Honda has a rich history of World Championship-winning technical achievement. It has also periodically offered the very best of its race-derived innovation for public consumption. Take the oval piston NR750 and exotic V-4 RC30 and RC45 models. They have fueled the aspirations of many if only fulfilling the fancy of the financially affluent few. It’s been quite some time since we’ve witnessed such a collaborative flagship machine from Big Red and its Honda Racing Corporation, but the $184,000 RC213V-S street-legal MotoGP replica has brought an end to this dry spell with all the subtlety of a major tsunami. I was among four American motojournalists in attendance at an international press ride of the exclusive machine staged at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo located in Valencia, Spain, and site for the MotoGP season finale. Upon arrival, the first thing I learned about the RC213V-S is the origin and proper pronunciation of its model name. “RC” is the prefix historically used to designate works machines built by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC). This dates back to the 1958 RC71 roadracer. The rest, “213V,” is pronounced twenty-one, three-vee (as in 21st century, third version). The “S” designates Street.
““RC” is the prefix historically used to designate works machines built by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).I was also informed that we were to have two 15-minute track sessions aboard a European-spec bike with a claimed output of 157 peak horsepower at 11,000 rpm. If that doesn’t sound anywhere near MotoGP engine performance, it isn’t. This comes as the result of taking an engine platform wholly developed for racing and shackling it with an exhaust and engine management map that appeases government regulations. Worse yet, even stricter emissions requirements imposed upon the RC213V-S that’s been certified for road use in the US further choke the 999cc V-4’s peak output to a paltry 101 hp at 8,000 rpm. If it comes as any consolation for potential Stateside buyers, the Japanese domestic model has been neutered to 68 hp at 6,000 rpm. To our delight, the day also included a pair of 10-minute stints on a bike equipped with Honda’s accessory Sport Kit. This $12,000 assemblage of performance goodies is the vital key to unlocking the full fury this Honda exotic has to offer, boosting claimed peak power in excess of 212 hp at 13,000 rpm. Along with various carbon-fiber bits, such as a cover that exposes the dry clutch, turn-signal removal plugs, and an airbox inlet duct that replaces the headlight assembly, you also get an adjustable-rear-ride-height shock link, load-cell-type quickshifter rod, inverse (GP pattern) shift drum, and a comprehensive selection of final-drive sprockets. The kit also includes a datalogger set that records GPS speed, engine rpm, throttle position, bank angle, and more, along with an analysis software application.
Higher-friction Brembo race pads and a remote front-brake lever adjuster cable are also included, but the meat of the matter is a replacement ECU, spark plugs, lower temperature thermostat, and titanium muffler set. The latter is said to have the same arrangement as that of the RC213V with no catalyzer or variable exhaust valve installed and offers a 10.6-pound weight reduction. Calibrated for use with the ram-air duct and exhaust modification, the kit ECU also enables additional features, including launch control used for race starts and a five-level shift lever pressure sensitivity adjustment of the load-cell quickshifter switch. Unfortunately, American Honda will not be offering the “For Track Use Only” kits for sale, a stance that stems from its desire to be good corporate citizens and not abet owners desiring to ride a kitted RC on the street. History teaches us where there’s a will, there’s a way. It was stated many times at the bike’s press intro that the goal of this project was not to deliver massive power but rather to provide a previously unrealized level of overall quality, chassis feel, and handling control. “We’re not aiming at a quality that comes from horsepower,” Honda V-4 Large Project Leader Yosuke Hasegawa stated. “Of course, horsepower is important, but of greater importance is precision. We wanted to replicate the precision that you have on a MotoGP bike.” 
And to that end each of the 250 RC213V-Ss slated for production are hand-built. “At the Kumamoto factory there is a special team devoted to the assembly and production of this very machine,” says Shogo Kanaumi, acting development team leader for the RC213V-S, a man of great experience having served the same role on the RC211V MotoGP project. “It’s not the same team used for the MotoGP bikes because each and every MotoGP bike has to be completely custom built, but they have one point in common in that they are both handmade.” As a fan of Grand Prix pre-dating the current four-stroke era, I had the particular honor of meeting, speaking with, and riding with RC213V-S lead test rider Shinichi Ito, an accomplished former GP racer and highly respected development rider. “Impressive speeds and power specification does not win races,” says the four-time winner of the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hour. “A slower machine can actually post better lap times if it faithfully responds to the rider’s will. Honda MotoGP machines are developed with this in mind rather than impressive [power] specifications. The fundamental development philosophy is the ease of riding. I believe the 157 horsepower combined with the faithfully replicated chassis provides a riding feel that no other commercially available bike has ever realized. And the Sports Kit model truly feels like the RC213V.” Settling onto the thin seat pad and leaning forward, I found the cockpit has an authentic works racer appearance. The aluminum triple clamp has the keyless appearance of the magnesium clamp of the GP machine. A Smart Key (proximity fob) encased in carbon fiber and aluminum allows the bike’s electrical system to be activated with a thumb of the start button. A subsequent press initiates auto start—no need to hold the button down. The TFT dash offers a choice of street and circuit modes, the only difference being the digital speedometer is replaced with a lap timer in circuit mode. Ito-san led the way throughout our first session aboard the non-kitted bike. 
