Built in limited numbers to celebrate Nicky Hayden’s 2006 MotoGP World Championship, the 2007 Honda CBR1000RR recently available on eBay is a great street bike that pays tribute to a legend.
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The Kentucky Kid
Nicky Hayden, “The Kentucky Kid,” was a talented racer, gathering titles and accolades as he worked his way through the AMA ranks to a top-tier MotoGP World Championship - opens in new window or tab. in 2006. To earn that title, Hayden vanquished the legendary Valentino Rossi, considered by many to be the finest motorcycle racer ever. In 2006, Rossi was in peak form, having won the previous five championships and looking supremely confident on his Yamaha.
Hayden beat the esteemed Italian—and everyone else—in one of the most hard-fought and celebrated title triumphs in MotoGP. To commemorate this, Honda built a limited run of road-going CBR1000RRs as a visual evocation of Hayden’s 2006 race machine.
Racing Livery, Competition Tech
Repsol, an oil and gas company based in Spain, has sponsored Honda in MotoGP since 1995. The unmistakable orange, white, and red Repsol livery has adorned many world championship-winning machines in a wide range of racing formats.
While this road-going 2007 Honda CBR1000RR is a far cry from Hayden’s dominant racing motorcycle, it does feature some technology that filtered down from MotoGP, like Honda’s dual sequential fuel injection, with two injectors per cylinder for optimal fuel delivery across the rev range. The electronic steering damper - opens in new window or tab., radial-mounted front brake calipers - opens in new window or tab., and gravity die-cast frame are all innovations born from top-tier motorcycle racing.
The Honda CBR1000RR, also known as the Fireblade, is one of the most universally respected motorcycles ever made. Among heavyweight 1000-cc superbikes, there’s always something with more power, sharper handling, better manners, or a higher top speed than the Honda. But tons of riders opted for the balance, build quality, and style of the Fireblade. “It delivers polished, glitch-free 180-mph potency with almost no effort,” Motorcycle News wrote in 2006, praising “the expected Honda build quality and class” and “wheelie-pulling midrange.”
Enhanced, But Not Too Perfect to Ride
The listing clearly indicates that an enthusiast currently owns this Honda CBR1000RR. It’s been professionally dyno-tuned for smooth, balanced power delivery. The seller has further improved the bike with some sought-after and tasteful modifications, including:
- Woolich Racing ECU - opens in new window or tab.
- Full Arrow GP titanium exhaust - opens in new window or tab.
This machine has been loved, but the seller confesses to having dropped the bike on a slippery surface at a very low speed. This resulted in a touch of road rash on the plastics - opens in new window or tab., exhaust, and engine case. The road rash is clearly depicted in the listing's photos. Similarly, the rear wheel - opens in new window or tab. shows some scrapes and paint damage, honestly displayed in clear, detailed photos. A touch-up could make this bike look brand-new.
Overall, this is a tastefully enhanced version of one of the best iterations of the Honda CBR1000RR, built to celebrate the finest achievement of a genuine American racing hero. It would make a fine addition to a motorcycle enthusiast’s fleet, whether on display or out on the road.
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