I saw a red one of these in a parking lot randomly a few months ago while I was out shopping. Had no idea what it was but it stopped me in my tracks, it was so beautiful. I had no idea how special it actually was until I got home and looked it up. What an incredible machine.
I have owned the Rune since new, in 2004 I had lunch in Tokyo at Hondas World Headquarters with my 12-year-old son. Over lunch I indicated that I own a Rune, the one Japanese employee with his Japanese accent said. “Oh, Rune, we won’t sell many of those, only built for corporate image, to show what we can do!”
I always felt like many that was the reason for it being built. Honda donated a large portion of both the CX Turbo and CBX models to motorcycle tech schools across the country and in the late 80's the school I went to had 6 of the CBX models and 3 or 4 of the Turbo's. At the time they did not sell well they had a delayed popularity but I think it payed off and probably inspired the Ruin.
@kenwise4596 thanks for the insight that's was very interesting..... by the way you have a fascist shit stain in your profile pic..... just thought I should let you know you've been hacked obviously..... hopefully
I think it looks like the motorcycle a villain would take on a weekend. The type of villain that during the week is being driven around in a Rolls Royce Phantom 1925. It's like an alternate reality motorcycle and I think that's awesome. Love it
Look are subjective, but as a designer i can tell you, the proportions are atrocious, it could’ve been much much better, but imo it’s still cool in a strange way, kinda like a pontiac aztek or an imac g3 is
It looks absolutely wrong, but somehow well-engineered. It's like someone making ludicrous vehicles from comic book but it feels and handles normal. Honda always done this with their 'failed' prototypes and unlikely to stop. I love them and I wish I was rich enough to afford them.
I have not ridden one but have looked at two of them close and talked to the owners who rode them. Just that was an amazing experience. When you see one in real, it is stunning. The fit, finish and quality seem from a different world.
@@bartmotorcycle In all seriousness though, i think what ruins it for me is the REAR, its what makes it look disproportional. Had the rear been better, it would have looked even better.
@@bartmotorcycle are you kidding? the Honda Rune is so proportional for what it's going for. a long bike with a deceptively short wheelbase and the heavy weight staying low in the body.
@@bartmotorcycle Well... I agreed with you when you disagreed with Fortnine about the Katana, which actually is a very "un-proportional" bike, but such a freaking beautiful beast. And now I will disagree with you on this. Cruisers aren't my thing, but the rune is beautiful beacuse of her soft lines of design on a massive body.
I like the unrestrained excess in the Rune. I'm pretty sure Honda blew all that money on the Rune just to prove that they could afford it. Despite their sensible reputation, Honda have made plenty of off-the-wall machines. The CBX was insane. The Vultus looks like it came out of a cyberpunk comic. The Fury was their next attempt at 'factory custom'. They made race bikes with V5 engines or oval pistons. They made an off-road scooter and when it failed, came back and tried it again. More than once. Honda do crazy all the time, the Rune just happened to be crazy-expensive with it.
I think the Vultus was literally a street legal homage to the Kaneda (Akira movie) bike, or so I read. I saw pics of one with little modifications that probably made the bike worse but much more closer looking to the original. Now that I know about it I find it kinda cool. “Sometimes we make a certain machine simply because we can and because we want to.” - Keita Mikura, project leader for the Honda NM4 Vultus. ("Dancing the Polka" website report about the NM-4) Others have warm reception (most people don't "get it"), but the few who do swear by it, like the Deauville or the CTX 1300. Hell, for a production bike the Fury is kinda crazy but it seems to ride well enough. Now I just need a video explaining the DN-01.
Honda is extremely sensible, until the time comes when they do something crazy and then got factory resetted again, i guess the last stupid thing they did was the 2nd gen nsx, it flopped 💀
The Honda Valkyrie Rune is the most beautiful cruiser I have ever laid eyes on. It has the beauty of a finely crafted skeleton automatic wristwatch. There is an element of beauty in how it showcases its complexity. The Rune is very much performance art. It looks just as good going down the road as it does standing still. It's futuristic and retro at the same time meaning it looks in place parked next to a 1950s classic car or a modern supercar. It is timeless. Few vehicles are so well designed that are beautiful for any age. The Honda Rune is such a vehicle.
I don’t want to own one or even ride one, but I love that the Rune exists. And I especially love that it still is interesting whether a person likes it or not. That’s the genius behind the $200m loss - decades of conversation among enthusiasts about Honda.
Two years ago I bought a 2003 Honda Valkyrie, GL 1500 CD with only 2800 miles on it. Since I bought it I have been to 45 of the 50 states and the odometer now reads 68,000. I was just so happy to see someone mention a Valkyrie. I think it might be the most underrated cruiser of all time. I don’t believe in just being a motorcycle owner. Having something just to keep in the garage and pull out one afternoon out of seven has no appeal to me. I love motorcycling, and I am on my motorcycle in all conditions for all purposes. I could never afford a Rune, but if someone gave one to me, I would ride it until the wheels came off. I imagine seeing our wonderful country from the back of such an incredible machine might just make it possible to go to the next life with a smile on my face. Big chromed up cruisers or works of art. The type of men that appreciate them are the type of men who, like a woman with thick firm thighs, a flat stomach and a squat and deadlift induced backside. In the modern world many men will say oh no that’s too much but I think there’s a certain kind of man out there that needs what a big chromed up cruiser gives. No ballerina type motorcycles for me. I need one that is meant to be ridden hard. Bart, Think about this explanation maybe it will help you understand why some see such beauty where others don’t
A friend of mine has had the Rune as his dream bike since the day it was announced for production. He finally got his hands on one just a couple years ago, and he loves it. I thought they were epic bikes as well, and finally seeing one up close instead of 50+ ft away makes the bike even more epic, and I love the sound of the exhaust. When it comes to custom bikes, it is my absolute favorite, even if it was a factory built custom bike.
i don't have the money to buy one, but, to me, the looks of the rune are really cool, and, judging from videos alone, the exhaust note is really satisfying. the styling makes me think "this is what a sci-fi anime character would ride". it makes me think of Akira, or Ghost in the Shell. the lines are so clean and that front suspension really makes the bike stand out.
