Honda NR750 information

Only around 300 road legal NR750’s were released by Honda, and was the most expensive production motorcycle at that time, selling for around $50.000.

It’s very existence is all down to Honda wishing to make a come back in Grand Prix motorcycle competition in 1977, when the first eight (and last!) valve per cylinder engine
Honda’s NR (new racing) V-four motorcycle was conceived.

The oval pistons, necessary to accommodate the eight valves was launched for the 1979 season, against the all conquering four cylinder two strokes from Suzuki and Yamaha. Grand prix rules at that time limited an engine to just four cylinders, so Honda created this eight valve engine to give the performance of a V8, with just four cylinders, each piston having two con-rods!

The engine eventually produced 130bhp @ 20,000rpm,this was competitive, but the bike was not. The power band made it all but unridable, and the push starts in those day’s were also a problem, as the engine had to turnover at more than 6000rpm just to run at all!

The concept was all but dropped and the NSR two stroke triple replaced Honda’s Grand Prix effort.

The oval piston concept continued in the NR750 endurance bike, which made a brief appearance during the 1980s. The technology was transferred to the road, at least on a limited basis, in the bike simply referred to as the 'NR'. One of the most expensive road motorcycles yet offered for sale, a limited number of the NR models was sold in the early 1990s with a 750cc version of the engine capable of developing approximately 125bhp at 14,000rpm in standard form. Although a heavy machine by modern standards, it incorporated a range of technologies and design features that have now become more commonplace. Any body that has heard one of these machines at full chat will never forget one of the most memorable sounds outside of the original works Honda Six, in a word spine tingling!………… O.K so that was two words!

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