#21 Honda VFR750R RC30
Where did it come from?
From the Honda Racing Corporation, thanks to a change of rules for world-class four-stroke racing. Until the late 1980s, the TT F1 series was the main four-stroke race class - full factory prototypes racing at a mix of pure road and closed circuits. Honda dominated in competition, with its exotic V4 RVF750 works race bikes. But 1988 saw the birth of World Superbikes, based on production bikes. Honda committed fully to support the new series but it didn’t have a bike to suit. So it built a production V4 racer using everything it had learned from the RVF. The VFR750R was born, but though that was the ‘official’ name on the birth certificate, it would always be known by its factory code: RC30.
What changed?
Hardly anything. Because it was designed for racing, changes were mostly made to the HRC race kits rather than the base bike. So apart from a few detail paintwork differences, uprated valves for 1989, and detail changes for different markets, an RC30’S an RC30.
Why do people like it?
Because it’s beautiful to look at and beautifully built - the finish and attention to detail make the average production bike look like a lashed-up special. But it’s still primarily functional - a work tool for winning races.
Cult rating 5/5
Deep down, everyone really wants one…
The problem is...
RC30S have always been expensive and sought-after but with the rise in classic superbike racing, it’s getting harder to find one for realistic money. Racing eats spares as well and with many engine parts having long been obsolete, that means keeping an RC30 on the road is increasingly difficult and costly. Oh, and if you keep the standard wheels (narrow front, 18in rear) there’s also very little choice of modern rubber.
Without the RC30...
The other factories might not have had to raise their game and we might not have had a generation of exotic racing homologation specials - the Yamaha OW01, Kawasaki ZXR750RR and of course, a long and distinguished line of track-inspired Ducatis.
“It’s still primarily functional - a work tool for winning races”