Please Note: The seller notes that the engine is for display purposes only and it does not run (no internals). As such, there is no cold start video.
After splitting from Yamaha at the end of the 1996 season, Kenny Roberts was able to start his own team thanks to funding from the Malaysian company Modenas. At the time, both 2-strokes and 4-strokes were allowed on the grid, and three-cylinder bikes were allowed to weigh 15 kilograms less than four-cylinder bikes (115 vs 130). With that in mind, Team Roberts Modenas created a 500cc 2-stroke 3-cylinder machine called the KR3. In 2003, Team Roberts switched over to a 990cc four-stroke V5 machine called the KR5, but sponsorship from Proton (a sister company to Modenas) was no longer sufficient to stay competitive. “We can’t compete with them [Honda and Yamaha] with the budget that we have,” he said in a 2004 interview. So for 2005, Roberts partnered with KTM to utilize their V4 engines…until KTM pulled their supply mid-season.
For the 2006 season, Team Roberts was able to partner with Honda and utilize their 990cc, five-cylinder engine with roughly 250 horsepower of output. It would be the last hurrah for the V5, as the next year MotoGP rules imposed a displacement cap of 800cc.
The twin spar aluminum frame was designed by Kenny’s company GP Motorsports in the UK, and it was paired with Ohlins suspension, Marchesini wheels, Nissin brakes with carbon/steel rotors, 2D telemetry, and Akrapovic exhaust. Dry weight was approximately 320 pounds.
In addition, Kenny was able to bring his son back on board as the team’s sole rider. It was an exciting story, especially for American road racing fans. As Motorcyclist magazine put it, “It was a compelling moment, and only these two could have created it. There are no other father-and-son GP world champions, no other world champions who have designed, manufactured and developed their own MotoGP racing motorcycles. These tasks have fallen mostly to the father, and he has applied himself to this all-too-often-crushing challenge for 10 long seasons now, trying to do what many deem impossible: to build a machine capable of beating the “real” factory bikes. The son was there in the beginning with the early three-cylinder, two-stroke, 500cc Modenas, went on to a successful career with Suzuki and a 500cc world title in 2000, and was back this season with his father’s team helping to perfect the V-five Honda-powered KR211V.”
Kenny Roberts Jr. finished sixth that year (his last full season in MotoGP), with two podium finishes: one in Spain, and one in Portugal. You may remember the latter race as it was when Toni Elias won his first and only MotoGP race, beating Valentino Rossi by just 0.002 seconds – that would end up being the difference in points needed by the end of the year to give Nicky Hayden his MotoGP Championship.
Reminiscing about his time on the KR211V, Roberts Jr. said, “I remember my first time on the Honda. It was difficult to tell which gear I was in; the engine was so linear. If we had six months to find all the gremlins with the chassis we found in the last 25% of the season, we could have been fighting quite often for podiums. What we were able to accomplish on this bike that season solidified even more in my mind what the other guys had underneath them. It gave me a better perspective of what I rode, what I didn’t ride, and what we did with a lot less.”
The seller acquired it four years ago from RMD Motors. There is no specific VIN but the seller notes a “1” on the top triple tree, he believes that there were only three built.
During his ownership, he has not ridden the bike. There is no odometer, true mileage is unknown.
Our friends at the Barber Motorsports Museum also have one of these machines, as they recently acquired a collection of bikes from Team Roberts. Check out this video showing it at the museum last year – eagle-eyed viewers will note the Team Cycle World/Attack Performance 1993 Yamaha YZF750SP that we auctioned off in the background as part of Barber’s collection as well!
Maintenance:
“None, it’s a collectors bike.” The seller notes that the engine is for display purposes only (no internals) and it does not run.
The original engine was removed and later utilized in a wild custom built by Roland Sands in conjunction with Kenny Roberts called the KRV5 Tracker.
Modifications:
The seller states that there are no modifications.
It is riding on Michelin slicks that have aged out.
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album in the “Photos” tab for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:
Currently located in Gold Coast, Australia, this MotoGP bike is offered on a Bill of Sale only. Have any KR211V stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
