July 2002

July 2002 Bike of the Month comes from Osaka, Japan and is owned by a Japanese rider nicknamed Naibu.

This particular MC21 is a SP model and has been completely reworked and overhauled by ICU also located in Osaka, Japan. ICU has named this model the Evolution 2.

The engine was fully disassembled and inspected. New cylinders were specially constructed along with modified intakes, RC valves, crankcase, crankshaft and more as part of the Evolution stage 2 tuning. All other parts were replaced for a complete rebuild to allow high power without no loss in the reliability department.

Bodywork on this NSR250 comes from Silhouette Japan. It is the latest 500 type Replica style. The front cowl is a two piece light weight fiberglass unit which works with your normal lights and screen. Carbon fiber ducts give the bike a authentic GP look. A new lightweight race screen replaced the old scratched screen.

The rear seat is also from Silhouette Japan and is the " Works Type V seat "; a pair of tiny brake lights keep this NSR barely legal. The rear storage compartment is lost with this seat conversion but makes up for it with a considerable weight saving.

Paintwork is handled by ICU themselves. Based on Daijiro Katoh's Movi Star colored 2001 250 GP Championship racer. ICU painstakingly replicated this NSR to look absolutely amazing and closely resemble the the actual GP bike.

A rear shot shows the tiny little lights of the Silhouette Japan seat. ICU spent many hours perfecting this cool paint job. No stickers, it is all paint. Finished off with a nice coat of clear for that wet look. Many other parts were added or replaced to return this NSR back to show room condition.

Jha SP race pipes with aluminum silencers handle the exhaust part and give lots of extra power while saving weight too.

When the engine was rebuilt, ICU also overhauled the carbs and modified the jetting with larger jets, a modified Air Box and new filters. Braking is enhanced with stainless lines and new sport pads.

Other extras are the Coerce rear sets and fully rebuilt front and rear suspension for track events. The owner, Naibu lives very near Suzuka Circuit and occasionally takes this NSR out for track days so it was necessary to have a fresh suspension set up. Magtek wheels and Dunlop GPR70SP tires help out too.

ICU has built a very competent and complete machine. They enjoy and specialize working on the NSR as well as other motorcycles too. They are located in Osaka, Japan. I will have more info about them and other cool NSR projects coming soon. Special thanks to ICU and Naibu !!

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 !!