RE: Honda RC213V-S - will it be built?

RE: Honda RC213V-S - will it be built?

Thursday 27th November 2014

Honda RC213V-S - will it be built?

Honda has unveiled a £200,000-plus MotoGP bike for the road; can it really make production?



If you went to Motorcycle Live this year you probably spent a few minutes gazing up at Honda's new road going MotoGP replica, the RC213V-S. Alongside a genuine RC213V MotoGP bike, Marc Marquez's no less, it certainly looked the part. But is this bike going to be a reality or is Honda teasing us with a dream unobtainable for reasons beyond a six-figure price?

Show bike displayed alongside MotoGP racer
Show bike displayed alongside MotoGP racer
In 2012, Honda's boss Takanobu Ito confirmed a new supersports motorcycle featuring technologies from MotoGP bikes. Describing the bike as "delivering the same passion and excitement that the RC30 supersports bike created when launched in 1987", the announcement of an RCV for the road certainly grabbed a few headlines. But then it all went very quiet. Early this year, at the launch of the new VFR800, PH2 spoke to Honda insiders who confirmed the bike was indeed an RCV with lights and all but finished. Various US patents have been secured by Honda for lights that sit within a motorcycle's air-scoops and all seemed good for Honda's first true MotoGP rep. But then it got a bit sticky.

According to insiders, internal wrangling about the price remains a sticking point. Some within Honda wanted to create a no expense spared, limited edition halo product - a LaFerrari of the bike world. Others wanted to build a more affordable machine to sell in larger numbers.

Really a road bike or literally a MotoGP in civvies?
Really a road bike or literally a MotoGP in civvies?
The plot thickened when, despite the RCV's MotoGP dominance at the hands of Marc Marquez, the RC1000V 'production racer' proved a slug. Could Honda pull the covers off an all-singing MotoGP rep when its production bike was so far off the pace? At the Cologne Motorcycle Show it was all quiet until, just before Milan, rumours again circulated about an RCV-rep...

The Milan Show
PH2 was at the unveiling of the RC213V-S at the Milan show and it was a strange old affair. Crossrunner aside Honda has had a quiet year and Milan was a case of two prototypes, the Africa Twin and the RCV. And the one unveiled was significantly different from the one doing the rounds at bike shows. Clothed in a black carbon fairing, the machine Marc Marquez rode onto stage was a living, breathing, MotoGP rep with lights, indicators and a licence plate hanger. After a few quick photos the bike was spirited away and the red/white/blue machine left on a plinth.

Was this simply an RCV racer with some new bodywork attached, displayed to steal some headlines? According to Honda the black bike was a prototype, the painted one a show stand display model. But why the reluctance to confirm production?

Yes it will happen, no you won't be able to afford it
Yes it will happen, no you won't be able to afford it
The simple truth is Honda has been backed into a corner by a number of issues. Number one, Japanese companies don't like to lose face and Honda won't want to back down on Ito's pledge. Number two, the Japanese have a 'gentleman's agreement' not to break a 200hp limit with a road bike. Kawasaki sidestepped this by making the 305hp H2R a track bike but the RCV's road legality is the whole point. Three, does Honda Racing Corporation really have time to start knocking out road bikes?

PH2 spoke with Yoshishige Nomura, President of HRC and Managing Officer and Director of Honda R&D, who confirmed the bike will be built and predicted a price of around £200,000. Although he wouldn't confirm a time frame.

It's not going to be a V4 Fireblade, more an NR750 for the mega wealthy. The spec will be dictated by road considerations, so it won't have tech like pneumatic valves or a seamless gearbox. But suspension and brakes can easily be downgraded from MotoGP and the engine detuned for road use to nearer 200hp. So will it ever happen? The simple answer is yes, the RC213V-S is a reality. However, it will be made when Honda sees fit, to a timetable dictated by HRC and at a price that ensures that you won't ever actually see one on the road.

