Description
Additional photos of this Honda NR750 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 and displayed on the rear wheel 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.
We’ve sold several Honda NR750s here at Iconic, but this particular bike has a special place in our heart as we used it to create the ultimate NR. We call it “The Iconic NR750 Black Series.” Is is example VIN: RC401000028. The seller acquired it through an auction here at Iconic Motorbikes.
During his ownership, the seller has covered approximately 64 miles. The odometer currently shows 29,502 kilometers (18,331 miles).
Maintenance:
In preparation for the listing, the seller had us perform a safety inspection and bleed the clutch master cylinder. Steve did the work, he notes the following in his condition report:
Tire Year Front/ Rear:1621
Tire % Front/ Rear:90+/90+
Tire Press Front/ Rear:36/42
Brake % Front/ Rear :90+/90+
Hydraulic: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
Battery:12.7/13.8CHG
Modifications:
Custom black paint by Jason LeCavalier at Artistimo Custom Design in Wisconsin.
Iconic Motorbikes stripe paint on the gas cap.
WSBK-spec Ohlins forks and Nissin calipers. Triple tree adjustments (spacers up top and boring out of the lowers) by Mike Worshum of Erion Racing and Bruce Transportation to fit the forks.
JB Power Magtan magnesium wheels originally designed for a Honda RC30. The rear wheel uses a modified RC45 hub.
Öhlins shock originally built for a Honda RC30. We asked Öhlins to swap the orientation of the remote reservoir 180 degrees to fit this application, though it’s hidden behind the bodywork.
One-off titanium half system exhaust by our friends at Mixers. We also opened up the intake manifolds to help de-restrict this wonderful machine and had custom velocity stacks 3D printed to mimic the Euro-spec un-restricted bikes.
Carbon inserts in the top triple.
We anodized the gas cap surround as well as the clutch/brake master cylinder covers black.
Not pictured is an adjustable fuel pressure regulator from a Honda automobile.
Inside of the tank:
It is riding on Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires with date codes of 1621 and 1721.
The sale includes three keys.
Cosmetic Blemishes:
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!
