Do you think the RC30 is an iconic bike?

[IccyV2]

And do you think it's a bike that sells well?

I see them for sale but it's the same ones and I wonder if it's one of those myths that they're worth loads, but they really aren't and if you actually want to sell it you have to let it go for quietly for a lot less than the sticker price.

I've always wanted one, it was the dream bike on my poster next to my Porsche Turbo poster, so maybe lying on my deathbed I might regret not buying one.

[KungFooBob]

You're older than me.

I'd much rather an RC45.

Regardless, they're both probably pretty average, even for their time without the HRC race kits.

I'd still buy the RC45 if I won the lotto.

[mboy]

Yes they are iconic... I grew up lusting after the Tamiya model in their catalogue, it's probably the first bike that made me passionate about motorbikes, before the 916 came along...

Like @KungFooBob I'd rather an RC45 though... More "of my time" and a LOT rarer... I did have the opportunity to buy an RC45 just at the start of COVID... Wasn't super low miles or unicorn spec, but was a tidy bike, Japanese spec iirc, with a Two Brothers exhaust on it... Very nice it was too... That was up for £26.5K in 2021... It didn't hang about... Same bike now would be more than £40k...

As to whether they "fetch the price or not"...? Well all of these bikes are collectors bikes these days. Owned by the kind of people who don't need to sell them, and bought by people as an investment... And prices are only going one way, though they have slowed down of late to be fair. Unless the price really is too optimistic for the condition (with 2000+ RC30's out there, this is much more of an issue than with RC45's of which only 200 were made), then they sell for the asking price and sell quickly typically, as people who buy them know the true value of such machinery and having an investment that will outperform putting the money into a stocks and shares ISA...

The guy I bought my Indian off (Mark Grinnall @ Midwest Moto) has an immaculate factory condition UK supplied late model RC45 in his collection... Said he wouldn't sell it even for £50k these days (though a few years ago it was up for that price)... A lottery win, and I'd be twisting his arm for it...

[weeksy]

Not to me. They're as relevant to me as the LC/RD that get love on here.

The earliest iconic bike in my book is a 916

[KungFooBob]

They made more than 200 RC45s.

They might have initially made 200 to homologate it for WSBK, but it had a five year production run, I bet there's well over a thousand of them in the wild.

[ajlog]

Worth it as a sports motorcycle, definitely not today, and from contemporary reports as a road sports bike questionable back at it's launch.

Worth it as a milestone of motorcycle development, probably, as a road legal motorcycle developed and assembled from the tyres up by the in-house racing department of the worlds biggest motorcycle manufacturer as an homologation special solely for race success. It's like the 2 wheeled version of the RS200 or 6R4 etc.

Worth it as a potential investment, highly likely, manufactured in limited numbers (circa 5000) and most of them put to work on the track, some estimates are that only about 25% survived as road only so about 750 bikes. Couple the milestone status above to this limited number of genuine road only bikes, that will only reduce over time suggests they have some necessary boxes ticked for a good investment potential.
Like most investment assets the provenance and traceability will be vital to the value, as I am sure there are a lot of ex-race bikes with hard lives now being touted as mint road only examples.

[KungFooBob]

Worth it as a sports motorcycle, definitely not today, and from contemporary reports as a road sports bike questionable back at it's launch.

Worth it as a milestone of motorcycle development, probably, as a road legal motorcycle developed and assembled from the tyres up by the in-house racing department of the worlds biggest motorcycle manufacturer as an homologation special solely for race success. It's like the 2 wheeled version of the RS200 or 6R4 etc.

Worth it as a potential investment, highly likely, manufactured in limited numbers (circa 5000) and most of them put to work on the track, some estimates are that only about 25% survived as road only so about 750 bikes. Couple the milestone status above to this limited number of genuine road only bikes, that will only reduce over time suggests they have some necessary boxes ticked for a good investment potential.
Like most investment assets the provenance and traceability will be vital to the value, as I am sure there are a lot of ex-race bikes with hard lives now being touted as mint road only examples.

Chat Chippy Tea?

[ajlog]

Worth it as a sports motorcycle, definitely not today, and from contemporary reports as a road sports bike questionable back at it's launch.

Worth it as a milestone of motorcycle development, probably, as a road legal motorcycle developed and assembled from the tyres up by the in-house racing department of the worlds biggest motorcycle manufacturer as an homologation special solely for race success. It's like the 2 wheeled version of the RS200 or 6R4 etc.