Now, how long until the rumour mill about a V4 Fireblade starts to kick into action...

 

Author
Discussion

soad

Original Poster:

32,825 posts

175 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
Wow, a detuned/stripped down GP bike! smokin

Why Honda doesn't make this the next CBR (minus all the Ohlins and CF, of course!).
After all, Aprilia has a V4 sports bike that is reasonably affordable.
Why a giant like Honda cannot make a relatively affordable variant of this too...

Also, Desmosedici RR cost a lot less.

Edited - to take a smiley work.


Edited by soad on Thursday 27th November 12:19

Shadow R1

3,798 posts

175 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
Its to hide the fact the fireblade isnt being updated again.

Nothing to stop then making a vfr1000rr, if they wanted.

Cbr means city bike racer, so that has to have inline cylinders.

redroadster

1,729 posts

231 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
Yes this should help a few more people to end up in a wheelchair, what's up is the standard road bike not quick enough for our roads ?

neelyp

1,690 posts

210 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
redroadster said:
Yes this should help a few more people to end up in a wheelchair, what's up is the standard road bike not quick enough for our roads ?
What a strange thing to say in Biker Banter.
I presume you don't have a bike so why comment?

trialsta

90 posts

188 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
neelyp said:
redroadster said:
Yes this should help a few more people to end up in a wheelchair, what's up is the standard road bike not quick enough for our roads ?
What a strange thing to say in Biker Banter.
I presume you don't have a bike so why comment?
Not only a strange thing to say in Biker Banter, a strange thing to say on PH. Maybe he got lost on the way to mumsnet?

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

254 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
redroadster said:
Yes this should help a few more people to end up in a wheelchair, what's up is the standard road bike not quick enough for our roads ?
Why on earth have you fitted a more powerful engine to your Smart car? The standard one will reach the speed limit in the UK, and going faster than that is so dangerous that you are likely to die just thinking about it.

Hmm, what an odd person, he only posts on PH news articles for some reason.

btdk5

1,850 posts

189 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
I wonder what the insurance on that would be in the owner lived in London....

Gixer_fan

290 posts

197 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
Let's face it - even if it's built and for sale to the general public, it'll end up in private collections and as museum exhibits....

Richyboy

3,739 posts

216 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
One of us could win the lottery and get some use out of it.


Ed Straker

221 posts

142 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
Richyboy said:
One of us could win the lottery and get some use out of it.
Working on it......
wink

DevonPaul

1,169 posts

136 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
A lot of money when Stoner's and Rossi's factory Ducatii sold for less than that.

Plus, if you bought the Rossi's GP 10 his performance gave you a ready made excuse for being slow at track days. smile

daytona365

1,773 posts

163 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
Anyone do turbo's for these ?

bogie

16,342 posts

271 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
daytona365 said:
Anyone do turbo's for these ?
I low pressure supercharger is better ...about £3500 for a nice safe + 50bhp smile

Lincsblokey

3,175 posts

154 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
soad said:
Wow, a detuned/stripped down GP bike! smokin

Why Honda doesn't make this the next CBR (minus all the Ohlins and CF, of course!).
After all, Aprilia has a V4 sports bike that is reasonably affordable.
Why a giant like Honda cannot make a relatively affordable variant of this too...

Also, Desmosedici RR cost a lot less.

Edited - to take a smiley work.


Edited by soad on Thursday 27th November 12:19
The Aprilia was always a GP bike heavily disguised for the road (not that you would guess it given that the road bike is wk)

The desmosedici was as far removed from the GP bike as possible, 163bhp, heavy, ill handling unless you had the race parts fitted for the track, and hideously expensive to run.


Shadow R1 said:
Its to hide the fact the fireblade isnt being updated again.

Nothing to stop then making a vfr1000rr, if they wanted.

Cbr means city bike racer, so that has to have inline cylinders.
Pedantic mode on...

