Gilera RC600 Enduro

Gilera RC600 Enduro
Manufacturer	Gilera
Production	1989 - 91
Engine	Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves
Compression ratio	9.5:1
Top Speed	161.2 km/h / 100.2 mph
Ignition	Electronic
Transmission	Final Drive: Chain
Suspension	Front: 41mm Morzocchi forks Rear: Boge shocks variable preload
Brakes	Front: Single 260mm disc Rear: Single 220mm disc
Front Tire	90/90 -21
Rear Tire	140/80 -17
Weight	141 kg / 310.8 lbs (dry),
Fuel Capacity	12 Liters / 3.17 US gal
Manuals	Service Manual

It could reach a top speed of 161.2 km/h / 100.2 mph.

Engine

The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves. The engine featured a 9.5:1 compression ratio.

Chassis

It came with a 90/90 -21 front tire and a 140/80 -17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 260mm disc in the front and a Single 220mm disc in the rear. The front suspension was a 41mm Morzocchi forks while the rear was equipped with a Boge shocks variable preload. The RC600 Enduro was fitted with a 12 Liters / 3.17 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 141 kg / 310.8 lbs.

Photos

Overview

Gilera RC 600 Enduro

THE RC600 AND NORDWEST

Throughout the late 1980s Gilera took a serious interest in the Paris-Dakar and similar rallies. This culminated in 1990 with a Gilera class victory in the Paris-Dakar event. An offshoot of this was a plethora of production models, including the RC600, RC600R and Nordwest. All used a 558cc (98 x 74mm) variant of the motor used on the XRT. Quite why Gilera chose to decrease the bore size by 1mm is unclear, but this had the effect of reducing the capacity from 569 to 558cc. There were other differences too, the carburetor size being increased from the 25mm instruments on the XRT (the same as the Dakar series) to 30mm on these later models. The gear ratios remained the same but outright power was significantly improved - 53bhp on the RC600 and Nordwest and 54.5bhp on the RC600R - all three machines peaking at 7,500rpm.

Works-entered RC600Rs dominated the 1991 and 1992 600cc-class of the Paris-Dakar, making it one of the truly great machines in the history of the event (others including the BMW GS, the Cagiva Elefant and a small number of exotic Japanese factory entries.

NORDWEST PROVES A WINNER

But it was the Nordwest which really caused a stir with its unique style and beautifully flowing lines. The Nordwest boasted an uprated specification (at least for street use) over the RC600, with its three-spoke cast alloy wheels, twin 270mm semi-floating discs (front) and single 240mm disc (rear) and both wheels shod with Michelin Hi-Sport 17in tires (120/60 front, 120/70 rear). There were also upside-down 40mm (stanchion diameter) front forks and Gilera's 'Power Drive' rear suspension (single shock). Other features (some of which were shared by the RC600 series) included: an alloy swinging arm, speedo, tacho and temperature gauge, a cast aluminum rear carrier, stylish bodywork, oblong indicators, plastic chainguard and 520-size final drive chain. And, unlike the RC models, the Nordwest did not feature a back-up kick-starter. Gilera also had other four-strokes in the pipeline, but none made it into production.

Source Gilera The complete story Mick Walker

Make Model	Gilera RC 600 Enduro
Year	1989 - 91
Engine Type	Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves
Displacement	558 cc / 34.0 cu-in
Bore X Stroke	98 x 74 mm
Cooling System	Liquid cooled
Compression	9.5:1
Induction	2x Teikei E27PV2A carburetor
Ignition	Electronic
Starting	Kick
Max Power	49.5 hp / 36.5 kW @ 7250 rpm
Max Power Rear Tire	45.5 hp / 33.9 kW @ 6750 rpm
Max Torque	51 Nm / 37 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm
Transmission / Drive	5 Speed
Final Drive	Chain
Front Suspension	41mm Morzocchi forks
Front Wheel Travel	130 mm / 5.1 in
Rear Suspension	Boge shocks variable preload
Front Brakes	Single 260mm disc
Rear Brakes	Single 220mm disc
Front Tire	90/90 -21
Rear Tire	140/80 -17
Dry Weight	141 kg / 310.8 lbs
Fuel Capacity	12 Liters / 3.17 US gal
Consumption Average	19.2 km/lit
Braking 60 - 0 / 100 - 0	14.0 m / 40.5 m
Standing ¼ Mile	13.8 sec / 148.8 km/h
Top Speed	161.2 km/h / 100.2 mph
Road Test	Motosprint Group Test 1989 Motosprint Grup Test 1990