In the early days, We're dismissed the Honda RVF750R (RC45) as over-priced and underpowered – as a road bike it was over £17,980 in 1994, when a Kawasaki ZXR750 L1 was £7950. But to judge it as solely a road machine is missing the point.
It was designed, right from the start, to be festooned in HRC race-kit bits and win races – it was built to be modified. The small production run of stock road bikes was just a consequence. The RC45’s job was to win superbike races.
As well as being a much-needed replacement to the aging RC30 in WSBK, Honda badly needed a bike to win the Suzuka 8-hours race. Some say that in the 90s a Suzuka win was more important than a 500GP title and new rules banning prototype machines meant that Honda needed a competitive bike. The machine was an evolution.
The RC45 has gear-driven cams, like its predecessor the RC30, but Honda extensively redesigned the engine to make it more compact and was updated with fuel-injection too. The RC45 won the 8-hours in its debut year, then again in 1995.
Colin Edwards and Noriyuki Haga beat it with the Yamaha YZF750 in 1996, but the Honda V4 won again in 97, 98 and its final year 99, by which time it had a double-sided swingarm, two-into-one pipes up either side of the bike and a very funky Lucky Strike red paintjob.
It was retired when the equally dominant VTR1000 SP-1 V-twin took over. The highlight being a holidaying Valentino Rossi winning on it in 2001. Since 1994, Honda has won 17 Suzuka 8-hours to Suzuki’s two and Yamaha’s one. Kawasaki last won in 1993 with the ZXR-7, the last year of the F1 prototype rules.
The RC45 also won a World Superbike title with John Kocinski, in 1997, and AMA Superbike the following year with Ben Bostrom. Philip McCallen, Joey Dunlop and Steve Hislop won TTs on the V4 too.
Honda RVF750 (RC45) Specifications
Manufacturing: Honda (Honda Racing Company)
Model: RVF 750 (RC45)
Year Built: 1994 - 1999
Engine: 4-Stroke, Liquid Cooled, 90 'V-4 (4 Cylinder), DOHC 16 Valve, Gear-Driven Camshaft
Bore x Stroke: 70 x 48.6 mm
Cylinder capacity: 748 cc
Fuel Supply System: PGM-FI (Fuel Injection)
Compression ratio: 11.5: 1
Transmission: 6-Speed, Close Ratio
Ignition: Digital ECU
Starter: Electric Starter
Max Power: 119 HP @ 12,000 RPM
Max Torque: 75 N.m @ 10,500 RPM
Top Speed: 260 Km / h
Length x Width x Height: 2110 x 710 x 1100 mm
Wheelbase: 1407 mm
Ground Clearance : 130 mm
Dry weight : 189 kg
Fuel tank capacity: 18 Liter
Frame: Aluminium Twinspar Frame, Low Center of Gravity
Front Suspension : 41mm Upside Down Fork
Rear suspension: Monoshock with Pro-Link System, ELF Designed Single Sided swingarm (Mono-Arm)
Front Brakes : Hydraulic discs 2 x 310mm , 4 Piston Caliper
Rear brakes : Hydraulic Disc 220mm, Caliper 2 Piston
Front Tires : 130/60 - ZR16
Rear tires : 190/50 - ZR17