The Honda RC213V-S launch means that from July 13, 2015, you could buy Honda’s own road-legal replica of the RC213V MotoGP race bike. Assuming you have €188,000 (tax inclusive) in Europe, ¥21,900,000 in Japan, A$244,000 in Australia, or US$184,000 in the U.S. And that’s without an optional Sports Kit for use on race circuits.
Some changes have obviously been made to create a road-going version of a MotoGP machine. Some are the legal requirements of headlights, brake lights, licence plate hanger and light, indicators, a speedo, a horn, and a side stand. All fair enough, although the exhaust and catalytic converter are a bit of a letdown.
There are also some changes made to the engine and gearbox, which essentially copied the specifications of the open class Honda RCV1000R race motorcycle. These were to keep the same camshaft gear structure but swap from the pneumatic valve used by the factory race bikes for a coil spring system, and to changes the seamless transmission for a conventional system. The claimed logic for this was for maintenance – most of us don’t have a pit garage full of Honda engineers used to working on Grand Prix race bikes.
The 1000cc 90-degree V4 does get a larger battery for the additional road-legal lighting. That and the other additions make for a 170kg dry weight. Reduce it with the Sports Kit and you get back down to 160kg, compared to the race bike at 158kg. Pretty close, and less than a lot of 600s!
And then there are the changes made to accommodate the fact most of us don’t have the talent of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, and if we actually do decide to take the Honda RC213V-S for a spin, it’ll probably be on the typical potholed Tarmac roads.
As a result, the steering angle has been changed from 15 to 26 degrees. Bridgestone supply the RS10 road tyres. And you get a stainless steel front brake disc with Brembo pads. The front tyre ends up being a 120/70ZR17M/C, not the 16.5 race version, and the rear also switches from 16.5 to a 190/55ZR17M/C.
The Honda RC213V is still pretty exclusive though. It’s built in an exclusive workshop in the Kumamoto Factory with special training for those working on it to use the specific manufacturing methods. The hands-on requirements for manual finishing mean Honda will be producing one RC213V-S each day.
Lucky owners will also have to visit specific designated dealers who will have specific tools designed for the bike, which Honda recommend is stored indoors due to the anodized aluminium and other materials which don’t have any anti-corrosion treatments applied. It’s a bike made to be pampered, basically.
Underneath it all, the aluminium frame is designed for rigidity where it matters, having been TIG welded together by hand. The RC213V-S gets titanium alloy bolts to hold it all together without adding much weight. Press-formed aluminium is also used for the swing-arm, who will again have the TIG welders out.
What you don’t get are the eccentric collars which racers can use to adjust the steering angle without having to replace the frame. But you do get Ohlins Racing AB TTX25 front forks, just like the RC213V, and an Ohlins rear shock based on the GP spec TTX36.
Let’s face it. For anyone considering purchasing a Honda RC213V-S, and for almost all of us reading about it, it’s an object of lustful curiousity, rather than an imminent practical purchase…
Makes a Desmosedici look like a bargain !! 😉