MotoGP is to bikers what Formula One is for car lovers. While we all drool over these engineering marvels every other weekend in front of our television sets, our hearts though desire the chance to fling our legs over those sharp curves and ride them away to glory. Sadly (or may be thankfully!) state laws forbid the use of racing machinery on public roads. However, manufacturers sometimes take out a once in a lifetime opportunity for us lesser mortals whose names do not end with Marquez and Rossi! Honda has finally taken the wraps of the RC213V-S, the street legal version of their racing baby RC213V.
Honda RC213V-S Engine
With months of anticipation weighing down on their shoulders, Honda’s new babe was expected to be sporting a crazy arse output figure, enough to propel you to the moon, however, that has not been the case. Let’s have a look at the engine.
The 999cc V4 liquid cooled DOHC engine in stock form produces 159 PS of maximum power at 11,000 rpm and 102 Nm of peak torque at 10,500 rpm. Yes, on paper that seems even less than most litre class flagships but the manufacturer has a special optional package to take the beast home, the sad part though is that this optional package can only be used in race tracks.
The same engine produces over 215 PS of maximum power at 13,000 rpm and 118 nm of peak torque at 10,500 rpm! The stock version of the RC213V-S weighs 170 kilos dry, while the optional variant weighs 160 kilos ONLY…that’s 2 kilos overweight than their standard MotoGP vehicle. For reference Pulsar RS200 weighs 165 kgs!
Track RC213V & Road-Legal RC213V-S Changes
So what has changed? Here’s a small list of changes which have been made to make the bike road legal:
- Conventional cassette type transmission
- Road centric units like head lights, tail lights, license plates, side indicators, rear view mirrors, speedometer, horn, prop stand and self-starter
- Catalytic convertor and exhaust canister
- Pneumatic valve system
- Steering angle changed from 15 degrees to 26 degrees
- 17 inch RS 10 Bridgestone tyres
So how much is this going to affect your wallet? Quite a lot actually. The bike retails at a price tag of €1,88,000 and if that doesn’t sound whooping, INR 1.35 crores will!!! The US price tag is $ 1,84,000 for the stock version (US does not get the optional kit). Do we hear people moving towards the H2Rs or even the H2s!
