Bikes

The $184,000 Honda: More Photos of the 2016 RC213V-S

A closer look at Honda's street-legal MotoGP bike

June 11, 2015

Marc Marquez apparently had the chance to turn a few laps on the RC213V-S, a bike more like Honda's RCV1000R Open Class bike of last year than the factory RC213V.

Unlike the RC213V with its pneumatic valve springs and seamless shift transmission, the RC213V-S will use standard metal valve springs and conventional gearbox.

More disappointing for US consumers is that the US-spec RC213V-S will rev to just 9,400 rpm so that the bike complies with US noise level restrictions. In contrast, the European models will rev to 12,000 rpm and produce 157 hp (14,000 rpm with accessory Sports Kit, which bumps power to nearly 215 hp).

HRC brass: "Now Marc, this is very limited production, please take it easy."

How many RC213V-S do you think you'll actually see running up the local canyon road on a Sunday morning? At $184,000, our guess is a lot less than you'll see in people's living rooms.

Poster boy. Poster bike.

Marquez was all smiles after having ridden the RC213V-S, though to be fair, he's rarely ever wearing something other than an ear-to-ear grin. Mugello aside...

As with any racebike, every last space has been utilized in an attempt to make the bike as compact as possible. Look closely and you'll see that the fuel tank runs underneath the seat.

The chassis and swingarm are reportedly identical to the units on Honda's RCV1000R racebike. Note the exhaust collectors for both the bottom and underseat exhausts, which contain the catalyzers to reduce emissions.

Most of the RC213V-S fuel is actually stored under the seat for better mass centralization. Bodywork is carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic for light weight.

It's easy to be distracted by the RC213V-S claimed power output and overlook its fit and finish. In that regard, this really is the closest thing you can buy to a MotoGP bike.

That of course comes from the fact that each RC213V-S will be hand-assembled by HRC technicians, the same guys who have at one time or another probably put wrenches to Marc Marquez's bike.

The only real indication of the RC213V-S street-legal status: bar-end mirrors, turn indicators, and a license plate hanger.Honda

The RC213V-S's dash utilizes the now increasingly common TFT (thin film transistor) display panel, with the display switchable between street and track mode.

In this shot of the 999cc V-4 engine, the powerplant's compact size front-to-back is plainly visible. Note the outboard water pump driven off the front cylinder head exhaust cam.

Honda hasn't exactly broke the internet with the unveil of its 2016 RC213V-S, but it's come close with the announcement of both good and bad news regarding its street-legal MotoGP bike.

The good news is that Honda will officially make the street-legal RC213V-S as a 2016 model. The bad news is that the bike will cost $184,000 and, in US-spec trim, make just 101 horsepower thanks in part to electronic restrictions. A Sports Kit will be available in countries not including the US, which extends the rev limiter and thus bumps claimed peak power to around 215 horsepower. Our guess is that if you have the means to afford the bike, then you also have the connections and money to get your hands on one of these kits (which will reportedly cost upwards of 12,000 euros). Or at least find another way around the ECU restrictions...

While you contemplate that, we'll leave some more photos of the bike here, which we came across just after originally introducing the bike in our First Look story, which includes more information on specs, availability, and Sports Kit. Click the next arrow to check them all out!

You can also get a sense for what the RC213V-S looks and sounds like in one of Honda's promotional videos for the bike, below: