Presentation of the Honda RC213V-S

Presentation of the Honda RC213V-S

Street racing

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The term road racing takes on a whole new meaning: With the Honda RC213V-S, Honda is building a flawless MotoGP offshoot with road approval that makes your mouth watery just looking at it.

The news spread like wildfire: “Honda is building a MotoGP replica for the road.” That was over a year ago. The information flowed rather sparse, and the subsequent speculation and expectations were met by Honda at the EICMA in Milan last autumn with a prototype, which was now officially presented live, to touch and test-sit at the Catalunya GP in Barcelona. A MotoGP offshoot with lights and indicators, that’s the Honda R.C213V-S in a flash of lightning. The fat aluminum swing arm with its massive beams, the huge Ohlins gas pressure fork with the mighty, milled fork feet, notches, axles, details such as the rear brake calliper – it seems as if the technicians actually hijacked the replacement bike from Marquez and Pedrosa’s box and with TÜV -Ornat provided. 

Presentation of the Honda RC213V-S

Street racing

Race kit costs an impressive 12,000 euros

And let’s be honest: 160 hp, we’re talking about speeds of around 10,000 revolutions for standard series 1000s. An area that even die-hard country road heaters tend to use or exceed in exceptional cases. Still frown remains. Because the race kit uncorked the V4 of the Honda RC213V-S to 215 PS, befitting its status, for an impressive 12,000 euros. But these are orders of magnitude into which a well-functioning BMW S 1000 RR is almost penetrating – quietly and also with emission control.

It is possible that the Honda technicians were simply concerned with the reliability and service life of the V4, which should ultimately largely correspond to its MotoGP brother, for example in terms of the dimensions of wall thicknesses and bearings. The engine of the Honda RC213V-S rotates openly up to 14,000 rpm and delivers its maximum output at 13,000 rpm, while the road version already reaches its performance peak at a tame 11,000 rpm.

The last kilos are the most difficult

So it is the whole "package", as the Honda technicians describe it, that makes the Honda RC213V-S so special. And that it is largely identical to the MotoGP racer. The TIG-welded aluminum chassis with its precisely defined stiffness corresponds to the racer just as much as the brilliant swing arm including deflection. The seating position was also adopted one-to-one. The fact that the Honda technicians pulled out all the stops with lightweight construction is shown by the factory specification of 170 kilograms dry. Only 160 should be ready to race. A MotoGP motorcycle must still weigh 158 kilos after the race. Any questions? And anyone who has ever tried to make their racing bike as light as possible knows that it will cost a lot of money. It’s like your own pelvis: the last kilos are the most difficult. Ergo, the RC213V-S adorns itself with everything that is good and expensive. Self-supporting carbon rear, forged magnesium wheels, light aluminum tank that reaches under the seat, plus carbon and titanium screws in lavish splendor.

But it’s not just the basic layout: the materials and machining processes and steps in the construction of the Honda RC213V-S correspond to those of the MotoGP factory racers, as does the ingenious structure. In the center of the action: The 90-degree V4 built on a sand-cast housing. As already mentioned above, basically identical to the racing engine. The series engine has to do without goodies such as pneumatic valve trains, lightweight racing pistons or seamless gears. But goodies like cassette gears, gear drive for the camshafts and the 360-degree crankshaft balanced with tungsten weights are on board. The 1000 was as compact as the 800 cm³ unit of the RC212V. The water pump sits directly on the exhaust camshaft of the front pair of cylinders. The deeply drawn oil pan guarantees a reliable oil supply even with the most brutal accelerations, decelerations and inclines, while the mighty cooler wall keeps thermal stress within limits. And each cylinder bank has its own exhaust line with a separate collector and valve.

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The electronics should also come from the factory machines

If the performance data can still be discussed critically, the construction and workmanship of the Honda RC213V-S are flawless. Not only the mechanics but also the electronics should come from the factory machines, especially traction and wheelie control. Even though the automatic gearshift is only active when upshifting. Just like the factory racers, the RC213V-S manages without ABS. But works of art like Honda’s MotoGP replica also require maintenance and care if they are used. Three service centers in Europe with specially trained specialists and the necessary special tools are to take care of this. 

Anyone who seriously wants one of these treasures has to be two things: solvent and fast. Because 188,000 euros for the Honda RC213V-S are a huge hurdle. In Germany it is only sold together with the race kit, for a total of 200,000 euros. From July 13th to September 30th, 2015 it could be ordered on the specially set up homepage www.rc213v-s.com. The purchase requests are processed upon receipt. A team of specialists builds every machine by hand to order. All screws, such as the motor holding screws, are not installed with compressed air tools as in series production, but manually with torque wrenches. A maximum of one machine can be built per day. In no case will it be more than a total of around 250. And only a fifth of it is destined for Europe. It is the same with the GP replicas as with the factory racers: They will not be easy to get hold of.

Technical data Honda RC213V-S

Honda

Without a fairing, the Honda reveals its inner values.

Honda RC213V-S – Race kit

Honda

Thanks to the Honda Smart Key (bottom left), you no longer have to fumble a key in the tank or ignition lock. And it also saves weight.

The race kit for 12,000 euros includes:

  •  ECU 
  •  Intake duct in cladding front
  •  Titanium exhaust system, 4.8 kg lighter
  •  Special spark plugs with plugs
  •  Racing gearshift
  •  Shift drum for reversed switching scheme
  •  Logger set
  •  Reversing lever of the shock absorber adjustable to change the rear height
  •  Racing brake pads forehead
  •  Remote adjuster (Remote adjuster) for the handbrake lever
  •  thermostat, which opens at 62 degrees water temperature (series: 82 degrees)
  •  Translation package interior trim under the lower triple clamp
  •  Rear seat pad to support
  •  Wiring harness: Cover caps for plug connections that are exposed after removing the lamps etc.
  •  Assembly stand for front and back
  •  Tarpaulin
  •  power over 158 kW (215 PS) at 13,000 rpm
  •  Torque over 118 Nm at 10,500 rpm

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