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 this one was converted into a race bike. The seller states: “I raced for fun, not as a career. I was already almost 40 yrs old when I started racing, so I could afford to buy whatever I wanted. Mike Velasco was Freddie Spencer’s mechanic when Freddie won World Superbike on essentially this same bike, so there wasn’t a better person in the world to set it up for me. I always held back a bit in a race because I didn’t want to crash it, and it’s one bike I never did crash.”
Manufactured in January 1990, this example is VIN: JH2RC3015LM200059.
Since this is a race bike, there is no odometer and milage is unknown. The seller states: “I don’t know the mileage. I rode it briefly on the street before converting it to a race-only super bike. I raced only for fun, and only on a few west coast tracks, so it was never heavily ridden.”
Maintenance:
There is no recent service history, the seller states: “Other than me changing oil and tires after a race, I don’t think I needed anything done once Mike Velasco finished everything. I just didn’t ride the bike a whole heck of a lot!”
Modifications:
This RC30 has been built into a race bike. The seller states: “The bike was fully HRC kitted by Mike Velasco when he was at Two Brothers Racing in Orange County. It has a Keihin Flat Slides carburetor, HRC exhaust pipe, HRC radiator and whatever other engine and accessories work Mike did that I don’t remember. It also has a custom painted Airtech fairing that looks like a factory paint job. I also still have the original undamaged fairing and pipe.”
Inside of the tank:
It is riding on Dunlop Sportmax Q2 tires which have aged out with date codes of 1709 and 3612.
The sale includes two keys.
Original fairings.
Original exhaust.
Original wheels.
Rear paddock stand.
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album up top for all known cosmetic blemishes. The seller states: “Other than this blemish on the tank there are no major blemishes. I don’t think there are any minor blemishes to speak of”
Currently located in Longmont, Colorado, this Honda is offered on a clean California title with unknown registration status. Have any Honda stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
