Isle of Man fever is upon us with the TT qualifying taking place this week. Everywhere riders spend time online is full of TT-related news, whether it's tragic or regarding Hollywood A-listers making a movie about the world-famous event. Now, you have the chance to own a bike that belonged to the most well-known road racer of all time, Joey Dunlop—these auction houses know what they're doing.
The bike in question is a 1991 Honda RC30 NLOB, which both Joey Dunlop and Steve Hislop raced. Dunlop finished 2nd aboard the machine in the 1993 Ulster Grand Prix, and Hislsp rode it in selected UK National Championship rounds in 1992.
The RC30 isn't just iconic because Dunlop rode it; it's famous in its own right. Honda developed it to win the World Superbike Championship, and the Japanese company succeeded in 1988 and 1989 with the help of Carl Fogarty. It was hardly surprising, given just how much Honda put into the development of the RC30.
The bike was built with a twin-spar alloy beam frame, 16-valve V4 engine with gear-driven cams, close-ratio 6-speed gearbox, and 4-pot front brake calipers. At £8,499 ($11,451), it was about twice the price of its competitors in the 750cc race-replica super-sport class. But if you could pick this bike up for that price today, it'd be a steal.
This particular example is expected to go for £60,000-£80,000 ($80,843-$107,790).
Although this RC30 costs substantially more than any you'll likely find on the marketplace, it also has some trick parts like NLOB race parts with the frame being modified to Formula 1 specification, including flat-sided carburettors, a full race Tony Scott tuned NLOB engine, kit radiators, and a shortened rear swing arm and larger upside down front forks.
But, let's be honest, anyone buying this is doing so because one of the greatest road racers of all time threw a leg over it.