No, it stand for Cross Beam Racing, so has to be across the line.

The fireblade will be updated, supported race teams have already been told to expect a new bike for the 2016 season.

redroadster

1,729 posts

231 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
Mr2Mike said:
Why on earth have you fitted a more powerful engine to your Smart car? The standard one will reach the speed limit in the UK, and going faster than that is so dangerous that you are likely to die just thinking about it.

Hmm, what an odd person, he only posts on PH news articles for some reason.
Having seen 2 bikers get splattered through crazy cray speeds which bikes can achieve in such a short space I have formed the opinion that for the road there's no need for bikes to get any faster, for race tracks that's a different story,so yes if you think my comment is odd that's fair enough maybe you have not seen the uk death rate for bikes and wonder why it is ?

I,ve seen more people been pushed around in bikers gear in wheelchairs ansd can only guess why . . .

bogie

16,342 posts

271 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
redroadster said:
Mr2Mike said:
Why on earth have you fitted a more powerful engine to your Smart car? The standard one will reach the speed limit in the UK, and going faster than that is so dangerous that you are likely to die just thinking about it.

Hmm, what an odd person, he only posts on PH news articles for some reason.
Having seen 2 bikers get splattered through crazy cray speeds which bikes can achieve in such a short space I have formed the opinion that for the road there's no need for bikes to get any faster, for race tracks that's a different story,so yes if you think my comment is odd that's fair enough maybe you have not seen the uk death rate for bikes and wonder why it is ?

I,ve seen more people been pushed around in bikers gear in wheelchairs ansd can only guess why . . .
What about cyclists and horse riders ? their death rate per mile travelled is higher and getting worse each year whilst motorcycling has improved ...why not try to educate them too? can we slow down the horses maybe or limit people to riding smaller ones until they have passed a more stricter test ? More horsey types are wearing airbags than bikers these days, but its still not helping the stats

and that cycling thing...well there's no law to cover that at all which I find outrageous, you dont even have to wear a helmet to go out and travel at 30-40mph if you wish. We should get the Euro parliament to regulate cycling before more people kill themselves each year

Here's the top 10 causes of death in the UK. Motorcycling does not even move the needle. Death is one of the most certain things that will happen to us all, so you may as well live life to the full and do whatever makes you happy smile

1 Heart disease 37423 15.60%
2 Lung cancer 16698 7.00%
3 Emphysema/ 14378 6.00%
4 Stroke 14116 5.90%
5 Dementia and Alzheimer’5.80%
6 Flu/pneumonia 11063 4.60%
7 Prostate cancer 9698 4.00%
8 Bowel cancer 7841 3.30%
9 Lymphoid cancer 6301 2.60%
10 Throat cancer 4603 1.90%

CBR JGWRR

6,518 posts

148 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
Lincsblokey said:
No, it stand for Cross Beam Racing, so has to be across the line.
That, according to a Honda UK Executive I spoke to a few years back.

This in no way is a replacement for the 'Blade, it is something else.

Yazza54

18,464 posts

180 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
quotequote all
200 grand and made when they can fit it in rofl

So much for this being the new weapon of choice. Don't get me wrong, it will be awesome... When it happens. But it's massively out of reach so in reality IMO not even worth getting excited about.

jcl

227 posts

242 months

Friday 28th November 2014
quotequote all
Personally I would rather own one of those than any car. Stunning.

neelyp

1,690 posts

210 months

Friday 28th November 2014
quotequote all
redroadster said:
Having seen 2 bikers get splattered through crazy cray speeds which bikes can achieve in such a short space I have formed the opinion that for the road there's no need for bikes to get any faster, for race tracks that's a different story,so yes if you think my comment is odd that's fair enough maybe you have not seen the uk death rate for bikes and wonder why it is ?

I,ve seen more people been pushed around in bikers gear in wheelchairs ansd can only guess why . . .
I presume you're one of them and hit your keyboard with your head.