The Honda RVF400 (factory code named NC35) was the successor to their renowned NC30 sport bike and featured a few smart upgrades – such as the foxhole front lights that replaced the circular originals – and an engine optimised for torque. 

The engine itself was the crowning jewel being a compact 399cc water-cooled 16-valve unit in an unusual 90-degree V4-layout that produced 59bhp at a heady 13,000rpm accompanied by a glorious howl and a unique exhaust note.

With a dry weight of just 165kg, it was quick for a 400, too, and soon gained a reputation for its lightning performance. Upside down front Showa forks made it agile, while powerful stopping was assured thanks to a beefy set of front drilled double discs clamped by a pair of Nissin four-pot calipers.

But it was the jaunty race-inspired good looks of the RVF400 that made it the real superstar, with its race-inspired livery, aggressive stance and the super cool single-sided ‘Pro-Arm’ swingarm. 

If you were at school in the 90s, this was the bike you lusted after and had pinned to your bedroom wall. Anyone who was anyone in the 90s, wanted to throw a leg over one and take it for a thrash…

Built in Honda’s Kumamoto plant in Japan, the RVF400 was only ever officially sold in Japan (they keep all the good stuff to themselves!) but demand around the world meant that many were grey imported.

Being such a compact and useable sports machine meant that many were tracked, bashed and crashed, so finding an original spec unmolested one is a rare treat.

The current Derby-based owner was indeed one of those 90s school boys that always craved owning an RVF400 but couldn’t afford to buy one at the time, let alone insure it. 

Fast forward to 2014 and he was in a position to fulfil his dream and spent an age scouring the classifieds until he found a local bike in Stoke-on-Trent. The previous owner worked for JCB and had the bike gathering dust in the back of his garage. 

At the time it had 17,110km on the clock (10,631miles). It’s thought that the 1995 bike was imported into the UK some time in 2002 as that is when it was first registered in the UK.

After a light recommissioning, that involved a good clean and refreshing the coolant, oil, filter and plugs with the correct Honda recommended items, the bike was good to go and the current owner enjoyed it for the next eight years covering 5,000 miles. 

He stresses that it has never been ridden over winter or tracked and painstakingly cleans and polishes it after every outing. He also replaces the oil, filter and spark plugs at least yearly (sometimes twice yearly) with the correct items. 

The V5C is in the current owner’s name. He’s only offering it for sale as he’s now found another of his dream bikes.

It comes with a thick wad of service invoices and an equally impressive mound of MoTs. It’s current MoT lasts until 29 March 2023 and it appears to have only ever failed one MoT on a headlamp bulb!

In short, it’s all ready for summer blasts on those deserted A-roads…

There were two colour schemes offered on the RVF400 – a red, white and blue version and the more desirable purple, white, blue and red livery of this example.

This NC35 is unusual in that it’s so original with the fairing and three-piece engine cover all being genuine Honda part-numbered items, indicating that this machine has never been raced, stolen or dropped. Even the original foam is still in place on the engine cover – which is a rare point.

Even the fairing is a genuine Honda part – many get replaced with the much cheaper aftermarket items over the years.

The only non-original part is the fairing screen, which came with the bike and is an aftermarket item. The current owner has been trying to source one since 2014 without success! 

He also points out that while the exhaust is original (and in perfect condition) it’s missing a cover for the securing clip and that the engine covers on either side would have originally been painted grey rather than being polished.

Certain other details, such as the rubber bezel around the pillion seat storage lock and the rear reflector are often missing on the NC35, but this one still sports them.

There’s a reason that the NC35 still has such a cachet amongst bike fans. It’s not just nostalgia and looks either – to this day it’s still one of MCN’s five-star rated bikes and with good reason. 

This is a biker’s bike, that drips with technical features. The 90-degree V4 399cc water-cooled engine features gear-driven cams popping open its 16-valves all the way to its 13,000 rpm redline. 

It wasn’t just a pin-up race replica, either, thanks to the Showa forks and the beefy brakes, it goes and stops as well as it looks.

The current owner says it starts with the twist of the key and goes through the gears smoothly without issue – Honda’s reliability is pretty legendary and he reckons that the original engine has never been out of it. 

He’s the meticulous type and apart from a few cosmetic details – that only the most hardcore of NC35 fans would spot - the bike is all ready for some summer adventures.

Whether you’re a misty eyed 90s school boy looking to relive his youth, or you want a technically interesting bike with real charisma, you can’t help but fall for the originality of this NC35. 

Being such a pin-up back in the day, so few have escaped the temptation of the track (there’s still a race class for them on the Isle of Man) that an unmolested one is a rare find.

No matter if you want to ride a bit of nostalgia or want to show up a modern bike in the corners with a classic featherweight race replica, this is a fun ride with the unique charm of that V4 engine.

It’s just waiting for a new rider to grab the keys…


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