A Superbike Legend: 1990 Honda RC30 | Daily Rider 

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Jealous!

Having that bike sitting in the driveaway awaiting a ride would be like waking up on Christmas morning and finding a stack of presents under the tree. What an artistic masterpiece.

That was painful to watch at the end lol. Love these classic bikes. Every time I open my garage and see my ZX7R I smile, and that's what riding is all about, no matter what we own..

Breathing a collective sigh of relief this didn't include the infamous railway section, lol... Thank you for the trip back down The Red Wings Golden Era

Of all the bikes in Daily Rider, I would have this one.

Years ago I heard a Nc24 (400) come screaming past me and I just loved the sound. I saw one for sale and bought it. Epic bike. Then I found a 5th gen VFR800Fi for sale and bought it. That was years ago 2001 model and I still have it. What a piece of genius. Seriously good mileage. Few years ago I bought a NC30 for my son and we had a great time eating up the roads all over. His 1st gear got to almost 110kmh as he redlined it. Seriously tall first gear. Honda makes fantastic bikes. Regards from South Africa

I absolutely LOVE the 80's and 90's aesthetic of bikes from the era. What a beauty!

More collabs with iconic motorbikes please... They have so much hidden jewels to showcase!

I cannot believe you've let the key dangle on the top triple clamp🧐😳 for shame...

The V4 engine in the 750s and the 5th gen 800 is by far one of the best engines made.

Thanks for "taking one for the team ". RC 30 ride = best day ever. ✌

Still pretty much the coolest sportbike from those days. I still remember when they were sitting in showrooms for 11 grand CAD and leftover because the other brands were faster. All that mattered back then was HP and top speed numbers. I wish I could have got one when they were cheap !

As a privileged owner of an RC30 for 33 years I sympathize with your attempts to place this unique bike on your Daily Ride board. Impossible! Excellent video, thanks. Key observation from racers is the ease with which the bike can be ridden fast as evidenced by lap times at Classic TT, 24 Hour Le Man and similar endurance events. Best wishes from UK

Saw one of these new in a dealership in 1990 and is still my favorite bike to this day. Well done !

Probably the epitome of analog race bike technology! Certainly its mission was never to be a daily rider, but a finely tuned track bike that was homologated for professional level racing. I remember them when new. Hard for me to fathom that its now 30-some years old! And that I am as old as I am! I enjoyed the commute as always. Thanks!

What a machine. Sport bike styling peaked in the 80s/early 90s. Such an iconic look.

I’ll bet that Zack, at some point, imagined that he was a small man from Northern Ireland blasting past the grandstands down towards Bray Hill.

It's not built like a normal bike.It's more like a fine very expensive watch. It truly is an exquisite machine. When you ride it feels like it's one solid piece.Solid and feeling like it will last forever.

WOW! Thank You for posting! I remember being in a Moto Dealer when the staff rolled out the RC30 for sale from their back room. I was 15. I was there with my cousin, he was bike shopping, I knew nothing about bikes but that day, I fell in love with the RC-30. I can't afford one, so I bought a RC-31 Hawk GT instead. Thank You Again. .

Still sounds creamy good, mechanical music at its finest 👌

The legend in all it's precision engineered glory. What a timeless beauty. And no contemporary emission laws to mess up the carburation.

Privileged to say that my Dad had one in my youth so I’ve seen it up close and personal. It’s an absolutely beautiful bike and so well engineered. I was worried though when he pulled out of the lot and gave it a bit of a rev and I looked at the temp gauge being dead cold!,

Zack can ride!! A wheelie and backing it in. So much for taking it easy.

I happen to live just a mile or so from where the legendary Joey Dunlop did. Great vid, Love from N. Ireland. Stupidly I sold my own NC30 (mini RC30) I regret that!

I'm a Kawasaki guy, but always appreciated those unique models other makers would come up with. This was one of them (and their Interceptors). Such a hot bike.

The first motorcycle I fell in love with at 10 years old

Caught myself smiling a lot watching this, thanks man.

1986....IOM TT....Joey Dunlop....on an RC30....you had to be there, luckily I was. It's a memory that I will take to the grave. :)

My dad had to sell his RC30 a few years ago, I miss that bike more than any.

I know this is a reach, but if you find a vfr400 it would be awesome to do a daily rider on it. Great video as always man.

Mine is an RC31. Call it half an RC30 if you want to be kind. It does have the same sort of frame and ELF patent rear wheel setup. It might not be as sexy in its factory makeup but it’s lots of fun at legal speeds. And it costs next to nothing. FYI: It’s the NT650GT Hawk. 😊

I need to save my pennies for the day when manufacturers start to recreate vintage sportbikes.

Used to ride GSX-750R back in the day. It was 100hp/176 kg and it really felt fast back then, early 90’s. No coolant in the engine, but a huge oil cooler in the front and something like a gallon of oil in a bike. However I’d love a Honda VFR as my daily drive. And thinking of building an RC30 replica with retractable number plates on the back seat like Suzuki had on them R-series bikes back in the late 80’s.

