The Honda RC213V-S is set to make its debut in the UK at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed->ke3879 on June 26, 2015. It’s the culmination of a harrowing two weeks for Honda’s->ke291 superbike->ke1888, which has come under fire for being a lot less powerful than most people thought it would be.

Whatever disappointments people may have of the RC213V-S, the bike continues to get a lot of publicity. That should bode well for Honda as it prepares the bike for its next public appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The Japanese bike maker is pulling out all the stops to give the RC213V-S the proper UK debut. It even tabbed a trio of world-class riders, including reigning World Superbike champion Sylvain Guintoli, MotoGP rider Scott Redding, and Isle of Man TT Zero Challenge winner John McGuiness, to give the superbike a proper Goodwood welcome.

The RC213V-S should get its due attention at Goodwood, even though it didn’t get the kind of reaction it wanted when Honda revealed its full specifications. Reaction in the US was particularly bad when it was announced that the bike would only have 101 horsepower on tap, well short of the 159-horsepower output that will be available in other markets. Honda’s also offering a track-only kit that could bring up the output to 215 horsepower, but again, the US market will be shut out of that option.

But that’s neither here nor there because this is about the superbike’s highly anticipated debut across the pond where our buddies from that part of the world can get a first-hand look at it.

Continue reading to read more about the Honda RC213V-S’ UK debut at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Why it matters

Honda couldn’t have picked a better time to debut the RC213V-S than at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. You can argue that there are bigger shows in part of the world, but as far as combining quality of debuts with sheer class and elegance, there’s nothing quite like the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

It’s even more important for Honda to have a good showing at the festival ever since the bike received lukewarm reactions from a lot of places where it already made its debut.

The RC213V-S wasn’t really that well-received in the US, largely because of the price Honda’s asking for the superbike ($184,000) while only giving back 101 horsepower to play with. I count myself in this group because I really did expect a lot more from the superbike than what I was given. Really? 101 horsepower for a machine that costs as much as a high-end Audi R8 V10 Plus? Somebody needs to explain that to me because I don't see a reason why the RC213V-S could cost that much.

Honda likely won't do it because it's already set to begin taking orders for the RC213V-s on July 13, 2015. The company hasn’t announced how much the superbike will cost in the UK, but it’s estimated that the RC213V-S will carry a price of €130,000 for the stock unit and another €12,000 sports kit.

That’s still a lot of money to pay for a motorcycle but if Honda plays its cards right and the RC213V-S has a good showing at the festival, then maybe, just maybe, it can justify the price it’s asking for from potential customers.

I doubt it, but I'm still willing to listen if Honda gives me the time.