Description
Please note: As pointed out in the comments, the windscreen is aftermarket.
We’ve also included a test ride video below:
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: RC401000143. Iconic Motorbikes acquired the bike from the estate of late motorcycle journalist, Tracy Hagen. He had stored the bike inside his garage, in a crate. By his wife’s account, the bike was his baby, though he never got around to properly sorting it and riding it.
The odometer shows 5,517 kilometers (3,428 miles).
Maintenance:
If you’d like to hear Adam and Steve go through our NR in detail, check out the below Shop Walk clip!
In preparation for the listing, we replaced the battery, the water pump, the horn, the chain, and the windscreen; change the oil and oil filter and flush the coolant; and clean the gas tank, clean the injectors, and replace the spark plugs. Though we thought the dash had an issue, we remedied it with a new bulb. We also installed a new left-hand switch, installed a replacement fairing stay, straightened the radiator, rebuilt the forks, replaced the brake pads, and installed new Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport tires with date codes of 2522 and 4322.
Our service department notes the following in their condition report:
Gas Tank Internal Condition: OK
Tire Year Front/ Rear: 4322/2522
Tire % Front/ Rear: 100/100
Tire Press Front/ Rear: 36/38
Brake % Front/ Rear : NEW/NEW
Front hydraulic fluid: OK
Rear Hydraulic Fluid: OK
Clutch Hydraulic Fluid: OK
Oil: OK
Coolant: OK
Low Beam: OK
High Beam: OK
Turn: OK
Tail Light: OK
Brake Light: OK
Plate Light: OK
Kill: OK
Horn: OK
Fork: OK
Shock/s: OK
Final Drive: OK
Battery Standing Voltage: 12.7
Charging Voltage @ 4k RPM: 14.5
Notes:
• BENT RADIATOR
• PAINT SLIGHT MISMATCH
• POSSIBLE EXHAUST INTERNAL MODIFICATION
• INCORRECT HORN
Finally, we had the bar-ends re-chromed, the rearsets vapor-honed, the wheels powder-coated and the rear decal replaced, and the bodywork refinished by Matt over at ColorZone.
Modifications:
Repainted bodywork.
Aftermarket windscreen.
Not pictured: aftermarket horn.
Inside of the tank:
The sale includes one key.
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. 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. Have any NR750 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
