Posts by tag: oval piston

Honda November 28, 2015 posted by Dan

Honda NR750 For Sale in Virginia

As rare as the Honda NR750 is, if one was in the market to buy, there are usually a couple to choose from at any given time somewhere in the world. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen one for sale in the U.S. And it’s the second bike this week that was reportedly owned previously by Nicholas Cage. Sporting just under 2,500 miles, this NR750 is currently bidding at just over $50k with reserve not yet met and 5 days remaining.

Honda NR750 for sale on eBay

from the seller:

If you are looking at this motorycycle, you know what it is. Once owned by Nicholas Cage. New tires and just tuned. Ready to ride or show. Beautiful condition. Thinning the collection.

The Honda NR (New Racing) is a v-four motorcycle engine series started by Honda in 1979 with the 500cc NR500 Grand Prix racer that used oval pistons. This road going NR750 uses elliptical piston with curved long sides. The bike was originally sold in Austria and is the highest performance version of the NR750. These bikes are rarely for sale. Will not go cheap.

Honda August 17, 2012 posted by Mike

Oval Piston Madness! 1992 Honda NR 750 in Germany

For Sale: 1992 Honda NR750

For many, the Honda NR750 represents the holy grail of motorcycle collecting. These ultra-rare machines, the result of maniacal attention to detail and engineering creativity for the purpose of competition, are celebrated the world over as one of the ultimate collectable masterpieces of the modern era.

Conceived in the 1970s as Honda eyed a return to racing – and finding that the competition had moved on to more powerful two strokes in the interim – Honda tried to build what is conceptually a V-8 with only 4 combustion chambers. Although piston ring life was always fragile, the 32-valve, oval piston racebike could spin over 20,000 RPM. The street going NR (New Racing) 750 was limited to 14k due to longevity concerns.

From the seller:
For sale is one of only approximately 300 Honda RC40 also called the NR 750 build by Honda in 1992. This specific motorcycle being a Direct European Model, it has the full power specification from the factory, which is listed at around 125 h.p.

This NR is the 80th bike Honda build in 1992 and has been in the same owners hands for many years. It was ridden a total of 4496 km (2810 miles) since new and it has been maintained perfectly. It has a valid german title, comes with the origial key-set, owners-manual etc. and the original stand.

This NR has always been parked in a climate controlled environment and its condition belies its age of 20 years. Known blemishes are one small scuff on the tail-section decal and one non-expanding small hair-fracture in the windshield underneath the Honda warning label. Unlike so many NR 750 relegated to life on a pedestal or in a collection without ever being used, this motorcycle has actually seen regular use on german roads and is ridable and ready to be enjoyed.

I know what you are thinking. This bike is in Germany. Given that the cost for a NR is already so high up there I couldn’t possibly afford the bike AND what it would cost to ship it home. Well, this enterprising seller has you covered – the BIN includes crating and shipping!

From the seller:
Important note: To make it easier to potential buyers and since we have the necessary
professional business-contacts in the shipping industry, we are able to include professional crating and sea-freight shipping into all buy-it-now pricing, world-wide, to all ports we ship to.

The buy-it-now price of this specific vehicle has been calculated to include these crating and shipping expenses. Crating will be done to international standards and the wood used in these crates will conform to the ISPM15 standard.

I don’t know anyone who would not want an NR for their collection. They are fantastic to look at, and a very rare and unique piece of the Honda legend. Sure, they may not be as cutting edge as the latest and greatest techno-rocket, but back in 1992 this was about as much engineering investment and technology dollars you could throw at a 2-wheeled machine. It also had a very high price tag – in the $50k region – when new.

This beautiful bike is on sale right now, and has a price far lower than nearly any NR I have seen on the web: for only $89,500 (includes shipping) this could become the new cornerstone of your collection. Not quite a homologation racer – but not a badge-engineered “limited edition” model either – the NR represents itself as the pinnacle of motorcycling for the times. For your chance at this sportbike unicorn, jump over to the auction and check it out. Is this a bucket bike for you?

