Motorcycle specifications HondaRC 30 - VFR 750 R 1990 Circuit legend

the year is 1987. Cyril Neveu has just won the Paris-Dakar Rally for the fifth time; the Airbus A320 has just taken off; Ferrari unveils the F 40; a small TV channel is born: M6; Construction begins on the Channel Tunnel; But that's not all... The world is about to be turned upside down again. Just as the recent Suzuki 750 and 1100 GSX-R have significantly accelerated the Earth's rotation speed, a new machine is about to emerge from the paddocks. A girl of the track, whose initials will soon become the abbreviation of a fantasy. 4 signs, which will be symbolic and absolute: RC 30.

it sounds like the code name of a US Air Force fighter jet:10 years later, the Honda CBR 1100 XX would adopt the name Super Blackbird, in reference to the American SR-71 aircraft). A sports bike like no other, a 750 that plays in a different league from the GSX-R, FZ and ZXR. No, not a sports bike - a racing machine, designed for the track and approved for the road. An uncompromising HRC creation, beautiful, sublime, with an eloquent genetic heritage. It's a direct descendant of the RVF endurance factory, itself inspired by the 500 speed bike. Exceptional? No doubt about it. Impossible to doubt when you know that this bike is hand-assembled directly at HRC. And there's no hiding its goal: Superbike. A promising championship that the FIM will launch next year(today, more than 20 years later, the SBK has become one of the most resounding championships in the motorcycle world).

first of all, there's the silhouette. Streamlined, low, taut, uncompromising, like a 500 GP bike. A 7? cut for performance, where every detail proves the RC 30's commitment to competition. Let's take off the fairing and discover what's hidden beneath this FRB (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) assembly, a material that's lighter yet stronger than plastic. It only takes a few moments, as the hand-made fairing is held in place by large staples fastened behind the components. Once naked, we're overcome with admiration and confusion. The race is on, skin-deep.

come closer. Closer still. From a distance, the superb chassis disappears beneath the mess of hoses, cables and other peripherals. You have to get close enough, until you can smell the aluminum, to detail and revel in the heart of the RC 30, its V4. An engine not often found in 4-stroke sports bikes, whose leitmotif I'll quickly remind you: the power and revs of a 4-cylinder without its imposing width. The perfect way to refine a bike and improve its aerodynamics, without sacrificing power. And this boiler alone justifies the exceptional nature of this machine. Just a few figures: 748 cm3, a 90° opening angle between the cylinder banks, 360° timing for one explosion per revolution, a red zone at 12,500 rpm, and 91 horsepower at output. WHAT!!! Is this a joke?!?
Indeed, it's enough to make you bristle. But that's the bridle for France. And let's not complain too much: the Japanese version is calmed down to 77 hp. Let's breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the normal version develops 112 bhp, and that the addition of an HRC kit enables it to climb to 122 bhp. And if your heart (and wallet) so desires, the TTF1 kit boasts 133 hp. Fortunately, the titanium connecting rods are designed to keep up.
Before installing these kits, let's take a look at the concern for compactness and efficiency shown by HRC's engine designers. Starting with valves fitted with tappets guided in the cylinder head, allowing direct attack by the ACT cams; this results in less friction, a lighter cylinder head, and intake pipes raised by 6°, as well as straighter ducts. A cascade of sprockets drives the valve train with rarely-seen precision, not to mention a very distinctive whistle and the added worry of replacing two chains. The carburetors are 35 mm, specially designed for this VFR-R. And for cooling, 2 remarkable curved radiators evacuate the heat.
A little attention from HRC that deserves our full attention is the anti-dribble mechanism installed in the clutch. In the event of a miscalculated downshift at high speed, the residual torque not digested by the engine will cause the rear wheel to dribble or lock up. Honda has installed a torque limiter that acts on the clutch plates. In the event of overload, the system acts on 3 discs, reducing torque by around 35%.
As a road machine, the RC 30 weighs 18 kg more than the official RVF - but the V4 weighs exactly the same in both machines: 75 kg.

around this little technological temple, Honda has taken care to build a chassis to match. The frame, for example, is not really a double aluminum perimeter beam like the others - it comes from the same molds as those used on the RVF; but slightly reinforced to withstand the stresses of the road. Anchored to its reeds, we touch the sublime: a magnificent pro-arm monobar, fruit of the love affair between Honda and ELF. Such a piece of equipment on a sporty road bike is a dream come true. On the one hand, there's a superb multi-spoke rim, and on the other, you can discover that all the crown nuts are braked with wire, just like in compet'. In fact, there are many variations between the RVF and the RC 30: identical design for the very wide cast-aluminum wheels (magnesium on the RVF), 43 mm quick-release fork with double adjustment (rebound and compression), polished aluminum top-member, monoshock with separate reservoir recompression and rebound damping, dual 310 mm front discs clamped by 4-piston calipers (designed to facilitate quick pad changes), and a host of details that are both efficient, lightweight and quick to change.
Crazy gear? No, simply the very best for the very best sports bike. A machine that few would have dared dream of ever seeing on the road. But here it is! Honda has done it, and offers what is surely the most emblematic motorcycle of the 80s.

considered to be one of Honda's most prestigious models, the RC 30 was produced in overtained over 4700 units, each with a carbon-encrusted key. The number of victories that can be added to its list of achievements is staggering: the Bol d'Or several times, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 8 Hours of Suzuka, victories and titles in all the world's Superbike championships, a host of Tourist Trophy successes. But this dream comes at a price: almost 90,000 francs. Oh yes, that's the slap in the face nobody wants to know. But is it really so unreasonable to have Sarron's bike in the garage?

* what did 90,000 francs represent at the time? About 19 months' minimum wage, almost a Renault 5 GT Turbo, 2 GSX-R 750s, over 30,000 baguettes of bread, or 18,600 liters of SP 95.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos

This short promotional video from the time clearly shows the passion and craftsmanship that Honda put into its RC 30.