Honda NR750

It is often said that it was the Honda NR750, which impressed Masimo Tamburini’s styling for Ducati 916. Launched in 1992 the madly expensive NR, with its aval-piston, fuel injected V4 that redlined at an astounding 15,000 rpm, certainly deserves a place in the list. The Honda NR750’s chassis featured a single sided swingarm and upside-down forks. Honda’s advanced forward thinking design features for the time included, front indicators integrated into mirrors, twin exposed side mounted radiators, underseat exhaust and a louvred swooping fairing constructed from carbon fiber with a one piece tail unit. The rider was protectd from the wind by a titanium tinted windscreen. Among other things, the bike made extensive use of carbon fiber and was fitted with projector tye head lamps. It was in fact so laden with exotic technology that even more than a decade on, there is nothing that even comes closer to NR in being so radical, so over the top.