3RC164 (RC166) Honda 250-6 The real thing.

1964 3RC164 (RC 166) Honda 250/6. Demonstration laps at Cadwell Park. Rider is Jim Redman - and the event the Team Obsolete Transatlantic Match races July 1998. Filmed using JVC camcorder GR 323.

[@Coops4343]

The sheer violence of this machine, built nearly 50 years ago, is just staggering. Japanese engineering genius.

[@posniknelb6114]

Over 50 years, closer to 60 now.

[@grasub1]

I could sleep all night listinging to that beautiful scream. Magic time indeed - when there was no limits. We as a race have gone backwards on the Teck front.

[@bigharrykochenbauls4567]

The shear offensiveness of their race engines and the fear that they put into the hearts of their competitors '64-'67 is what has made me a lifelong Honda fan..

[@ronvalente65]

To sit on the banking at Bradden in 1966 and watch Mike Hailwood and Stuart Graham pass by on The RC166's in full war cry is something never to be forgotten! I have seen the the RC166s ridden many times since at different circuits! but they were never ridden in anger! to hear them all the way up towards Union Mills was just something else.

[@monkeyintensity1]

the greatest sounding motorcycle of all time .Honda engineering at it's finest !

[@TheBertieW]

Heart this legend in 1980 during a demonstration at the Dutch TT in Assen. Once you have heart this music, it will never leave you again. It almost brings me to tears every time I hear it.

[@nigeh5326]

I have to say they do sound amazing and I'm a Yamaha 2 stroke fan

[@barrysmith6845]

I agree

[@karlalton3170]

Most deff 🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@andrewrolfe932]

They were so finely engineered that the crankshaft mains were all sized for the individual stresses they bore as were the camshaft bearings. I imagine that level of detail was utilised throughout.

[@DonnyMacG]

Some engines are just unforgetable, I was at Cadwell that day and when the 250/6 was out of sight on the mountain section it sounded like the F1 Ferrari V12 at Spa. Brilliant wee bike

[@chicanesimon]

Stirs the emotions this ole girl , thank you Soichiro Honda and your amazing engineering team , few understand what went creating this particular engine and considering we are in the early 60's period wise ....... Amazing

[@jean-micheldumay1134]

An aristocratic generation of champions and machines. Jim Redman was a great pilot. What a style and sound !

[@stevematz7354]

Knowledgable HRC people say the last built RC166's were putting out close to 70hp. That doesn't sound astounding by todays standards but remember the HP back then for a CL72(250cc) Street Scrambler was 25hp and a BSA A65 Hornet(650cc) was around 54hp. Such an awesome sounding engine. If you put a modern EFI, Valvetrain(titanium) Ignition system, etc. on this same engine, I believe 100hp is attainable. I priced one of those Keihin Racing Carbs years back and they were something like 300 bucks a piece. Probably one reason DT engine builders were using Mikunis back in the day. Even though these small multi-cylinder engines could turn 18,000+rpm their powerband was quite narrow; that's why you saw 7 speed and more gearboxes. I believe one of Honda's little RC 50cc GP bikes had a 9 speed box. Honda built some amazing stuff back in the 60's and the company wasn't even 20 yrs old ...

[@bryanhurd9955]

The 50cc suzuki of that time had 14 in the box

[@fergusnichols4407]

I can't remember if it was but it might be Peter Wright who stated in some papers that the theoretical limit of any cylinder config of this size would be around 80hp for a 4 stroke. And that theoretical limit wasn't attained even in the golden era of NA f1 v12's and v10's. I don't doubt that 70hp figure though.. these bikes are so cool!

[@KrustyKlown]

Steve Matz: (nice avatar, Mike Mentzer - that man totally changed the way I trained in the early 90's... leading me to a national championship. RIP Mike) as for your comment, sounds like "racer speak" to me, the exaggeration of bench racers. In the 60's no 4 stroke engines were putting out that power, works out to 280 hp per liter. Some 50 years later, BMW F1 engines were turning similar rpms, 19K+, and putting out 300 hp per liter naturally aspirated ... .and in the 60's F1 motors were around 100 hp per liter. Even the Honda F1 motors of 1990 were only 190 hp per liter. I doubt the RC166 put out over 150 hp / liter = ~37 hp ... which would have been very impressive for a 4 stroke motor of that size, and probably had a very WIDE powerband, like 10,000rpm LOL!!! .. it had 6 cylinders, but was only 250cc total!

[@EnglertRacing96]

your not accounting that things don't scale well, hp/L usually goes up when you scale something down.

[@peacefulwarrior4078]

I believe it was more like 23,000 redline and a 8 speed transmission

[@colink4823]

The most wonderful sounding bike ever

[@gsx1170]

The bike just sings! cant think of a better sound. thanks.

