Rossi Hopes For His 2001 500cc Championship Bike
Cycle News Staff | December 1, 2021
Valentino Rossi has expressed his desire to have his 2001 500cc World Championship-winning Honda NSR500 as part of his personal collection.
Rossi wants this bike badly, but will Honda give it to him?
Rossi took the title, the final one of the 500cc series, by defeating Yamaha’s Max Biaggi, and was originally due to take delivery of the machine at the end of the 2001 season, but a corporate change of plans saw the bike go to the Honda museum at Motegi instead.
Rossi took two more titles with Honda, in 2002 and 2003 on the firm’s legendary five-cylinder RC211V, before defecting to Yamaha in 2004.
“I speak with Alberto [Puig, Repsol Honda] and I asked for—minimum—the 500, also because that 500 is my 500,” Rossi said. “It’s the bike that Honda was supposed to give to me, and I was ready to take; I had already the place at home [for it].
“But for some reason the bike never arrived. I’m happy if Honda change the idea and gave me that one. For sure, the bike will stay well, at a good temperature and have a good place at my house.”
Honda has made no public comment on the possibility of Rossi finally getting the bike he wants the most, which would go alongside his four title-winning bikes from Yamaha (2004, 2005, 2008, 2009).
