BMW ZR35is Honda VTX1800 Honda Rune NRX1800

	Honda Valkyrie Rune
The Honda Rune originated from the Honda Zodia concept bikes T1 to T4 first displayed at Tokyo bike show in the late 1990s. Because of customers excitement and demand Honda a few years later decided to go ahead and build this bike more or less exactly as the T2 concept bike was displayed which turned out to be a real challenge for the Honda crew. One of the biggest obstacles was the radiator and the muffler designs. Honda has never told how many of the Honda Runea were manufactured but rumors have it as low as 800 bikes, some claims 1500 bikes and other says its no more than 3000 bikes. Others claims Honda decided to manufacture one bike per reseller in the US approx. 1200 at the time and the bike was manufactured only as model year 2004 but a few bikes spilled over to 2005. The Rune was equipped with the then new GL 1832cc flat six engine tuned with more aggressive camshafts and upgraded with six throttle bodies where the Goldwing has two. Despite its size and weight the Rune handles very well and is really comfortable and very smooth to ride. The internet has tons of information about how the Rune came to be and for those who wants to know just google Honda Rune or click THIS link for spec. and THIS link for the Rune history and review. My Rune as many of the Runes out there just sat for display at an autoshop in Sweden. After many years as show bike the owner suddenly in late 2023 decided to register and license the bike so it legally could be driven on public roads and it was put out for sale soon there after. The Rune is a low mileage bike with only 8075 miles on the speedo. It was without damages but had some minor scrathes in some of the chromed parts and some more annoying scratches and small dents under the right side muffler shield and exhaust pipe shield, probably from someone dropping the bike. My goal is to have the Rune fully restored to perfect original condition with new chrome parts and painted in the OEM P44P that is the Illusion blue metallic / Chromium purple.


The bike soon after I bought it in the spring of 2024	The Rune showing off along a buddies VTX1800
Update 2025-06: The Rune is now fully restored and has been painted in the OEM P44P Pearl Chromium Purple, pictures below. It is almost impossible to find Rune parts and especially undamaged and new parts because the very limited production bike and the rumour is that Honda sold out almost all parts in only 10 years. I have been incredible and almost unbelievable lucky in finding the things I wanted and I had them shipped from around the world as from Japan, USA, Canada, Russia, Spain and Poland. Some were new parts in Honda original boxes and others were almost new parts from a bike with only 4 miles that was parted out. Some parts as the very special design head light unit became very popular among custom bike builders so the complete head light unit is very sought after. Despite this I managed to find a brand new complete headlight unit in Honda original boxes that was shipped from US. I never forget the pair of rear muffler fully chromed heat shields that was for sale on Ebay Japan, unfortunately they were sold together with a complete Rune exhaust system for $4000 + shipping. I had absolutely no need for a complete exhaust system but I desperately wanted the brand new in Honda original boxes heat shields so I contacted the seller and asked if he possibly could sell the heat shields in a separate auction. A few hours later I bought the heat shields on Ebay for a very reasonable price, thank you SAO Trading Inc. Another almost unbelievable parts find is when I was on holiday in Spain summer 2024. One afternoon I was sitting in the patio with nothing particular to do so I decided to Google “honda rune parts espana” and the first result was listed as a new Honda Rune being parted out in Spain, I was almost falling of the chair, could this be true? Next thing to find out was exactly where in Spain this Rune were located and it turned out to be only about 40 miles from where I was on holiday. I immediately contacted the seller and it turned out he could offer me almost every part I wanted so the day after I visited him and closed a deal for a huge amount of $$$ in parts, some I took with me and other parts he shipped out. Of course all these parts came at a price tag and as to day I have spent close to 15-thousand dollars only in parts. Not for my existing parts was particularly damaged but many of the chromed parts had minor annoying scrathes and as to my opinion had to be rechromed and as I was finding out there is almost none existing chrome company left in Sweden because of environmental issues and the very few I was in contact with could not chrome aluminum parts and the Rune has tons of chromed aluminum parts. I was told there were some companys in Poland that can rechrome aluminium but then I was thinking what if I send my parts to Poland and they somehow get lost??? Because of the $$$ spent on the Rune it probably will never be an investment but I think this special and very rare low production bike must be at its best and preserved for the future. This of course now brings me to the dilemma riding it, do I dare to take it for a spin, what if an accident happens? There are some small modifications done to the bike and one can argue about keeping it 100% original but they can very easy be removed. I decided to install a set of LED DRL:s for maximum visibility because to be seen in traffic is the way to stay a live. For the DRL:s I used a set of Honda OEM turn signal fully chromed bodies coming from one of my VTX1800s, in fact these bodies has exactly the same shape and form as the Rune turn signals. For lighting I found a set of LED DRL:s with Angel Eyes in a size that fitted almost exactly in the bodies. Of course I had to modify and mill out the VTX bodies and I also had to manufacture a spacer ring and an adapter in my 3D printer for installing them on the Rune. The end result is perfect and the light output is very strong even in full daylight. When the low beam comes on the DRL:s automatically switches to Angel Eyes and somewhat dimmed down. The other modification is I wanted a tachometer and a temperature gauge for the coolant and also a clock. For the tacho with temperature it was the same solution with the fully chromed HONDA VTX1800 turn signal body and my 3D printer for needed spacers and mounting adapters. For the clock it is a common motorcycle type installed in a smaller chromed turn signal body attached at the side of the tachometer body. It is a perfect fit looking almost stock on the bike.