Ask any biker, they’ll always remember, what was your first “big” bike? 

Boasting a reputation for building great looking, reliable, and most importantly, cheap motorbikes, Honda, will often be the first word that comes back in response. More often than not, the second part of the response will be that oh so iconic name VFR400.  

With the difficulty to gain a higher capacity motorcycle licence in Japan, ever increasing, the boffins at Honda spotted a gap in the market for a stylish, well performing sports bike, that was no larger than 400cc, and thus the VFR400 was born. 

Effectively a scaled down version of the larger capacity VFR race models, the first generation NC21 was brought to market in 1986, followed by the NC24 of 1987. 

It was then in 1989 that the most famous, and arguably best VFR400 was introduced, sporting sleeker, smaller twin headlights, a relocated exhaust silencer and most notably the addition of a 360 degree crank firing engine, aptly named the “big bang” engine, revving harder and with an increased limiter set at 14,500rpm. 

The excellent proportions, alongside what is often argued to be one of the finest 400cc engines made to date, meant the NC30 was an inundated success. Riders consistently reported both excellent handling and a brilliant powerband, with plenty of power on tap from the little v4.

Honda had tried officially selling the VFR400 in the UK for some 3 years, but the high price demanded on the forecourt meant many UK buyers would spring for the larger capacity bikes on offer, including the NC30’s bigger brother VFR750, as the UK didn’t have the tight licensing restrictions found in Japan.

It was therefore no surprise that several 3rd party importers would strike gold, importing cheaper Japanese market VFR400s into the UK for those who had an inkling for a sub 600cc sports bike with truly spectacular performance and engineering quality.

This specific NC30 was one of the many Japanese market bikes that made its way across the water to the UK. A 1989 year bike, it spent the first 4-5 years of its life in its homeland before arriving in the UK in 1994. 

Little is known about the bike’s life prior to its purchase by the current owner in December of 2020, however the incredibly low mileage, sitting at just over 4,000km suggests very limited use in its lifetime. 

Under its current ownership, the bike has been dry stored and maintained to an excellent standard. The owner is now looking to move the bike on to a new loving home due to the all too familiar problem of too many bikes on the go at once!

There aren’t stacks of paperwork that accompany the NC30. We do find a comprehensive set of MOT certificates that correlate with the minimal mileage the bike has amassed since ‘89. Front and centre sits the current MOT certificate, valid until November 2022, displaying no advisories. 

The all important V5 registration document is present and details the bike's arrival into the UK and first registration on August 16th 1994.

The exterior of the NC30 has always been one of its strong points. The excellent proportions and styling means the bike lacks the generic thin appearance of most smaller capacity bikes. 

We find this specific NC30 finished in what is arguably the finest factory colour specification available for the VFR400. The iconic tricolour, red white and blue racing style livery. 

The fairings and plastics are all of a remarkable quality presenting beautifully, the bold colours really pop on the bike, with a truly excellent shine exuding from the little Honda. The same can be said of the various graphics seen on the bike, which of course, are in great shape as well. 

The trim pieces and neatly upholstered seating are all of a good standard, with just a minor blemish to be seen on the upholstery of the seat piece, and some general patina on the switchgear stemming off of the handlebars. 

The light lenses, handlebar grips and exhaust piece, placed on the left hand side of the bike, denoting it as a third generation NC30 are all, as to be expected, in wonderful condition.

The bike sits on 2 excellent painted white wheels that really set the bike off, the wheels themselves are in great order and are housed within Bridgestone tyres.

Now for the party piece, what truly makes the VFR400 the beast that it is, the mighty V4 big bang engine, aptly named for its 360 degree firing order, as opposed to the more common 180 seen on bikes at the time. 

Good for 130mph and a reported 60bhp, the high revving motor fires into life with ease, a truly wondrous and distinct tone bellowing from the exhaust courtesy of the straight cut gears driving the cams. 

Being a bike of such low mileage, the engine presents incredibly cleanly. Upon inspection through the fairings we are greeted with a motor more akin to a 4 year old bike not the near 40 year old example it’s sat within. 

The various ancillaries stemming off in all directions are of an equally clean nature and the brakes front and rear appear clean and bring the bike to a stop with ease. 

On the road, the current owner reports the excellent dynamic ride these NC30’s are so famed for. Plenty of power on tap from the v4, paired with excellent handling.

NC30’s are truly excellent bikes, with many from the motorcycle press claiming them to be one of the finest bikes under 600cc, it was no wonder the UK saw an influx of the things brought over from Japan. 

Nowadays though, the VFR400R is something of a rare sight on the roads, with many playing the part of track bike both here in the UK and across the pond in the US, this is a unique opportunity to acquire a road ready incredibly low mileage example of a very special bike. 

In excellent mechanical and aesthetic order, with a long advisory MOT running into the end of the year, this is on to be jumped on and enjoyed, ready to take on a B-Road with confidence, and the knowledge that you’re very unlikely to find yourself sat next to another one at the traffic lights on the way home.