BIKE OF THE MONTH


April 2026 Bike of the Month
View in Gallery Philippe de Lespinay with his 1966 Honda RC116

Make: Honda
Model: RC116
Country of Origin: Japan
Engine: 50cc Twin
Year: 1966
Transmission: 9 Speed
Owner: Philippe de Lespinay
City: Newport Beach


1966 Honda RC116

Congratulations to Philippe de Lespinay of Newport Beach for winning Bike of the Month with his 1966 Honda RC116. Philippe won a plaque provided by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys.

This is the first bike Philippe has ever brought to our meet. He told me he has a good collection of motorcycles of this caliber. I hope he shares more with us.

Philippe share this information:

1966 Honda RC116 50cc Grand Prix motorcycle.
Ridden by Ralph Bryans and Luigi Taveri. Winner of the 1966 FIM Manufacturer World Championship in its class. In 1966, Honda won all five racing classes, from 50cc to 500cc. Three examples were built.

Its engine is a 4-stroke, twin-cylinder, twin-cam, with 4 valves per cylinder. It features a 9-speed gearbox and dry clutch. Lubrication is by a dry sump with a gear-driven pump, with oil contained in the sump under the engine.

This remains, to this day, the highest-revving 4-stroke engine ever built, with a limit of 23,000 RPM. Power output is 14 HP at 22,500 RPM.

It uses a mechanically actuated front disc brake, with the rotor being the aluminum-alloy rim flanges.

Thank you Philippe for bringing out this rare bike for all of us to see.

The Bike of the Month contest is held monthly at the Vintage Bike OC meet. Qualifying motorcycles must be 30 years old or older. Former Bike of the Month winning bikes are not eligible to win again. Anyone attending the meet is eligible to enter a qualifying bike in the contest and vote for their favorite bike. The winning bike is chosen by a popular vote and is featured on the Home page for one month and in this feature article. The Bike of the Month articles are permanent content on the site.

Bike of the Month Gallery
Photo gallery of all the Bike of the Month winners.
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April 2026
1966 Honda RC116
March 2026
1993 Moto Guzzi SP3
February 2026
1948 Indian Chief
January 2026
1961 BSA A10 Super Rocket
December 2025
1977 MV Agusta Monza
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1960 Triumph Speedtwin
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1973 Zundapp KS50
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1937 BMW R5
August 2025
1962 Honda Trail 90
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1974 Norton Commando 850
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1984 Honda Ascot Custom
May 2025
1963 Triumph TR6-SS
April 2025
1987 Honda CR500 Super Moto
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