OMG you are playing all my favorite hits, I just watched the RZ350 and now this!!

Great decision to put a heart ❤ next to the RC but pull it from the left side of the board and put it on the top of the right side because it's not a daily rider but a bike that anyone in the know would want to ride or own !!! It's cool it's iconic it has history but what it's not known for is being a daily rider. Maybe the daily rider is expanding to also include cool bikes that don't need to be ranked on the daily rider leader board but just showcased as what I got to ride and what we get to experience because of your ability to articulate and your enthusiasm to ride !! Well done again zack another enjoyable 30 minutes while I drink my coffee and get my day started... on to the next adventure

Thanks for a wonderful memory, brought to life. I had an ‘86 Interceptor 500 in the same color scheme and same engine configuration. Those earlier bikes had steel, square-cross-section frames. I also had a ‘95 750, an ‘06 800, and there’s a ‘14 resting in the garage.

Before RC30 (VFR750RR) and the standard VFR750F/700F, there was the VF1000R which can be thought of as being an interim model after the VF1100F/VF750F/VF700F/VF500F series

Never been so nervous watching a D/R vid in my life.. all i could do was watch for cager's everywhere.. driving a work of Art..

Ha! Owned 2! One race (Fred Merkel special), n one for the street. In order to preserve the miles I tried not to ride the street more than once a month on Sunday mornings! More people in church to reduce the canyon traffic I hoped! Ended selling both, race engine had seen it’s days and the street went to a good home and a very fortunate owner at a break even cost. Even with the Micron ex. and the ISR 6 pistons n go fast parts. All the stock went with it as well. I could go on and on on. Nice to see one covered and bring back some great memories of my days gone by!

Zack is living my dream. I have a RC26, but like... That RC 30 though...

As always, emotional and correct… super great… Zack for president…

Wanna hear funny? Working in the cycle industry for many years, we typically used the NADA guide for helping value trade-in's. On special models such as this RC-30, (or the GSXR-750 LTD, Yamaha FZR-750 OW01, etc.) let's just say the good folks at NADA were uhhhh, 'slightly behind the curve' regarding what these superb machines were actually trading hands for on the open market. So, if you happen to be moronic enough, or living under a rock and somehow didn't know what you had, your friendly local Honda dealer would be absolutely thrilled to provide you with a $4,500 trade value on your RC towards that shiny new CRF-450L or perhaps CBR-600RR you've been eyeballing... can you imagine? lol -- fwiw, 32 years since this RC was built, still NEVER seen one of these just cruising down the road. Most that weren't raced or wrecked now reside in exclusive collections where they're waxed with a diaper and started twice a year. What a shame.

Lovely sound and such a fantastic engine. I had an NC21 400cc V4. Couldn’t afford an NC30. And then a VFR750. And finally a VFR800. I love the V4s. They are about the best motorcycle engine Honda built.

Always a stunner the RC30, the VFR400 was also a dream.

Had to watch in full screen. I coudnt afford this model back in the day, but have always lusted after it

My absolut dreambike ❤..never had the money to buy it..never rode it...sadly😢...some dreams not came true😮😢

For all us mortals, get a vfr 750/800 and you are close to this dream machine🤗

Great video Zack on such a brilliant bike. The RC30 along with Honda’s CB1100R from the early 80s will always be on my dream bike list. They were awesome bikes back in the day and I think they still are today.

This was my dream bike in high school. I raced a KX125 but dreamed about road racing... (I know its an old video, but I had to comment.)

The RC 30 is an “I want one “ bike rather than I need transport bike like a ER6 . It was made by Honda to win WSB and looks odd with those mirrors and the indicators still attached . You can’t really judge it against modern street bikes but it does show how much things have moved on from what was arguably the top sports bike of it’s day (851 & 888 Ducati’s aside) . I remember seeing the RC30 at the NEC bike show and it was small compact and a generation ahead of it’s time. It was also at the back of the stand as honda were plugging the Met-in moped with a wall of TV screens and dancers so you couldn’t really get near it . I would love one today but it is more of a Sunday special than daily rider.

damned gorgeous bike. Wish they would bring this styling back. Not a modern take on it, but just straight up this bike, but new. Maybe with a modern engine, fuel injection, brakes, and 17" wheels front and rear, but othewise the same body work and frame.

My mate has the 400cc version, nicest bike I've ridden.

About that board: the RC30 is like a Porsche 997 GT3. Or a Ferrari 458. You COULD ride/drive it everyday but you just wouldn't. It's a bike for special rides. Maybe even some track rides. That's where it would shine.

Simply 1 word, Yes.

Just sold my second VFR 890 (gen 5). Much better as a daily but this is special! Carburation for the win!

Dat CREAMY v4 buzz lovely. greetings from the Netherlands!

Porsche Caerra GT one of the best analog super cars this is how I see the RC30 :) one of the best analog bikes ever

Utterly gorgeous bike!

