Wolverine

Honda-unwrap-RC213V-S-roadbike-prototype



I couldn't find many details, but there she is!

thedeatons

The precious... Me wants it...

GIVES IT TO ME!!!!!

dirty_!

Id trade my bike plus $1,000

xeris

I'll up the ante. My bike and your bike +$1000.

RoadManiac

they suspect its gonna have a V4 like the motogp bike
250 hp ??? trying to compete with the Kawasaki new **** bike
but this has a old school vibe like the flatness off the tank,
and minimalistic styling is nice

mikstr

nice to see Big H do something other than abominations like the DN-01 and NM4 (or warmed over VFR800). However, no information related to a release date or price..... perhaps it will just die at the prototype stage like is often the case.....

sadly, the modern iteration of Honda is far removed from the days of Soichiro..... a car company run by accountants.... sad.......

VTR1000F

I don't care for the Japanese rising sun on the bodywork, or, am I being too sensitive?

mikstr

too sensitive.... lol

Evil_Twin

So where do I drop off my first born at?

VTR1000F

Canadians.

mikstr

in the words of that famous American prophet Lady Gaga: I was born this way.....

VTR1000F

Whiner.

mikstr

whining is sometimes confused with telling the truth..... don't hate me for it......

BTW, while Honda debates whether to actually release the RC, you can always appease your desires with a stylish one of these:


yessir, the answer to the question no one asked...... Honda.. cars and accountants....... but no clue......

Wolverine

I just threw up a little!

mikstr

Got all verklempt at the beauty of it huh? I'm sure they'll fly out of showrooms, just as the DN-01 did...... I really think Honda is onto something (or should that be "on something")....... the RC does give hope, however........

VTR1000F

OK, I'm with Wolverine. I called you a name, but that reply was uncalled for.

mikstr

Don't shoot the messenger.... it's Honda's creation, not mine....... hard to imagine someone (a few people actually) signed off on that baby..... how do you maintain faith in a company that produces such nonsense?

Wolverine

Enough of that crapper!!!

Back on topic:

Wolverine

mikstr

impressive machine for sure.....

jscobey

first of all that bike is ferkin sweet! i think the V4 motor will rise and possibly start replacing I-4's. aprilia just came out with the RSV4RR which is making 201 claimed hp. ive heard rumors for a while that Honda wants to do away with the I-4 and get back to the V-4 despite having only limited success with that platform years ago. who knows though.

My prediction is this! Honda will produce a limited run (500-1500) of these street going motogp repli racers at a high price ($40,000 - $60,000) then down the line produce a much more affordable bike based on this one without the ohlins and the brembos and the beautiful swingarm to run along side the CBR1000RR. not replace the bike but a similar situation to having the RC51 alongside the CBR on the showroom floor. the RC died because the CBR sold volumes more and it wasnt economical to continue producing a bike that was so down on power.

i think overall the V4 is a smart design that allows for a compact machine yet still delivers that high rev top end rush the I-4 guys love so much. you cant really argue with the HP figures either when you have a bike that revs to 17k rpm.

personally id like to see a superbike twin brought into hondas line up but thats a dream i dont see happening anytime soon. the V4 motor has a similar thump to it like a twin but revs to infinity and beyond. besides the monstrosity that is the H2R, i think we will see bikes getting more and more compact like the RSV4 and the Pani and an I-4 set up cant achieve that as well.

i also hear that KTM is getting back into MotoGP and is also going to replace the RC8 with a V4 powered bike.

regardless ill be watching to see what becomes of the street going V-4 Honda if anything, as well as price and power output.

mikstr

v4s have certain inherent advantages (namely narrowness), but they are also more expensive to produce (more parts, more cams, more chains,....; I4s, while slightly wider, are shorter, which is an advantage in its own right). They are a different means to an end. The RSV4, which is an amazing bike IMO (especially now with 201 hp!!!!) has been around for a few years now but not exactly been flying out of showrooms (despite its success in WSB).....

It would be nice to see more variety in engine architectures (why it's nice to see Duc stick with twins, for example; a supersport 1100cc triple would be nice too) instead of numerous I4 clones. However, I can't see any one architecture eclipsing all others (notice how Suzuki abandoned the V4 in favour of the I4 for their MotoGP bike)......