I love that the Rune exists. I’m in my mid 60s, trolled all the local Honda dealers when it was due on the market, finally found one that had one in the showroom. It was mesmerizing. I do NOT see the BMW R18 as any kind of alternative. I’m currently riding a Triumph Scrambler 1200 Xc. If I veer in the direction of a cruiser, it’ll likely be a Triumph Rocket 3. But I still Google “Honda Rune for sale” periodically, and I’ll never cross it off my “maybe someday” list. A ‘79 CBX is also on that list, but that’s a conversation for another day.
Someone said - Honda somehow has enough money to actually fully experiment with some pretty wild ideas. (While banging out reliable, sensible motorcycles the rest of the time) CBX1000, the Rune, PC800 ….oddities, but arguably something interesting.
@@Foche_T._Schitt Honda's car manufacturing and Honda's motorcycle companies fall under a parent company, but they are separate companies. They are not linked in that manner, not propped up by the other. Honda Motorcycle is a massive company with a massive budget all on its own. Maybe it seems like that way to an American, but keep in mind that only something like 7% of Honda motorcycles are sold in the US.
@@Chemically_Induced Oh so you know for certain the parent company didn't fund this project and the manufacturing plants don't mix parts production? Harley doesn't make mopeds, dirt bikes, scooters, sport bikes and everything else on every continent for the cheapest labor. Some of Harley's parts are sourced from Japan which parodies the US on labor costs. You going to make fun of Indian, Morgan, and Enfield for the same thing? It's a stupid criticism. Hey Maytag why don't you make a ridiculously ugly motorcycle and lose money on it? That's the level of expectations you're operating on. Don't think I'm a Harley fan boy. I hate corporations across the board and motorcycles over 500lb aren't my thing.
While the Rune definitely isn't my jug of Java, I can see why it's such an Icon for so many. It's as near to a fully custom early-2000's chopper/cruiser as you can get, but with manufacturer development and backup behind it. Yes, it's huge, yes, it's over the top, yes, it's blinged out, but also yes, it runs and rides in a safe manner, and yes, it can be fixed if it goes wrong. Stylewise, it harks back to the Art Deco movement of the '30's, but with hints of the Modern movement of the '50's, and a whole chunk of Anime futurism. Sure, the use of Chrome may be excessive, but it's use is largely to make the bike's production feasible - with all that Chrome, the only parts that need painting are the tank, the wheel guards, and a few small trim pieces. Everything else is standardized across all colorways. It may not be to my taste, but it does make sense. As to why Honda did it, that's largely because they could. When the Rune was produced, the Japanese economy was at it's peak, and the western economy was on the rise. In those circumstances, letting the company stylists & engineers off-the-leash for a company Halo project becomes quite easy to justify. Yes, they lost money on each bike, but that lost money almost certainly led to a reduction of corporate taxes of at least equal value, effectively making the whole project a freebie. Heck, with the way corporate budgets are set up, I wouldn't me surprised if the Honda Corporation effectively made money by losing money - the press & publicity the Rune received worldwide was effectively free advertising for the entire corporation, and undoubtedly worked at attracting the attention of riders who might never have considered a Honda before, or who had dismissed the brand as "uninteresting corporate blah". They may not've sold many Rune's, but how many bikes were sold from lower in the range off the back of a Rune catching a riders attention??? So, yeah. Not my thing, but I can see why Honda made the Rune, and it makes perfect sense from a corporate point-of-view...
Like all of yours, another well done video! The only thing missing was your riding impressions. I have a Rune and we call it the "Magic Carpet". Floats along like you're on a cloud. Easy and fun for the experienced rider despite being almost 1/2 ton. The low CG is key. Palomar mountain twisties are no problem and freeway cruising a breeze. So much power and torque it does not care which gear you're in. I think the value will easily double in the next several years. Like the styling or not, nothing else is quite like it.
I’m glad you covered the Rune, it’s one of my favorite “wtf?” motorcycles of all time. Styling is a personal thing that varies wildly from one person to the next,though: I think all the classic Harley-Davidson styling is garbage, and the BMW R18 looks like an even uglier Milwaukee wannabe. I know that H-D purists are going to hate on me for saying that, and many of them might also hate me for saying that the V-Rod was the best looking model until the Pan America was introduced, and that’s ok. The Rune isn’t pretty, but it doesn’t copy anything either. Thanks for sharing this one with us, I’ll see you on the next one!😃❤
I was a parts guy as a kid. The Honda identification manual had me entranced. 89 & 90 were amazing years for Honda. I had many of those bikes on my bucket list and managed to own most of them. The Hawk GT (I had 3), the Trans Alp (I out about 30k on mine), GB500, ZB 50, NX650, and more. Then, later the Rune came out and I’ve lusted over it’s ridiculousness for years. It’s an absolute behemoth and I love that about it. In the words of Wayne Campbell, “it will be mine…. Oh yes, it will be mine,” I don’t know why, but I must put 30k miles one before I’m too old to hold it up. And I will.
Front wheel is a bit tricky to remove for a tire change I can say from experience. I got the chance to do a basic service and change tires on one a couple years back and since they are somewhat rare I enjoyed the experience.
I think it's amazing. I am not willing to pay what one would cost, but if I barn-found one and the widow said "gimme a thousand bucks and get it out of here" I think my heart would stop for a second.
I remember when the Honda 305 Dream came out. We all thought they were sissy bikes. Forty years later I bought one at a junkyard for $100, did a partial resto and spent the next few years riding the snot out of it, commuting to work rain or shine. etc. Strangely enough, again and again young people would say: "What a cool bike! What is it?"
