MARC MARQUEZ eat your heart out. No, that image above isn’t the latest ride that the world champ was running at the recent Catalunya tests, searching for his 2021 pace. It is in fact the Honda RS150R scooter inspired by the RC213V.
At the heart of this dress-up of epic proportions is the Malaysian ‘Big Wheel Gang’ (or GTB, Geng Tayer Besar). As reported by Paultan & Ride Apart, GTB customs tend to take the shape of a small-displacement motorcycle or scooter and whack on some top-shelf parts.
Rudy Norman from GTB was chief engineer for this project, with everything but the frame essentially turned-to-11 in some respect.
A single-sided swingarm from a VFR800, superbike-sized tyres & superbike-standard Brembo brakes, fully adjustable suspension with an Ohlins sticker (not sure they’re legit Ohlins USD shocks though), and of course winglets up front.
This RS150R has become a bona fide HRC racer!
Speaking to Paultan, Rudy Norman said:
“We keep the frame untouched to avoid issues with the authorities, but just about everything else is modified, replaced and otherwise custom built to suit what a GTB bike is.”
“[Fitting the swingarm] caused me many sleepless nights, trying to figure how to fit [it] in the frame, keep the geometry and still look good. Somehow, we did it”
Although being built for a customer, Rudy says they were given the chance to test this machine on track - and of course went for it, with Malaysian racer Azlan Shah taking it around the local Aylezo kart circuit. And why not!
“After a couple of laps, [we] became very aware riding the GTB RCV replica was almost unlike anything we had ridden before.”
Should HRC consider this as their Honda paddock scooter?
Despite only putting out 15 bhp from the 149cc motor - a massive difference to the 240+bhp RC213V - proves it’s not always about size, it’s what you do with it. Not that I’d know, never heard that phrase before in my life. Nope, not ever.
This RS150R superbike replica certainly is a sight to behold, get a few of these built and racing around kart tracks in the UK, and I’d definitely be down for a season of racing action.
Although you may need a big budget. Quoted laughing by Paultan, Rudy says: “We build the bike to order, depending on what the customer wants and what the budget is. A build can typically range from RM10,000 to RM50,000 (£1,720 - £8,600), the sky is the limit”
Anyone fancy placing an order? Let us know if you do, I want to try it out.
