The 800cc Years: The Most HATED Bikes in MotoGP History

What do you think about the 800cc era and its legacy in MotoGP? Did it deserve the criticism it received, or was it a necessary step in the sport's evolution?

well this didnt age well

I think the saddest thing about the 800cc era was the death of Marco Simoncelli. It felt like if he could have survived until the end of the 2011 season he would have been competitive and spectacular on a 1000cc bike.

I'm concerned about the likely return of 800s for 2027, for me, the litre bikes are iconic

I remember the 800cc era with fondness. On the track, they looked so fast and they were stunning to watch. And the rules made it possible for example for Stoner and Lorenzo to take drastically different approaches and riding styles and don't forget the fact that there were different tire manufacturers. The problem today is that the tires are so limiting and the rear height devices together with aero make the bikes so stable that it looks very solid and everyone needs to have nearly the same way of working which to me is a bit sad. Racing is good though in a way even if it's a little "plastic".

Kato was the catalyst, but not the reason. Jerry Burgess remarked on several occasions that the manufacturers were stunned when Dorna made plans for a 990cc 4-stroke class. Many of the Japanese manufacturers and teams thought it would be closer to 600cc than 1000cc. When Kato died the MSMA made their move against the 990s. The issue with the 800s was that they kept power roughly the same as the 990s by raising the rev ceiling, but they reduced fuel capacity. That’s what required the crazy electronics and deprived fans and riders of superfluous torque.

I hope in the 2027, there were more overtaking from start to finish. For a past few years, we only seen fight in the start of the race and the last of 6 laps because the tires can't handle the speed. In between of those laps, we almost don't see any battles, you can just do your things in your house and come back to 6 last laps and you don't miss anything. I don't mind they reduce the CCs, but I just hope there's more spectacle races like the old days.

Please do longer form videos, mini docs on motogp, bsb, wsb, etc, it would be great, I love learning new things and hearing good stories on the bike racing genre. Your voice makes for easy listening. Thanks for the videos so far !!!

Paradoxically, the era everyone absolutely loves is 500cc Strokers. This is true in Superbikes as well as GPs.

I personally don't hate the 800cc era, but i don't like the modern aero technology. It makes the bikes less classically beautiful....

Dont agree on one tyre brand at all....."how does that tyre work...lets design a bike around that tyres performance"

I would argue that 97-98 was the worst. Doohan dominance as a parade, 500s ‘tamed’, ultimately giving WSB and the panel bashing Fogarty, Edwards, Bayliss, the real showtime.

2027 be' like: oh shit, here we go again

I have been watching MotoGP since the early 80's as a kid. The 800 era was definitely not the worst racing but I think spectators want to see big power bikes that only the best and bravest riders dare ride. For me the dominance of Ducati with all the wings, ride height and electronics is getting like F1. The times are faster but the racing suffers. Look at Misano a few weeks ago, a absolute snooze.

Honestly massive probs for the video, i was shocked when i saw you "only" have 1500 subs. Keep up!

Sadly we are going back to 850 cc 😢

“The bikes were too quick” Today tho 😂

Great video. I've been following MotoGP for the past 3 years, but I still have much to learn about its history

So it’s more about the electronics than the capacity. Despite the comments about bigger equals better. The 500’s had less power but were infinitely better to watch than the 800’s and the current aero liter bikes.

500GP is a tough act to follow. 🏁👍🏻