In the end, it's all about execution and personal taste. In the meantime, let them compete, we all come out ahead

Wolverine

JS, that Ktoom 1290 super duke makes me think about moving on to a newer bike, then I get my senses back and realize I'll never get rid of the VTR. I think you're right though, a new twin isn't going to happen anytime soon. These V-4 are tasty though! This one's rumored @ 250hp. The thought of over 2X the power of my Hawk

jscobey

the forward weight distribution is an advantage of the I-4 but with a V4 the balance is easily solved as can be seen by hondas MotoGP success.

im not saying the I-4's will die out. but as you said, other designs coming into play. for so long you could get A. a jap 4 cyl or B. a pricey Italian twin.

i think Ducati is ducati and would die as a brand if they deviated from their twin heritage. although i never thought id see the day when they stopped the steel trellis frame design and theyve pulled that off, with marginal success. i think they are striving to compete with HP figures from other brands. with the 1299 they are damn close to a 2:1 bore/stroke.

theres no doubt that a 4 cyl machine can out rev a twin by a longshot. per CC the 4 pot is a far superior design. now its not what i prefer but in terms of hp figures, and racing its the way to go. so steps in the V4. its not quite a twin feel but its not quite an I-4 feel either. somewhere between thumper and screamer, that midrange pull with a top end punch, a sort of best of both worlds scenario.

plus im SO bias towards compact and thin bikes. the pani, the rsv4, the hawk, are all much more comfortable to me. the last scenario i want to be in is hurling down the back straight at 140 being spread eagle atop a whale of a bike the looks as heavy as it feels. thats slightly exaggerated but my point is that part of the appeal of twins for myself is the slim nature of the bike. my RC feels huge compared to the hawk which feels big again compared to the 900ss which feels like a broom stick between my legs.

jscobey

heres the problem. in my oh so unprofessional opinion of course...

anything over 150hp is pretty much useless. in a sense. yes on the back straight at your track, 200+ hp makes you feel like an all star walking all the best riders, but beyond that its an electronics game. average riders and by average i mean even most club level racers arnt fully exploiting their machines which is why youll see an R6 smoke an R1. the fact is is much easier to ride a lighter 120hp machine fast as you can fully utilize the power band.

personally id rather ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. i think its funny that at any track day, the nicest bikes like the panis and s1krr's are in C group and its the beater 600's that you seeing laying down the rubber in A.

mikstr

I LOVE the narrowness of my VTR and it stands to reason that a twin will always be narrower than a 4, and a V4 narrower than an I4. As for the whole engine characteristics dimension, Yamaha, with its crossplane crank, is building what is esentially a 90-degree V4 with a 180-degree crank (in terms of firing order) but packaged as an I4. The days of I4s being inherently cammy are long gone (look at the torque curves of modern supersports and they are all surprisingly flat, the current V2 and V4 not offering any clear advantage in that regard). Another important factor to consider is the whole area of electronics, as practically all new engines have traction control and a plethora of hardware and software designed to ensure that the engine is always operating at maximum efficiency traction and acceleration-wise. Yamaha have won numerous MotoGP titles with I4s, and Honda (and Ducati) have won with V4s...... they can all be made to win....

As I said before, it's all about finding what floats your boat...... I would LOVE to see Triumph enter the fray and re-launch an Open-class Daytona (triple).... maybe one day.....

jscobey

ah yes. it breaks my heart to admit, but the days of using the power and toque curves, or even peak torque figures, as an advantage to the twins are gone. i was dynoing a gixxer 1000 the other day that was putting out 80ft lbs (my RC only puts out 70) with a really flat torque curve and an equally smooth power curve.

i think Honda may see an opportunity to really mainstream the V4 platform. you said it, despite Aprilias racing success AND the fact that the RSV4 is now a budget liter bike, they still cant move enough units. i think half the reason people dont buy aprilias and MVs is the 9 month wait for any parts you need down the line.

but it wouldnt be the first time hondas flashed something cool around only to have it fade into distant memories while they go on selling the junk the keep vomiting up.

mikstr

time will tell..... let's hope the engineers launch a coup and send the accountants down the road kicking stones, otherwise it's likely the recent puke-o-rama will continue..... In the meantime, BMW, Yamaha, Ducati, Aprilia and Kawi are doing some neat stuff... thank God....

dirty_!

Sounds fair

mikstr

From the outset (2001?), the big GSX-R has stood out from the rest due to its impressively broad power spread. It may not always put up the peak numbers that some others do, but for for anything short of the racetrack, it is likely the best choice engine-wise for this very reason.....