Hi,

Am thinking of getting back to a two stroke bike having never really got on with 4-strokes, I dont know why, but my last two stroke was an RGV and nothing has come close. I had various RD's RGV's etc and loved all of them. Two strokes then started dissapearing and I moved onto a YZF750R and then an R6... never got on with any of them and gave up bikes for a Lotus. But still the two stroke bug is there. Even more so as the 250's vanish from the motogp I rembered years ago looking in a Jap import bike dealers at the NSR's, how I wish I had got one then. Now I am thinking of trying to find one. How well do these bikes last? What, realistically can I expect the condition of what is a 20 year old bike to be? Are there many of them left? I have seen a couple on autotrader... so it looks like not many. What are they like for spares? What about servicing? Anyone good in the Gloucester UK area (or anywhere near)? What about insurance? Do you insure fully comp? Is there spares to do this?

Cheers

Andy

Welcome to the Forum Andy.

There's always a huge debate over "the best" NSR, but one thing is certain, it is the best engineered 250 2-stroke available. Bear in mind that even the newest one will be 13 years old though, so most things can be improved and will also need to be checked over.

Spares for all these kinds of bikes are starting to get scarce now as manufacturers have long stopped selling them, and general support seems usually to be 10 years after last production. Everything for the MC16 and MC18 is discontinued, most of the MC21 parts are discontinued, as are many of the MC28 parts. NOS is available round the world, and there's a mass of used spares on Yahoo! Auctions in Japan. We have a Supporting Vendor in Japan that will purchase items for Members at very good rates.
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Andy.
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Hi Andy,

If it was the looks of the bike, then the MC18 or MC21 are the ones I like, I have no idea on how they compare on the road. I have seen a few on autotrader, but have no real idea on what to look for. Are they still coming in from Japan, or are these the last few left on the road in the UK? I presume there wasn't that many in the first place. I am looking for something to keep, but want to use it. The only thing I remember about the RG's and RD's is the quality wasnt great, but the NSR always looked good. So I am hoping if I can find somewhere good to service it and don't drop it, it should be ok. I presume consumables like tyres etc are still easy to come by?

The only bike that comes close to the NSR quality-wise is the Yamaha TZR250 3XV, but that's even rarer and most of the parts (especially tune-up parts) are very scarce. I believe there are a number of OEM parts available through UK dealers though, but like I say, spares for all these bikes will start wearing thin soon, and for a JDM model, the NSR is now by far the best supported.

Engineering-wise the NSR is second to none, and anyone with any level of mechanical aptitude can see it when they look inside the motor. NSR's are Honda's at their (late 80's ~ early 90's) best.

On the road there really isn't a great deal between the MC18 and the MC21. In standard trim the MC21 chassis is way ahead of the MC18, but the '18 can be made to work very easily. Both are easy to delimit. Try to go fo an '89 Mk2 (R5K/R6K) if you choose an MC18. It's not hugely better than the Mk1, but some important Mk1 engine parts are extremely difficult to source now, even used.

The MC21 probably gives the best performance-per-pound. You get a more modern, stiffer chassis, better sized wheels, most you will find will have the dry clutch and adjustable suspension, and will usually be in better condition. MC21 forks will slot straight into the MC18 R5K yokes, and a few will have been upgraded with 90~93 SE/SP forks, but it's very rare to find an MC18 with a decent (adjustable) rear shock. Most of the MC21's you will come across on the other hand will be SE models, with full adjustability. An MC21 however, will normally be around double the price of an MC18.

10 minutes with a pair of snips, a soldering iron, and a 20mm flat drill bit will liberate 15~17hp from a stock 45hp '18 or '21.
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Hi Andy
Congratulations on seeing the light Obviously most of us on here will have a certain amount of bias towards the nsr I think as Andy said the nsr is probably the best choice of the 250 2 strokes and you wont regret buying one.
Spares are easy enough to source in the internet age as lomg as you dont expect to walk into your local shop and buy them off the shelf. I use Lings, David Silvers and Jap4performance in the u.k..
As you said if you are buying a bike of this age you must expect to spend some money and do a cetain amount of work, even Rich G who bought his imaculate Rothmans SP from a dealer has had to rectify a few problems since he bought it.
Here are a few buying tips from a previous post:

Make sure the powervalves work! If not cleaned they seize up, burn out the p/v servo and then burn out the pgm unit.
Take the r/h quick release fairing panel off, the pulleys on the side of the barrell should open and close at about 2-3000 rpm. You should be able to rotate them by hand as well, 2nd hand pgm's generally sell fo £100 to £150 when they OCCASIONALLY come up for sale.
Cold starting issues tend to mean the crank seals are shot.
The pistons last a good few thousand miles, I just changed mine at about 6000 miles recently and the pistons were just out of limit. If the seller cant tell you when the top end was last done try and bid him down the cost of a rebuild (£170 from Jap 4 performance).
You havent stated wether its an R, SE or SP? I guess you have read the model history on this sight, SP's are obviously the most sort after and should have adjustable forks, remote reservoir suspension, dry clutch and magteks (smooth rim with no lip, magtek on the spokes)
Good original bodywork is as rare as rocking horse sh*t and in my opinion is well worth paying extra for, but it depends what you intend to do with the bike.

