This Masterpiece Motorcycle Was One Of Honda’s Most Expensive Creations

But the Rune wasn’t just a one-off Valkyrie or a tweaked Gold Wing. Nor was anything on this bike grabbed willy-nilly off the ready-made parts shelf. Not even the buttons. For instance, the headlight, tank, and radiator (among other things) were all constructed with a teardrop shape, so everything matched. 

At what cost, you might ask? Well, according to FortNine, the specially built radiator grill had a list price of $1,572. Something as simple as the master cylinder had a price tag of $1,350, while each engine guard cost $1,010.

The uniquely Rune exhaust tips were made using a 5,000-year-old wax method that someone stumbled on in an archive somewhere (explained in the above video at the six-minute mark). But the process is interesting and incredibly expensive, with each tip costing, in theory, $1,300 to replace. Unfortunately, you can’t replace them because Honda didn’t make more than the allotted amount sold (via FortNine).

To keep the 7-foot long, nearly 900-pound bike so incredibly stable and exquisitely drivable, the axel on the front fork (with a list price of $18,000, mind you) was designed to trail nine inches behind the pivot point. The gas tank is 32 inches long, while the foot-long teardrop-shaped headlight costs $2,672 to replace (via FortNine).