This Honda Sports Bike Costs Nearly $100,000 (And Its Not A CBR)
- Honda RS500 race replicas are rare, expensive, and hold a special place in motorcycle racing history.
- The NS500 and RS500 GP bikes, with their V3 two-stroke engine, were lightweight and agile, excelling in corners.
- The RS500’s success in races like the 1982 & 1983 World Grand Prix seasons highlight its racing pedigree and historical significance.
Race replicas have a charm of their own, but what about race replicas that actually saw action on the racetrack? Their charm is unparalleled, except for actual factory race bikes. More often than not, that charm comes at the cost of exclusivity and a ridiculously expensive price tag. One such motorcycle is the Honda RS500, which was raced by Fabbio Biliotti in the late 80s. It has a such a sky-high price tag that you can easily purchase multiple generations of the CBR Fireblade and still have some spare cash for a CBR600!
This particular RS500 saw enough action to make other race replica motorcycles feel embarrassed. And it has enough poke to intimidate even the most experienced racers. It also boasts a combination of race-proven pedigree, Honda’s ingenious engineering, and Freddie Spencer’s signature. All of this makes a sure-shot collectible you’d be drooling over by the end of this article.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Honda and other authoritative sources, including Bonhams, MC News, Cycle News, Motorcycle Online, Motorcycle Specs, and Iconic Motorbike Auctions.
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A Race Replica Of The NS500 Grand Prix Bike
Production Number: 32 Units (Customer Replicas)
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Honda turned to the World Grand Prix 500cc class in August 1979, and its weapon of choice was the NR500. The bike featured a four-stroke, four-cylinder engine with oval pistons, which Honda hoped would stand tall against two-stroke 500s of the time. Unfortunately, the NR500 wasn’t good enough. Heck, it was almost embarrassing how poorly the bike fared on the racetracks.
In 1982, Honda swallowed its pride and moved to a two-stroker, the NS500. This bike was powered by a V3, not a V4 unlike its rivals Suzuki and Yamaha. Not only did the bike surprise everyone with its unique engine, but it also performed radically on the racetrack. It was light and quick in the corners, and racers like Freddie Spencer won many races on this screamer bike.
This NS500 became the base for Honda’s first commercially available GP road racer, the RS500. Designed for privateer racers, the bike featured the same engine and frame (except for a few niceties) as the factory works bike. As was the case with the NS500, the RS500 became a hit among race teams — it became the foundation for HRC’s ongoing road racing endeavors.
Defying The Odds With A V3, Two-Stroke Engine
Power Output: 120 HP @ 11,500 RPM (NS500)
The Honda NS500 (and its factory version, RS500) is often considered the apex predator of the GP500 class. This bike used a 2-stroke, V3 engine with a displacement of 166.2cc per cylinder. The engine was mounted on the frame with the valley facing forward; cylinders 1 and 3 pointed upward and cylinder 2 downward, with a firing order of 112 degrees. Keihin PE carbs with a forced opening-closing slide valve took care of the injection, and the intake used a piston reed valve. This is what Honda used in 2-stroke MX engines of the 70s.
As for the frame, the bike made use of the NR500’s frame as the base. The main frame (double-cradle setup) and rear suspension (a Pro-Link monoshock) were consistent throughout its production run. However, the frame came in various specs over the years, like NS2A-1X, NS2A-2X, NS2A-AL, and NS2B.
The race replica was not an exact copy of the GP racer, though. It came with less exotic materials to keep costs in check, resulting in increased weight. The NS500 weighed 239 pounds whereas the RS500 came in at 275 pounds. Other changes included alloy composite wheels instead of carbon fiber hoops and aluminum engine cases instead of magnesium ones. The power was also lower on the RS500 by 5 ponies compared to the NS500.
The NS500 and RS500 GP bikes were not as fast as their rivals, but that didn’t matter much on the racetrack. The bikes were much lighter and more compact than their competitors, and the engine screamed in the powerband. These attributes allowed racers to blow past the competition in the corners. They were at home on technical racetracks with plenty of corners. If you ever get a chance to ride this (or any other 500 GP two-stroker), welcome it with open arms.
Performance Specifications
(Specs sourced from Motorcycle Specs)
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The RS500 Was A Racing Success (Like The NS500)
The RS500 changed the game for Honda, and it all began with the NS500. Together, the factory racer and its replica ruled racetracks; sometimes, even after the competition had evolved into more modern motorcycles. There’s a lot to unpack here, but we’ll only dive into some notable races where the RS500 and NS500 made a difference.