15:30 you aren't speaking for the majority there on its looks dude, its a nuts looking bike. Ive yet to keet anyone in person who doesnt like how it looks. Its just expensive
Love the Rune - saw one at Lake Powell while on holiday and it looks even better in the flesh - Has a strange but beautiful design. Beautifully made too!
I guess it's a generational thing. I for one love the looks of the Rune. Massive, bulky, muscled. Futuristic road hog with faux-classic styling. Reminded me of a series from around the same time where Western meets SciFi; Firefly. I was 27 when it came out and it's still high on my wishlist.
An acquaintance of mine is a very large man and he has 2 of these. They are one of the few bikes he can ride that don’t look he’s riding a kid’s bike. These are impressive in person. Pics and videos do not do it justice
Prices are still right around 20 to 25k, so with inflation its gone down quite a bit in value despite being super rare. If you invested 20k into the stock market in 2004 you'd have right around 100k today AND you wouldn't have an ugly motorcycle in your garage
@@bartmotorcycle I’m just so scared of investing a bunch of $ and the market crashes leaving me in the hole. The world is so shaky anymore it’s hard for us older folk to understand. Thanks for the info brother 🐾✌️🇺🇸
I was kid with my dad when we walked into the local Honda dealer and saw it new. I remember my dad only liked the wheels, but for a kid, I thought it was coolest looking thing ever. I thought the exhaust looked like it was from a fighter jet looking from the back 😆
I’m 60 years old and even remember the concept bikes being shown before the Rune came out! I’ve seen them on the road and they have a very Flash Gordon retro-futurist vibe to them. I think there’s a very capitalist/business thinking to Motorcycle design. I’m glad Honda didn’t go in this direction because many other companies at the time did. Maybe your next research should be on failed Japanese cruisers and then you’ll appreciate the Rune a lot more mainly because it’s a collector’s item and they aren’t! 🤔👍🏾 Great stuff as always!
The Rune is such a special bike, just seeing one on the road is an event. I remember the only time i have seen one on the road, a true piece of art. I get the impression that the narrator doesn't like them, that's fine, but lots of people do like them, just read the comments. I'm not sure about owning one, but i do appreciate the styling and would love to have a ride on one.
I remember when these came out. Back in the mid-late 90's I had bought two brand new bikes from my local Honda-Suzuki dealer so I was always in the dealership for parts/accessories/tire kicking etc. There was a lot of talk at the dealership and the motorcycle press when the Rune was released. Personally, I thought it was quite ugly but I never rode one. I also LOL'd when you mentioned the R1200C. I forgot all about that one.
I saw two of them a while back at Alice's. I found they looked intriguing. I talked to their owners a bit and they really liked them and rode them a lot. One of them had a Peterbilt metal plate welded on the engine block. It was a terrible blemish on this sacred machine.
The very first scene is in England at Boxhill just outside Dorking in Surrey , heading up the mad mile . People would get out into the central part of the dual carriage way to get a better view of bikers pulling wheelies up the road , i think this is late 80's
I kinda liked it when it came out. Granted, I was 19 at the time. I actually got to ride it since my dad and I were working as journalists back then so we had one for a few days. I thought it looks like something Batman would ride. Still think it looks kinda cool.
That opening clip is from Mickleham/Box Hill in Surrey, England. There is a cafe there called Ryka's that claims to be the "oldest biker cafe" in England (possibly the world). It used to be one of the most popular spots for many bikers in the London and South East areas. Sadly, this year the police constantly set up camp there and ticket every single person with anything even slightly wrong with their bikes. So many patrols and mobile speed cameras too. They've pretty much ruined the fun.
Saying you don’t get it, but invite those who do to explain their feelings and promising to keep an open mind is a wonderfully positive reflection on you. Congratulations.
I like it because it harkens back to the 1950's Art Deco movement not motorcycle history specifically. It reminds me of a mini locomotive for the road. The fact they ride as well as they do is insane. Its an engineering marvel just to produce it!
I have ALWAYS loved the Rune. When I could buy one, I couldn’t afford it. It’s a production concept, which is all but unknown, and I can pretty much count the number of production concepts on one hand. An amazing bike.
Looks are so much in the eye of the beholder - it's just so subjective. most of the bikes you've said are beautiful in this and other videos, I dislike. and ones you think are ugly are often my idea of attractive bikes. I'm not a sports bike guy, but I think the original Katana looks cool - and 'retro' looks: R.E., most Triumphs, Kawi W800 650 & 800, old Sportster are to me real beauties and what a motorcycle looks like. - who can account for taste? - p.s. u do great vids - thanks, keep up the good work.
I love that you would never see on on the streets and say "that looks like a Honda" and that is so unique. What other bikes are like that? So different from what they are usualy doing?
My stepdad had one of these in red in the late 2000s and rode the crap out of it. He put it in a local motorcycle show the summer he got it and won for "best stock motorcycle". I always thought it was a gorgeous bike in person. The only thing is my stepdad put a windshield and a ostrich skin seat with a backrest on his, which looked kind of silly in my opinion.
One of my neighbours had a rune, awesome soundtrack even with the original pipes. Like a 911 taking off. Rode it to work and sometimes went out with his wife as passenger riding on the back.
I always got a hint of the art-deco influence in Batman: The Animated Series, which as a young bloke in the 90s was just a cheat-code for me to like it on some level. Despite cruisers not being my thing, and there being no argument that the Rune is garish at worst; lacking subtlety at best, it's still kinda cool. It was definitely always going to be on the 'Fantasy Garage Museum' of a lot of folks. Me included.
Follow the "loss" leader, he's on a Honda Valkyrie chasing the Rune dream. It brings out the kid, you just cant stop staring at it and screams jump and hold on. Bart, I think you secretly want one.
This is the most awesome honda ever to take the road. They should reintroduce it. Bravo Honda! Plus it's reliable!!!!!!!!.....PS I'm a sportbike rider.
