BUYING AND SELLING
Honda’s RC30 was the real deal – a race bike with lights and a numberplate. Small wonder it became an instant classic
Honda’s RC30 racer for the road and more market messages
Bikes achieve classic status for a variety of reasons. Some (like the Honda C90 over the page) become classics by virtue of an innovative specification, staggering sales or a marathon production run. With others, it’s down to rarity, enduring desirability or simply age. But some bikes are classics the second they roll off the production line. And Honda’s VFR750R (aka the RC30) is one of them. Introduced on the Japanese home market in 1987, the RC30 was released in Europe the following year. And it was an instant sensation. The first 1000 or so bikes went to the Japanese market and were restricted to 77bhp. These days, plenty of those have found their way to the UK – and they are relatively easy to derestrict if this hasn’t already been carried out. Ride a full-power RC30 with a claimed 118bhp, though, and you’re in for a real treat.
It’s not that the RC30 is incredibly fast – a good one will hit around 150mph – but the way the whole package comes together to make a bike that flatters its rider and is capable of maintaining frighteningly high average speeds on the road. Delightfully neutral steering, supple suspension and lovely, linear power delivery once you get above 7000rpm come together in a compact package that somehow contrives to remain (almost) comfortable even for a 6ft rider. It’s design genius.
There’s no cost cutting on the RC30. Gear-driven cams (a feature shared with the VFR750 that appeared at the same time), titanium conrods, 360° cranks, the first slipper clutch on a production
motorcycle, a QD rear wheel, closeratio gearbox and that amazing single-sided swingarm all scream ‘racer.’ The RC30 is the real thing.
Because of that, the bike displays inevitable shortcomings as a road bike. The pair of tiny radiators, intended for non-stop high-speed work, can cause the engine to overheat in traffic. An intemperate thirst for oil, thanks to the racing pistons, is another nuisance. And the way the RC30 squeezes so much engineering into the tiniest of spaces means that routine maintenance can be time-consuming – just try changing the front plugs. Ride a good one, though, and you won’t care. It’s worth putting up with.
Perhaps the RC30’S biggest fault today is the cost of ownership. Scruffy examples make £18,00020,000, but this beautiful 1990 VFR750R-K being offered by The Bike Specialists in Sheffield (thebikespecialists.com) for £32,980 is far from that. Imported from Italy in 2016, it has covered a mere 11,857km and has been kept in the current owner’s house. The previous owner spent £2000 ensuring the paintwork is as perfect as the mechanical condition and it comes with original Hondasupplied paddock stand.
Check those lottery numbers.
‘THERE’S NO COST CUTTING. IT’S DESIGN GENIUS’