The Kneeslider

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Honda RC174 Replica

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Honda RC174Honda’s 6 cylinder 297cc RC174 racebike ridden by Mike Hailwood has been one of the more amazing race bikes ever built. The April issue of Motorcyclist magazine has the story of George Beale, a retired pharmacist, who has scratch built a number of replicas, taking on and completing the replication of the tiny Honda. Fascinating story of the highly advanced technology Honda used at the time and the almost impossible complexity of the engine. George had Honda’s permission and assistance for the project but worked without drawings because even Honda had none.

If you like engine technology, don’t miss this one.

George Beale’s website (RC174 not listed)

Image source: Honda Japan

Comments

  1. I heard awhile ago about this, but no info out there – even his web site has no info on it- just a replica benneli he also does. suprisingly, I thought about this bike yesterday, when news of the mike hailwood biopic came out. maybe hollywood commisioned these?

    please, hollywood, COME ON! hailwood was great, but if you want me in the in the theatre on opening day, and buying the dvd, make sure the props list includes the old hondas and mv’s. an MHR ducati alone won’t cut it. I see one of these every time the vintage club rides. give me the RC!

  2. maybe Honda will tool up for another limited run, available in the showroom, race ready. A year later they can offer road going versions with full kit for around $7000. I’m already on board.
    -todd

  3. leave off a zero todd? when adjusted for inflation, $70,000 would be less than the last limited run honda that had more than 16 valves (the nr750)
    from what I gather, $70,000 would be a bargin if they kept the production low enough…

  4. I guess I was thinking of something more in the vane of the Dream 50 or such after. This would be released after the first round of $70,000 factory racers. Not a production racer but a replica built with normal materials and non hand-selected components. I don’t see why a 250 six would cost more than $7,000 from Honda. I guess it would be closer to $10,000 since the CBR600 goes for $8500-9000. Shows you how long it’s been since I priced a supersport bike. Oh well, maybe a Korean company like Hyosung will build a knock-off replica for $3000.
    -todd

  6. No URL, it’s in the print edition. April 2006 Motorcyclist. George Beale’s Site is here, nothing on the RC174 though.

  7. Yes the cost would be astronomical because of the materials used and because of the extremely intricate engine. That engine was a feat of modern engineering.

  8. Any of you guys that are seariously into the vintage stuff should make a trip to Mid-Ohio Vintage days. You’ll see stuff there you may never see again. I actually saw this elusive RC some years ago, maybe mid-ninties somewhere. Some guy had found one of these 250cc inline 6-cylinder machines in SOUTH AFRICA of all places, rotting away only God knows where, brought it back here to the states and revived it. (at least that was the story told over the P.A. sytem when he did his parade lap) And you want to talk about a ” carnal howl !! ” , the sound of that exhaust is enough to make most boys into men just hearing it.

  9. The problem with a limited run is that this makes the cost higher; I would bet that you would be looking at $300,000 to $500,000 per copy. (Beale got something north of $500,000 each for these hand built replicas)! Now, if you could build and sell 10,000 over a few years the cost per unit would come down significantly. What did HONDA spend on these in 1964 to 1968? Heaven only knows, in 1964 dollars I would bet $100,000 each! You must remember that in the 60’s TI was so expensive and difficult to obtain that even the US Government struggled to get enough for the super secret Lockheed SR71. Today TI is almost ubiquitous in the motorcycle world; in 1966, the TI alone must have cost many thousands of dollars. If you built thousands then the spectacular uniqueness of the RC174 is lost. Who would buy it and ride it? Would we see 18-year-old “squids” doing stoppies and stunt riding on RC174 replicas? On the other hand, would they simply become another “commodity” to be traded by dis-interested speculators? What makes it special is the fact the HONDA did it without CAD, CAM and all the other “modern” tools! Modern EXPERTS cannot totally figure out HOW HONDA did what they did! The Specific output of the RC174 is almost identical to the RC211 so what have we gained in the ensuing years? Drivability and low cost, the cost per horsepower of the RC211 is much lower than that of the RC174. By the way, HONDA did build the CBX for four years, many concepts of the RC174 found their way onto that bike and many of the original unique features pioneered on the CBX are now seen on other road going bikes across the globe. Being an owner of a HONDA CBX I can tell you that there IS nothing like the rush of a HONDA 6. You simply cannot imagine the thrill of knowing that the bike you are riding sprang directly from the mind that created the RC174. Yes, the CBX is outdated, heavy and a BITCH to maintain BUT whack the throttle open and listen to that wail and you are transported back to a time when HONDA RC174 and Mike Hailwood ruled the GP tracks!