The NR750, Honda's exotic engineering masterpiece, featured an oval-pistoned, 32-valve, 750cc V4 engine revving to 14,000 RPM. Only 700 were produced worldwide and it laid claim to the most expensive production motorbike in the world at $50,000 in 1992 — about $110,000 in today's dollars. Pretty crazy stuff from 32 years ago.

​Iconic Motorbikes currently has one in the shop and shared some photos without the bodywork.

What: 2007 VFR800 Anniversary
Why: Lo miles, nice extras, price
Where: Folsom, California
Price: $5500

Did the recent BaT Anniversary Edition auction get a little hot for your budget? Me too. Here's another chance for a very similar example…and much less dinero.

​Showing only 11,444 miles, this example sports a full Delkevic/Leo Vince performance exhaust system with a Power Commander to take advantage. There's a few more goodies including an aftermarket windscreen and a set of sexy white wheels, including the coveted 8-spoke rear. Our seller claims the bike has never been dropped, has had a recent professional inspection and a clean title. Here's your chance….

What: VFR1200X DCT
Why: A sporty ADV bike?
Where: Bakersfield, California
Price: $10,000 OBO

​It's been 12 years since the introduction of this model but I'm still a little befuddled as to why the big V4 was developed into an adventure-style bike. I add the word "style" here because the bike was never really intended to be a serious off-road contender in the big-bike ADV wars — this is a street-oriented bike, as suggested by its Euro-name, "Crosstourer." And I guess that's the key; this genre has effectively replaced the traditional sport touring models, i.e. Honda ST1300, Yamaha FJR1300, etc. Comfort, practicality, weight savings, and the realization that triple-digit touring speeds is not a thing anymore, if it ever was. Not great sales successes in general, the VFR800X (Crossrunner) and VFR1200X left Honda's lineup in 2021. Only the 1200 was available in the U.S., and I think only for the 2016 & '17 model years. The engine was a re-tuned version of the 1200F, with lower horsepower but a broader torque spread.

I found this interesting example listed on ADVrider.com. Showing 10,301 miles, the colorway has been changed to a Nicky Hayden RC51 look, unique and better-looking, compared to the original staid black. The sporty looks have been carried over to the seller's choice of modifications — a long list of comfort and performance items, from suspension upgrades to cruise control and much more. This is the DCT version, and one of more interesting changes is the addition of a rear brake lever attached to the left handlebar — there's no clutch, so the seller simply brought the rear brake to the handlebar…interesting. And I should mention the change to the 1200F rear wheel — the very cool rim-spoke original rim has been replaced with the cast version to accommodate a wider tire. The seller states that all stock parts are included as well as records and receipts. Visit the listing for all the details.

The asking price initially struck me as on the high side, but after some research, it seems to be in line with others offered for sale, and none that I found with such extensive/expensive farkles. Some lucky new owner is destined for lots of long-distance adventures on this unique VFR.

I sometimes find filler caps which are reluctant to close, requiring lots of force or a key that doesn't want to snap back to the locked position when pushed downward. The issue is likely not the lock, but rather the aged rubber tank seal.

This seal is not available from Honda as a separate part number so, short of fabricating a new seal, we need to rejuvenate the existing seal. Rubber parts can be softened by soaking in wintergreen oil, but here's a quicker fix: I just warm the seal with a heat gun for about a minute, then immediately close/open it a few times to reseat the rubber. Note the towel covering the tank opening — remember there's gas fumes trying to escape and a heat gun would be an excellent ignition source! This works great and seems to be a lasting fix, as long as the cap is used regularly. One more reason to get out there and exercise our old bikes.

If you'd rather go new, cap assemblies are still available from Honda for the Gen-2 onward: $200-263 (the Gen-2 California-spec cap is NLA).

What: 2007 VFR800
Why: Low miles, white wheels!
Where: Tacoma, Washington
Price: BaT auction

UPDATE: Sold $8250
If you've ever lusted after the one-year-only Anniversary Edition VFR800…this is your chance. Showing only 4752 miles, this one is presented in pristine condition and features the 3d-gen 8-spoke rear wheel, powder coated in matching white. The seller states that's the only modification to this non-ABS beauty.

Struggling to move off the showroom floor back in their day, the Anniversary Editions were eventually price-subsidized by Honda, some languishing for up to five years as unsold models. I've no doubt there's a few still in their crates, hiding in dark corners of old dealerships, awaiting their day on Bring-a-Trailer.

Currently at $4000 bid, I would expect lots more interest in the coming days; auction ends May 1st. There's a short start-up video included in the listing.

Reader Niko, from Switzerland, successfully installed one of my carburetor rebuild kits recently in his 1986 VFR750. All went well and the bike is back on the roads around Bern. Niko was kind enough to share a bit of his story: His father had purchased the VFR some years ago as a learner bike to acquire his moto license. It had been off the road for 15 years at the time, but Dad procrastinated, and during his downtime the licensing laws changed making the bike unusable as a learner.

At that point it was gifted to Niko who worked at getting it back on the road, but all was not right and the VFR went idle again. Recently Niko committed to finishing the job…and that's when he contacted me. He now says the "bike runs like a champ" and is looking forward to better weather and lots of seat time.

