Kenny Roberts Puts Two KR Proton GP Bikes Up for Auction

Last month I was fortunate enough to stop by the ranch of one Kenny Roberts Sr., and got to look at the Grandfather to American Roadracing’s personal motorcycle collection. Comprised of nearly a dozen KR Proton MotoGP machines, amongst the nearly forty bikes in the collection, King Kenny easily has the quintessential motorcycle dream garage — and I haven’t even gotten to mentioning the stacks of race leathers, helmets, trophies, and other racing memorabilia that line the walls and cover the tables in the small two-wheeled gallery.

Making some space in his collection, Kenny Roberts Sr. has put four race bikes from the Team KR racing heritage up on the auction block, two of which are KR Proton GP machines. The first bike up for grabs is a KR Proton KR3 (above) that was ridden by Nobuatsu Aoki, which raced in the 2001 500GP Championship and features a two-stroke V3 motor. Also offering a MotoGP-era four-stroke machine, King Kenny has added his KR Proton KRV5 XM2 (below), which was ridden by his youngest son, Kurtis Roberts, in the 2004 MotoGP Championship, and features a proprietary five-cylinder motor.

The other bikes up for auction are a Team KR Modenas 500 V3, as well as a 1999 Erion Honda CBR900RR that was also ridden by Kurtis Roberts. No prices are listed, but considering that both KR Protons will be delivered in running order, we wager these will be some of the most expensive track bikes you can get your hands on, and would be the perfect compliment to a Rossi or Stoner-era Ducati Desmosedici GP bike.