Description
Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. Please contact abhi@iconicmotorbikes.com if you have any questions!
Additional photos of this 1990 Honda RC30 are available here for your perusal.
When the new World Superbike Championship was introduced in 1988, Honda had an issue as its highly successful custom-built RVF750 factory endurance racer (not the RC45) wouldn’t be eligible to compete. So they set out to create a new top-shelf, street-legal, limited edition race bike, producing the minimum number of units required to satisfy homologation rules. Knowing it would only have to turn out a relatively small batch of machines, Soichiro Honda wanted to use the new model to demonstrate what its factory race department was capable of. The result was a no-expense-spared race-grade legend brimming with features previously reserved for track-only machinery. Japan called it the VFR750R, but the bike we fell in love with in America was named the RC30.
At the heart of the RC30 was a liquid-cooled, 748cc, 90-degree V4 engine with four valves per cylinder, gear-driven double-overhead cams, titanium connecting rods, forged two-ring pistons, an 11.0:1 compression ratio, and a “big bang” firing order. Paired with a six-speed transmission with a trick slipper clutch, the sophisticated V4 made 118 hp at 11,000 rpm and 55 ft-lbs of torque at 9,800rpm (unrestricted). The VFR750R had a best-in-class dry weight of 396 lbs and a wet weight of 488 lbs, which was almost 10 lbs less than the game-changing Suzuki GSX-R750. The VFR had a top speed of over 150mph, and thanks to an incredibly high gear ratio, could break 80 mph in first gear.
The RC30 got fully-adjustable Showa suspension fore and aft — 43mm telescopic forks up front and a mono-shock out back. Braking duties went to a pair of fully floating 310mm discs bit by four-piston Nissin calipers in the front and a single 220m unit pinched by a dual-pot caliper in the rear. The bike’s fork sliders also allowed the front calipers to remain in place during wheel changes, a feature that, like the ELF-designed single-sided swing-arm, was born out of competition for ultra-quick pit stops.
In total, only 316 RC30s were sold in the US – and only in the 1990 model year.
Manufactured in January of 1990, this example is VIN: JH2RC3011LM200057. The owner recently passed away and this is being sold by his estate. Unfortunately, the history of the bike is no longer known.
The odometer shows 68,648 miles.
The owner of this RC30 unfortunately passed away and his friend is handling the sale. In preparation for the listing, the seller had Steve the Professor clean and sync the carbs, clean and reassemble the front brake calipers, change the oil/filter, flush the brake fluid, flush the coolant, and give it a detail.
Steve notes that the valve covers are leaking, the water pump is leaking, the fork seals are leaking, the rear brake pads are almost completely worn out, the air filter should be replaced as it had an animal nest in it, and the side stand bracket on the frame is broken.
Modifications:
There is a battery tender lead in the tail (accessible by removing the rear seat pad).
Cosmetic Blemishes:
Inside of the tank:
The sale includes two keys, the OEM stand, tool kit, owner’s manual, aftermarket tank bag, a Fieldsheer size 58 (48 Euro) suit, matching Fieldsheer gloves, and some spare parts.
It is riding on Dunlop Sportmax D207 tires from 2007.
Currently located at our facility in Santa Monica, California (please make an appointment for an inspection), this Honda is offered on a clean California title that has expired. Back fees are roughly $300 to get it registered through April 2022, and the seller will cover that cost if the next owner is in California.
Have any RC30 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. Please contact abhi@iconicmotorbikes.com if you have any questions!
