Mugen Honda MRV1000 – Should of Produced this cool ride.
For many moons I have wanted to see this one off Prototype, but alas, so far, I have only read about it and seen it on you tube, but it always warrants a little bit of a write up, the Knee slider did a bang up job, so thought I would add their bit on here too, but they should of made this machine, even so more now as the trend is hot to trot and I would buy one, so, come on Mr Hirotoshi Honda, lets get this together and on the tarmac, and of course- affordable would be nice!!!
Hirotoshi Honda – son of Honda founder Soichiro – reveals the priceless prototype Mugen MRV1000 streetbike he built 14 years ago.
Honda Mugen MRV1000
Honda Mugen MRV1000
At this year’s Isle of Man TT, there was a classic parade with many old machines not seen in a long time, among those participating was this odd motorcycle, a Honda Mugen MRV1000. A quick look shows a strong British influence with an engine style reminiscent of an old Vincent, but what the heck is a Mugen MRV1000?
From the little information available, it seems Hirotoshi Honda, son of Honda founder, Soichiro Honda, founded a company by the name of Mugen in 1973. The company built Honda based racing engines and has evidently been pretty successful, but Hirotoshi is a Brit bike enthusiast and wanted to build something along the lines of a Vincent.
The MRV1000 was an attempt to create a limited production street bike with a 4 valve, twin carb, 1000cc V-Twin. After they built it they realized it would cost far too much to be marketable and this prototype is the one and only of its kind.
The engine definitely has the look of a Vincent, though I think the originals had slightly better lines. It would have been interesting if Honda would have produced the MRV1000. They can build interesting machines with British styling cues, the GB500 for instance, but even there, it never sold well and now is recognized in hindsight as having been quite nice with collectors always on the lookout for low mileage examples. With that history, it’s likely this one wouldn’t have sold well, either, followed after a time when everyone would be scrambling to buy one. Go figure. Anyway, it’s something I had never heard of until I ran across a short piece in Classic Bike magazine. Another one that might have been.
Link: Club Honda Classic
Honda Mugen MRV1000 rear wheel detail
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The Gas tank tells you right away what this puppy is:
The single Gauge and alloy triple tree’s work well.
Check out the front hub, aweome stuff.
Although in 20120 Kuniomi Nagamatsu took the motorcycle to the Isel of Man for the Parade lap in 2010 and on the Gooseneck Bend, he fell off, sending the machine sideways into the bend, luckily at a slow speed and the bike was ok, a rare motorcycle that not many of us will be lucky to see im afraid.
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Honda’s son reveals Mugen twin at the TT |
Striking beauty: Seventeen-year-old Monika Sing-Lee was a single girl working in her uncle’s laundry in the early Fifties when she posed for the painting
The artist: Vladimir Tretchikoff painted Miss Pon in the early Fifties after a friend told him of her beauty
In the driving seat: A diver sits on a truck at the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm sunk off Egypt’s coast after being bombed by German planes during WW2
A truck at the SS Thistlegorm shipwreck, a British munitions ship sunk by a German bomber in 1941 off the coast of Egypt. The supply ship has been left for 60 years
Rusting: Norton 16H motorcycles at the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm as tropical fish swim through the twisted metal in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt
Incredible: Divers examine an anti-aircraft gun on the stern of the SS Thistlegorm shipwreck. The wreckage provides a fascinating insight into the past
SS Thistlegorm: The vessel’s cargo included: Bedford trucks, Universal Carrier armoured vehicles, Norton 16H and BSA motorcycles, Bren guns, cases of ammunition, and 0.303 rifles as well as radio equipment, Wellington boots, aircraft parts, and two LMS Stanier Class 8F steam locomotives
Huge: A diver looks at the anchor chain. The wreck has been turned into a popular world-class diving site off the coast of Egypt
Reclaimed by the sea: The hull of the cast munitions ship has been eroded by the sea but several items, like the ship’s ladder, remain intact
Cargo: A diver swims past a wagon which was aboard the supply ship. It was heading for Suez in 1941 when it was bombed – killing nine crew
Exploring: From 15 metres, the bow of the 400-ft long ship is clearly visible and divers are guided through the hold and along every inch of the vessel including its cargo
Colourful: Brightly-coloured tropical fish swim around the winch as a diver takes a closer look. Built in Sunderland, the SS Thistlegorm completed three voyages
Frozen in time: By plunging to depths of 30 metres, explorers can reach the shipwreck in the clear water. The tyres on these motorbikes are still intact
Habitat: A diver meets a halfmoon angelfish, also known as the yellowband angelfish, while exploring the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm
War machines: A tank, destined for Suez, lays rotting on the seabed after the ship was sunk before it could make its final destination
Winch: From Sharm El Sheikh, tour operators run ships for divers keen to get a look at this window to the past. The ship is in the Straits of Gubal in the Red Sea
The supply ship was carrying trains, trucks and motorbikes, which now lie rusting on the bed of the Red Sea. Nine of its 41 crew died in the attack by German bombers
