No Reserve – 2004 Honda Rune

Post Sale Update: This Rune sold for $13,600 after 26 bids on eBay.

In 2000, Honda released the T2 Concept as a preview of what they could do if they went nuts with some ideas for a cruiser. The public response was what you’d expect with a crazy concept – it looked interesting but if it ever became a production bike then it would be diluted. Well, we were wrong. Honda released the Rune in 2004 and it’s still probably the craziest production motorcycle they’ve ever built. I’ve featured a few over the years but this is the first time I’ve seen one offered with no reserve – this bike is definitely getting a new owner!

The T2 Concept as shown in 2000. Photo from Honda.

Some styling cues for the Rune actually go back to 1995, when Honda debuted the Zodia concept bike:

Though all visual indications give the impression that this bike is heavily raked and would be a handful to muscle around, Honda’s engineers were able to make it quite manageable despite the 750+ pound weight. Most custom choppers built with this visual geometry are awful to ride, but the Rune avoids that pitfall. For more on the Rune, check out this “Memorable Motorcycle” profile from Moto-USA, which notes:
“The only downside is that repair costs are horrendous. Each Rune left the American Honda Plant at Marysville, Ohio, costing the company a reported $100,000 – and sold for just a quarter of that price. Honda has got to get its money back somehow and therefore repairing a Rune is never going to be a cheap exercise.”

This bike has 7,706 miles and it looks great. The seller includes all kinds of photos so you can check out all the angles of the Illusion Blue bodywork. The seller is the third owner and I’ve featured some interesting Japanese bikes of his in the past like this Suzuki SW-1. The sale includes the original keys, a coffee table book, and a letter from Honda’s VP that originally came with the Rune. Everything is said to work, and again – there’s no reserve.