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Honda did not hold back on the NR 750, also known as the RC40. Carbon fibre fairings and a titanium windshield was just the start. The liquid-cooled V-block engine featured highly complex elliptical pistons and an unprecedented eight valves per cylinder, as well as a very advanced fuel injection system. But the biggest secret to the NR 750’s performance was found in Honda’s mechanism for opening and closing the engine valves.
The ingenious mechanism allowed the valves to operate at very high speeds by opening and closing very quickly. Through this, the RC 40 could output a maximum power of 125hp, very handy indeed for a bike that weighed only 223kg.
The bike did not come cheap, however, and that did not help its sales figures. When introduced, the Honda NR750 (RC40) cost 38,000 pounds in England, at a time when a powerful bike was expected to go for around 6,000 pounds.
The NR 750 has today become a cult icon, and a very rare one at that, which is why they are now mostly only to be found in museums.
The Honda NR750 (RC40) was donated to the Museu do Caramulo by Manuel Correia de Freitas and Isaltina de Oliveira Junior on behalf of their son Ilídio.