Bart. . Bart Bart Bart. UGLY. . . . ! What, no way man. Listen, I've had sports bikes in my blood for over 50 years, but the Rune is just about the only bike outside my first interest, that I stare at. Every single curve, every subtle line the reflections in the chrome. Awesome, sorry mate, you're wrong ugly it aint.
I'm not really into motorcycles but the over the top looks is what draws me to the bike. Within the same class, all bikes look the same to me more or less. Take off the badging and it's just a cobble of metal and plastic on two wheels. However, I'd be able to recognize a Honda Rune. I've watched some of your content and I couldn't really understand why you thought some bikes looked beautiful or not. There's no emotional attraction or repulsion for me. It's just a bike. So to see something with a very obvious (in my eyes) style, is a refreshing dip into what a motorcycle can look like. I've been into cars much of my life and it's a bit easier for me to talk about style with cars because there's a lot more surface area to work with. Perhaps that's why I'm drawn to the rune. It's like a car on two wheels.
you know what really irritates me, listening to some self-anointed youtube expert telling me that he is the arbiter who decides what i am supposed to think is beautiful especially when i've been polite enough not to rain on his parade every time he starts pontificating about how beautiful his rattle trap old triumph is. who died and left you in charge of deciding what's beautiful and what isn't...and the saying is "lost their ever-loving minds"
Yeah and the Hondog CB 500. Jake Courts (Daily Rider) also has only an '09 KTM SM 990 and also pontificates. Kinda wish both Bart and Jake would up their game and have at least 12 bikes on the road ranging from a '67 Yamaha 180 to '89 DT 50/LC and all the RD's and RZ's in between. Plus a smattering of modern bikes. I'm a nobody and that's what's here...all plated and turn key.
As an OEM motorcycle designer this project is a designers wet dream. Burn money, design something with no constraints and make the engineers figure it out. I'm frothing at the thought.
It remains one of the bikes I want to own someday. I asked a local motorcycle trader if I could rent one for a week. They obviously said no because they still sell for 29k euro's in the Netherlands
Ritchie, a buddy, bought one new and took a bath flipping it three years at the dreaded bottom of the market. He regrets selling it seeing what they're commanding these days.
Honda does stuff like this from time to time. They are mostly sensible, even their superbikes and nakeds are generally a lot more user friendly than their rivals. But from time to time they come up with absolutely crazy shit like the Rune.
i have been tempted by the idea of a naked goldwing but an older one because i could never afford a valkyrie. i really dig the exposed flat 6 and the intake/exhaust tubes
I like the look of it, I think it's real head turner and if you brought it to any meet or show I think it would be center of attention. Would I own it? Probably just to have it in the garage to look at 😂
The Rune is such an engineering marvel and work or art. Honda is such an incredible company and deserves to be revered for this achievement. I would love to own one but I don't think I'm worthy of it.
I usually hate Honda bikes but my gold I love the Rune. It's one of the most underated bikes ever and I can only dream of ever owning one since they are so rare and never officially came to Australia.
Man, as much as I may not love this motorcycle I respect all of you having so much passion for it.
At least you're producing. Let us know if you're expanding your bikes personally owned and ridden.
I put 85000 miles on mine, it was meant to be ridden. It was a monster and I loved it, said I’d never sell it, but upgraded to a helicopter.
Damn so that’s the last upgrade huh 😅
That's quite the upgrade
The ruin is all the validation I need ...
Retro modern is a thing...
Gigachad
A Mosquito XEL. A bigger engine would be nice someday ……
I saw a red one of these in a parking lot randomly a few months ago while I was out shopping. Had no idea what it was but it stopped me in my tracks, it was so beautiful. I had no idea how special it actually was until I got home and looked it up. What an incredible machine.
I have owned the Rune since new, in 2004 I had lunch in Tokyo at Hondas World Headquarters with my 12-year-old son. Over lunch I indicated that I own a Rune, the one Japanese employee with his Japanese accent said. “Oh, Rune, we won’t sell many of those, only built for corporate image, to show what we can do!”
I always felt like many that was the reason for it being built. Honda donated a large portion of both the CX Turbo and CBX models to motorcycle tech schools across the country and in the late 80's the school I went to had 6 of the CBX models and 3 or 4 of the Turbo's. At the time they did not sell well they had a delayed popularity but I think it payed off and probably inspired the Ruin.
Yep. They did the CBX in the 70s for the same reason. And Kawasaki does the H2R for the same reason. It's more of a statement than a product.
@kenwise4596 thanks for the insight that's was very interesting..... by the way you have a fascist shit stain in your profile pic..... just thought I should let you know you've been hacked obviously..... hopefully
I think it looks like the motorcycle a villain would take on a weekend. The type of villain that during the week is being driven around in a Rolls Royce Phantom 1925. It's like an alternate reality motorcycle and I think that's awesome. Love it
You're totally wrong about its looks. It's actually beautiful, and in a classic, Art Deco, Marvel Comics sort of way.
Look are subjective, but as a designer i can tell you, the proportions are atrocious, it could’ve been much much better, but imo it’s still cool in a strange way, kinda like a pontiac aztek or an imac g3 is
Yeah, beauty is in the eye of the beholder here, for sure. This thing looks ridiculous
Agree my husband had the black tank Valkyrie when it came out but wish he would have bought the rune.
One man's trash is another man's garbage.
It looks absolutely wrong, but somehow well-engineered. It's like someone making ludicrous vehicles from comic book but it feels and handles normal. Honda always done this with their 'failed' prototypes and unlikely to stop.
I love them and I wish I was rich enough to afford them.
I’m one of those Rune fanboys. Having owned one, all I can say is that you have to ride one to understand what all the fuss is about.
@r6singh probably why Fortnine was so in love with it, he actually got to ride it without the financial pain.
That's what I tell travellers about Montezuma's Revenge
I think it's beautiful. I dont really know why it's just a work of art.
