Honda NR 750 in the driving report

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Honda NR 750 in the driving report

Oval revelation

There were times when Honda was miles ahead of the competition. And there were times when Honda just celebrated itself. This is exactly what the Honda NR 750 was designed for. The only road legal machine with oval pistons. MOTORCYCLE drove them again.

M.an old friend Harry was earlier. He made our hobby motorcycling into a profession when I was still sending my rickety Guzzi towards the lecture hall. Harry dealt in everything one needed to ride a motorcycle. Today Harry runs his motorcycle yard near Wurzburg, still sells complete motorcycle equipment and devotes himself extensively to his passion for collecting. “You have to visit me, I finally have an NR!” “At Honda NR 750, this sensational oval piston part?” “Exactly, you don’t think how it works! I have an open one that was built for Finland. "

Honda NR 750 in the driving report

Oval revelation

Let the NR 750 drive. That is a good thing, because the 50 kilometers that I have driven with oval piston Hondas in my life are not enough. In addition: Back then, in the early 1990s, the luscious shapes and the heavy engine seemed to me to be exaggerated. A Fireblade 900 weighed over a hundredweight less and had more horsepower. So what was this all about?

Processing still sensational today

Today I see things differently. And I am totally surprised. Harry not only has one Honda NR 750, he has two. “Yes, Moni also said I was crazy. But I think they’ll be wanted in a few years. Wait and see! ”Harry, the old freak. Two (!) NR 750 stand in the yard and are visibly happy about my speechlessness. I would not have expected this. Two NR, virtually in new condition, one with 1,000 kilometers on the clock, the other with 4,300. We simply simulate. “The processing is still sensational today. Carbon parts, paintwork, screws, nuts: At that time, Honda was still setting the standard. Just look at the handlebar grips, even there it says ‘NR’! ”Harry enthuses. Back then, that was in 1991, Honda built 300 of the oval piston miracle and offered them for 100,000 marks. Not many of them came to Germany, and even fewer were actually driven. The machine was often too good for the owners.

Technically, the engine was based on the long-distance racing machine Honda NR 750 with around 160 hp. But the idea for oval pistons came to the Honda engineers in the 1970s. In order to be able to survive in the 500 World Championship with a four-stroke engine against the four-cylinder two-stroke engine, a V8 engine would actually be necessary. The regulations allowed a maximum of four cylinders. So the Honda guys each merged two pistons into an oval, achieved ridiculous speeds of up to 20,000 rpm and accommodated eight valves and two spark plugs per combustion chamber. Crazy? Crazy!

Honda NR 750: sound check and test drive

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An unthinkable project in today’s era

It was even crazier to construct the crazy technology in a production motorcycle. "I think Honda added another 100,000 to every Honda NR 750 it produced," Harry reckons, and he will certainly not understate that. The eight titanium connecting rods alone, the pistons and cylinders that were actually made to order, the piston rings, oh my God … The controller job didn’t exist in Japan at that time, or they had yours locked up somewhere. Today, in the era of shareholder value, where quarterly profits are more important than brand values, an unthinkable project.

But now it stands there, starts after two or three attempts and hisses sonically from the underseat exhaust. The engine of the Honda NR 750 revs up effortlessly as Harry warms it up. "Four and a half liters of oil, we’ll let it warm up for a while before you drive." The gears of the camshaft drives are singing, the throttles get wilder, the tachometer needle twitches. That doesn’t sound like a normal four-stroke, somehow more snappy, evil. I drive off.

From 10,000 rpm the NR fires from all tubes

The NR is difficult, the first gear is long, the flywheel mass feels zero: now just don’t kill it. With the clutch slipping, I roll out of Harry’s village. It’s so cold today, my hole combination looks a bit out of place. Didn’t Harry shout something to me about "first tires" and "it never turned a corner"? I feel euphoria coupled with deep worries. Euphoria because I actually drive a Honda NR 750. Worry because the load does what it wants. 16-inch front wheel with 130 tires has never worked. 16-inch front wheel with 25-year-old tires, an outside temperature of four degrees and plenty of dusty roads in the Hohenlohe province make a little discouraged. In curves, a thick, strong arm wants to wring the noble handlebars out of my hand. And the solid piston calipers at the front were and are of course ABS-free. After all: the engine is awesome. It responds creamily to every little movement of the throttle. Climbing up the speed ladder with almost no vibration, but increasingly threatening.

From 5,000 rpm, there is real pressure, from 10,000 rpm the Honda NR 750 fires from all cylinders. It’s amazing how light as a feather and limitlessly the 32-valve engine revs up. The red area begins at 15,000 rpm, and the V4 loosely whips that onto the chain. Even today’s super athletes shy away from such speed orgies. How does the NR do that? With a stroke of 42 millimeters, it doesn’t move its pistons up and down any more than a current Yamaha R6. And can therefore turn just as high, yes, thanks to titanium connecting rods even higher. "You have to come when it’s warmer again." Harry comforts his Schlotter buddy with the hole suit. I promise to look for the latest tires for the noble Honda. It would be a shame if this unique vehicle were scratched on the rims because of wooden goods. And when it comes to handling, newer tire designs can work wonders. Maybe we’ll take a trip with two NR 750? Has that even existed before? We laugh.

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