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Cult bike Honda VFR 750 R RC 30
Nordschleife record bike
Metzeler man and racing driver Helmut Dahne and his Honda RC 30 – two legends with highly successful resumes.
A.hen a journalist Helmut Dahne asked: “How do I drive around the Nordschleife in 7.49 minutes?”, the answer was short and impressively simple: “Drive fast!” That was more than a passion for the man from Munich, you could almost say it was – or is – an addiction. Whether off-road or later as a BMW and tire test driver for the manufacturer Metzeler: Wherever Helmut Dahne was, was ahead. Whether on a BMW, Honda, Suzuki or Yamaha, in endurance racing, on the daring TT or on the series machines – the man with the red leather suit and the white horizontal stripes was always good for a podium. And for the legendary lap record on the Nordschleife of the Nurburgring in June 1993. His motorcycle back then: a Honda VFR 750 R, abbreviation RC 30. Designed in 1988 as the basis for the newly created 750 Superbike World Championship, the compact V4 racer was and still is as one of the best, if not the best, production sports motorcycle from Honda.
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Cult bike Honda VFR 750 R RC 30
Nordschleife record bike
"Beastly power doesn’t help"
“The Nordschleife as well as the Tourist Trophy have their own rules,” says Helmut Dahne, explaining his love for the Honda RC 30, “on both tracks you have to hit the round, soft ideal line to the millimeter. Beastly power doesn’t help, it’ll only kill you. ”Exactly this round, soft line is also the trademark of the lanky Bavarian who, contrary to the trend at the time, rarely dabbed the asphalt with the knee slider. But with the “old school” driving style, Helmut Dahne has come a long way. Although you have to say that the now 69-year-old learned to ride a motorcycle when you rounded the bends with your knees pressed tightly against the tank. He spent his summer vacation in 1964 with Spezl Alfred on the Nordschleife, which he learned by heart – and to respect – on a BMW R 69 S..
Because Alfred fired his BMW grenade-like, but with manageable wounds, into the raspberry bushes on the Wippermann section. With a little practice and the BMW test driver Manfred Zeller as a teacher, the young Mr Dahne managed the entire GP route as a junior at Bayern in 1966, i.e. the Nordschleife plus start and finish loop, in ten minutes and 30 seconds. Reduced to the pure Nordschleife lap, that would be a quick 9.45 minutes – with a 50 hp BMW R 69 S mind you.
Even back then on Metzeler tires, Dahne switched from BMW to the tire manufacturer in Munich. What luck. Because in Helmut Dahne they bought a test driver and developer who made no compromises in terms of quality and safety. Whereby Helmut Dahne’s Honda RC 30 also played a very important role and is therefore still walking around today with the white and blue Metzeler design on the fairing.
Facts
Jahn
Data: 90-degree V-four-cylinder four-stroke engine, 748 cm³, 74 kW (100 PS) at 11,000 / min, 67 Nm at 10,500 / min, six-speed gearbox, bridge frame made of aluminum profiles, weight with a full tank of 208 kg, front tires 120/70 VR 17, rear 180/60 VR 18, tank capacity 18 liters, max. 240 km / h, price in 1988: 25,000 marks.
Literature: HONDA MILESTONES by Jurgen Gabebner.
Specialists: Roland Eckert, www.eckert-praezisionsteile.de; Thomas “Joe” Liebmann, www.joe-garage.de; Wolfgang Harbusch, www.wellbrock.com.
Market situation: With a lot of luck you can find an RC 30 from around 14,000 euros in its original condition, for an optimized VFR 750 R (larger cooler, 17-inch rear wheel, etc.) in top condition you can quickly get twice as much. Some RC 30s are also offered in pure racing trim without road approval.
Club / IG / Internet: Pit Spang, www.rc30-club.de
Everything about the Honda RC 30 and its club can be found in MOTORRAD CLASSIC issue 1/2009.
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