Rothmans Honda is a legendary motorcycle racing partnership from the 1980s and 1990s, famous for its distinct blue, white, and gold tobacco livery.
Honda dominated Grand Prix motorcycle racing (500cc and 250cc) and endurance racing from 1985 through 1993.Legendary Riders: Raced by iconic champions including Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan.
The classic livery with a blue-and-gold colour scheme remains one of the most recognizable and beloved designs in motorsports history. Replica bikes, vintage apparel, and model kits remain highly sought after by motorcycle fans today.
Here we look at the models Honda officially produced in this classic colour scheme.
MBX50
The Honda MBX50F is a classic 1980s two-stroke sports moped that represents a major technological leap from raw, vintage mopeds into sophisticated, GP-replica mini-bikes. Produced by Honda between 1982 and 1993, it replaced the older, air-cooled MB5 series by introducing liquid cooling, aggressive full-bike styling, and race-derived suspension components. The bikini fairing MBX was available with a 50cc, 75cc and 80cc engine.
NS50F
The Honda NS50F is a lightweight, liquid-cooled, 50cc sport motorcycle featuring a 6-speed transmission and a 2-stroke engine that produces 7.2 horsepower. Based on the MBX model it was made in Europe as the NSR50F
NSR50 (Gag models)
The Honda NSR50 is a legendary miniature sport bike (minimoto) produced by Honda between 1987 and 2004. While it is frequently grouped into the collector category of "GAG bikes"—a term coined by Suzuki for its playful, scaled-down sport replicas—the NSR50 was a highly sophisticated, scale-model Grand Prix race replica rather than a toy
Honda NS-1
The Honda NS-1 is a 49cc, liquid-cooled, two-stroke mini sportbike that Honda produced starting in 1991. The dummy tank area in front of the rider is actually a lockable storage compartment large enough to hold a full-face helmet. The actual 8-liter fuel tank sits underneath the passenger seat, with the filler cap on the rear cowl.
Honda MBX80
The Honda MBX80 is a premium, liquid-cooled, 80cc two-stroke sports motorcycle introduced by Honda in the early 1980s to compete in the European and Japanese learner markets. The MBX80 Rothmans was also available in red and white and bikini fairing versions.
NS125R2
The Honda NS125R2 (often designated as the NS125R II) is a rare, iconic 124.5cc two-stroke sport bike manufactured by Honda Italy at their Atessa plant. Launched in January 1987, it was a premium evolution of the standard NS125R. It featured a full aerodynamic fairing and was most famous for its distinctive Rothmans racing livery, celebrating Honda's Grand Prix dominance with riders like Freddie Spencer and Wayne Gardner.
NSR125SP (JC20)
The Honda NSR125 SP (Sport Production) is a rare, limited-edition, high-performance variant of Honda's legendary 124cc two-stroke sportbike, specifically engineered to compete in Italy's prestigious Sport Production racing championship. Built by Honda Italia Industriale S.p.A., this machine represents the peak of raw, unrestricted European eighth-litre performance from the early 1990s.
HX135
The Honda HX135 (most famously known as the Honda Raider HX135SS) is a legendary 135cc two-stroke motorcycle produced by Honda from 1985 through the late 1990s. It was highly popular in Southeast Asian markets, particularly in Malaysia, where it served as Honda's aggressive entry into the highly competitive commuter-sport two-stroke segment.
NS250R
The Honda NS250R (Model MC11) is a lightweight, liquid-cooled two-stroke sport bike introduced by Honda in 1984. Featuring a 90-degree V-twin engine inside a GP-replica box-section aluminum frame, it paved the way for the legendary NSR250R series.
NSR250 series
The Honda NSR250R is a legendary, street-legal 249cc two-stroke sport bike produced by the Honda Motor Co. from 1987 to 1999. Built in the image of Honda’s world-championship-winning Grand Prix production racers, it is widely considered one of the finest "race replicas" of the two-stroke era. It paired a lightweight aluminum chassis with a highly sophisticated, liquid-cooled 90° V-twin engine. This combination delivered an incredibly raw, nimble, and track-focused riding experience.
NS400R
The Honda NS400R is a street-legal, two-stroke sports motorcycle produced by Honda from 1985 to 1987, inspired by Freddie Spencer’s 1983 500cc Grand Prix championship-winning NS500.
VFR400
The Honda VFR400R NC24 is an iconic, second-generation 400cc sportbike produced by Honda primarily for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) between 1987 and 1988. It is famously recognized as the model that introduced Honda's legendary Pro-Arm single-sided swingarm to the world. Powered by a miniature, high-revving V4 engine featuring race-bred gear-driven cams, it remains a highly collectible motorcycle among vintage sportbike enthusiasts.
VF1000R
The Honda VF1000R is a legendary, limited-edition homologation superbike produced by Honda between 1984 and 1988. Designed to showcase Honda's cutting-edge racing technology and dominate the World Formula One Championship, it earned the title of the world's fastest production motorcycle upon its release in 1984, boasting a top speed of 150 mph.