I love a happy ending….

I stumbled upon this unusual V4 during my morning interweb cruise. Looking a bit like the late Motus V4, this is a custom scrambler-style build based upon the Honda ST1100 (Pan-European) sport tourer. There's a lot of thought, ingenuity and execution displayed here — comparing the bike to the stock ST1100 photo below, we see the original faux fuel tank cover, rear wheel and shock, partial side panels and engine...but not much else left from the donor bike.

What else? The larger front wheel has changed to a spoke type with a single large brake, so that came from elsewhere, along with the round headlight and quarter fairing. The seat subframe has been chopped and I'm guessing the original seat has had the rear modified into a monkey-hump affair, which kind of lets down the styling here. The builder did a nice job of putting the V4 on display but a black radiator would seem to blend better. A single muffler exits out the left side allowing a good view of the right-side shaft drive and its single shock with bright red spring. The 1084cc engine is tuned for torque with a relatively low 8000 rpm redline, but I'm sure that pipe still sings a great tune. This ST began life as a 700-lb tourer so even after this impressive diet it will still show some heft. And I'm surprised to see the UK plate, considering their restrictive licensing laws.

I really like this build. If the seat were flat to accommodate a daypack, this could be a really fun and unique weekend romper. You surely won't see another.

What: 2014 VFR800F
Why: Nicely-farkled Deluxe model
Where: Montvale, New Jersey
Price: No reserve auction (4/21)

The 8th-gen VFR is arguably the pinnacle of the 800's development — refined, with crisp modern style, quality components and fit & finish befitting this final generation of the V-four Interceptor.

Described as "pristine & spotless," this particular example has been used as intended, with 21K miles and sporting some appropriate extras, in addition to the factory upgrades found on the hard-to-find Deluxe model; ABS, heated grips, traction control, adjustable forks…even self-cancelling signals. Here, the seller has added a touring screen, a GIVI top case and Delkevic slip-on (I have the same muffler on my 3d-gen and it sounds great!), and more. I would lose the extra stickers, but that's just me. Good luck to our seller and buyer.

I was recently tuning a set of 2d-gen carburetors using Project 41, an '87 VFR700F2 which has become my de facto carb tuning mule. This project has been repeatedly relegated to the back burner as other projects and tasks get priority on the lift. But, while I'm awaiting paintwork for those projects, I took the opportunity to do some additional teardown and assessment on #41, beginning with the rear wheel assembly.

This bike was built May, '87 as a blue/silver model and here we see the original gray wheels. There's lots of cosmetic neglect on this VFR which, of course, makes me cringe. These photos show the layer of oily black dirt built up over the decades, really evident here on the swingarm and sprocket/carrier assembly. I spent 30 seconds with a cloth and solvent on a section of the sprocket carrier — the grime came right off, revealing a very nice underlying finish.

The Dunlop K591 rear tire is definitely past its use-by date; manufactured March, 1996! It's also a non-original size: 140/70. ​The three rear bearings all feel perfectly smooth on this bike.

I also removed the right footpeg assembly (below). This one shows some impact and slide damage — it's bent inward and actually cracked completely through. Fortunately, I have a spare so this casting will go to the recycle bin.

(Below) TIP: Here's a back-saving technique I use whenever I possibly can, and for good reason: Years ago I disabled myself for four months after lifting upward on a VFR rear wheel in order to feed the axle during assembly. I was bent over at the hip, and felt a strange sensation in my lower back and heard a slight crunching sound. I dropped everything where it lay and within an hour I was bed-ridden. I had displaced my lowest three vertebrae in a stair-step fashion, resulting in a sporadic, severely pinched nerve whenever I was on my feet, the pain literally bringing me to my knees. It took months of therapy before I was able to reenter the garage to pick up the scattered tools and slowly ease back into my work. All from installing an axle.

So here's what I do. Whenever possible, I use a jack to raise the rear of the bike, as opposed to a centerstand. This way I'm able to adjust the height of the bike so the rear tire makes slight contact with the lift or floor (for axle removal) or the swingarm lines up with the wheel center (for installation). I can then align the swingarm chain adjuster, wheel bearings and caliper carrier — the axle slides in or out with two fingers. No lifting of the rear wheel necessary.

BTW, I'm jacking the bike across the centerstand frame bosses using a specifically-sized block of 2x4 (this bike has no centerstand installed). The jack pictured here is from Harbor Freight, a compact, low-profile aluminum jack which works well in the confined space on the lift. Here I've temporarily installed a spare wheel which will allow me to take my time with any work I wish to do on the original wheel. Next, I'll remove the forks and front wheel assembly and install spares, allowing the bike to be moved around the shop.

$59.67 Including shipping from UK

This new option for the one-year only 1993 VFR750 decal set recently popped up on eBay. They're from eBay seller severnvinylgraphics, who states that he's an experienced decal producer who's back in the game after some time away.

This set looks very accurate when compared to the OEM set on Project 37, shown below. The price is reasonable (compare to a 1986 R/W/B set at $200+) and it's always good to see a supplier helping us out.