Start the ultimate project bike

The base for the ultimate project bike have appeared online, a Honda RC211V.

The adverts consist of the supposedly the frame from Valentino Rossi's championship dominating machine from 2003 on eBay and a frame that comes complete with the sexy V5 engine.

The eBay listing is currently at $510 and is literally an incomplete frame with the ad stating that it is the 'unfinished basis of replacement RC211V frame, all made in aluminium with CNC machined parts & high quality welding', the bidding is still under the reserve set by the user.

But the more appealing advert is for the complete engine and frame that has been listed for £9900. The ad is for a pre-production prototype of a V5 engine, so it is questionable whether the lump is a genuine MotoGP article but it comes with a host of attributes that really detail the exclusivity of the engine. It's more of a base as the it is missing the camshafts, gears, fuel injection or carbs and exhaust but comes with a magnesium sump and dry clutch.

The original RCV was the ruler of the 990 era, smoking tyres on the way to three world championships. The HRC machine proved to be the most versatile MotoGP racer taking victories in the hands of Rossi, Gibernau, Biaggi, Hayden, Barros et al.

Considering these have survived the HRC purge, are these items worth the large asking price? Probably not, but one can dream about owning pieces of MotoGP history.

By Robin Goodwin