'02 RC 51 on the way!
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,615
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From: North Richland Hills, TX
'02 RC 51 on the way!
I just ordered an '02 RC 51, and it s/b her within a couple of weeks!
It was an agonizing choice, but @ the end of the day, I think I'll have a longer lasting love affair w/ the RC. My dealer (I have a good relationship w/ the owner, who's also sponsoring my racing team) told me I'm getting the only one for the year, while 954's are in seemingly limitless supply.
Now I can't wait for some mfgs. to produce WSB-style high mount exhuasts...the '02 swingarm is an HRC design that allows a lot more flexibility in pipe routing.
It was an agonizing choice, but @ the end of the day, I think I'll have a longer lasting love affair w/ the RC. My dealer (I have a good relationship w/ the owner, who's also sponsoring my racing team) told me I'm getting the only one for the year, while 954's are in seemingly limitless supply.
Now I can't wait for some mfgs. to produce WSB-style high mount exhuasts...the '02 swingarm is an HRC design that allows a lot more flexibility in pipe routing.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,615
Likes: 1
From: North Richland Hills, TX
Thanks, everyone. I don't know the full story on importation #'s, but I believe it was ~4 - 5,000 over '00 - '01. The Brit mags are saying that production will be drastically cut in '02 to 800 for the year.
Why would they do this? It's anybody's guess, but here's my theory...it's been widely speculated that the RC51 was sold at a loss to make it more affordable for privateers to race their superbike (it's predecessor, the RC30 and RC45, were much more scarce and very expensive). For '02, they're including a lot of HRC parts, including the swingarm, frame, throttle bodies/injectors, etc., w/ no increase in MSRP. My intuition is that maybe it's just not economical to make them widely available...or maybe I'm just dreaming!
I haven't yet ridden the '02 w/ it's many changes, but my experiences w/ the SP1 RC have been very favorable. Like a Ducati, it's not as fast or nimble as the Japanese inline 4 literbikes, but it feels very special, makes a symphony of really cool noises, and is loaded w/ character.
As much as I dig the new R1 and 954, I fear that they'll become "outdated", look old, and lose much of their appeal when I see squids riding them all over the place. I hope the RC51 will be a timeless classic like it's predecessors...it would be cool to find a bike that I can keep for a long time for a change.
Why would they do this? It's anybody's guess, but here's my theory...it's been widely speculated that the RC51 was sold at a loss to make it more affordable for privateers to race their superbike (it's predecessor, the RC30 and RC45, were much more scarce and very expensive). For '02, they're including a lot of HRC parts, including the swingarm, frame, throttle bodies/injectors, etc., w/ no increase in MSRP. My intuition is that maybe it's just not economical to make them widely available...or maybe I'm just dreaming!
I haven't yet ridden the '02 w/ it's many changes, but my experiences w/ the SP1 RC have been very favorable. Like a Ducati, it's not as fast or nimble as the Japanese inline 4 literbikes, but it feels very special, makes a symphony of really cool noises, and is loaded w/ character.
As much as I dig the new R1 and 954, I fear that they'll become "outdated", look old, and lose much of their appeal when I see squids riding them all over the place. I hope the RC51 will be a timeless classic like it's predecessors...it would be cool to find a bike that I can keep for a long time for a change.
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