They sell NSRs here in America? Sorry, I'm a crotch rocket n00b... Where can I get an NSR? Do they come in 500cc?

 

I don't know much about NSR's but I don't think they sell them here. A riding buddy of mine has an NSR 250, it was already registered when she bought it. Those thing are SOOO COOL. I wish I have one to play with.

 

Yes, they do sell NSRs in U.S, although its a gray market
My friend and i imported 2 NSR250s (my friends) and a KSR (mine)

Yes, there also is a NSR500, but its called NSR500V, and is not registerable, its a pure racer, and also costs $100,000 (i think that was the price)

If an old one is ok, there is a NS400
The most powerful 2-stroke registerable motorcycle would be the Aprilia RS250 or a Suzuki RGV250SP both with 65hp (not tottally sure)

NSR250 is one of the most insane fun motorcycle ive ever ridden (although my brother crashed it, but it will be rebuilt once i go back home to japan)

 

Like Raz1983 said, they are grey market bikes. I would recommend getting one that has already gone thru the hardships of registration. Let me tell you first hand (I had a 98 NSR 150 SP a few months back) that trying to register these foreign bikes is one pain in the *** (especially here in CA) Most of these bikes come here to the U.S. without any form of title, and most states will not deal with any vehicle that has no valid title.

Here's the idea behind why they won't register it:
1) you buy bike with no title
2) the state registers the bike
3) someone shows up with a title that says the bike is theirs
4) that person can sue the state for issuing YOU a title for THEIR bike

The state does not want to take a chance with getting sued. And lets say that you got lucky and got passed the DMV, in CA, you'll have to take the bike to CHP for inspection. I've heard some horror stories of CHP impounding these bikes for reasons such as the VIN # not being valid (these bikes have less numbers than US bikes).

There ARE ways around it (especially if you have a hook up at the DMV).



[Modified by ALL MOTA, 1:15 AM 1/13/2003]

 

True 'dat. You can pick up clean, pre-titled, late model grey market NSR250's for 4-5k sometimes if you keep your eyes open.

Keep in mind though, 2-strokes require considerably more maintenance if you plan on keeping them for a while. They're also a bit more twitchy than the standard 4-stroke I-4. (Look at a dyno of one sometime.)

If you don't mind the looks and you want a 2-stroke, I'd say pick up an RZ350 instead.

On the flip side, if you just want one because of the looks, you could just get GP fairings for a 4-stroke bike and call it a day:

http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/

A lot of fairings can be made to fit another bike, as long as you don't mind custom fitting some mounts and ditching your OEM lighting for aftermarket stuff.

I consider 2-strokes kinda like building a 350hp NA Civic. It's a long an tedious road which only a select few are going to do, but you definetly get respect if you pull it off with dignity (like.. oh, my oil pump died again. Guess I have to premix for a while and look at that.. it's time for my yearly piston change again).

 

Damn duude, how much HP does a NSR250 have? I've looked for a while but never saw an NSR so I thought they never came stateside...
Would I need a lot of maintenence on this sucker? Do I just get it serviced at any 'ol Honda dealership?

 

When I had my NSR, I was able to get it serviced at the dealer. But it's going to be a biotch if you need to do some internal work. Since the bike was never available stateside, you'll need to find a place that can get the parts (usually a shop that specializes in racing NSRs... there's a spot here in Burbank, CA but I forgot the name) Don't expect the repairs to be cheap either. I spent about $150 (2 hrs labor) just for an oil pump adjustment and tune up.

 

Depends a lot on what year you get. Here's a sheet from someone's race bike:

http://www.apexleisure.co.uk/dyno1.htm

Notice they don't even start capturing until 6k. Why? No power down there. It's just dead. Get over 6k, and it all kicks in.

I found this, stateside for sale, without much effort. I know when I was looking at picking one up a year or so ago, it wasn't too hard to find, especially in CA.

http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/sho...ight=%2ANSR%2A

Maintenance isn't out of control, but you have to watch everything a lot closer. Fuel and Oil mixture is extremely important. Because of which, spark plugs foul easily and need to be replaced. And, as the dyno proved, you need to rev the heck out of the engine to get the power out of it, which in a 2-stroke means it's not uncommon to have to rebuild the engine. I'd consider cranks & pistons consumables. In the race world, the RS's throw away pistons every few races, and one or two cranks a season.

I don't know what would happen if you took it to a local dealer. Probably depends on the dealer (kinda like when I when to a local honda dealer to buy parts, had a brain fart, and mistakenly asked him for a B18C head gasket. He said "Honda doens't make 1.8 liter engines.... right..)

I know I've seen people on this board with NSR's I'm sure the'll have better input

 

Ok, this is my knowledge on NSR250 (its an MC18)
First of all, HP, stock

MC18 45hp
MC21 45hp --the torque curve is alot more mild than the 18
MC28 40hp -- last of the NSR, came in Repsol color (SP), digital meter, and all that fancy stuff, with a card for each type of fuel (can be bought from HRC)

If you are just looking for HP, the RGV (SP) or Aprilia has alot more stock
From my experience, the NSR starts to explode power from about 7k, and after that, its crazy. revs all the way up to 13k Spark plugs die like every 1k (dont use thin headed plugs like VX or Iridium, they will die on you quicker on a 2-stroke, but i fyou have the money, its ok i guess) And dont use K&N filters, they will actually decrease HP. mod the air cleaner box, or run wihtout an aircleaner (most hp)

The only chambers (or so called pipes, but its not a pipe) tha actually give hp is JHA, DogFight, and HRC from my info.

Carb setting is a pain in the buthole, as it changes like every 4 months or so. If you need any parts or info on the NSR, Aprilia RS250, etc, http://www.tygaperformance.com they will supply you with ANY parts since they have a **** load of stock.

ill personally be rebuilding my MC18 (my brother crashed it). i talked to the people at tyga, and the best motor seems to be the MC21 bottom (dry clutch) with the MC18 cylinders. so thats what ill be doing.

EDIT:
BTW, an NS400 was sold in the U.S. (im pretty sure) so that could be an choice too, 400cc 2-stroke, looks like the NSR, comes in Rothmans color


[Modified by Raz1983, 11:25 PM 1/13/2003]

 

Heh, If any of you figure out how to get an Aprillia RS250 street-titled in the states, give me a shout...

 

Ive seen it on sale on ebay a couple of times before

 

The Aprilia RS250 is one bad *** bike! That sucka cost over $8k and it's a track only bike. If I had extra cash and a truck I would love to be a weekend warrior on one of those. I read in Fast Bikes that Aprilia has cut production on it (since the 250 class is going to vanish from the circuit).




[Modified by ALL MOTA, 9:14 PM 1/13/2003]