Additional photos of this 1986 Honda NS400R are available here for your perusal.
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: JH2NC1905GM000107) was manufactured in September of 1985.
The odometer shows 7,223 kilometers (4,488 miles).
There are a few minor cosmetic blemishes commensurate with age – photos of all known issues are included in the album up top. Overall, it presents very well for a 30+ year old machine.
This is part of the estate sale that you’ve probably seen us mention on Instagram. When it came to us, we gave it a $1,000+ service which included a carb rebuild, front brake master cylinder rebuild, new grips, new battery, and a detail.
Currently located at our Santa Monica location (please call ahead to make an appointment to view it), this NS400R is offered on a Bill of Sale only. After a bit of slumber, it’s ready to ride again!
