1987 Honda NS400R Motorcycle

Description

Designed to combat the road racers already on the market from Yamaha and Suzuki in the early 1980s at a time when street-legal GP bikes were all the rage, Honda’s NS400R was released in 1985 as a replica of the NS500 ridden to victory by a 21-year-old Freddie Spencer in the 1983 500cc World Championship, becoming the youngest ever world champion in the process. Powered by a liquid-cooled two-stroke V3, the 387cc unit developed a peak of 72 horsepower at 9500 rpm – the unusual capacity choice due to the limits in place for the Japanese market. Featuring triple Keihin slide carburettors and a six-speed transmission with a wet clutch, the boxed section alloy frame used state of the art TRAC anti-dive front forks and Pro-Link rear suspension, triple disc brakes with dual piston calipers. Sold between 1985 and 1987, Honda’s NS400 was an engineering tour de force, bristling with GP technology. A brilliant handling chassis and a motor with an even spread of power and torque thanks to the 90-degree crank, the high asking price meant the NS400R was sold in relatively small numbers and values have remained high. An instant classic, some have argued the NS400R was the most complex and best road-going two-stroke bike ever made and the iconic ‘Rothmans’ livery shared with the factory GP bikes only added to their appeal with the buying public. .