To fully understand the importance of what is called "the Honda 6" in the history of motorcycling, leading to the RC 174, we can obviously place it on a technological level, but also insert it into the saga of the duel between the International Motorcycling Federation and the builders, a worthy parallel to that of the police and the robbers!
Find here the introduction to this short story of the very famous RC 174 also called Honda 6.
This series of articles is inspired by the announced presence of the most authentic replica of la HondaRC174 during the Sunday Ride Classic on the Paul Ricard circuit, May 17 & 18, 2025...
6/ Beale's lines
George Beale launched an incredible 90-cylinder replica adventure in the late 6s. 6 cylinders = 6 replicas! He had no period documentation. Honda Motor, through Masahiro Satoh of the Collection Hall, encouraged him to get started and even ordered a motorcycle!
The working support is the machine of Teruhisha Murayama, a Japanese collector and Honda dealer, who recovered the legendary machine by exchanging it for 39 motorcycles.
At the time, there was some confusion, as even at the Honda Museum, the motorcycles were assembled in a somewhat unclear manner. The machine that served as Beale's base undoubtedly had an RC166 chassis. But no one found it surprising that the newly overhauled engine was stamped RC174E801. So, then, the base motorcycle would be an RC174?
It doesn't matter, because no one notices these "oddities" and so the adventure begins with excitement on both sides of the Channel: On the English side, they work on the chassis, the ignition and the carburetors, and for the engine, it will be on the French side that it will happen: at JPX under the command of Jacques Buchoux.
JPX is at the cutting edge of technology, and the engine design will already be done on Catia V5 software for 3D at the time, but the men of Vibraye, in Sarthe, will go from surprise to surprise when they discover the avant-garde technology developed by Honda, both in terms of design and materials, in particular with regard to the crankshaft, which would deserve a chapter of its own...
Everything is done in-house: foundry, heat treatment, grinding, machining and coatings. "Without a basic setup, somewhat recalcitrant carburetors and a twin ignition system, the beast is difficult to tame.", confided Julien Charnolé at the time, a former Renault Sport motorcycle enthusiast, who was hired by JPX when he heard about the project. In the end, 7 engines would come out of the JPX workshops complete.
The release of the “RC174 replica” will take place with great fanfare at the 2004 Moto Légende Cups
Production will eventually increase to 10 machines spread across the world. (UK, GB, USA JP, CH, FR)
To be continued…
This series of articles is inspired by the announced presence of the most authentic replica of la HondaRC174 during the Sunday Ride Classic on the Paul Ricard circuit, May 17 & 18, 2025...
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