Monday Kickstart: Japanese Spy Photos

See what we mean? This hdraulic clutch master cylinder is cast in the same fasion as the front brake's.

An all-new chassis surrounds the engine, which is said to be updated as well. Notice the relocated cylinder head stay mounts...

Here's the rear view of the new bike; the same thing that Narita showed the rest of the field in both motos. From this angle, the width of the sidepanels is somewhat exaggerated. We didn't sit on the machine, but the dual exhausts don't hinder the bike's slim figure where the rider's legs come into contact with it.

Works Showa suspension graced both ends of Narita's works bike, but that's no indication that Showa compenents will be spec'd in 2013...

Beneath the decal, we noticed that the swingarm on the factory bike had a weld that ran the entire length, front to back. Will the new production swingarm utilize multi-piece swingarm spars, rather than single extrusions?

Though the AMA Hondas are outfitted with the same factory hubs, they seem cooler when they are mounted on a more-exotic machine. In this photo, you can also catch a better look at the weld on the swingarm spars.

A closer look at the fork lugs of the factory Showas, as well as the massive factory front brake rotor. Oftentimes, teams will experiment with fork lug offset, rather than changing the angle of the triple clamps.

Both the rear brake clevis and the hydraulic clutch slave featured the same milky white finish. Magnesium parts traditionally have a matte white finish, so we're left to assume that it is simply an odd color of anodizing. Narita's footpegs mean serious business!