I love my wimpy offshoot, the 2015 Honda VFR800DX. .............Sounds sweeeeeeet!

The NSR 1990's big brother, beautiful

Honda V-4 engines will always have a special place in my heart.

ive been loving this bike for long time

Beautiful bikes! One of our members actually track days his, mad guy lol.

I’d love it if zack and ari did a weekend warrior version of daily rider. Ranking the best weekend track bikes.

Dream come true, thank you for sharing this one.

You're so lucky getting to ride that, so lucky

OH do i remember these bad boys especially visiting the Isle of Man tt races way back when biking gods rest his soul Joey Dunlop raced and broke the TT lap record and may i add that his exact RC30 that he raced is still to this day hanging above the wobble pop counter in his Pub up in the North of Ireland , its a must visit if you ever visit the Emerald Isle , Great content enjoyed every moment of it , Thanks for sharing , Regards from Dublin Ireland buddy :-)

Rode one in 1997 so much fun but in traffic it's going to roast your balls. One thing over looked is while it might not have the paper numbers of modern bikes the design keeps the bike extremely well planted, and it's not much on wheelie's. Which means what power it does have you can pretty much wrench it's guts out in a straight line and get all of it. Something you can't do with a lot of modern 150hp bikes.

I think the Dumb & Dumber hog deserves a heart.....

For a second I thought it was a mc22 cbr250rr and I really got excited

I love the rc30 rc45 and rc51 series of bikes. I had a 87 vfr and daily a cbr600f4i that has the same ergos as the rc30.

If I ever win the Lotto this bike will be my first purchase.

More of these classics! Please!

Such beauty. A work of art!

Gorgeous machine Great ride and review Thanks Zac Nick Australia

My good friend had a large collection of rare bikes an RC 30 was one and a rode it a few times.

I have a Versys 650. Didn't expect it to be so close to the top of your list. Oo

I have a 79 CBX, it has the same sort of wow factor like the RC30. Both will draw a crowd as soon as you stop. Are either one better than a modern bike? Not even close. Are they cooler, oh yea.

For going to work, i agree that it may not be the best choice, but show up at a show and shine you will be the star on this bike, great review as always, keep up the good work. If those guys have an old VFR, it might be an intresting ride. Does an old sport tour bike mâle à good dailly?

That's such a good looking bike.

Good luck finding one for $30k now. $60k seems to be the entry price these days, and bikes above $100k exist as well

6:15 if you watch it at 1.5x speed, they cross the road at a reasonable pace.

A decade after this bike was produced, my ST1300 was hotter than fire, too. Glad my 2010 Goldwing doesn't have that problem. My Versys 650LT is pretty warm, though.

Nice ride. Did you try to change gear sans clutch? I had a VFR750 back in the UK and without doubt, it was the smoothest most well rounded bike I've ever ridden on. Could I take on GSXR750's, no but I'm still riding when they have to stop at a petrol station to walk around. I did take the VRF up to and indicated 125mph on a fairly empty motorway and it was a joy. I found that the gearbox was so good, I could just let the revs drop a bit and then snick the gear lever sans clutch. It was joyous. I was looking at getting another bike back in the UK before I moved over here and I had my heart set on a red VFR 800. Alas it never happened. I'm guessing these days finding a US spec VFR 800 is like a needle in a haystack plus I've seen to many twats driving on motorways over here. If I do get another bike, it will be just a plaything on winding back road type of thing. The thought of commuting is just horrendous.

It was sort of built to best the 851, then the RC45 tried to best the 916/996/998, but then the RC51 came along and actually did, until the 999 came out a year later.

Owned an SP1 for a couple of years so I guess I can imagine the difference. But super jealous lol.

❤ damn, i was unaware that i watched this video twice, love the bike

Most beautiful bike of the world and i am a harley rider!

I can imagine how hard it was to rank this bike. There is no car I would rather own than a ‘69 Dodge Charger, but it isn’t for handling or safety reasons.

Looks like a newer version of my Honda VF750F 1984 and it is an original superbikes!

i miss riding my bike i layed it down and did all kinds of damage that i don't currently have money to fix but i don't even know if it's worth fixing it financially.

I noticed you were going into a couple of bends on a trailing throttle. Common mistake on this bike that I made when riding one. Leads to the claims of poor changes of direction which are thrown around. I found that turning on an open or constant was far more rewarding.

Any chance of a DAILY RIDER VTR 1000F FIRESTORM ride? Love the Oldies :)

Nice to see ABS and traction control are not too intrusive. What mode is it in? 🙄 What a beautiful machine. I would love to go outside on a summer day and see this on the driveway.

that bike is pretty sick

Is this the only bike to rival the 916 as the most beautiful bike ever.......yes!

I'm placing a "heart" besides Zack's Daily Rider :

Owning that bike along with a white 91 VFR750 would complete me

Can you see if you can get the Honda CBX Iconic Motorbike Auctions has to do a Daily Rider video on?