2004 Honda NRX 1800 “RUNE”

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  • Concept bike brought to market

  • Radical suspension system offered long and low style

  • Low production and demand for low mileage examples keeps values high

Bike collectors will flock to the Honda showroom floors with hopes of adding a unique “Limited Edition” bike to their stable. Especially regarding a large displacement cruiser motorcycle that is an offshoot of a show concept vehicle and  involves a bike that pushes styling and engineering beyond any production bike ever seen. You will not see bargain prices in the used market, which makes the Honda Rune still one of the most appealing motorcycles the Audrain collections. Its style screams out “one of a kind”!

The Honda Rune is a limited production run bike based on Honda’s flagship Valkyrie and Gold Wing cruiser motorcycles featuring unique front and rear suspension systems, a fuel injected 1823cc flat six engine, and radical styling that turns heads on the boulevard.  Conceived and built at Honda’s Marysville, OH plant, the bike represented an unconventional approach to introducing a factory “custom” motorcycle to market. From 1998 through 2003, Honda created 5 different concept motorcycles based on the popular Gold Wing and Valkyrie touring platforms and brought them to public motorcycle shows, asking riders for comments and opinions on the style and features of the display bikes.  Senior project director Tony Schroeder and designer Martin Manchester were searching for a bike that would “create a fresh look but would serve as an engineering showpiece.”  When the bike transitioned from concept to production, Honda kept the exotic trailing link fork suspension offering an entirely new front-end design in the motorcycle world and borrowed heavily in the rear shock Pro Link design from Honda’s MotoGP program to lower the rear end of the bike. The result is a long, low, and imposing big cruiser with upwards of 118hp on tap. The bike became an immediate success and a showpiece for Honda dealers.

Production of the bike was a limited run with fewer than 1500 units manufactured over an 18-month period. In addition to limited availability, the purchase price in 2003 was more than $22,000 making it the most expensive Honda road-bike at the time. Unique style, exotic design features, bold engineering, and a smooth but proven powerful touring motor all contributed to Rune’s market appeal. The Rune is heavily sought-after, and most collectors have kept their bike in original condition with low mileage to retain the collector value.

Specifications

Engine: 1823cc (111.7 cu in) 6-cylinder horizontally opposed, single overhead cam, 2 valve/cylinder, direct fuel injection.
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Horsepower: 118hp, 123 ft/lbs torque
Performance: Top Speed 135mph, 0-60mph 3.5 sec, ¼” mile  12.1 sec
Weight: 878 lbs wet
Fuel consumption: 39.7 mi/gal

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2003 Suzuki GSX1300R