Honda June 10, 2012 posted by Dan

Rarified Air: 1993 Honda NR750

Location: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Miles: 2,485

Price: $94,463

When I was about 12 years old, I remember buying a Tamiya plastic kit of this very motorcycle. I’m not sure why I did so. I’ve always been more of a car enthusiast, as you can see from my features over at German Cars for Sale Blog and Classic Italian Cars for Sale. Something drew me to this bike though. It was only years later that I realized just how much of a landmark bike the Honda NR750 was. Never intended to race in competition, this was Honda’s way of showcasing their latest two-wheel technology. The most obvious feature is the 747cc oval piston V4 engine. Seven sensors and a 16 bit computer controlled the PGM-FI injection. This technology did not come cheap; complex engineering and exotic materials combined to make this an almost $60,000 USD bike when new.

From the seller:

Fabulous Honda NR with only 4000km, two collector owners from new, time wrapped bike in as new condition and on the button. Only serious inquiries.

The engine really does it for me on this bike. It’s such a novel idea when you think about it. Mirroring a bit of a V8 engine with its pistons glued together, the circumference is 30% less than comparable round pistons. This obviously reduces friction against the cylinder bores. For those interested in this impressive and very pricey machine, you can click over to the listing here on JamesList where it resides with a bunch of other tempting vehicles, two wheeled and four. I’m also curious, this being my first post on RSBFS, to see what you enthusiasts have to say about this beast.

To give you an idea of what the NR750 looks and sounds like in action, check out this high speed run from Motorcycle News:

-Paul

Report May 29, 2012 posted by Mike

Sidetracked on Vacation: NR750 in Belgium

While traveling through Belgium recently, I stopped in at the Auto World museum in Brussels. Auto World is a fantastic museum located in the historic Parc du Cinquantenaire complex. Everything in Europe appears to be steeped in history, and the Cinquantenaire Park is no different. The construction of the Cinquantenaire Park complex occurred in the second half of King Leopold II’s reign and took decades to complete (construction started in 1880). Intended as a world expo to showcase Belgian artists, production and industry, the museum on the site today shows more than 200 cars from a variety of eras.

One of the most interesting displays was not a display at all. Sitting somewhat forlorn in an upstairs corner of the massive facility, this Honda NR750 was devoid of any information, placards or other forms of display. The NR was apparently a gem to be discovered by only a few.

There is no indication as to the history or ownership of the bike. There was no indication it was for sale, how it came to the museum or its ultimate fate. One should hope that it gains a more prominent showing in the future, repleat with the occasional ride to keep all the internal workings in order.

This bike exhibited some rash along the right hand side, consistent with a low-speed tipover. It brought to mind the following video posted years ago on youtube. The damage incurred was the same side, and similar in nature. Could the bike in the museum and the bike in the video be the same unlucky NR?

I left the museum without any answers, but I thought the international nature of RSBFS might be able to shed some light on this one. Do any of our readers know anything about this Belgian find? Some of the photos shown here were actually found on the internet, so at least a few folks caught a glimpse of this one. The NR750 was definitely the highlight of the auto museum visit, and goes to show you never know when you are going to stumble onto a truly rare find such as this.

Honda March 4, 2011 posted by Phil

The Holy Grail – 1993 Honda NR750 oval piston!

1993 Honda NR750 oval piston with 5000 miles in the UK – on sale for 222,000 pounds (approx. USD361,000)!!

I remember very clearly the day when I first read about this bike – it was 1992 (I think) and fresh off the college convenience store (at the corner of Union Street and University Avenue) bookshelf was a copy of Cycle World with a special feature on the endurance inspired NR750 with ground breaking oval pistons (i.e. like a can of spam).

Drooling over those twin seat unit integrated tail pipes, the single sided swingarm, the Testarossa inspired “cheese grater” side louvers, the F1 style air scoops on the tail…it was any 2nd year mechanical engineering students’ wet dream. Especially if it’s in the midst of exams and Eastern Canada snowy weather.

Sitting in my then pseudo-girlfriend’s apartment, I told her that I MUST have this bike (and how many times have we heard that before?). The price then was USD40,000 (see, I thought engineers made good money back then – oh how I have been fooled…).

