1992 Honda NR750

Description

Additional photos are available here for your perusal.

The easiest way to summarize the NR is to simply say that when it was released, it was the most expensive production motorcycle the world had ever seen. But the NR is much, much more than a hefty price tag – it’s a symbol of what can happen when one of the world’s best manufacturers goes all out. Engraved on the gas tank is a simple message, but it’s a bold claim from a company as large (and typically modest) as Honda: “THE RESULT OF A DECADE’S PERFECTION”.

Just 300 examples were built, and with a price tag of approximately $50,000 when it was released, the NR has only been available to a select few. The bike owes its existence to Honda’s NR (New Racing) program, which started with the NR500 Grand Prix racebike of 1979. It was Honda’s attempt to fight off two-stroke dominance while being boxed in by GP rules that limited the number of combustion chambers in an engine to four. Honda got around it by essentially creating a V-8 as each piston was oval-shaped with two connecting rods. It was insanely complicated, but the 500cc race motor was capable of putting out 130 horsepower at 20,000 rpm!

The street bike was also known as the RC40 and while it’s informally called the NR750 the correct name is simply “NR”. The street motor produces 120 horsepower at 14,000 rpm, and it was full of features that were either incredibly rare or completely novel to a production street bike: eight valves per cylinder, twin connecting rods, partial carbon fiber bodywork, digital speedometer, titanium-coated windshield, underseat exhaust, single-sided swingarm… the list goes on and on. Many of the styling cues were unobtanium to the public until Ducati came out with the gorgeous 916 a couple of years later.

Approximately 300 examples were produced worldwide, and people are still in awe about what Honda was able to bring together in a production road bike. For more examples of what made the NR ahead of its time, check out this profile on Visor Down.

This example is VIN: RC401000121. It came to Iconic as an import from Japan.

The odometer shows 9,421 kilometers (5,853 miles).

Maintenance:
In preparation for the listing, the seller had us replace the battery, rebuild the fuel pump and clean out the sender, rebuild the front and clutch master cylinders, clean and polish the rearsets, service the chain, replace the front brake switch/adjust the rear brake switch, repair the plate light bulb wiring, and install new Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport tires with date codes of 0722 and 4322.

Olly and Steve did the work, they note the following in their condition report:

Fuel Tank Condition: Ok, Cleaned
Tire Years – Front/ Rear: 2022
Tire Life – Front/ Rear: 100%
Tire Pressure – Front: 39PSI; Rear: 42PSI
Brake Life – Front: 95%% Rear: 80%
Hydraulic Fluid – Front/Rear/Clutch: New
Engine Oil – Level: Ok; Quality: Ok
Coolant – Level: Ok; Quality: Ok
Low Beam: Ok
High Beam: Ok
Turn Signals: Ok
Tail Light: Ok
Brake Light: Ok
Plate Light: Ok
Killswitch: Ok
Horn: Ok
Battery: 12.6V
Test Ride: Ok, bike op

Additionally, we sent out the bar end weights to be re-chromed and we gave the bike a detail.

Video from the test ride:

Modifications:
Protective film.

Inside of the tank:

The sale includes two keys.

The sale also includes 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 Oregon title. Have any NR750 stories or questions about this listing?  Please note that as an import, this bike lacks certain compliance and emissions stickers that the state of California would require to transfer a title. Let us know in the “Comments” tab!