[@davescott6068]

Remember the sound from somewhere in the mid/late '60's with Mike Hailwood at the Ulster Grand Prix. Jim Redman could have been there too, or slightly later. Used to specifically stand at the heel end of Leathemstown corner so the exhausts would be blowing the sound right into my face - and the Honda 6 was the absolute best. Jim Redman isn't giving it full revs here, but who can blame him. It's a damn near priceless artifact of bike history. P.S. Cannot get my head around the new GP 250 class with single cylinders - and this sound tells you why!.

[@peterg2yt]

Mike Hailwood only rode the RC165 once in a race and that was at Suzuka. Isamu Kasuya came second on another one. He had huge success on the RC166 and RC174 sixes.

[@BIKERJIM]

Totally agree with you there 😢

[@MiniMotoAlliance]

God I wish these bikes weren’t so rare and expensive. I’d definitely own one.

[@privedeliberte5646]

De tout les temps jamais un moteur n aura fait un bruit aussi magic! Merci Honda.

[@Pablo22578]

Wow thanks for this video. Best bike/engine ever built. Nice of Jim to put it through it's paces that day

[@mampirmerene4192]

I'm in tears..miss those days..

[@vinto34]

Awesome...id take this over a 1000cc sports bike any day.

[@hugejohnson5011]

Awesome to hear. Awesome to ponder the machines that mankind has built.

[@briancrabb2286]

Honda were way ahead of they’re rivals back in the day , what a bike and what a sound , what a machine , 17000 revs was unheard of in the 60s , you’d be luck if you could get 6000 revs out of a British bike and then it would probably blow up lol Soichiro Honda trained his engineers very well .

[@jackryan4313]

It revs so quickly 😩such magnificence. Such grace. I'm in awe

[@tonyguest1673]

Heard this with Hailwood on board flat out down Bray Hill at the IOM TT. Best sounding bike ever made.

[@bryanhurd9955]

I heard closer Hailwood passed me at the Roy Hesketh circuit in 1967, the bike went away from seemingly silently, then a wall of sound hit me, incredible.

[@boss302gorie8]

tried explaining the sound that comes out of these to a bloke at work,he couldnt accept that something could sound better than his obnoxiously loud,shit sounding V ROD

[@jacquypirlet8236]

que du bonheur ,profitons-en il n'y en aura plus jamais ...

[@davekale5664]

I was lucky to see the one and only Mike Hailwood riding the 297cc version at Brands Hatch Race of the South 1968 I didn't know that what I was watching was so very special !

[@manfredalbrechtfreiherrvon818]

Legend

[@andrewdowney4929]

I remember standing at Brands Hatch watching THE great Mick Hailwood lap Brands on this WTF glorious bike. I can't find the right words, but great bike and a really great human riding it.

[@swiftchopper277]

Honda cbr250r from 1987 to the 96 cbr250rr are impressive 20 thousand rev machines in their own right

[@markbarber7839]

Years ago they had one at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto. A beauty to behold

[@jimclarke1108]

Cant beat that sound

[@2009bassline2009]

love seeing this bike at donnington classic festival each year

[@timcolledge6813]

Great bike ridden by a great man !!!

[@AridersLifeYT]

Thanks for sharing

[@richardhebden5603]

The first time I went to Aberdare, Bob Heath was riding his Honda 6. I parked a good half mile away near the town centre not knowing where the park circuit was until I heard Bob start it up. What a noise! I thought to myself, "god help the good people of Cardiff" 20 miles away down the valley. Cadwell is not dissimilar with the noise being contained in the valley until you get up onto the back "straight" . Then god help the good people of Lincoln.

[@rgadave]

If I remember correctly, Dunlop recorded Hailwood on the 'six' on the then 'triangular' tyres at 59 degrees off the vertical, not very far short of today's angles nearly 50 years later.

[@williamkerr3350]

There was a poster of him taken back on which showed incredible lean angle,I had it stuck on my bedroom door when I was a kid in the 60s.

[@grahamcashmore5924]

Still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!!

[@jeffc6167]

Nothing like a true race in anger screaming around the tt at full bore up and Down the box like billy o, and standing it up on the gearbox sprocket at a million revs, pure music.

[@collectorguy4379]

Sounds amazing and unbelievable 60's engineering But can't help thinking it's all noise and not much go compared to modern machines

[@MichaelSmith-mc8bd]

Well, I can’t help thinking your a bell end!

[@collectorguy4379]

@@MichaelSmith-mc8bd oh you total prick go fck off will you

[@lordatum8139]

One crazy old man.

[@hondaxl250k0]

i got to have one of these!!

