1997 Honda AC15 Dream

In the 1960’s, Honda released a bike called the RC110. It was the Honda’s teams first ever 50cc Grand Prix motorcycle racer. First unveiled in 1961, the bike made its professional debut at the 1962 Spanish GP in Barcelona. The bike was extremely out-gunned and despite the constant revisions and tune ups, the Honda team only managed to get a single race victory, and the season was a complete humiliation. Despite the racers doing a good job at racing the bikes, the RC110 did not have the speed for the fast layout of the tracks. Production for the RC110 ended, and the bike was never seen again on the professional track.

In the late 90’s, Honda decided to build the AC15 dream to commemorate the racer from the 60’s. It was designed to be retro, showcasing the racer style of the 60’s bikes of short handlebars and an elongated low profile fuel tank. The frame was a diamond design with a reinforced single front down tube bolting to the engine’s crankcase. The top of the frame was a reinforced double-tube over-and-under configuration meeting a multi-tube box under the rider. Front and rear disc brakes were standard – highly unusual for a small displacement motorcycle, while the 50cc engine was technologically unusual thanks to its single cylinder and double overhead camshafts.

The Dream AC15 became instantly collectible, with a short-lived production run for the Japanese Domestic Market only.