They call orange county choppers “art”. This bike makes them look like a teenagers doodle
@@MisterOcclusion 100% agree
I have not ridden one but have looked at two of them close and talked to the owners who rode them. Just that was an amazing experience. When you see one in real, it is stunning. The fit, finish and quality seem from a different world.
Its rare to hear someone be so incredibly wrong in their opinion.
Man ur hating on the bike so hard but honestly this think is fucking sick looking
How. Its so fat and un-proportional. It looks like a turd
@@bartmotorcycle Ayo hahahaha
@@bartmotorcycle In all seriousness though, i think what ruins it for me is the REAR, its what makes it look disproportional. Had the rear been better, it would have looked even better.
@@bartmotorcycle are you kidding? the Honda Rune is so proportional for what it's going for. a long bike with a deceptively short wheelbase and the heavy weight staying low in the body.
@@bartmotorcycle Well... I agreed with you when you disagreed with Fortnine about the Katana, which actually is a very "un-proportional" bike, but such a freaking beautiful beast. And now I will disagree with you on this. Cruisers aren't my thing, but the rune is beautiful beacuse of her soft lines of design on a massive body.
Honestly, the rune is in my top ten favourite bikes. I love it. I think it’s stunning!
I like the unrestrained excess in the Rune. I'm pretty sure Honda blew all that money on the Rune just to prove that they could afford it.
Despite their sensible reputation, Honda have made plenty of off-the-wall machines. The CBX was insane. The Vultus looks like it came out of a cyberpunk comic. The Fury was their next attempt at 'factory custom'. They made race bikes with V5 engines or oval pistons. They made an off-road scooter and when it failed, came back and tried it again. More than once. Honda do crazy all the time, the Rune just happened to be crazy-expensive with it.
Honda never makes mistakes, we just fail to understand their galaxy brain wisdom (like the Silverwing).
I think the Vultus was literally a street legal homage to the Kaneda (Akira movie) bike, or so I read. I saw pics of one with little modifications that probably made the bike worse but much more closer looking to the original. Now that I know about it I find it kinda cool.
“Sometimes we make a certain machine simply because we can and because we want to.” - Keita Mikura, project leader for the Honda NM4 Vultus. ("Dancing the Polka" website report about the NM-4)
Others have warm reception (most people don't "get it"), but the few who do swear by it, like the Deauville or the CTX 1300. Hell, for a production bike the Fury is kinda crazy but it seems to ride well enough. Now I just need a video explaining the DN-01.
Honda is extremely sensible, until the time comes when they do something crazy and then got factory resetted again, i guess the last stupid thing they did was the 2nd gen nsx, it flopped 💀
The Honda Valkyrie Rune is the most beautiful cruiser I have ever laid eyes on. It has the beauty of a finely crafted skeleton automatic wristwatch. There is an element of beauty in how it showcases its complexity. The Rune is very much performance art. It looks just as good going down the road as it does standing still. It's futuristic and retro at the same time meaning it looks in place parked next to a 1950s classic car or a modern supercar. It is timeless. Few vehicles are so well designed that are beautiful for any age. The Honda Rune is such a vehicle.
I don’t want to own one or even ride one, but I love that the Rune exists. And I especially love that it still is interesting whether a person likes it or not. That’s the genius behind the $200m loss - decades of conversation among enthusiasts about Honda.
Two years ago I bought a 2003 Honda Valkyrie, GL 1500 CD with only 2800 miles on it. Since I bought it I have been to 45 of the 50 states and the odometer now reads 68,000. I was just so happy to see someone mention a Valkyrie. I think it might be the most underrated cruiser of all time. I don’t believe in just being a motorcycle owner. Having something just to keep in the garage and pull out one afternoon out of seven has no appeal to me. I love motorcycling, and I am on my motorcycle in all conditions for all purposes. I could never afford a Rune, but if someone gave one to me, I would ride it until the wheels came off. I imagine seeing our wonderful country from the back of such an incredible machine might just make it possible to go to the next life with a smile on my face. Big chromed up cruisers or works of art. The type of men that appreciate them are the type of men who, like a woman with thick firm thighs, a flat stomach and a squat and deadlift induced backside. In the modern world many men will say oh no that’s too much but I think there’s a certain kind of man out there that needs what a big chromed up cruiser gives. No ballerina type motorcycles for me. I need one that is meant to be ridden hard. Bart, Think about this explanation maybe it will help you understand why some see such beauty where others don’t
there's some poetry in your comment.
A friend of mine has had the Rune as his dream bike since the day it was announced for production. He finally got his hands on one just a couple years ago, and he loves it. I thought they were epic bikes as well, and finally seeing one up close instead of 50+ ft away makes the bike even more epic, and I love the sound of the exhaust. When it comes to custom bikes, it is my absolute favorite, even if it was a factory built custom bike.
i don't have the money to buy one, but, to me, the looks of the rune are really cool, and, judging from videos alone, the exhaust note is really satisfying. the styling makes me think "this is what a sci-fi anime character would ride". it makes me think of Akira, or Ghost in the Shell. the lines are so clean and that front suspension really makes the bike stand out.
I love that the Rune exists. I’m in my mid 60s, trolled all the local Honda dealers when it was due on the market, finally found one that had one in the showroom. It was mesmerizing. I do NOT see the BMW R18 as any kind of alternative.
I’m currently riding a Triumph Scrambler 1200 Xc. If I veer in the direction of a cruiser, it’ll likely be a Triumph Rocket 3. But I still Google “Honda Rune for sale” periodically, and I’ll never cross it off my “maybe someday” list. A ‘79 CBX is also on that list, but that’s a conversation for another day.
Someone said - Honda somehow has enough money to actually fully experiment with some pretty wild ideas. (While banging out reliable, sensible motorcycles the rest of the time)
CBX1000, the Rune, PC800 ….oddities, but arguably something interesting.
i had a pc800, and while it wasnt my style, it was certainly a great bike. my dad had a cbx back in the day too, and he loved it.
