What are the top 3-5 weakpoints of the RC-51

rotts4u · 03-15-2009, 6:49 PM

As posted earlier I am doing a magazine article on the RC-51 and I am looking for your input on what the top weakpoints of the STOCK bike are. Either SP1 or SP2. Please tell me which bike you are speaking of and also what you did to address those weaknesses.

Thanks

Don

PS Remember I am still searching for HIGH res, good photos of your RC-51 for the article. So if you have some please email them to me at
motojournalism@aol.com. But they must be made from a 5 megapixel camera or better. 1200x800 will not cut it for a print magazine.

lanbrown · 03-15-2009, 6:51 PM

The weight of the bike was one issue; doesn't matter which model.

Grover130 · 03-15-2009, 7:15 PM

It's hard to find faults with the RC. I guess if you six foot or over, things are alittle cramped up. The RC is really a small machine. I have the sp-1 and know it's dated, but I can't part with her.

YoungGunRC51 · 03-15-2009, 8:03 PM

My main weak point Ive had with my two honda sp2s have been the over abundance of engine breaking. If you shift down a little too hard going into a corner get ready for the back end to break loose. A slipper clutch stock would help address this. Also it may run a little warm in traffic but how much over other bikes I really dont know if it is that big of a deal. The last thing would be that the stock gearing is a little on the tall side but that all depends where you ride I guess. Not too many problems with the bikes that Ive came acrossed.

Mr_RC · 03-19-2009, 2:39 PM

Biggest RC downfall: it's hard to hear others on the account of how awesome I am

CBR929RE · 03-19-2009, 2:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YoungGunRC51

My main weak point Ive had with my two honda sp2s have been the over abundance of engine breaking. If you shift down a little too hard going into a corner get ready for the back end to break loose. A slipper clutch stock would help address this. Also it may run a little warm in traffic but how much over other bikes I really dont know if it is that big of a deal. The last thing would be that the stock gearing is a little on the tall side but that all depends where you ride I guess. Not too many problems with the bikes that Ive came acrossed.

the back end breaking loose is no fault of the bike. its the rider. match your revs on downshifts and it won't break loose or squirm all over the place. this is true of any bike.

jkobflys · 03-19-2009, 4:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CBR929RE

the back end breaking loose is no fault of the bike. its the rider. match your revs on downshifts and it won't break loose or squirm all over the place. this is true of any bike.

Dito....

Other than the weight of it and the high temperature in trafic, I canot fin any.
The bike was meant for racing anyways not comuting so maybe that one dosint count.

sheepofblue · 03-19-2009, 4:34 PM

Weight, the stock pipes were bricks and there is two of them
Gearing 1st gear is absurdly tall when you have stock gearing
'01 had a bad tank issue though I believe Honda provided warranty (check my memory on the year as it may have been '00)
As stated above they run like furnaces. Though if you keep them at track speed you are fine

No picture since mine is not remotely street legal (and I think my 300D is below your spec) But this is low res in old paint and new

jon686 · 05-09-2009, 3:59 PM

I have the 2001, and the swingarm has no mounting holes for rear stand spindles. I know it's a small complaint, but you just can't borrow your buddies stand, you have to get your own and it seems nobody stocks the ones that you need to lift a bike without spindles. They also came with no steering damper, but I have not found this to be an issue since the bike is one of the more stable I have ever ridden. Aftermarket support for the "SP1" is a little scarce so you have to look a little deeper to find accessories sometimes. The bikes don't crash well because of the side mount radiators- even small tip-overs can cost big bucks if you crack or bend a radiator. Heavy, hot running, and uncomfortable- but I absolutely LOVE to hate this bike! I may never sell it...

red_johnny · 05-09-2009, 6:25 PM

#1 complaint is the WOODEN seat. Things so hard your butt goes numb really fast. I am surprised no one said about this yet! The posture for it (seated) is not the best either but its not too bad. Then there is the ugly rear brake light....horrible and boxy looking. Those are my 3 and they pertain to both the SP1 and 2.

