Motorcyclist Magazine remembers the day that the 1986 Honda VFR set five new world speed records.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/hondas-1986-vfr750f-interceptor
The July issue of Motorcyclist Magazine sports a five-page feature about the day in 1986 that Honda proved the speed and mettle of its redesigned V4 sport bike. Facing fierce performance competition from other manufacturers and needing to overcome the bad juju of the VF's reliability issues, the factory teamed their own riders with a few magazine types in a 24-hour speed and endurance test at a track in Laredo, Texas. The article's author, long-time journalist Mitch Boehm, was one of those riders.
With two 700s and two 750s, the idea was to run one of each and use the others as backup bikes. Early on, the 750 experienced a piston failure (caused by a casting flaw) and blew its engine. The backup bike started a fresh 24-hour run and ended up with the five new records, including the Big One, a 24-hour average speed of 143 mph, blasting the previous year's record set by a Suzuki GSX-R750 at 128 mph. As icing on the cake, the record-setting 750 was then ridden back to California by a Cycle World staffer. Honda had succeeded in winning back some lost credibility by showing, once again, its place as a preeminent engineering company.
Recommended reading.
With two 700s and two 750s, the idea was to run one of each and use the others as backup bikes. Early on, the 750 experienced a piston failure (caused by a casting flaw) and blew its engine. The backup bike started a fresh 24-hour run and ended up with the five new records, including the Big One, a 24-hour average speed of 143 mph, blasting the previous year's record set by a Suzuki GSX-R750 at 128 mph. As icing on the cake, the record-setting 750 was then ridden back to California by a Cycle World staffer. Honda had succeeded in winning back some lost credibility by showing, once again, its place as a preeminent engineering company.
Recommended reading.
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