Today’s Featured Listing is a 1988 Honda RS250RF, a bona fide production two-stroke Grand Prix racebike. The RS250R first took to the track in 1984 as a development prototype, with machines made available to privateers and customer teams in 1985. It wasn’t intended for Honda factory teams: they were equipped with the even more exclusive “works” RS250RW. Although at a glance it resembles the roadgoing NSR250R in style in specification, the RS250R was a pure racing machine that shared no parts with its more pedestrian sibling.
The RS250RF was powered by a two-stroke, 90° v-twin displacing 249cc with crankcase reed induction and slightly undersquare bore and stroke dimensions: 54 x 54.5mm. The six-speed cassette gearbox was mated to a dry clutch, the lightweight powertrain was hung from an aluminum twin-spar frame, and the bike used a 17″/18″ front/rear wheel combo that was common at the time. The resulting package weighed in at around 220lbs dry and produced a claimed 71hp for the 1988 model, coded “NF5” by Honda. Other changes for 1988 included a move from Honda’s ATAC or “Automatic Torque Amplification Chamber” system to a power valve system similar to the ones being used by other Japanese manufacturers. Front forks lost their TRAC “Torque Reactive Anti-Dive Control” system and featured increased diameter.
I have an 1988 Honda RS250RF for sale.The following has been done by me last winter:
- Rebuilt both front forks
- Rebuilt rear shock absorber unit (professional service)
- Fitted new tires (not slicks but race compound (soft front – medium rear)
- New bored cylinders – fitted new VHM pistons
- Complete new paint job
- All fairings are original fibre glass, tank is original aluminum
- New sticker kit
- Japan import papers are at hand
- Complete cleaning and rubbing of all aluminum
- New batteries x 2
- New 520 DID gold chain
- HRC user manual included
$15,000 OBO
Contact riding@rare-ones.com
A genuine Grand Prix racing motorcycle with fresh paint in classic racing livery, major services to the engine, suspension, and running gear? What’s not to like? The bike’s mechanical simplicity is elegant and purposeful, and the bodywork has handsome lines and proportions. These are very rare machines, and obviously many were crashed and destroyed in competition. This example appears ready to run and would make a wildly cool track or race bike for someone with deep pockets or the requisite mechanical skill, or a very cool collectible to decorate your garage or living room.
Contact riding@rare-ones.com
-tad
