Honda Classic Motorcycles Archives

Honda VFR750R-RC30

In many ways, Honda’s VFR750R – better known as the RC30 – was the ultimate ‘race replica’. Visually, at least, there was little to distinguish it from the RVF 750 racer, on which it was based. Technically, too, it was along the same lines – allowing for the fact that no roadster is ever really going to compare with its competitive sibling. The RC30’s exhaust note, for instance, could never compete with that of the racer’s super-light, free-flowing set-up. Not if it was going to make it through the next MOT, anyway!

Nor, of course, was the RC30’s V4 engine going to be anything like on a par with the race version. That said, it still managed to output 112bhp – at 11,000rpm. Which gave a top speed of 153mph. More than enough for most wannabe GP stars! In like manner, the RC30’s handling was not going to get close to that of the apex-slashing track tool on which it was modelled. Again, though, optimal tuning of its suspension enabled a passable emulation of the race god of your choice!

American rider Fred Merkel took two consecutive WSB titles on the RC30 race bike – in ’88 and ’89. Briton Carl Fogarty did the same in motorcycling’s Formula One series. Endurance racing, too, was meat and drink to the RVF 750. So far as Honda were concerned, the RC30 was first and foremost a racer. There was little doubt, though, that the roadster benefited hugely from it. Certainly – with its low-slung front end, aluminium twin-spar frame and single-sided swingarm – the street bike looked seriously stunning. Honda’s commitment to the project, then, had paid double dividends. On both road and track, the VFR750R-RC30 did the business – in every sense of the word!

Honda NR750

Few road-going superbikes are quite so race-bred as the Honda NR750. It was a direct descendant of Honda’s NR500 GP bike. The NR roadster was released in ’92. That was a decade or so on from when the four-stroke racer had been slugging it out with Suzuki and Yamaha ‘strokers’. Well, trying to, at any rate. The plucky Honda was always disadvantaged against its free-revving two-stroke rivals. As a result, Honda’s NR500 race bike was retired in ’81.

The feature for which the NR is famous is its oval pistons. Technically, they were not, in fact, oval. Rather, they were lozenge-shaped. At any rate, the ‘ovoid’ pistons were the NR’s most clear-cut connection with its racing ancestry. End of the day – whatever form they took – they obviously worked! The NR delivered 125bhp – at 14,000 rpm. Top speed was 160mph. That was notwithstanding the NR’s weight – a tubby 489lb. While the NR’s performance was impressive – it was not earth-shattering. Honda had done its best to pull a V8 rabbit out of a V4 hat. Effectively, to double it up. With that in mind, the NR’s V4 engine was fitted with eight fuel injectors and titanium conrods. Four camshafts depressed thirty-two lightweight valves. Sadly, though, the modifications did not equate to twice the speed!

The NR’s styling was almost as adventurous as its engineering. Its screen was titanium-coated, for instance. That was backed up by a brilliant finish – in every sense of the word. The paintwork and polished aluminium frame were particularly lustrous. The bike’s build quality was equally dazzling. In every department, then, the NR delivered. Above all, it oozed charisma – mainly on account of its unique engine configuration. Bikes like the NR tend not to clock up too many owners. And not just because of high price tags and running costs. Such a machine grants access to motorcycling’s inner sanctum. Arguably – more than any other roadster – it mixed visual and technological exoticism. For the Honda NR750, then, glamour was never going to be an issue!

Honda CB77

The CB77 was a landmark bike for Honda. The firm began in Hamamatsu, Japan. In a wooden shed! Just as Harley-Davidson had done, in Milwaukee, USA … except theirs was made out of tin! Okay – so sheds is where similarities end between the two marques! Of course – like Harley-Davidson – what Soichiro Honda’s company went on to achieve is the stuff of motorcycling legend. Not surprising, really. That small shed was home to the Honda Technical Research Institute. In its early days, that is!

Three years in and Honda produced its first bike. The 98cc machine was dubbed the Dream. Sales were sound. That set the scene for the two bikes which put Honda on motorcycling’s map – the CB72 and CB77. The larger of the two – the 305cc CB77 – was launched in ’63. It was up against the ‘Brit bikes’ of the early Sixties. They ruled the two-wheeled roost, at the time. Not for much longer! Next to the likes of Triumph and Norton, the ‘Jap bike’ came supremely well-equipped. In engineering terms, it blew them away. While it did not quite clock up the mythical ‘ton’ – the 100mph so beloved of British riders – its acceleration was scorching. By comparison with Brit bikes, at any rate. And anyway – with a top speed of 95mph – it came cigarette-paper close! The CB77’s parallel twin motor revved out to 9,000rpm. The bike weighed in at just 350lb dry. Do the math!

Several factors gave the CB77 the edge over similarly-sized British bikes. Top of the list was engine design. A 180° crankshaft allowed the two pistons to move up and down alternately – balancing each other out. That took the smoothness of the ride to another level – at least, relative to the Brit bikes. The engine was held securely in situ by a tubular steel frame. Telescopic front forks – and twin rear shocks – raised the suspension game, too. Two sets of solid, sure-stopping drum brakes were fitted. The net result was that the CB77 accelerated smoothly, handled well and pulled up in short order. On top of all that, it was oil-tight and reliable. Not something that could be said of every British-made bike! In the States, it was sold as the Super Hawk. The CB77, then, was Honda’s first attempt at a full-on sports bike. Suffice to say – there were more to come!

Honda CB750

There is a case to be made for considering the Honda CB750 to be the point at which motorcycling’s modern age began. Technically, it was released in ’69 – but its presence so suffused the Seventies that it cannot but be grouped with bikes of that decade. Kawasaki’s Z1 is often thought of as the first Japanese ‘superbike’. Timeline-wise, though, it was the CB750 that was first out of the traps – and by a full four years, at that.

The CB750’s four across-the-frame cylinders were a clear signal there was a new kid on biking’s block. The shiny quartet of chrome exhausts reinforced the message. The CB750 was a muscular-looking motorcycle. But, it was stylish muscularity. The rounded tank was sleek and shapely. The multi-spoked wheels were a latticed delight. Paintwork and chrome vied for attention. At the time, the CB’s front disc brake was technologically advanced. Highish handlebars – and a well-padded seat – were tailor-made for long journeys. So, it made sense for the 750 to be pitched as the perfect all-rounder.

Unsurprisingly, the CB was a big success in the showrooms. That was only to be expected from a bike which topped out at 125mph – and also handled well. Honda’s rivals duly fell over themselves to try to match it. Over time, then, the CB750 furthered motorcycling’s cause. By setting a benchmark, it forced manufacturers worldwide to follow suit. In the form of the Honda CB750, the day of the modern Jap classic had dawned!