I doubt there are many people reading this who didn't have some dream, however big or small, of being a GP rider, much like myself. And I doubt any of us achieved it, unfortunately. But getting a GP experience isn't out of reach if you have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spare.
One of Honda's mid-1990s privateer Grand Prix bikes, the NSR500V, recently sold at an auction facilitated by Iconic Motorbikes for $267,607, making it the most expensive Japanese motorcycle ever sold at auction. The previous motorcycle to hold this accolade was also a Honda from the GP days—an RC213V-S that went for $215,660.
One of the many things that makes this particular model so cool is that private race teams and general motorcycle enthusiasts who had enough cash, unlike the NSR500 V4, which was leased to factory teams by Honda. The two-cylinder NSR500V made about 140 hp compared to the NSR500 V4's 190 hp but was still competitive with its more ferocious sibling around certain tracks.
