Faults:

The rectifier burnt out one time, that's it.

General Comments:

It's a Honda, what more can you say about reliability? It's 2015 right now and the bike is 13 years old already. Been in my possession for 5 years, and not even a single time did the bike give up on me. Well, except for one time when the battery terminal was loose, and one time when the rectifier burnt out. That can happen on a brand new bike as well.

You can read all about legendary history about RC51, but I'm going to tell you my honest opinion of what I think of it.

I rode a 600cc bike for 7 years prior to buying a RC51, and after I bought it, on the 3 hour ride back home, the whole time I kept on thinking "what the heck did I get myself into". It was heavy, and rode like a tank. But as I got used to riding the RC51, over a period of time I started loving it more and more. In the beginning my hands would go numb (kind of) because I wasn't used to the vibration.

Now I drive a BMW sports car, and its suspension is really hard, you can feel all the bumps. If I go out on a ride on RC51, and then I jump in my car and go for a drive, my BMW feels as if I'm driving on the clouds. That's how harsh the RC51 ride feels like sometimes.

Long story short, the RC51 isn't the easiest bike to ride on, but once you get used to it, you will fall in love with it. At this time, I believe, only people who'll be interested in buying RC51, are the ones who always wanted to own one. And I'll tell you this, every person who owned a RC51 and sold it, told me they regretted it. A brand new rider should not buy this bike.

Things I love about it? Strong engine, strong transmission, plenty of torque, killer looks (it's the love and hate type, you either love the looks or you hate it). I can stare at it for hours, I love it so much. I love the V-twin sound.

Handling wise, it's heavy, but with right tire pressure & body position, you can hold lines on any track. I've ridden it on the race tracks, it was a lot of fun.

Now my other current bike is a CBR 1000RR (track bike). Yes, compared to that, the RC51 is out dated, heavy, and feels like it doesn't want to move. But if you are experienced, you can handle the RC51 pretty well.

Last season I barely put 300 miles on RC51, brain says "sell it cause it's just taking up garage space", but my heart says "I'm in love with this bike, keep it as long as you can".

Lastly, I wouldn't care to take time out to write about it, if I didn't love the bike, even though it's behind on technology, it's still a classic. Cycle world Magazine has already said that it's considered as a minor collectible.