Worth it as a potential investment, highly likely, manufactured in limited numbers (circa 5000) and most of them put to work on the track, some estimates are that only about 25% survived as road only so about 750 bikes. Couple the milestone status above to this limited number of genuine road only bikes, that will only reduce over time suggests they have some necessary boxes ticked for a good investment potential.
Like most investment assets the provenance and traceability will be vital to the value, as I am sure there are a lot of ex-race bikes with hard lives now being touted as mint road only examples.

Chat Chippy Tea?

No, just a quick google regards the numbers.
Reading it back I think that AI would make a better job of structuring the sentences than my 'stream of thought' style of response.

In fact I often use AI (Copilot) to tidy up my e-mails when replying to technical questions, as my rambling thinking as I type style is not great to understand, especially for overseas colleagues where English is a second language.

Aside from that, reading back what I have written there about the low numbers, thinking about it a bit more, even if say 20% of the 750 road only RC30s remain as excellent examples, that still 150 bikes. Is there a global demand for 150 RC30s? Is that few enough to mean exclusivity in an already niche interest?

[Yorick]

My pal Dave was racing in the British Championship in late 80s and the RC30 was the bike to have. I was in the paddock at most rounds and was a cool time.

But too bloody expensive and fickle.

He, like most, made do with a IL750.

IIRC there was a problem with the carbs. Soon a new set appeared at £10k. Everyone had to get them.

[MyLittleStudPony]

I thought the RC30 had carbs.

Anyway, is it an iconic bike? IMO yes.

[Yorick]

I thought the RC30 had carbs.

Anyway, is it an iconic bike? IMO yes.

Yeah. I was thinking that as I typed

[Mr Moofo]

Not to me. They're as relevant to me as the LC/RD that get love on here.

The earliest iconic bike in my book is a 916

I was just about to post "why are they iconic" - as someone coming into biking in the 90s both these and RDs passed me by.
In the 90s I used to call on a company and there was always an RC45 parked outside. It was never a head turner !
(And I think there is one in the shop bit of Wemoto here in Shoreham !)

[Rockburner]

In much the same way as a Manx Norton or Brough Superior is, yes. But as shown by the responses to this thread, only to certain people.

(I'm not even going to say "people of a certain age" because it's not about age, it's about what your influences were when you were maturing as someone interested in bikes.)

[mangocrazy]

I'd regard the RC30 as iconic; in the era when I was attending a lot of race meetings and was a TT regular, the RC30 was pretty much the bike to have although the RVF750, as campaigned by Joey Dunlop and Carl Fogarty, was the really iconic, unobtanium version. Good luck getting your hands on one of those, though.

One of the main things that differentiated them from the other race bikes in their class (besides the looks) was the exhaust note, more a of a flat growl rather than the scream of the IL4s. I lusted after one back in the day, but wound up getting an 888 SP3 instead.

[Skub]

A lovely thing to be sure,but nothing Homda ever activated my lust button.

Iconic? Most certainly.

[MyLittleStudPony]

FWIW I'd rather have a CX650 Turbo. I realise most people wouldn't. And they've not that reliable and I'd regret it. Or a VF1000R.

A mate had an RC30 a while back. I think there were issues in the rear wheel was 18" and took a 170 width tyre. IIRC this meant it was hard to get decent tyres for a bike on standard wheels. TBH this was 20 years ago so maybe things have changed.

[mangocrazy]

A mate had an RC30 a while back. I think there were issues in the rear wheel was 18" and took a 170 width tyre. IIRC this meant it was hard to get decent tyres for a bike on standard wheels. TBH this was 20 years ago so maybe things have changed.

Yes, RC30 standard wheels had a poor choice of rubber. The first thing the racers did was to junk the standard wheels for 17" mag wheels and fit a longer shock and different linkages. I seem to remember the front tyre had a 3" width rather than the more standard 3.5", as well.

[Yorick]

One of my best pals in Bradford has a mint RC30 in his front room

He's also got a mint 350YPVS in another room.
He takes them out a couple of times a year.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Is the RC30 iconic - yes if you were into racing in 1988, but it wasn't all that special, in the first year of WSBK an RC30 won, but an FZ750 was second, beating an awful lot of RC30s.
Do they sell well, no, and they never did, but neither did OW01s, the main reason for this is price, I haven't ridden an RC30, but I have ridden an OW01, and it wasn't that special, a YZF750R is nicer bike to ride.
And RC30s definitely have carbs, I may not have ridden one, but I have seen under the tank of a few.
If you go to Cadwell Classic Bike Track Day you'll see a lot of them, you don't see many RC45s or OW01s and no GSXR750Rs, not sure with the Kawasakis as it's difficult to tell them from the ordinary ZXRs.

[Yorick]

Back then all the manufacturers brought out bikes to win races.
They didn't care if they sold well. They had other bikes for that.

But race wins did add to road bike sales..