Hello all,
I'm new to the site and I have a really simple question and looking for some help on the answer. Can anyone tell me what the specific differences are in the two bikes? I have been looking for parts (seat cowl) for my 05 RC51 and noticed that there were not too many places that have any. I know that the VTR is the same bike but I'm not sure if the pieces are compatible. Thanks in advance.
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"Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be contented with half truth when whole truth can be won. Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when right and truth are in jeopardy."

 

I think a while ago someone came up with a list of about 100 pieces (mostly screws and fasteners) that where identical... Other than that all parts are different...

So no... It's not in any way "the same bike"...

 

Welcome! Who told you that the RC and VTR are the same bike? Better have a closer look - peruse the photos here for a start.

 

VTR have lots more in common with the Varadero than the RC-51, still they are faster than Varaderos
Welcome aboard, the only thing better than buying a Superhawk is to buy two

 

Perhaps I should have compared the RC51 to the VTR1000SP2. "Thoughts"


"Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be contented with half truth when whole truth can be won. Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when right and truth are in jeopardy."

 

Have a look at the Speedzilla forums and the www.rc51.org site, you'll get a lot of infor there

 

The RC51 and SP1/SP2 is the same bike... It's just you americans that have the name asswards...

 

Ha ha! Yep, Honda calls it the RC51 over here, but it's VTR1000SP1 & SP2 for the rest of the world I think.

Super Hawk/Firestorm is the VTR1000F.

 

You have to be Fscking kidding me!!! They require $20 just to *read* their forums???

 

They didn't want our dumb yankee ***'s confusing the VTR1000F with the VTR1000R. That's why we got it as an RVT1000R.

 

It would be nice to have those gear driven cams though. No CCT worries.

 

Derty,
The RC51 is a 998, and the SuperHawk is a 996. Two completely different engines.

 

SP1 and SP2 are different bikes... or I should say the SP2 has some updates over the SP1

 

The Super Hawk is the VTR1000F. Firestorm everywhere, except the USA.
The RC51-SP1 is the RVT1000R. AKA VTR1000-SP1
The RC51-SP2 is the RVT1000R2

The VTR1000F is a completely different motorcycle from the RVTs, altough both are 90 degree V-twins. The 1000F was an engine test platform for Honda's eventual RC51 race homologation, but the RC51 engine shares no common components.

The SP1 and SP2 have different chassis, swingarm, fork internals, throttle bodies, fuel injectors, heads, etc. but are essentially the same motorcycle.

 

For leisure/legal riding speed; get the vtr1000f superhawk(US)/firestorm(world).
For time/track ripping junkie; get the rvt1000r rc51(US)/vtr1000rsp1/sp2(world)

 

im trying to figure out weather sp fairings are compatible with my hawk. any input would be much obliged.

 

Now I'm really confused!!

 

The only things the RC-51 really has in common with the Superhawk is that they are both liter-class V-twins...and made by Honda.

RC for the track, SH for the street.

 

They will work with some custom fairing mounts.

 

+1 us American's have a lot of things backasswards, but the RC51 ain't one of them

 

Ok, with that in mind we will then have to re-name the site to www.sc36.com as that is he internal model number and equivalent for a Superhawk/Firestorm/VTR1000F to the mis-used RC51 moniker...


It's better than the other suggestion a while back to include "unofficial" in the name though...

 

Tweety, you're prolly the only person that knew that...although it could come in handy in the Cash Cab one day

 

Nah... I'm not the only one... If you try to buy stuff from Germany they all talk about their bikes and the bike parts by those numbers... Hit the german ebay and you won't find any CBR929 parts (for front end swap) but rather a lot of them for the SC44 or SC50 (954)...

 

That's cool and much more efficient than Honda CBR1000rr...

 

Oh and BTW the actual model code for the RC51 is actually SC45... Not RC51...

The name RC51 was invented by an American Honda employee when doing the press releases and he took the name from the RC45... According to some stories it created a big fuss in Japan when they found out... But then it was to late and the name stuck...

 

The CBR1000RR is actually SC57...

 

Remind me to never play a trivia game with Tweety!