Please click on the above image to view it larger.

This image appeared in my recent MotoGP Stories presentation in San Francisco, and it made me wonder why I have so often photographed this section of the Honda RC213V and of other MotoGP bikes in pit lane.

I think it is because this portion of MotoGP design and technology is most often available to examine closely. Whereas the other really interesting bits of a MotoGP bike, especially of a Honda RC213V, are covered by fairings, seats, and other bodywork, MotoGP bikes are regularly warmed up in pit lane without the rear exhaust section covered up. Thus we are able to examine them and appreciate the workmanship and design of this portion of the motorcycle.

Then there is simply the aspect of this item’s beauty. It is colorful, and it’s colorful in unpredictable ways. It reflects colors I don’t expect depending on the light at any given moment. Consider this image from Qatar where the metal glows golden in the warm light, or this one from Phillip Island where the colors are limited almost exclusively to blue and silver, and of course this month’s desktop calendar where the seams are bronze-colored on one pipe and copper on the other. Sometimes the colors are almost nothing but blue. Other times the purple is intense!

One of my all time favorites hangs on my walls a 24×16″ metallic print.

All said I don’t think any single component of a MotoGP bike lends itself to interesting photographs more than the exhaust pipes. I hope the mechanics don’t start covering them up in pit lane.

Photograph: ©2014 by Scott Jones / PHOTO.GP – All Rights Reserved

Camera Info: Nikon D4 with Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

[mgallery keyword=”Pit Lane”]
Honda RC213V Exhaust Pipe