1982 World Grand Prix Season
The 1982 World Grand Prix marked the beginning of the NS500’s racing career, ridden by Marco Lucchinelli, Takazumi Katayama, and Freddie Spencer. The bike didn’t fare well in early rounds, but things turned for the better once Honda brought nikasil-plated cylinder heads and aluminum frame into the picture. Spencer took his first victory on the NS500, which was also the Big Red’s first victory since returning to the WGP. Katayama won first place at the Swedish GP a month later, followed by Spencer’s victory at the San Marino GP. In the 82 season, the NS500 won 3 out of 12 races in the 500 class.
1983 World Grand Prix Season
In 1983, the NS500 got Honda’s new ATAC system, making it much easier to ride. This year, Honda also brought in Ron Haslam to the factory team. Like the previous year, the team was led by super-fast Spencer. He won five of the first seven rounds of the season, becoming the points leader. In the next three races, Kenny Roberts of Yamaha defeated Spencer, starting an automotive rivalry remembered for generations.
In the 11th round, Spencer and Roberts entered the race with two points between them. Spencer pushed Roberts out at the 90-degree corner after the backstretch, winning his sixth race of the season. Finally, at the San Marino GP, Spencer finished behind Roberts, who also won his sixth win of the season. The NS500 ridden by Spencer became the bike that brought Honda its first riders’ title in the top category.
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1984 Chevallier Honda RS500
In 1983, Didier de Radigues began racing a stock Honda RS500 in the 500GP. Disappointed with the bike’s handling, he convinced Alan Chevallier (a chassis designer and racer) to move up to the 500cc class with a new bike powered by the RS500 V3 engine. Thus, the tube-framed Chevallier Honda RS500 was born.
A month later at the South African GP, Didier proved the bike’s prowess by finishing fourth, with his teammate, Christian le Liard (who finished eighth). The duo won three other top-10 finishes, with Didier winning ninth position in the World Championship. In 1986, the Chevallier Honda RS500 came back with an even bigger bang — eight top-ten finishes in the 12 races, leading to seventh place in the World Championship.
Other Noteworthy Races
- 1983 Macau Grand Prix, factory bike ridden by Ron Haslam
- 183 Bathurst GP, RS500 ridden by Andrew Johnson breaking the class track record by 4.79 seconds
- 1984 West Germa GP, factory bike ridden by Spencer
- 1984 Belgian GP, factory bike ridden by Spencer
- 1984 San Marino, factory-spec bike ridden by Randy Mamola
- 1985 Dutch TT, factory-spec bike ridden by Randy Mamola
- 1989 Italian GP second place, RS500 ridden by Simon Buckmaster
The RS500 In Question Belonged To Fabbio Biliotti
Auctioned Price: $92,170 (Converted From Pound)
One such racer who raced the Honda RS500 was Fabbio Biliotti. Born in Arezzo, Tuscany, Biliotti first raced in the FIM World Championship in 1981, atop a Suzuki RG500. He raced the bike through 1982, and mid-way through 1938, he switched to the alloy-framed RS500. He continued racing the GP racer as a privateer in 1984 — the season with his best results and only points-scoring finish in ninth place in Spain GP.
In 1985, he moved to Team Italia, riding a second-gen RS500. Two years later, he moved to Team Servisco with the latest beam-framed version of the RS500. Although he raced through 1987 and 1988, he only ever scored four points. He retired from GP racing in 1989. Compared to other racers like Spencer or Haslam, Biliotti’s GP racing career wasn’t so flourishing. Still, he holds a special place in racing nonetheless, and so does his RS500. The RS was recently auctioned at the Bonhams Spring Stafford Sale.
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It was finished in Freddie Spencer’s livery with his signature on the tank. It also came with spare fairings with Team Servisco bodywork. Although over $90,000 is a steep price to pay, it’s worth every penny. While Biliotti’s special has found a new home, you can still find pristine examples of the RS500 on the auction market. For example, the Iconic Motorbike auction has one up for grabs for $107,000!
Fabbio Biliottis RS500 Highlights
- Model year: 1987
- Frame No.: RS500RF-7102
- Engine No.: RS500RE-7102
- In-period Grand Prix history
- Wears Freddie Spencers livery with his signature on the tank
- Offered with a set of original bodywork with Team Servisco bodywork