In 1983, Freddie Spencer became the world’s youngest 500cc World Champion, and he did it on a Honda V3. Honda responded by releasing a 250cc production bike to commemorate the win, but it took them until 1985 to build something closer to the actual size of Freddie’s champion. That was the NS400R, and even though it gave up 100cc and plenty of power to the race bike, Honda called it a “race replica”.
The two-stroke V-3 displaced 387cc and it was good for 72 horsepower and 37 pound feet of torque, both at nearly 10,000 rpm. Oh – and the whole thing weighed less than 360 pounds. For more information on the NS400R, check out this article from Classic-Motorbikes.net. Depending on who you talked to, the NS400R wasn’t as fast or aggressive as the 500cc race reps from Yamaha and Suzuki – but the tradeoff was that this was a confident handling bike. A review rehosted on Motorcycle Specs says “the NS is exciting and pretty near faultless.”
This example (VIN: NC191001411) came out of the David Silver collection and is offered with a clean Pennsylvania title.
The odometer shows 19,520 kilometers (12,200 miles).
We acquired it out of a Mecum auction and do not have any history on this machine, though we got it up on the lift here and made it a runner. We discovered a leaking petcock, so we rebuilt that and replaced a couple of hoses. Steve also installed a new RK chain and new Bridgestone Battlax tires.
It now starts right up and the next owner will be able to ride it as is. With that said, if you plan on riding it regularly we’d recommend that you install new spark plugs and flush the fluids – our White Glove service is glad to handle that for you if desired. We’re also glad to address the paintwork if you’re looking to make it look like new again as well.
It’s mostly stock and we see a little bit of rust on the kickstand.
You’ll note by the photo of the top of the motor (under the tank), it does show some aging/patina.
As Adam points out in the video up top, the wheels could use a refinishing as well.
Here’s your chance to get one that would make for a great rider – fix it up or a bit or ride it as is. Have any NS400R stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the comments!
Additional Information
Location
Santa Monica, California
Year
1985
Make
Honda
Model
NS400R
Mileage
12,200
Title
Clean
Title State/Country
Pennsylvania
VIN
NC191001411
Private Party/Dealership
Dealership
Additional Charges
No
Total Bids Placed: 39
Auction has ended.
Highest bidder was: metralla66
After the auction ended, the seller accepted an offer of $8,760 including buyer fees.
Continental US: Haul Bikes will ship anything sold through Iconic for a starting rate of $750 in the Continental US (prices may increase in rural markets), and Iconic will handle the paperwork on your behalf. You do not need to crate your bike or drain the gas/disconnect the battery if you go with Haul Bikes. We are glad to work with the shipper of your choice as well, but you will have to arrange it.
Please note:
spares/extras will have to be shipped separately via FedEx or similar.
the fee includes $15,000 of insurance with a $500 deductible. Additional insurance can be purchased at a cost of $50 per additional $5,000 of value.
$5,000 for US to Europe/Asia is a VERY ROUGH ballpark which includes transport as well as customs fees and duties. Please contact Shippio for an exact quote.