I promptly killed the motor as I engaged the clutch to head off down pit lane, not anticipating just how tall first gear truly is. D’oh! Once on the circuit, I was immediately impressed with the incredible smoothness and lack of vibration from the meticulously blueprinted and balanced V-4 engine. Making this all the more impressive is that the race-based engine has no counterbalancer shaft. Clutch pull is super light, and the slipper/assist unit provides superb feel that belies my initial pit-road folly. Its close-ratio six-speed gearbox makes gear changes up or down with Swiss-watch precision that is unlike anything I’ve ridden before. The Quick-Shift was seamless, even when I briefly simulated a street cruise pace by changing up under mild acceleration to settle into a silky smooth 75 mph at 5,000 rpm in top gear. A few roll-ons in various gears from lower revs resulted in very linear delivery across the range building to a crescendo of added thrust over the final 2,000 rpm before tapping the 12,000-rpm rev limiter. Directness felt between the twistgrip and rear tire gave a sense of tractability and control that is the ultimate expression of a standout Honda trait. I’ve often associated such refined connection with production CBR supersports over the years. Fueling is what I imagine perfection to be with instant, yet sensuous, throttle pickup. Five of the circuit’s dozen corners were taken in low gear with a strong drive off the final corner netting an indicated 174 mph at the top of fifth down the main straight. 
The real treat came following lunch when I climbed aboard the kitted bike wrapped in optional unpainted carbon-fiber bodywork. Once again Ito-san led the first session before I remounted for a final five laps on the day. The road-spec bike had been shod with Bridgestone Battlax RS10 tires, whereas the kitted bike wore race slicks of the same brand. Being the first rider in the rotation meant I had the duty of scrubbing in the fresh slicks. Discretion prompted me to begin in the Ride Mode 5 preset with default parameters of Level-3 power delivery, Level-8 TC, and Level-1 engine-braking control. This tamest of power setting tempers the ride-by-wire throttle response and restricts wide-open throttle valve rotation. There are nine levels of Honda Selectable Torque Control (TC) with a lower number having less intervention and four levels of engine-braking with Setting 1 offering the most compression effect. The five ride modes are simply memory presets that allow customization of the trio of parameters (while stopped) for on-the-fly mode changes while riding.
“Honda’s $12,000 sport kit is the vital key to unlocking the full fury this Honda exotic has to offer, boosting claimed peak power in excess of 212 hp at 13,000 rpm.Following a lap easing the tires to the edge, I thumbed the mode button to preset 1 (P1, T2, EB3) and left it there. The kitted bike’s intoxicating exhaust note and substantial increase in acceleration caught me by surprise on the first full blast up the front straight, bumping the 14,000 rev limiter twice during the flurry of upshifts despite there being a sequential shift indicator light array above the bar-graph-style tachometer. Acceleration off low-gear corners had the front wheel beginning to loft while still completing the leaned-over exit, and electronic wheelie control maintained an angle of attack that allows a hard drive with the throttle pinned and a snick into the next gear before gently setting the front back down. This is the feeling we all live for. No doubt the bar has been raised on the handling front. There truly is no production bike of any size, weight, or cost that instills the level of confidence I felt aboard the RC213V-S. Never have I ridden a production sportbike exuding such a high level of chassis precision and control. When Honda said the RC213V-S is the world’s easiest machine to maneuver, it wasn’t blowing smoke. Every aspect of the rider/bike interface is the epitome of refined performance. The Öhlins TTX25 fork and TTX36 shock support a chassis package blessed with presumably better mass centralization than what’s possible on a normal supersport. Overall feedback, stability, and handling agility is superb. Braking hard from 184 mph into the sweeping first corner always felt absolutely composed, and the planted feel from the front encouraged trail braking far beyond my normal comfort level. Riding the kitted RC213V-S provides a true sensation of what a MotoGP machine offers. But then, the only MotoGP bike I’ve ridden was the RC211V that Valentino Rossi rode to the 2002 MotoGP world title, a brief ride that took place at Japan’s Suzuka Circuit years ago. Rusty recollection or not, I’m a believer.
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