1994 Honda RC45

Description

Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. Please contact abhi@iconicmotorbikes.com if you have any questions!

Additional photos of this 1994 Honda RC45 are available here for your perusal.

The successor to the legendary RC30, Honda’s RC45 (or RVF750R) was a limited run homologation special created to help Honda re-establish supremacy in World Superbike. Though it was ridden to back-to-back titles in ’88 and ’89, by 1993 the RC30 had grown noticeably long in the tooth and it was clear that a new race weapon was needed to dethrone Ducati and its mighty twin. Honda’s answer came in 1994 in the form of the RC45.

Like the RC30, the RC45 was powered by a liquid-cooled, 749cc, DOHC, 16V, four-stroke, 90-degree V4, though unlike its carbureted predecessor, the RC45 was bestowed with tunable electronic fuel-injection borrowed from the development of the NR750. The bike also benefited from knowledge and experience gained in Honda’s RVF factory endurance race program. The RVF’s V4 boasted low-friction pistons, ceramic and graphite impregnated cylinder liners, titanium conrods, and a close-ratio six-speed gearboxes with undercut shift dogs.

The Euro and Japanese-spec RC45s made 118 hp at 12,000 rpm and 56 ft-lbs of torque at 10,000 rpm while the American model generated 101 hp — though the US version could be brought up to the Euro’s 118 via a simple tweak of the PGM-FI box.

Until the RC45, all of Honda’s V4 machines used a consistent bore and stroke of 70mm x 48.6mm, but the RC45 ended that tradition instead using a 72mm x 46mm setup. The RC45 also used gear-driven cams like the RC30, however, the drive was relocated to the side of the engine to allow for a narrower package. Wrapped around the V4 was a twin-spar aluminum chassis that had been slightly reworked with tweaked dimensions and slightly thinner walls. Suspension on the RC45 consisted of upside-down 41mm forks and a gas-charged shock absorber out back paired with ELF’s single-sided swing-arm which was slightly longer than the unit on the RC30. Both ends were adjustable for rebound, preload, and compression. The RVF’s riding position was still sporty but not nearly as hunched over as its predecessor’s, with a 50mm lower seat height.

Honda saw some races success with the RVF750R: Miguel Duhamel won the 1995 AMA Superbike Championship and the 1996 Daytona 200, while Ben Bostrom nabbed the 1998 AMA Superbike title, and Aaron Slight, John Kocinski, Carl Fogarty, and Colin Edwards all secured WSBK wins plus a trio of Suzuka 8 Hour wins in ’97, ’98, and ’99. While Honda’s current flagship supersport is powered by an inline-four, the firm still uses V4 engines in its current crop of MotoGP missiles that can trace than development back to bikes like the RC30 and RC45.

This example is VIN: RC451000198.

The odometer shows 9,137 miles.

Based on the short VIN as well as kanji stickers on the windscreen and chain guard, we believe this was originally sold in Japan and imported to the US at an unknown date – presumably at that time the gauges were swapped for MPH units.

In 2007, this RC45 was waiting at a red light when it was rear-ended by a teenage driver. Per the previous owner, “the insurance company had no idea what to do with it since it is so rare that they totaled it and issued a rebuilt title. The damage included a bent exhaust, broken right footpeg and brake levers. Scratches were in the right rear view mirror, right front turn signal, right lower fairing, rear wheel, and the number plate area on the right side of the tail section. So a new rear wheel, right front turn signal, right mirror, right lower fairing, right footpeg, and both brake levers were replaced with factory parts. An aftermarket Termignoni shotgun exhaust was also installed. The number plate area on the tailsection was repainted. Everything on the bike is back as it should now and it rides just as well as it ever did…it does have a few very small chips here and there and the left lower fairing has paint missing on the very bottom.”

In preparation for the listing, the seller had Olly change the oil/filter, rebuild the fuel pump, install a new fuel filter, install a new airbox and air filter, rebuild the forks, clean the front calipers, install new brake pads, install anew cylinder head cover gasket, and install new Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S21 tires with date codes of 1620 and 4520.

Olly notes that the bike is missing the rear turn signals, the rear fender has been cut, and the PGM light on the dash stays on all the time.

Modifications:
Termignoni exhaust.

Aftermarket tank pad.

Cosmetic Blemishes:

Inside of the tank:

The sale includes one key.

Currently located at our facility in Santa Monica, California (please make an appointment for an inspection), this Honda is offered on a rebuilt Washington title. Have any RC45 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!

Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. Please contact abhi@iconicmotorbikes.com if you have any questions!