braking points and lines. From fourth gear upwards, the torque is enormous. “With the 850 and the Pirellis I can do two races in a row. It’s much, much less physical.”

Nakagami had a similar experience. For a planned wildcard appearance in Japan, he rode the 1000cc Honda again at a private test in Motegi in early September. “It was a very big shock!” Shortly afterwards, he stepped in for Joan Mir in Spielberg.

Pol Espargaro is also relaxed about the development with regard to himself: “It makes everything much less complicated, and since I’m not getting any younger, I have absolutely nothing against this development.”

Will MotoGP be safer with the 850cc bikes?

Pol Espargaro assumes so. The new bikes reach a lower top speed but lose hardly any acceleration.

Because of the lower weight, he nevertheless expects similar lap times. However, riders would get injured less often. “It is going to be a very fun and less dangerous category, and that is good for the championship.” At the start of the 2027 season, he still expects gaps between the manufacturers, with a tighter field from mid-season onwards.

The word in the paddock is also that the four rookies stepping up from Moto2 and Superbike world champion Nicolo Bulega will find the transition easier. They already know the Pirelli tyres, while the current MotoGP riders have little time to adapt.

How fast are the 850cc prototypes already?

Fast enough to keep up with current race times. At the Pirelli test in Spielberg, Diogo Moreira set an unofficial best time of 1:28.4 minutes on the 850cc Honda, around one second faster than the fastest race lap of the Grand Prix.

Nakagami is holding back on lap times. However, the new Honda, which Fabio Quartararo will ride from 2027, is already fairly competitive, he says. At the moment, the team is mainly working through a long list of test tasks. The switch to 850 cubic centimetres and Pirelli tyres is therefore already shaping the preparations for the 2027 MotoGP season.

What is next for testing before the season starts?

In October, it is the test riders’ turn once again, and on 1 December the 2027 pre-season starts in Valencia with the full-time riders.

Aprilia, Ducati, KTM and Yamaha will test in Jerez on 7 and 8 October. Honda follows on 14 and 15 October in Sepang, once again with Aleix Espargaro. He has since recovered and was already present at Mugello in mid-September. For Nakagami, this is a relief. He says he did the work of two riders alone for months, which was hard.

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