The Honda RVF400R (NC35) is a motorcycle introduced by Honda Motor Company in 1994, powered by a V4 16 valve double overhead geardriven cam 400 cc engine and known for its supreme handling capabilities. There were two models, the R and the T, which differed only in their paint schemes. The RVF (as it was marketed by Honda in Japan) finished production in 1996, though unsold RVFs remained available to purchase from Japanese Honda dealers through to 2001. The RVF400R is the smaller sibling of RVF750R (RC45), as the VFR400R (NC30) was to the VFR750R (RC30).The Honda RVF400R was the successor to the Honda VFR400R NC30, which ceased production in 1993. While at first glance there appear to be mainly styling changes between the VFR400R and the RVF400R, the actual number of changes are vast as the entire bike was redesigned with numerous identical looking components being totally different.
The obvious differences between the VFR400R and the RVF400R are that the front forks are of the upside-down type and the rear wheel takes a 17" tyre (the Honda VFR400R took a 18"), there are two air tubes that feed fresh air to the area just in front of the air box (this is not a ram air system, the airbox is unpressurised) and the headlights have changed from twin round headlights to twin 'fox-eye' lights (this is one feature not mirrored from the RVF750R (RC45) as the RC45 features twin large round headlights).
Unlike the VFR400R the RVF400R was only officially sold new in Japan. The RVF400R outputs slightly less peak power than the VFR400R (due to japanese regulations at the time) but has a stronger midrange. There is a Haynes Manual for the RVF400R.
Like other Hondas with gear-driven camshafts, the RVF's engine makes a loud 'whine' sound when operating. The exhaust note of the V4 engine is also different from that of a more conventional inline four. The 400 cc VFR and RVF models share a unique exhaust note with their larger siblings—the VFR750R RC30 and the RVF750R RC45—because of their 360-firing order ('big-bang') configuration.
The RVF400R has a reputation for excellent reliability and good build quality, though not quite as high as its predecessor, the VFR400R.