[@shanedladd]

This could very well be the bike that came and raced at Mondello Park in Ireland in the very late sixties.It was riddden by Mike,s team mate the man from Belfast Ralph Bryans and still brings back memories even today.I am nearly sure of these facts but can be corrected,maybe Ralph can verify this himself i think he raced against Tommy Robb that same day.Regards

[@mySelf-yx4hw]

wow it sounds like a modern F1 engine

[@Jo66670]

Prachtig geluid als ik dit hoor lopen de rillingen over mijn rug,en denk ik aan de sixties in de Asser GP.

[@bigmuller1]

This machine puts out more horse power per cc than today's f1 car

[@dargon2127]

Glory days

[@peterg2yt]

Your title is wrong. This bike is a Honda RC165 (why put RC166 in brackets!?). Engine capacity of this bike is just over 247cc. Last time I saw this bike it had suffered a dropped valve on an Isle of Man parade lap whilst being ridden by Steve Plater. Most likely cause of the dropped valve was by it being brutally over-revved a couple of days previously to 19,000 whilst static at Jurby airfield (its there for all to see on another KZbin video) by Team Obsolete rider Dave Roper. Max power is at 18.,000 so why on EARTH would run it up to 19,000 when warming it up from cold!?

[@vincentreynolds2127]

Howlin Honda

[@916bp]

That was a great meeting, did something happen when it went out the second time.

[@heldun]

You are right. Redman must have started his demonstration on the start and finish straight and, on his first lap, he ran off the track at Hall Bends. The ambulance set off to attend to him but before it reached the spot he was up and on his way again. I saw the machine later and, other than a broken screen, damage seemed to be superficial.

[@916bp]

that was it ;-) it was a very hot day also. nice to see the video, thanks.

[@giwtwm]

I NEED THIS BIKE

[@johncunningham4820]

Look up " Mad Contraption " in the Encyclopaedia Galactica and you will find a Picture of one of these . That NOISE though........................................................................

[@bobcat68golly]

Jim Redman

[@johnfisher256]

😲 Wow 😲

[@paulshelley4754]

Did honda actually give jim redman a RC166?🤔

[@danb.3397]

Yep, Mike Hailwood who I believe said that the bike would kill him.

[@CptHiker]

wow that sound and a ducati 999 body and u have the perfect bike

[@barrysmith6845]

Don,t ruin it with ducati shit attachments

[@oleriis-vestergaard6844]

You can easily hear that this engine dont have much weight on the crankshaft -

[@driffbro3380]

search for "Honda RA272" ;)

[@tonyguest1673]

The Honda 125cc 5 cylinder sounded just as good and it was higher revving.

[@martinvanveldhoven8328]

Smaller cylinders will always be able to rev higher.

[@nswiss19751]

For all you commenting you want one well good luck cause its not gonna happen!!!

[@waildwan]

just a 250? more freightening than a modern 1000cc.

[@TieFighterPilot]

Sounds like a Formula 1

[@turrettooling1968]

Unmodified exhaust sound. I don’t think a 6 to 1 header would sound as good.

[@agungpratama9286]

that fuckin sound like Godzilla

[@ThirdEye105]

Sounds like Porsche 917 at Le Mans.

[@roby2252]

Motor best sound RC166, car best sound lexus LFA

[@tomhubbell]

And you ask why following riders got double vision…

[@bryanhurd9955]

That six cant be a 1964 bike,as the first six debuted at the 1965 tt

[@TrevorHeath]

First ridden (by Jim Redman) at the 1964 Italian GP.......

[@peter3471]

The Honda 250 CC 6 cylinder made its race debut at the Italian Grand Prix of 1964

[@DirkHav]

How did the Japanese people arrived on this planet ? The nearest galaxy is 25.000 lightyears away.

[@bigshnitzeljesse]

Too bad for those skinnies, they cant get the lean angle like todays tires.

[@davidsanders1991]

Is he racing others or is he racing alone? Racing others is more fun.

[@milojanis4901]

Davis Sanders-Also more chance of somebody else crashing, and taking this museum piece out with it!!!

[@ognianeeh5684]

I think Japanese are good at making small engines, Honda f1 in the 80's was the best, 1,500 hp with turbo in 1500㏄.　But the Japanese are not interested in racing, so Japanese manufacturers don't race either. The only thing the Japanese are interested in now is fuel efficiency and interior space.　Yeah, the Japanese government did a good job educating them.

[@jamesboardman7048]

No computers no cad cam . Human machined parts. All on crap tires

[@MitzvosGolem1]

Asimo s grandfather...

[@girvinbuick8117]

Dirty girl with a great voice 😂

[@Zoltan-sb2hh]

A Yamaha ugyanezt a teljesítményt megcsinálta 2 hengeres kétüteművel.

[@brightspark54]

why the fk do they sit there revving the balls off them it serves no purpose just keep the revvs up of tickover

[@richardaldridge7590]

It revved to 18000 and probably had no power under 15000 , that’s why , no torque at low RPM