Description
Update 5/26: Some keen eyed viewers have pointed out this is not a full Ti system. It is titanium slip-on cans with stock steel headers.
Update 5/20: Iconic has reduced the minimum bid increment from $100 to $50.
Please note: Iconic has reduced the minimum buyer fee from $250 to $150.
With a pedigree in racing dating back to the early 70’s, Moriwaki Engineering was a Japanese motorcycle manufacturer and tuner company that started by a gentleman with the same namesake: Mamoru Moriwaki. The Japanese company specialized in race-oriented engines, motorcycles, and parts, making waves in the industry with their close ties to the Motorcycle Grand Prix.
Introduced in the latter-half of 1999 as a 2000 model, the Honda RC51 was a big-bore V-Twin superbike created to put an end to Ducati’s reign of supremacy in production-based racing. The RC51 featured a powerful liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 999cc, 90-degree, DOHC V-Twin paired with a six-speed transmission and an aluminum alloy twin-spar frame. Honda achieved some impressive results with its “Ducati killer” in the form of World Superbike Championship titles in 2000 and then again in 2002 — the same year the RC51 was ridden to an AMA Championship.
2002 was also the year that Honda made some updates to the original model (known as the SP1). The second generation RC51 (or SP2) benefited from a host of changes requested by Honda’s factory racers, including a taller windscreen, longer swingarm, reduced steering head angle, stronger yet lighter frame, and a power plant that got a few extra ponies. With around 130 hp on tap and a dry weight of 440 lbs, the 999cc V-Twin was good for a top-speed of over 165 mph. The RC51 was also markedly more reliable than its Italian twin counterpart, making it much more attractive to riders on the street. It’s not uncommon to come across RC51 specimens with more than 100,000 miles on the clock that are still going strong.
A true racebike with headlights, the RC51 was brimming with competition-grade hardware and componentry. Even the instrumentation is configured with a race-style rev-counter, and the rest of the running gear is equally track-focused. Sold from 2000 through 2006, the RC51 was produced during an era in which American riders were at the top of the game and will forever be associated with legendary US-born racers like Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards.
The seller purchased the exhaust from WeBike Japan approximately ten years and states, “This was on my SP2 for approximately 5k miles. Excellent condition, never tracked, never down, no issues, all original parts included. Ready to mount. If I have to ship, I approximate $65.00 to add to final bid to ship domestically.”
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album up top for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:
“There really aren’t any blemishes. A bit of fading on one of the Moriwaki badges, as pictured.”
Currently located in Granite City, Illinois, this Moriwaki is offered on a Bill of Sale only. Have any Honda RC51 SP2 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
