#9 HONDA RC213V-S
MotoGP missile for the road became the most exclusive Japanese bike of all time
In September 2012, during a seemingly innocuous company conference, Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito, made an announcement that took everyone by surprise - they were going to build a road-going version of their dominant MotoGP bike. This new bike would, he said, “deliver the same passion and excitement that the RC30 created when it was launched.” As you would imagine, his announcement created headlines. But, behind the scenes, all was not quite as simple and the RC213V-S’s journey from concept to final bike was a rocky road.
Japanese companies place a lot of emphasis on honour, which is why Ito’s announcement came as such a surprise. As soon as he told the world that Honda were building a road-going RCV, the company were duty-bound to do so. Luckily they had a strong starting point.
For 2014 Honda had introduced a ‘customer’ version of the RC213V. Lining up alongside the factory bikes, the RCV1000R was meant to allow privateers to compete in the new Open class of MotoGP. It was this bike that formed the base for the RC213V-S road bike.
Powered by a 999cc V4, the fact the RCV1000R lacked the RCV213V’s pneumatic-operated valves and seamless gearbox made it the ideal choice. Naturally it was detuned for reliability (the RCV came with Honda’s standard warranty and 4000-mile service intervals), producing just 157bhp in road-legal trim or 212bhp with the HRC sports kit fitted, but other than that it was very similar indeed with sand-cast cases, titanium valves and conrods, and loads more exotica besides.
The chassis was straight out of HRC. Built by Moriwaki (who also created the RCV racer’s frame) and welded together within HRC, the RC213V-S’s frame, swingarm and yokes are basically identical to the RCV1000R’s. Honda then added the very best components such as Öhlins TTX forks, Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels - plus a smattering of new tech.
The RC213V-S was the first Honda sportsbike to feature angleresponsive traction control as well as engine-braking control, power modes and even launch control (with the sports pack fitted, that is). Unsurprisingly, all this MotoGP tech came at one heck of a cost.
Compared to the €1,000,000 it cost to lease an RCV1000R, the RC213V-S’s £140,000 price seemed almost reasonable. In reality, however, it was more than three times what Ducati asked for their Desmosedici RR. As you would imagine, the market for a £140,000 sportsbike was limited but the RCV213V-S did sell, just not in the numbers Honda were hoping for – although fate conspired against it.
Despite Honda aiming to produce 213 units (a number chosen appropriately), the RCV never hit this figure. Built in a special ‘boutique’ area within HRC at a rate of about one a week by specially trained mechanics, the production run needed to be completed before the end of 2016 to avoid being caught up in the new Euro4 regs. When Japan was hit by a huge earthquake in April 2016, production had to be paused and this effectively killed the project as the remaining bikes couldn’t be built in time to meet the deadline. In the end around 100 RC213V-S models were built – and the remaining parts (believed to be enough for around 35 potential bikes) were put in a crusher.
Nowadays, an RC213V-S still causes a lot of interest and the last known one to change hands did so in December 2021 for £182,500, making it the most valuable Japanese bike ever sold at auction. If you are interested and feeling flush, Padgett’s Motorcycles (the world’s only Honda-appointed RCV centre) have two brand new ones in stock… price on application.