PudSP1 · 05-09-2009, 7:26 PM

My worse point with the SP1 would be riding the bike in slow traffic, with a tall 1st gear and riding under 3000 rpm's, it's a handful. Even with a PC it's not a lot of fun, though get it out of town and its a dream. Ya cant help but love it.

pat h · 05-09-2009, 7:57 PM

It's hard for me to complain about weight when my last bike was a cbr1100xx (mid life crisis guy's goldwing). So far it's a hoot to ride and seems to fit my 5'11" fine. It's also quite narrow and short - I get the feeling I'm riding a motorcycle again. While it is certainly fast enough for any street riding I do, it probably doesn't give quite the thrill on acceleration that many newer I4's give.

I had raced for a little while and found it very difficult to not be a back marker while on a fzr600 (it didn't help that most of the 19 yr olds were not concerned about being at work - or alive for that matter on Monday). I didn't improve at all until I started racing a gs500e (bored out to 550, put on big carbs and cams, but kept it's electric motor torque curve). It quickly became more normal to be in the top 10 depending on how many doctors with 851's needed to be stuffed into a corner. The point I'm making is that smooth power is so much easier to control and helps you become a better rider. Rather than rush up to a corner, park it and wait to be straight up to pull the trigger, go in faster and dial on throttle all the way through. Less exciting maybe, but generally faster. Ducati's were always down on peak hp to the 750's in world SBK, but the nature of the power delivery seemed to deliver results.

Since bikes evolve so quickly the latest tech becomes long in the tooth very quickly. There will always be something new that weighs less and has 100hp more, but for the price the rc51 combines a little piece of history with a really fun bike to ride.

It's a good bet that newer bikes will do more things better (compare a cbr1000F to a cbr1100xx - timex vs rolex). Of course the latest R1 or cbr1k will kick the rc51's butt, but keep in mind 80% rider on 20% bike beats 20% rider on 80% bike every time.

Er... I don't work for honda

Thanks,

Pat

PS: Of course the weak points are that it needs a pipe (a loud expensive one), PCIII (I've yet to try, but probably worth doing), carbon fiber everything, HRC engine kit and maybe an after market seat (but so far I'm good with stock), appropriate stickers help also. This bike was designed as a platform to go superbike racing and likely has 1000's of configurations for different tracks and conditions. The street version is honda's best guess at a marketable street version of their sbk platform. Does anybody know if the current cbr1000rr street version shares much with the superbike? Were they 2 different development programs with lots of different parts? I don't the the RC's were done that way.

sorry about ramblin' on and on and on and on and I generally know when to quiet down, you don't have to tell me twice, just say the word and I shut up, no going and on about something that doesn't mean anything and if it did mean anything I'd still not want to go on too long but, well, you get the drift.....

fastattack686 · 05-10-2009, 8:56 PM

The fricken WIRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have read others having trouble with gremlins.. well my headlights stay on dim. Have since found main wiring harness from dimmer/turn/horn completely frayed, with one wire totally cut. Soldered spliced/shrink wrapped... and still no highbeams. Now to find highbeam relay........ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.. GOOOD>. ITSSSSSSSS worn thru on one corner... WHat the???????

Evidently the vibration of the twin just acts like a grinder on components that are touching anything else... Am frustrated tracking down wiring surprises......

Kelevra · 05-10-2009, 9:08 PM

Meh, I bought the first one in 2000. The marketing hyped it up tremendously, almost as if it were the next RC30. Obviously at the price point it retailed at, we knew it was no RC30. Like others said, it ran hot as fark in traffic, and low on HP when compared to an inline of comparative cc's as well as an additional 40lbs of weight. Really nice bike though, great paint, small size, awesome torque, most buttery transmissions to date, and the sound of the gear driven cams (sounded like a supercharger) made all the negatives seem trivial...

stolenF4i · 05-11-2009, 12:41 PM

I think your weak points depend on what you want it for.

If you are someone who wants to learn how to ride a motorcycle on an RC51 and just like the thought of a liter bike, you should have just bought the GSX-R.

But then the three weak points are probably:
1 - No slipper clutch when I down shift bad and I get back torque like a mofo
2 - My can's aren't as loud as my buddies
3 - the grips are too low

I think all of those are bs since that's why you buy this bike. The bike sounds awesome, and the grips are there so you can race. Everytime I get on the bike, it feels like its trying to spoon me. How people complain about it is beyond me, but you curl right up on the tank, and its easy to shift your body weight side to side for me.