Fast forward almost 20 years (has it been THAT long?) the bike is now selling for nine times the price, which makes the other NR750 that Alex listed a week ago seem like a bargain. It’s a two-decade old design, yet the NR750 still looks gorgeous and fresh, although there are cues – the same ones that so mesmerized me back in 1992 – that dates it within the period where the Japanese try to inject “Italian styling” into their design by adding (sometimes) random air intakes and louvers (remember the Suzuki RF600?). Although in general the end result simply screams of “trying too hard”, the NR750 turned out quite nicely and is probably the best looking design of that era.

In any case, here it is:

( WOW ) This has got to be one of the Worlds most desirable Honda Classic Superbikes to own and this particular example is a must have for the serious bike fanatic or collector, ( IMMACULATE CONDITION ) This machine was produced by Honda to show Hondas fantastic engineering skills it has the famous V4 32 valve oval piston engine, Carbon Fibre Composite bodywork and titanium-tinted screen, The engine ticks over with the same V-four rumble as an RC30 or RC45, but open the NR up…different story. Four oval pistons deliver what the rider and then the throttle demands: a noise seeps from deep inside the bike like someone cutting a bass drum in half with a chainsaw but forget the noise riding it is even better the reach to the bars holds the body in a near perfect riding position – you dont hold onto the NR it holds you to leave the upper body totally free of tension and you get this dream like feeling, you can move to any position on the bike with no effort. Its sublime.

Searching our archives, it seems that this exact bike has been flogged on ebay UK for quite a few times before, and with a price tag like that, I’m not surprised that it didn’t sell. Ian wrote a very detailed post on this bike before, so it makes for good reading no matter if you’re going to Buy It Now or not. I know it’s bad form to post the same bike over and over again, but the NR750 is such a special piece of modern day engineering art that I hope the bosses will let this one slide.

However, it’s the seller who said it best:”it’s sublime.” And that’s pretty much what the oval pistoned Honda NR750 is for me.

Oh, and .

Honda February 26, 2011 posted by Alex

1992 Honda NR 750 RC40 On Yahoo Auctions Japan

This is a real Honda NR available in Japan with limited time left!

Bike: 1992 Honda NR

Miles: 2,500km (1,553mi)

Price: ¥3,880,000.00JPY ($47,505.37USD) Opening bid

Location: Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan

This is a pipe dream to most of our readers, for reasons of price and location, but it’s still fun to look at! The seller states that this NR has a two centimeter (0.79in) crack in the windscreen and some corrosion on the forks. As a 2500km example, I would assume the seller is being completely honest and, hopefully, listing all of the defects regardless of how small–As anyone should expect with a $50k motorcycle. With only two days left on the auction, it’s going to be a rush to get things together to purchase this bike, but if you’re willing to put $50k into a motorcycle you probably can work quickly. Now, from what we’ve seen from European NR’s, this one is considerably, considerably, cheaper than the others which can be see here. If you’ve been looking for an NR, I’d suggest you look to see if this is a legitimate bike and go for it, if you were to import it under the assumption of show & display or track only, it’d still be a great garage piece–I don’t have to tell you this! See this great Honda on Yahoo Auction Japan here…Make sure to use Google Translate, or similar, if you’re not up on your Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji...

Honda October 10, 2009 posted by Phil

Uber rare Honda NR (NR750) for sale in The Netherlands

While RSBFS concerns mostly with bikes for sale in the US, for very special cases of uber-rare bikes we will make an exception, and this, boys and girls, is definitely one of them: a 1994 Honda NR for sale in the Netherlands.

Uber uber rare Honda NR (NR750) for sale

First produced in 1992, the NR (often mistakenly referred to as the NR750 – the 1987 Le Mans endurance racer) is an absolute legend with it’s GP racing derived oval piston (often amusingly referred to as ‘a can of spam’) engine, and it was the 90s equivalent of today’s Ducati Desmosedici in terms of exoticism and price – it was the most expensive production bike of the day, retailing for $50,000 – back in 1992! Here’s more info on Wikipedia about this truly exotic ride.

All we know about the bike from the ad is that the seller is asking 48000 Euros for it. Hard to comment on the price as you don’t see a NR up for sale everyday, but if I had the cash, it’d be already sitting in my bedroom right by my bed!

phil