may01

MAY 2001

The May 2001 Bike of the Month has got to be the best road legal NSR250 I have ever seen in my life !! The owner is a very famous person in the international NSR world, Paul Pearmain. Many of you may know him as one of the TYGA PERFORMANCE guys.

Paul's 1994 NSR 250R SP started off as a normal NSR SP model, but as many of you may know Paul always needs to improve upon perfection and go faster. So this fairly new NSR was fully disassembled and totally rebuilt to Paul's specifications with all kinds of go fast goodies and the help of Matt Patterson, the other half of TYGA PERFORMANCE.

The bodywork consists of modified stock units and custom parts. The upper cowl is a stock MC28 item which has been modified to fit a 50 watt car spotlight to replace the NSR item. The light has only one filament and operates when the motor cuts in, the same as other MC28s. The screen is a lightweight clear Tyga Performance item and the mirrors are borrowed from a RVF400 for improved vision. The lowers are a one piece Japanese brand. They have minimal openings for cleaner looks and slipperiness at speed. The seat cowl is a stock MC28 with the rear piece and two sides plastic welded up to give a seamless appearance. The original seat compartment is retained to carry Shell Advance oil and a measuring apparatus.

After the bodywork was all sorted out, it was time to paint the bike. Paul being a fan of Italian GP rider Valentino Rossi decided that he would paint his fully custom SP in something unique. Something that was never seen on a mass produced street bike, so he decided on the Rossi Nastro Azzurro colors.

The paintwork consists of professionally applied base coats, Tyga Performance sticker kit and a double clearcoat for extra depth. Tyga Performance can custom paint your body work any way you want. Contact Paul or Matt for more info about that. Think about that next time you want to replace some bodywork.

The rear swingarm is fully polished to perfection, look closely and you can see Paul's foot in the reflection. A back step kit from Coerce keeps Paul well positioned for track days.

Looking closer shows complete front forks and a triple clamp from a Suzuki RGV250SP which was custom fitted by Matt Patterson of Tyga Performance and is fully adjustable for preload, rebound and compression. The steering stem from the MC28 has been modified and fitted to the Suzuki lower clamp to use the stock MC28 bearings and nut. Handlebars are liberated from a Yamaha TZR250 3XV.

This NSR uses stock MC28 brake calipers biting on huge VTR1000F Firestorm 296mm discs. Fitting the MC28 calipers involved heavy modification of the caliper mount stays to get the correct offset and position. Race spec pads and TYGA brake lines front and rear ensure consistent full power braking. The front fender is from a RGV so it bolts right on to the RGV front end.

Paul's bike had to be fast and furious to match the rest of the bikes appearance so master mechanic / engineer / racer Matt Patterson of Tyga Performance personally built the engine himself. The cylinders have had serious modifications to the exhaust and transfers for mid to high rpm performance and uses Formula 3 RC Valves in the exhaust port for max gas flow.

The primary compression ratio of the crankcase has been increased and the cases have been carefully flowed to ensure complete filling and high pumping efficiency. Rear cylinder heads are used for both cylinders to limit the chances of detonation. Secondary compression ratio is also increased from standard. TYGA Pipes take care of the exhaust gas, with custom one off manifolds improving peak power, and TYGA carbon/kevlar silencers helping keep weight to a minimum, not to mention they look awesome !! TYGA Hi-Flo reed valves fitted with HRC 'A' kit carbon reeds offer unrestricted inlet flow, with modified, HRC kitted carbs feeding the engine with unleaded fuel premixed at 30:1 with Shell Advance 2T oil. Bugs and dirt are kept out by K&N filters. Matt Patterson of Tyga Performance really knows how to build an engine. Tyga Performance can custom build you a screamer engine too. Contact Matt or Paul for more details.

The transmission is a full SP close ratio setup using an NKD high ratio first gear with the stock MC21 2nd - 6th gears. The primary gears are stock MC28. Final ratio is 15/43, using a 43T Afam rear sprocket spun by an RK 520TRU gold chain.

The ignition is controlled and derestricted by an HRC card, using a modified stock wire harness so as to keep the lights, etc for street use. The engine is cooled by a Formula 3 radiator (three core) with no thermostat housing to obstruct the flow.

The rear end is kept under control by an Ohlins rear shock with remote reservoir, adjustable for preload, rebound, compression and ride height. Keeping the bike on the road are Dunlop GPR 70's in stock sizes, wrapped around light weight custom painted Magtek wheels.

A steering damper from WP helps to prevent tank slappers and give more confidence in the corners. Future work will be the mounting of suitable turn signals and further weight reduction by replacing steel brackets with aluminum ones as well as substitution of a lightweight chain guard and other light weight parts.

Quite possibly the best NSR I have ever seen in my life. Click here for a super jumbo image of Paul's Rossi replica bike ( 175K ). Paul plans to keep improving his bike more and more.

Paul and Matt of Tyga Performance has built one amazing, brutally quick and fully balanced machine. Now you no longer need to worry where you can get high performance parts for your NSR as well as other Japanese bikes. Take me to the official Tyga Performance Website for more information.

Tyga sells their own original custom parts for the NSR as well as parts for many other Japanese bikes too. They also carry HRC parts, have a large inventory of new and used parts. They sell used street and race bikes as well they can custom build a NSR to your specification. World wide shipping and convenient service. Check out my mini Tyga Performance page for some of their cool products including the Tyga pipes which are about half the price as other Japanese makers. For more detailed info take me to the official Tyga Performance Website. Tyga can help you get your NSR back on the road or maximize your bikes performance for surprisingly low prices.

Every month I try to feature a different NSR in this section. Above you can check out the featured Bike of the Month and past Bikes of the Month. Do you think your NSR belongs here ? Then send a few pictures and some information and maybe we can feature it here. Mail me here. Cheers !!