Photo: Honda
So, the big moment has come and gone, and Honda had their moment of glory unveiling the much-anticipated road-going MotoGP-derived RC213V-S bike. While the machine looks pretty cool (save for those mirrors), the tech specs are nothing to write home about.
Honestly, we expected something in the 200 horsepower in stock trim, so that we might be looking at a grand declaration of war in the face of the BMW S1000RR or the 1199 / 1299 Panigale, but it just wasn't to be.
With a peak power of 159 hp @ 11,000 rpm (source), we doubt the RC213V-S could make credible threats to the S1000RR, no matter how much MotoGP technology was crammed in the new Honda.
No word on how much is this race kit going to cost, but we don't expect anything cheap. And this kit would only to the already hefty price, probably taking the RC213V-S into €200k territory.
Honda announced the prices for the RC213V-S, and they start from 21,900,00 Japanese yen. If you want an RC213V-S and live in the US, Honda will ask for a check reading $184,000, whereas Oz riders, except maybe Casey Stoner, will have to fork out 224,000 Australian dollars. Things are even worse in Europe, where the Honda RC213V-S will be available for prices starting at €188,000.
Ducati Superleggera's 155 kg (342 lbs) dry weight is a very good standard for high-performance street-legal bike, but it looks like Honda was not eyeing to match or beat this record.
The house of Tokyo can build one Honda RC213V-S per day at their Kumamoto factory, but these bikes will only be made to order. If you feel like two hundred grand is a burden you can no longer bear, you'll still have to do until July 13th, because that's when the dedicated website - www.rc213v-s.com, becomes operational.
With a peak power of 159 hp @ 11,000 rpm (source), we doubt the RC213V-S could make credible threats to the S1000RR, no matter how much MotoGP technology was crammed in the new Honda.
215 horsepower with a racing kit, but...
Installing a race kit will indeed better improve things, as the RC213V-S is said to reach in the 215 hp zone. The torque is also improved by the modding job, taking figures from a modest 102 Nm (75 lb-ft) at 10,500 rpm to 118 Nm (87 lb-ft) at the same engine speed.No word on how much is this race kit going to cost, but we don't expect anything cheap. And this kit would only to the already hefty price, probably taking the RC213V-S into €200k territory.
Honda announced the prices for the RC213V-S, and they start from 21,900,00 Japanese yen. If you want an RC213V-S and live in the US, Honda will ask for a check reading $184,000, whereas Oz riders, except maybe Casey Stoner, will have to fork out 224,000 Australian dollars. Things are even worse in Europe, where the Honda RC213V-S will be available for prices starting at €188,000.
Honda can build one RC213V-S a day
On the weight side, the RC213V-S is not the impressive machine we hoped it would be. The base version weighs 170 kg (375 lbs) dry, and will lose 10 kg (22 lbs) with the race kit installed, whereas the MotoGP race machine will tip the scales at 158 kg (349 lbs) at the end of a race.Ducati Superleggera's 155 kg (342 lbs) dry weight is a very good standard for high-performance street-legal bike, but it looks like Honda was not eyeing to match or beat this record.
The house of Tokyo can build one Honda RC213V-S per day at their Kumamoto factory, but these bikes will only be made to order. If you feel like two hundred grand is a burden you can no longer bear, you'll still have to do until July 13th, because that's when the dedicated website - www.rc213v-s.com, becomes operational.
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