Honda did something Harley Davidson could never afford to do
the day that HD can afford to blow that kinda money, is the day that Honda buys the company and says, "here, now you can afford to make a good bike"
To be fair Harley doesn't have a car industry to prop up pet projects.
@@Foche_T._Schitt Honda's car manufacturing and Honda's motorcycle companies fall under a parent company, but they are separate companies. They are not linked in that manner, not propped up by the other. Honda Motorcycle is a massive company with a massive budget all on its own. Maybe it seems like that way to an American, but keep in mind that only something like 7% of Honda motorcycles are sold in the US.
Honda did everything that Harley Davidson could have done but didn't. The only thing Honda didn't do was start a successful T-shirt company.
@@Chemically_Induced
Oh so you know for certain the parent company didn't fund this project and the manufacturing plants don't mix parts production?
Harley doesn't make mopeds, dirt bikes, scooters, sport bikes and everything else on every continent for the cheapest labor. Some of Harley's parts are sourced from Japan which parodies the US on labor costs. You going to make fun of Indian, Morgan, and Enfield for the same thing? It's a stupid criticism.
Hey Maytag why don't you make a ridiculously ugly motorcycle and lose money on it? That's the level of expectations you're operating on.
Don't think I'm a Harley fan boy. I hate corporations across the board and motorcycles over 500lb aren't my thing.
While the Rune definitely isn't my jug of Java, I can see why it's such an Icon for so many. It's as near to a fully custom early-2000's chopper/cruiser as you can get, but with manufacturer development and backup behind it. Yes, it's huge, yes, it's over the top, yes, it's blinged out, but also yes, it runs and rides in a safe manner, and yes, it can be fixed if it goes wrong.
Stylewise, it harks back to the Art Deco movement of the '30's, but with hints of the Modern movement of the '50's, and a whole chunk of Anime futurism. Sure, the use of Chrome may be excessive, but it's use is largely to make the bike's production feasible - with all that Chrome, the only parts that need painting are the tank, the wheel guards, and a few small trim pieces. Everything else is standardized across all colorways. It may not be to my taste, but it does make sense.
As to why Honda did it, that's largely because they could. When the Rune was produced, the Japanese economy was at it's peak, and the western economy was on the rise. In those circumstances, letting the company stylists & engineers off-the-leash for a company Halo project becomes quite easy to justify. Yes, they lost money on each bike, but that lost money almost certainly led to a reduction of corporate taxes of at least equal value, effectively making the whole project a freebie. Heck, with the way corporate budgets are set up, I wouldn't me surprised if the Honda Corporation effectively made money by losing money - the press & publicity the Rune received worldwide was effectively free advertising for the entire corporation, and undoubtedly worked at attracting the attention of riders who might never have considered a Honda before, or who had dismissed the brand as "uninteresting corporate blah". They may not've sold many Rune's, but how many bikes were sold from lower in the range off the back of a Rune catching a riders attention???
So, yeah. Not my thing, but I can see why Honda made the Rune, and it makes perfect sense from a corporate point-of-view...
The Rune was a true work of art, and no manufacturer but Honda could produce it.
Honda just wanted to flex their muscles to prove they still have it. I always wanted one.
What a world where something this majestic and mad can exist.
sorry man i disagree, the Valkarie is a classic, its proof honda are NOT afraid to do things different.
Like all of yours, another well done video! The only thing missing was your riding impressions. I have a Rune and we call it the "Magic Carpet". Floats along like you're on a cloud. Easy and fun for the experienced rider despite being almost 1/2 ton. The low CG is key. Palomar mountain twisties are no problem and freeway cruising a breeze. So much power and torque it does not care which gear you're in. I think the value will easily double in the next several years. Like the styling or not, nothing else is quite like it.
I’m glad you covered the Rune, it’s one of my favorite “wtf?” motorcycles of all time. Styling is a personal thing that varies wildly from one person to the next,though: I think all the classic Harley-Davidson styling is garbage, and the BMW R18 looks like an even uglier Milwaukee wannabe. I know that H-D purists are going to hate on me for saying that, and many of them might also hate me for saying that the V-Rod was the best looking model until the Pan America was introduced, and that’s ok. The Rune isn’t pretty, but it doesn’t copy anything either. Thanks for sharing this one with us, I’ll see you on the next one!😃❤
I agree. The V-Rod is the only HD I own and it runs circles around the stock Harleys moving and standing still.
I was a parts guy as a kid. The Honda identification manual had me entranced. 89 & 90 were amazing years for Honda. I had many of those bikes on my bucket list and managed to own most of them. The Hawk GT (I had 3), the Trans Alp (I out about 30k on mine), GB500, ZB 50, NX650, and more. Then, later the Rune came out and I’ve lusted over it’s ridiculousness for years. It’s an absolute behemoth and I love that about it. In the words of Wayne Campbell, “it will be mine…. Oh yes, it will be mine,” I don’t know why, but I must put 30k miles one before I’m too old to hold it up. And I will.
Front wheel is a bit tricky to remove for a tire change I can say from experience. I got the chance to do a basic service and change tires on one a couple years back and since they are somewhat rare I enjoyed the experience.
I think it's amazing. I am not willing to pay what one would cost, but if I barn-found one and the widow said "gimme a thousand bucks and get it out of here" I think my heart would stop for a second.
I remember when the Honda 305 Dream came out. We all thought they were sissy bikes. Forty years later I bought one at a junkyard for $100, did a partial resto and spent the next few years riding the snot out of it, commuting to work rain or shine. etc. Strangely enough, again and again young people would say: "What a cool bike! What is it?"
15:30 you aren't speaking for the majority there on its looks dude, its a nuts looking bike. Ive yet to keet anyone in person who doesnt like how it looks. Its just expensive
Love the Rune - saw one at Lake Powell while on holiday and it looks even better in the flesh - Has a strange but beautiful design. Beautifully made too!
