Honda VFR750R RC30

                                                       

The concept behind the RC30 was; to equip a Works TT-F1 type machine with minimum road going equipment so that it could run legally on public streets. Thus it could be homologated to race in production based classes around the world. It sold for 1,480,000 yen, an extraordinary price for domestic (Japan) sales back in 1986. (It didn't officially come to the world market till '88) The price in 1988 was $17,998 (about the same in Australia, not $14,998 as reported in Cycle Canada) and then went up as only about 25 were imported over two years. Most went straight to the track as they were intended. Some went south of the border (USA). A few went into private collections, like the now famous first production VFR750R serial # 00001. Why famous? Because a few years ago Honda wanted to buy the bike back for it's museum and the owner said no.  


Each RC30 was produced one at a time at Honda's Hamamatsu plant, by a special team of workers. This is the same facility where the Honda 'work's' factory race machines are built. And it shows too.  The hand laid fibreglass and gleaming paint are second to none. It was a far better built machine for it's time compared with the newer RC45.


Only 1000 of the total production were sold to the Japanese domestic market (by drawing lots). They produce less horsepower. They have smaller headlights, turn signals and rear-view mirrors as well as different graphics then the european model.


For 1989 a special run of approx. 300 were assembled for the U.S. market. They are fitted with air pollution controls and have the RC30 designation on the tail section. These were the first and last build of RC30's for the U.S. market.


There were two colours, loswhite and the more familiar HRC tricolour (Two tone blue and red, over white). Only 30 of them were coloured loswhite, so it is assumed that their rarity would place their value very high. It's reported that they were exported to Europe and America. I have never seen or heard of one. Supposedly many of these were later imported back into Japan.


With the main goal of this model being; To dominate the worlds production based race classes. It's no wonder that fewer then 1/4 of the estimated total production run of 3000 have survived in stock street trim.

 

maximum power : 120ps/11000 rpm (minimum guarantee)

maximum torque : 7.4kg-m/10500 rpm

maximum speed : 250km/h

sold at 25,000 mark(FR) or 14,998 dollars(US)