I think it's a joke, to be honest - the US version has 101hp in road trim. Pretty disappointing for over $180,000. But I'm sure they'll sell their limited number of bikes without too much hassle. There are a lot of people in this world with money to burn!
Honda obviously made the power that low to get away with some emissions regulations and all limitations crap.(prefer this method in stead of investing more into research and giving the buyer more to do to unlock the extra power)
I was rather disappointed with it to be honest. More weight, less power and more than twice the price of the D16RR. Yes you can unlock extra power, but you need the HRC Nose cone for the air ducts, meaning you lose the headlights.
Different strokes for different folks. To the buyer that obtains this motorcycle, they could probably care less if they were told they could make 4-5 comparable cheaper motorcycles for the price. Some will view it as being worth it and others will say it's a waste of money...nothing new there.
The bike probably handles amazingly in the right hands, but there's apparently no solving the power deficit issue in the USA. I'm reading everywhere that Honda will not sell the powerup kit to USA customers. Not sure if they're going to prevent that via some kind of registration process or what, but there you have it.
I also don't know about the weight people listed earlier in this thread, but Honda is claiming 380 lb. dry/418 lb. wet. Vs. 439 lb. curb weight for the '15 R1 bone stock, so not exactly an impossible gap to bridge with the spare ~$160K in your pocket.
For US customers, we're talking about a 101 hp/66 ft.lb., 418 pound motorcycle that makes peak horsepower and torque at a pathetic 8000 rpm. The question isn't how many comparable R1s you could build with $185K, but rather how many comparable 600 class supersports you could build with $185K. Hell, detune an 899 Panigale considerably, and you'll exactly have this Honda, from a performance standpoint (pretty much identical weight, 90 degree V, power peak lower in the rev range compared to an I4, etc.).
If the Desmosedici is anything to go by, it probably handles amazingly well over 150km/h. Below that it's most likely a complete pig. With only 101hp, getting to the speeds the chassis was designed for is likely to be an excercise in frustration.
I think its a combination of ignorance and stubbornness... they (think) they can do what ever they want... just like in motogp
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