I guess it's a generational thing. I for one love the looks of the Rune. Massive, bulky, muscled. Futuristic road hog with faux-classic styling. Reminded me of a series from around the same time where Western meets SciFi; Firefly. I was 27 when it came out and it's still high on my wishlist.
I'd say my attraction to the Rune is its exclusivity. Most Honda guys with hardly recognize a Rune from 20 feet
An acquaintance of mine is a very large man and he has 2 of these. They are one of the few bikes he can ride that don’t look he’s riding a kid’s bike. These are impressive in person. Pics and videos do not do it justice
Gosh! What a work of art! Only Valkyrie can compete with it!
To me the Rune is the Ashley Graham of motorcycles. Simply gorgeous.
It may be an odd bike but it’s worth a lot now because of it.
Prices are still right around 20 to 25k, so with inflation its gone down quite a bit in value despite being super rare. If you invested 20k into the stock market in 2004 you'd have right around 100k today AND you wouldn't have an ugly motorcycle in your garage
@@bartmotorcycle I’m just so scared of investing a bunch of $ and the market crashes leaving me in the hole. The world is so shaky anymore it’s hard for us older folk to understand. Thanks for the info brother 🐾✌️🇺🇸
If you grew up in the 70's and 80's this was the amalgamism of all that was good in cruisers
I was kid with my dad when we walked into the local Honda dealer and saw it new. I remember my dad only liked the wheels, but for a kid, I thought it was coolest looking thing ever. I thought the exhaust looked like it was from a fighter jet looking from the back 😆
Truly Big, Bold, and Beautiful.
They truly did the most motorcycle ever.
I’m 60 years old and even remember the concept bikes being shown before the Rune came out! I’ve seen them on the road and they have a very Flash Gordon retro-futurist vibe to them. I think there’s a very capitalist/business thinking to Motorcycle design. I’m glad Honda didn’t go in this direction because many other companies at the time did. Maybe your next research should be on failed Japanese cruisers and then you’ll appreciate the Rune a lot more mainly because it’s a collector’s item and they aren’t! 🤔👍🏾 Great stuff as always!
The Rune is such a special bike, just seeing one on the road is an event. I remember the only time i have seen one on the road, a true piece of art. I get the impression that the narrator doesn't like them, that's fine, but lots of people do like them, just read the comments. I'm not sure about owning one, but i do appreciate the styling and would love to have a ride on one.
I remember when these came out. Back in the mid-late 90's I had bought two brand new bikes from my local Honda-Suzuki dealer so I was always in the dealership for parts/accessories/tire kicking etc. There was a lot of talk at the dealership and the motorcycle press when the Rune was released. Personally, I thought it was quite ugly but I never rode one. I also LOL'd when you mentioned the R1200C. I forgot all about that one.
I saw two of them a while back at Alice's. I found they looked intriguing. I talked to their owners a bit and they really liked them and rode them a lot. One of them had a Peterbilt metal plate welded on the engine block. It was a terrible blemish on this sacred machine.
as a non-motorcyclist, i dont find this bike ugly at all
Just got one a while ago. It's the most beautiful thing on the road, powerful, smooth, sounds amazing and huge, but shrinks when you start moving.
That rear fender is *hideous*...
The very first scene is in England at Boxhill just outside Dorking in Surrey , heading up the mad mile . People would get out into the central part of the dual carriage way to get a better view of bikers pulling wheelies up the road , i think this is late 80's
Can you make a video about the Simson S51
I kinda liked it when it came out. Granted, I was 19 at the time. I actually got to ride it since my dad and I were working as journalists back then so we had one for a few days. I thought it looks like something Batman would ride. Still think it looks kinda cool.
That opening clip is from Mickleham/Box Hill in Surrey, England. There is a cafe there called Ryka's that claims to be the "oldest biker cafe" in England (possibly the world). It used to be one of the most popular spots for many bikers in the London and South East areas. Sadly, this year the police constantly set up camp there and ticket every single person with anything even slightly wrong with their bikes. So many patrols and mobile speed cameras too. They've pretty much ruined the fun.
Rune has always been on the list of bikes I want to take for a ride.
I miss the days of Honda engineers snorting illegal substances and coming up with absolute off the wall motorcycles.
Saying you don’t get it, but invite those who do to explain their feelings and promising to keep an open mind is a wonderfully positive reflection on you. Congratulations.
I like it because it harkens back to the 1950's Art Deco movement not motorcycle history specifically. It reminds me of a mini locomotive for the road. The fact they ride as well as they do is insane. Its an engineering marvel just to produce it!
I have ALWAYS loved the Rune. When I could buy one, I couldn’t afford it. It’s a production concept, which is all but unknown, and I can pretty much count the number of production concepts on one hand. An amazing bike.
Looks are so much in the eye of the beholder - it's just so subjective. most of the bikes you've said are beautiful in this and other videos, I dislike. and ones you think are ugly are often my idea of attractive bikes. I'm not a sports bike guy, but I think the original Katana looks cool - and 'retro' looks: R.E., most Triumphs, Kawi W800 650 & 800, old Sportster are to me real beauties and what a motorcycle looks like. - who can account for taste? - p.s. u do great vids - thanks, keep up the good work.
09:47 notice how the Rune guy is arriving last, after everyone has already parked 😅😂🤷♂️
I love that you would never see on on the streets and say "that looks like a Honda" and that is so unique. What other bikes are like that? So different from what they are usualy doing?
Most halo projects tend to lose money for the company that produce them. See the Bugatti Veyron, Porsche Carrera GT, 918, Lexus LFA, etc, etc.
I rode one, it was an incredible motorcycle..
I like the way it looks. I think we older guys (I’m 61) may look at it through a different lenses than you younger guys. Good video.
