Signed Rossi R1 to Bonhams Auction

Riders For Health

Bonhams has announced the release of its catalog for the upcoming "Classic California" auction on November 13th at the Petersen Museum in downtown Los Angeles. The auction will include a truly one-of-a-kind motorcycle offered in collaboration with the most successful motorcycle racer of his era, Valentino Rossi.

The highly upgraded and customized 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1 1000cc can be found in the catalog as Lot 439, to read the description of the lot, click here.

The Yamaha superbike is the replica version of the MotoGP machine ridden by nine-times World Champion, Rossi, who was on hand to personally sign the motorcycle at the 2010 MotoGP at Laguna Seca.

Sporting Rossi’s personal "Five Continents" AGV helmet design, this amazing and very specialized motorcycle was the brainchild of Daytona 200 winner, former racing champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Don Emde.

2009 Yamaha YZF-R1 "Rossi Replica"
Frame No. JYARN23Y79A000991
Engine No. N520E0004816
Estimate: $50,000 – 70,000

The winning bidder will take possession of this Yamaha YZF-R1 wearing an enlarged version of Rossi’s "Five Continents" paint scheme as seen on his AGV helmet.

Valentino gave the go-ahead for his graphics designer, Aldo Drudi of Drudi Performance, to adapt the helmet graphics to the bike’s bodywork, a transformation carried out by Pole Position Graphics. Other aftermarket firms were eager to help as word spread and the project quickly gained momentum.

"Our goal was to create a custom sportbike worthy of the title ‘Ultimate Track Day Bike’ while also being a unique collectible," said Don Emde, the former racer who spearheaded the Rossi R1 project.

"Getting Valentino’s blessing for the project was the trick and then everyone else jumped on board," continued Emde who heads the U.S.-based Friends of Riders for Health, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, raising funds in aid of Riders for Health II Inc. (a nonprofit, 501(c)3 tax exempt corporation).

Co-founded by MotoGP motorcycle roadracer Randy Mamola, journalist Barry Coleman and his wife Andrea, the Riders for Health program is now in its 20th year of providing invaluable aid to the continent’s least accessible citizens and has made a huge difference in their quality of life.

Proceeds from this sale will go to Riders for Health, an organization that provides motorcycles used to deliver medicine and healthcare workers to remote villages in Africa.

Authorized by Valentino Rossi, provided by Yamaha and built up with the best aftermarket components, this is a one-of-a-kind collectible sportbike, ready for the track, all for a good and worthy cause.