If you are looking at the bike for what its meant for:
1 - weight - bike could probably be lighter, but that's what aftermarket stuff is for
2 - seat could actually not be a brick but I get used to it
3 - side mount radiators are a giant pain in the arse and half the people here seemed to have changed the polarity
4 - gearing - I changed mine to 15/43 from 16/40 and keep the front tire mostly on the ground... I don't know why they geared it so tall. For most riding at reasonable speeds (below 100) you stay in 3rd gear...
5 - Soft rev limiter and flapper adjustment - another thing half the people here seemed to do (and I need help with)
6 - Steering damper would make me happier but as stated, i haven't had one yet and it is really stable
7 - stock cans could be built like the sato slip-ons that give you an extra 10 hp

Though, in all fairness, putting the sato exhaust and a pwc3 on the bike and goosing the hp to 140 might make my insurance more.

i think the real question is, are there any weakpoints that aren't fairly easily fixed through aftermarket?

If you buy an rc51, get a scotts damper, a corbin seat, a sato exhaust, and get rid of your rev limiter... you have a sick sick bike that somehow managed to count as a "vehicle" on your insurance versus track bike.

Kelevra · 05-11-2009, 9:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stolenF4i

i think the real question is, are there any weakpoints that aren't fairly easily fixed through aftermarket?

You cannot really fix the weight. The V-Twin engine is very heavy, period.
It needs the extra weight for the casting, to keep that giant V-Twin thump from detonating the engine, hehe. It was 40 lbs heavier then my 01 929, and def. down on HP as well. I had it all set up to race in the Super Twins class at Loudon, NH back in 01. After doing a track day with a crashed 01 CBR 600 F4i, I decided it would be hella easier to race the 600, and in a boatload more classes as well...

stolenF4i · 05-14-2009, 8:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelevra

You cannot really fix the weight. The V-Twin engine is very heavy, period.
It needs the extra weight for the casting, to keep that giant V-Twin thump from detonating the engine, hehe. It was 40 lbs heavier then my 01 929, and def. down on HP as well. I had it all set up to race in the Super Twins class at Loudon, NH back in 01. After doing a track day with a crashed 01 CBR 600 F4i, I decided it would be hella easier to race the 600, and in a boatload more classes as well...

I think people have lowered weight with new exhaust, 520 chain conversion, and a few other mods. The weight has never bothered me.

dirtrider[be] · 06-22-2009, 7:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PudSP1

My worse point with the SP1 would be riding the bike in slow traffic, with a tall 1st gear and riding under 3000 rpm's, it's a handful. Even with a PC it's not a lot of fun, though get it out of town and its a dream. Ya cant help but love it.

I have a SP2... Can't agree more with the statement above. The seat is ok, the bar position is well... low (what did you expect).

Steering is great, but the 1st gear is hell... I even managed to notice I crossed Brussels centre one day without even leaving first gear.

And yes, riding below 3000 rpm transforms the bike into a boggy mofo. But once the roads get broader and you're out of commuting traffic, this is the best thing ever happened to me on wheels!

Was considering to buy a Ducati after riding my friends 996 but boy am I glad I bought this Japanese HRC gem!

jonathan · 06-25-2009, 4:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelevra

You cannot really fix the weight. The V-Twin engine is very heavy, period.
It needs the extra weight for the casting, to keep that giant V-Twin thump from detonating the engine, hehe. It was 40 lbs heavier then my 01 929, and def. down on HP as well. I had it all set up to race in the Super Twins class at Loudon, NH back in 01. After doing a track day with a crashed 01 CBR 600 F4i, I decided it would be hella easier to race the 600, and in a boatload more classes as well...

Indeed sampling the past and current 600 crop from all manufacturers, 600 will always be easier to ride, actualy 1000 4IL as well.
And to me this is the RC's weakest and strongest point at the same time.
Hard to ride yet very rewarding.

I think Rogue desribed it the best:

Quote:

If you are a good rider it will prove & exploit your skill to the world, if you are mediocre it will kick you in the teeth & laugh at you. It is purpose built for strafing curves, serious commuters or tourers need not apply