My stepdad had one of these in red in the late 2000s and rode the crap out of it. He put it in a local motorcycle show the summer he got it and won for "best stock motorcycle". I always thought it was a gorgeous bike in person. The only thing is my stepdad put a windshield and a ostrich skin seat with a backrest on his, which looked kind of silly in my opinion.
imagine thinking the BMW looks better than a honda Rune. wow.
If you go back to the 1950's they're way ahead in styling.
and the Rune can lean more than 2 degrees.
My buddy owned one but hated to ride it so i got it for months. Simply loved it.
One of my neighbours had a rune, awesome soundtrack even with the original pipes. Like a 911 taking off.
Rode it to work and sometimes went out with his wife as passenger riding on the back.
Dude.....
That bike is beautiful
I always got a hint of the art-deco influence in Batman: The Animated Series, which as a young bloke in the 90s was just a cheat-code for me to like it on some level. Despite cruisers not being my thing, and there being no argument that the Rune is garish at worst; lacking subtlety at best, it's still kinda cool. It was definitely always going to be on the 'Fantasy Garage Museum' of a lot of folks. Me included.
Honda Rune was cool, tho would Shaq look small on one?😂
Follow the "loss" leader, he's on a Honda Valkyrie chasing the Rune dream. It brings out the kid, you just cant stop staring at it and screams jump and hold on.
Bart, I think you secretly want one.
This is the most awesome honda ever to take the road. They should reintroduce it. Bravo Honda! Plus it's reliable!!!!!!!!.....PS I'm a sportbike rider.
Honda Fury next!
Guy down the street from my work has a Rune
Such a Hideous bike but he loves it. My coworkers thought it was a chopper
Bart. . Bart Bart Bart. UGLY. . . . ! What, no way man. Listen, I've had sports bikes in my blood for over 50 years, but the Rune is just about the only bike outside my first interest, that I stare at. Every single curve, every subtle line the reflections in the chrome. Awesome, sorry mate, you're wrong ugly it aint.
I am not a motorcycle person. I did not know about this until now, but it is now my favorite cruiser bike.
Don't know where you come up with the price but every where I have read the retail price was 25K .
I'm not really into motorcycles but the over the top looks is what draws me to the bike. Within the same class, all bikes look the same to me more or less. Take off the badging and it's just a cobble of metal and plastic on two wheels. However, I'd be able to recognize a Honda Rune.
I've watched some of your content and I couldn't really understand why you thought some bikes looked beautiful or not. There's no emotional attraction or repulsion for me. It's just a bike. So to see something with a very obvious (in my eyes) style, is a refreshing dip into what a motorcycle can look like.
I've been into cars much of my life and it's a bit easier for me to talk about style with cars because there's a lot more surface area to work with. Perhaps that's why I'm drawn to the rune. It's like a car on two wheels.
you know what really irritates me, listening to some self-anointed youtube expert telling me that he is the arbiter who decides what i am supposed to think is beautiful especially when i've been polite enough not to rain on his parade every time he starts pontificating about how beautiful his rattle trap old triumph is. who died and left you in charge of deciding what's beautiful and what isn't...and the saying is "lost their ever-loving minds"
name checks out
Imagine getting so triggered by someone else’s opinion. You didn’t have to click on the video if you disagree this badly.
Yeah and the Hondog CB 500. Jake Courts (Daily Rider) also has only an '09 KTM SM 990 and also pontificates. Kinda wish both Bart and Jake would up their game and have at least 12 bikes on the road ranging from a '67 Yamaha 180 to '89 DT 50/LC and all the RD's and RZ's in between. Plus a smattering of modern bikes. I'm a nobody and that's what's here...all plated and turn key.
I'm on my 3rd Valkyrie and they are definitely one of the best cruiser of all time. The rune was a progression of that.
If you want to see a Honda Rune in person, there is one at the Seba Station motorcycle museum in Warwick, Oklahoma on Route 66!
As an OEM motorcycle designer this project is a designers wet dream. Burn money, design something with no constraints and make the engineers figure it out. I'm frothing at the thought.
It's an anime version of an American custom motorcycle 😅
It remains one of the bikes I want to own someday. I asked a local motorcycle trader if I could rent one for a week. They obviously said no because they still sell for 29k euro's in the Netherlands
Ritchie, a buddy, bought one new and took a bath flipping it three years at the dreaded bottom of the market. He regrets selling it seeing what they're commanding these days.
Honda does stuff like this from time to time. They are mostly sensible, even their superbikes and nakeds are generally a lot more user friendly than their rivals. But from time to time they come up with absolutely crazy shit like the Rune.
Bro, you made a video of a bike you don't understand or like, Honda Rune is an awesome looking machine, one of my dream bikes
i have been tempted by the idea of a naked goldwing but an older one because i could never afford a valkyrie. i really dig the exposed flat 6 and the intake/exhaust tubes
I love the way the rune looks. Almost bought one but got road king instead
I like the look of it, I think it's real head turner and if you brought it to any meet or show I think it would be center of attention. Would I own it? Probably just to have it in the garage to look at 😂
The rune was Hondas greatest advertisement of all time.
Worth it. My local honda power sports dealer has one. Amazing
Really? I reckon it looks brilliant. From the sound of your voice you probably weren't around in the 90s so can't understand the context. That's okay.
I worked in a dealership that had a Rune, a 998 Matrix and 998FE. Talk about three bikes you never see anymore.
The Rune is such an engineering marvel and work or art. Honda is such an incredible company and deserves to be revered for this achievement. I would love to own one but I don't think I'm worthy of it.
How you can call this bike "ugly" is annoying 😑 its like your just saying that to be in some cool club
I usually hate Honda bikes but my gold I love the Rune. It's one of the most underated bikes ever and I can only dream of ever owning one since they are so rare and never officially came to Australia.
The bike has a majestic look.
“production bikes never look as cool as the concept”
Defines the Indian FTR perfectly.