Honda NR 750

^{The Honda NR750 is possibly the ultimate} superbike. It may not be the fastest, and it may not be the best, but it is arguably the best looking,  undoubtedly the most technologically advanced, and unquestionably the most expensive.  What makes the NR750 so special is the amazing high-technology it boasts. It is Honda's way of proving how clever they are, corporate muscle-flexing by a company who wanted to prove that they build quality as well as quantity. Space-age engineering is packed into every cranny of the NR, making it a unique and fascinating machine. But at £36,500 each (and Honda only built 700 of them) you'd expect it to be rare. When it costs five times more than the same company's flag-ship sportsbike, the NR750 would have to be something a bit out of the ordinary. 

What's most special about the NR750 is its engine. The NR is clever in many respects, but the it is the engine that sets it apart from any other motorcycle. This liquid-cooled V4 motor uses oval pistons, no less than eight valves per cylinder and features a highly sophisticated fuel-injection system. A 32-valve fuel-injected V4 750 is an astonishing feat of engineering, and one which allows Honda to produce a lot of power from a relatively small package.  Each of the two cylinder banks has double overhead cams. Each piston (they are actually oblong shaped, but with rounded-off corners, rather than purely oval) has two con-rods, two spark-plugs and eight valves. Why all this high-technology? Engines using lots of valves, all opening and closing quickly, can rev higher than ones with fewer valves. With a rev limit of 15,000rpm and an advanced fuel-injection system, the NR750 produces an impressive 125bhp (although pre-production prototypes were capable of 140bhp and the racing bike on which the NR is based was making more than 160bhp).   But there's more to the NR750 than oval-piston technology. The aluminium-alloy chassis is a work of art, combining strength and rigidity with lightness, and the NR's suspension is the best money can buy. At the front the NR features massive inverted Showa i forks and at the back it uses Honda's fiendishly [clever single-sided swingarm developed for fast wheel changes in endurance racing.  But most breath-taking of all is the body-work, i an impressive mixture of carbon-fibre and fibreglass that costs more than the total price of any other mass-production motorcycle. Even the NR's windscreen is titanium-coated and costs more than most people earn in a month.

The styling of the bodywork is sleek and seductive, the lines beautiful and the finish higher quality than anything seen before from a 'mass-produced' motorcycle.  As far as performance goes, the NR is good rather than exceptional. There are plenty of other motorbikes that will accelerate faster and reach a higher top speed, but the NR750 is one of the best handling bikes on the road, capable of going from 0-60mph in under four seconds and reaching a top speed of 160mph.  The NR750 is so expensive and exclusive that most people will never see one, let alone come across one on a public road. Which is a shame because it is undoubtedly the best looking and most exciting production motorcycle ever made.

Source of review: Super Bikes  by Mac McDiarmid

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