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19 Sept 2012

Honda to make a MotoGP roadbike - based on RC213V

Rumours abound that Honda are about to put a road going version of their RC213V MotoGP into production.

Honda President and CEO, Takanobu Ito, is due to make an announcement on Friday in Tokyo and speculation revolves around it concerning a road going version of the RC213V.

It is rumoured the bike would cost no less than £50,000 and would reflect Honda's desire to enter lower spec customer bikes in MotoGP rather than going down the CRT route.  It will be produced in strictly limited numbers and probably won't hit the streets until 2014.  This, then, would be a demonstration of intent and ability - a kind of backwards homologation.

Honda has been known to be considering such a project for some time but, with the MotoGP's recent move to using 1,000cc engines, the decision must have been a much easier one to make.

We should know more on Friday when Takanobu Ito makes his announcement.

The last road going MotoGP bike was Ducati's Desmosedici RR from 2007 which was described at the time as a MotoGP bike with lights.

UPDATE - This has now been confirmed.  See here for details.