JUNE 2001

87K - Click for full size June's Bike of the Month belongs to hiRo from Nagoya, Japan. Yes, that is how he spells his name, with a small h and a capitol letter R.
hiRo bought his bike just over a year ago at a local bike shop in Japan. The bike started off as an original 1994 SP model in the ever glorious Rothmans Racing colors, but things would change..... 87K - Click for full size
79K - Click for full size One day while pulling out of a stores parking lot it happened !! A car took the front end of his bike right off. Luckily for hiRo he was spared any major injuries, but the Rothmans SP was not so lucky. The bike suffered pretty heavy damage. The bodywork was destroyed, the front forks were bent and a whole bunch of other parts needed replacing.
The first thing to be replaced on the bike was the front end. A set of front forks from a RVF 400 were custom fitted to this bike. A set of triples with custom stem shaft from Jha were purchased and installed. This setup allows the RVF 400 upside down forks to bolt directly on to the NSR while not affecting the steering or locking mechanism. 67K - Click for full size
78K - Click for full size The view when looking down reveals the Ethos Quick adjusters, a mirror from a Honda NS-1, and if you look closely to the left side of the digital speedometer, the quick shifting kit from Battle Shifter.
The front wheel is the original SP Magtek wheel from the NSR, but the disc rotors are larger floating units from a RS 250 bitten by more than adequate MC28 Nissin 4 pot calipers using Daytona green brake pads and Ethos stainless steel mesh brake lines. The front fork springs have been replaced with Jha SPL fork springs which are softer than the heavy standard RFV springs and better suit the NSR. 50K - Click for full size
62K - Click for full size hiRo's NSR has a NHK steering damper fitted to it for consistent high speed cornering. Lightweight clip on handle bars from Vega Sports with an 18 degree angle keep hiRo well positioned for quick runs in the mountains.
After the front of the bike was taken care of, it was time to go to work on rebuilding the bodywork. A complete full cowl set was ordered from Corin Motors in the Ueno section of Tokyo, Japan. 39K - Click for full size
61K - Click for full size The seat is also from the same Corin Motors and is similar in design to the RS seat. It saves weight, improves aerodynamics and just looks cool. After market rear turn signals and a small rear brake light were added to keep things barely legal. hiRo cut and made his own fenderless kit and attached the license plate neatly under the seat behind the rear shock.
hiRo filled in the headlight hole and painted the body all by himself. The color selected by hiRo is known as Blue Pearl. After many hours smoothing out the body and triple checking fitting, the paint was applied along with several coats of clear. It is hard to see how beautiful the bike is in the picture due to the darkness, but the paintwork is really amazing and the colors are truly fabulous. 44K - Click for full size
51K - Click for full size Performance is enhanced by Jha 500V type racing pipes with carbon kevlar silencers. Jha reed valves, reed valve spacers and stuffers help to maximize air flow. Carb setting and the airbox are kept stock for reliable performance. The bike has also been fully derestricted with a HRC race card and a modified harness to allow most of the electrical system to work for street use. A heavy duty race clutch from Technical Sports Racing ( TSR ) help to control power to the engine.
The standard SP Magtek wheel is retained. Front sprocket is 15T from Sun Star while the rear sprocket is a super lightweight and strong ISA piece sized at 43T. The rear wheel is driven by a RK XW Gold chain and tires are the latest high grip race compound Dunlop GPR70 SP's in normal sizing. 93K - Click for full size
54K - Click for full size The front of the bike shows the twin fog lights on the side replacing the stock headlights, A stepped racing screen from Magical Racing improves looks and aerodynamics while cutting through the wind and allowing the rider to fully tuck down. Front fender is from a CBR 900 Fireblade custom fit by hiRo himself. hiRo enjoys taking the bike out for high speed runs in the beautiful country side of the Aichi Prefecture area. Future plans for the bike will be a complete overhaul of the front and rear suspension as well as a carbon fiber rear fender from Magical Racing.
The rear set from Jha gives much more clearance for cornering. hiRo has just recently become a team mechanic for a TZ125 local racing team and is learning more and more about two stroke tuning everyday. Thanks to hiRo for helping me out with my bike as well as the other Yahagi riders !! I will have more about hiRo and this great bike soon, including video footage. 49K - Click for full size
One complete year of Bike of the Month has been successful !! I hope you people enjoy seeing this stuff here, shall we keep it going for another year ?
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 !!