Hi, thanks for all the tips. I have been looking on TYGA web site and it does seem the MC21 has more parts available for it.

What would you consider the right sort of money for MC18 / MC21 models that are in excellent condition? There does not seem to be that much about in the UK at the moment. On autotrader there are a couple of mc18's 1800-2700 and there was a1992 model NSR250SE for 4000. That seems to be it!

Any good Jap import dealers in the Midlands / South West?

Andy

MC18 fetch odd money. Sometimes you can pick a very clean one up for £800. They normaly range between £500-£1000 (of course dealer prices will be higher). However MC18's prices have been going up a little bit of late.

MC21's (the most popular NSR250) start from around £800 and go all the way up to over £4000.

Depending what you want from your NSR depends on price.

Quite oftem a £1500 MC21 will have just a good engine as the £4000 one. However it will not wear the same standard of body work. Thats very important if you are after a genune SE or SP model.
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If I have to take the carbs off once more...

Interesting on the prices, the couple that are available on autotrader are a bit over priced it would seem. Looks like this could be a long wait to find the right bike. I did not realise there would be so few around. Then again I remember when I got my RGV250 new in 1995 that they were only selling a few hundred a year, so I suppose not that many NSR's ever made it into this country?

4 nsr's made it into my garage
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ive seen more tarts than mr kipling

Been at this less than 4 months and I have 2 now.

Craig

andy_111s wrote:Interesting on the prices, the couple that are available on autotrader are a bit over priced it would seem. Looks like this could be a long wait to find the right bike. I did not realise there would be so few around. Then again I remember when I got my RGV250 new in 1995 that they were only selling a few hundred a year, so I suppose not that many NSR's ever made it into this country?

the bikes are only worth what poeple are willing to pay and that 4k 21SE sold within the 1st week they had it

Thanks for the replies. Reading up through this site and google re parts availability etc and it would seem that the MC21 is the way to go over the MC18 (although I love the look of this bike). In fact I am surprised how well suported the MC21 is!

Cheers

Andy

I was thinking of starting the exact same thread.

I really really do love the sound of my CBR250RR at 19,000 rpm, but I am coming to that stage where I feel the need for a little more power. The only two stroke bike i've ever owned was a 1984 KDX175 Kwaka. Can't really remember the exact feeling, except it was fast... well, it felt fast when I was 15.

I am off my restrictions as far as my licence goes and i'm not sure I want to be jumping on a CBR900 even though they are going for $1000-1500 more than what I could purchase an NSR250 for. Currently, i'm looking at a good example, exterior wise, for $4000AU. Motor was apparently rebuilt 6000 kms ago. Realistically, after how many kms do these things need a rebuild?

The only other thing is I have to consider is that i'm 186cms tall and nearing to 80kgs as my beer consumption increases. Are there any other tall riders that ride these little beasts?

Cheers.

climbatize wrote:I was thinking of starting the exact same thread.

I really really do love the sound of my CBR250RR at 19,000 rpm, but I am coming to that stage where I feel the need for a little more power. The only two stroke bike i've ever owned was a 1984 KDX175 Kwaka. Can't really remember the exact feeling, except it was fast... well, it felt fast when I was 15.

I am off my restrictions as far as my licence goes and i'm not sure I want to be jumping on a CBR900 even though they are going for $1000-1500 more than what I could purchase an NSR250 for. Currently, i'm looking at a good example, exterior wise, for $4000AU. Motor was apparently rebuilt 6000 kms ago. Realistically, after how many kms do these things need a rebuild?

The only other thing is I have to consider is that i'm 186cms tall and nearing to 80kgs as my beer consumption increases. Are there any other tall riders that ride these little beasts?

Cheers.

mc28's are not as little as the mc21's, almost as wide as a 600. I am currently selling my 28 - in the classifieds, I am also based in melb.

I suggest you measure again,they are pretty much exactly the same, frames and bodywork can be directly swapped between mc21 and mc28.
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