Description
Please note: This is part of the Damon Schuetze collection.
Typically we ask sellers to include a starting video or allow us to include one when we list a motorbike to ensure the motor is good but the seller had all these bikes professionally prepped for storage and wants to keep them that way. He had the bikes inside his home so they are dry on fuel and ready to add into a collection or get running again (Iconic is happy to help with that). Iconic sold him the GSX-R750RK, the ZX-7RR and the 1986 Suzuki RB50 GAG so we have prior running videos of those in our archives but the rest came from other sources. Adam knows many of these bikes from seeing them in the past as he nearly bought the RC45 from Bob Weaver, remembers the OW01 at a live auction, and a couple of the others. They are from credible sources even before the seller acquired them and again, we’d love to get them prepped to ride again for the buyer if he/she elects to do so.
Click here for an VINData Motorcycle History Report on this 1990 Honda RC30. Additional photos 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 and Europe 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 monoshock 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.
Manufactured in January of 1990, this example is VIN: JH2RC3018LM200055. Here’s how Damon came to acquire it, “I saw a shared post on FB more than a decade ago, I messaged the original poster, and we started a conversation. I ended up flying out to Orange County the very next morning and he picked me up, we had breakfast and then went to his house, which was packed with rare bikes. Seller was John French, a former part-owner of Pro-Italia. We reached a deal that day and I flew home and he delivered the bike out the next weekend. He sold it to me for what was at the time a very big price, he used the money to fund a trip to Isle of Mann.”
The odometer shows 2,411 miles.
Maintenance:
In preparation for the listing, the seller had us perform a safety inspection. Our service department notes the following in their condition report:
Gas Tank Condition: Ok
Tire Years – Front: 4211; Rear: 0312
Tire Life – Front/Rear: 100%
Tire Pressure Front 36 PSI; Rear: 38PSI
Brake Life – Front/Rear: 80/80
Suspension Leaks – Front: Leaking; Rear: None
Hydraulic – Front/Rear: Age Unknown; Clutch: Low, No level
Drive Chain Condition: Needs Clean + Lube
Engine Oil – Level: Overfilled: Quality: Age Unknown
Coolant – Level: Ok; Quality: Age Unknown
Low Beam: Ok
High Beam: Ok
Turn Signals: Not Working
Tail Light: Ok
Brake Light: Ok
Plate Light: Ok
Killswitch: Unknown
Horn: Ok
Battery: NO BATTERY
Notes:
***DID NOT TRY TO START***
-Tiny paint imperfection on front fairing
REPAIRS RECOMMENDED:
-Oil + Filter
-Coolant
-Front/Rear Brake + Clutch Flush
-Battery
-Tires
-Chain Clean + Lube
-Air Filter
-Probably Carbs
-Fork Seals
-Turn Signals Diagnostic; Possibly switch handle clean
Modifications:
Battery tender lead.
Inside of the tank:
It is riding on Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart tires with date codes of 4211 and 0312.
The sale includes three keys, the original owner’s manual, a tool kit, and a rear stand.
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album up top for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:
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. Have any RC30 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
