MotoGP fans with a liking for Honda may want to check what the market rate for a functioning kidney is right now, as one of the rarest street-legal motorbikes in the world has just come up for sale. To the uninitiated, the designation RC213V-S may mean little, but ask even casual fans following professional motorcycle racing and they will tell you that the bike currently on eBay in the UK is the two-wheeled equivalent of a unicorn. A very fast and very expensive unicorn.
Back in 2015, Honda decided to build a road-legal MotoGP motorcycle based on the RC213V that served as the high-speed workhorse for riders like Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. The result was the RC213V-S, a machine that gave mere mortals without a racing license the opportunity to own a super-exclusive, track-proven motorbike with number plates. The company only built 213 of them, and each one was assembled by hand in a special workshop at Honda’s Kumamoto factory in Japan at a pace of only about one motorcycle per day. Despite the astronomical price tag of $184,000 in the US and €188,000 in Europe, the firm received more orders than the limited-production run could satisfy, making this one of the rarest and most exclusive collector’s bikes out there.
Weighing around 190kg, this mythical machine takes its power from a 1,000cc 90° V4 engine with a 360° crank and gear-driven cams. The amount of horses pushing it forward depends on what country a particular bike was sold in, with the North American version having to make do with a paltry 101hp at 8,000rpm, and the European and Australian versions churning out a more respectable 157hp at 11,000rpm. Buyers outside the US could also order the optional sports kit, which is fitted to the bike that is currently for sale on eBay. This €12,000 (P744,000) extra includes a new ECU with data logger, a refined ram-air system, a quick shifter and a racing exhaust, which together lift power to a more race-bike-worthy 210hp at 13,000rpm.
Just to be clear: This isn’t a street bike made to look like a MotoGP machine, but the other way around. Honda says that parts like the underseat fuel tank, the carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic fairing, the slipper clutch, the swingarm, the magnesium Marchesini wheels, the Öhlins fork, the adjustable footrests and foot controls, and the huge Brembo brakes were all taken straight from the MotoGP bike. Also, the RC213V-S comes with four-way adjustable engine braking and a throttle-by-wire system that is designed to replicate the natural operation feel of a traditional cable-type throttle setup.
This, in other words, is the ultimate Honda motorbike for wealthy speed freaks. The original sticker price was already steep, but the bike is appreciating fast and the dealer lucky enough to have this model in his inventory is asking £219,995 (P15,360,000) for it. That may seem like a lot for a two-wheel vehicle, but with only 213 units in existence, prices for this Honda product will only go higher, especially with this one being the more powerful European version. Who needs two kidneys anyway?
NOTE: Only the top photo shows the actual RC213V-S that is now being offered on eBay. The rest are those of a regular unit.
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