The
NSR 250 debuted on October 1st, 1986 as a 1987 model in Japan for 559,000
Japanese
Yen, dubbed the MC16 by the factory. It replaced the older NS 250 R that
was getting out dated. Honda was winning big time with it's NSR
racers so Honda released a replica version for the street. It was almost
a complete replica of the factory racers. It was light weight and quick.
The engine was basically a NSR 500 racer engine cut in half. The first
year NSR 250's were the only 250 NSR's to have three spoke wheels. Available
colors were fighting red and white at first until the release of the Terra
colors in blue and white that went on sale in March of 1987. It
was an amazing machine in it's day with nimble handling and awesome acceleration.
On January 19th, 1988 it was reworked with new bodywork and those familiar
twin round brake lights, new electrical system , revised suspension ,
larger brakes, six spoke
wheels with larger rubber and an even more peakier engine. The price had
increased by 20,000 Yen to 579,000 Yen and it was renamed the MC18 by
the factory. Computer controlled carburetors known as PGM II were introduced
for the first time. (Many people say that 1988 was the best year for all
the NSR's
engines 50's, 80's and the 250's). The colors were the same as the MC16
NSR, fighting red/white and Terra blue/white. March 15, 1988 saw the release
of the first street version SP ( Sport Production ) NSR. It was released
in Rothmans racing colors, these bikes are quite rare now ,they had Mag-Tek
lightweight Magnesium wheels front and rear. 1988 NSR 250 SP models had
the same suspension as the
R models and the price was higher than the standard NSR's by 81,000 Yen
bringing the final price to 660,000 Yen for the SP model. Production was
limited to 3000 SP NSR's for 1988. Honda sold a total of 23,000 NSR's
including the SP model in 1988.
The 1989 model went on sale February 10, 1989 for 608,000 Yen. The NSR
was again updated but still classified a MC18 in Japan. Version 2 or the
R5K for the standard R type NSR's, This time the all new MC18 got new
bodywork, higher set silencers, new rear suspension, revised PGM II intake
system, wider radial tires and for the third straight year saw the same
fighting red and white colors, along with Terra blue colors and a slight
variation with the red accented seat cowl. New colors in Black and gun
metal grey debuted as well.
Due
to a large number of traffic
accidents involving motorcycles. All NSR 250's were speed
restricted from 1989. The option
of the SP with lighter magne sium
wheels, newly introduced dry clutch
and all new colors was available for the price of 689,000 Yen. The SP
model was sold in the Terra racing colors ( NSR racing sponsor ) of silver
and white with green accents. The 1989
SP model also had fully adjustable front forks ( preload and rebound )
compared to the to regular R type which was adjustable for preload only.
Also a whole new fully adjustable rear shock with reservoir. 1989 was
also the first year for the dry clutch on street SP models. These NSR's
were classified the R6K. 1990 saw a huge model change for the new NSR's
that went on sale from February 13, 1990. These
bikes were code named MC21 from the factory and were completely new and
different in every way from the earlier NSR's. New everything, gullarm
suspension, more exciting bodywork, PGM III intake system, 17 inch wheels
with sportier rubber and different colors. Available colors for the 1990
models were red and white with blue accents, blue and white with yellow
accents, also black and red with grey accents. These were the standard
R type colors and were priced
at 609,000 Yen. The option of the SP was available too with it's Cabin
racing colors in red, silver, gold and black. The SP had gold painted
wheels which were made of magnesium, the dry clutch and newly introduced
adjustable suspension front
and rear, and were limited to 2,500 units for the 1990 model, the price
for the SP was higher and cost 719,000 Yen. Every year saw model changes
until the the MC21 was introduced. Besides variations in colors
there were no major changes until 1993. In 1991 Honda released a new model
of the NSR. It was called the SE and now there were three types of models
for sale. The standard model was plainly called the 250R model. It was
available in only black with
grey and silver accents. The R type was priced at 620,000 Yen and did
not include the extra options as the SE and SP models. It was a lower
cost alternative to the more expensive models and some people didn't care
for the noisy chatter of the dry clutch. This was the first year for the
SE ( Super Edition ) model. It was available in only one color of fighting
red/white with blue and green distinguishing it from the regular R type
model.
The SE was priced higher at 660,000 Yen. The SE was made available because
of the high price and scarceness of the SP models. SE version NSR's had
the very cool dry clutch and the adjustable suspension for the front and
rear plus SE markings. The SE was not sold with the light weight and expensive
magnesium wheels due to the high cost. Honda continued making SP models
for the street but they were pricey and limited to a few units. The 1991
SP was sold in Pentax racing colors, it had the light weight and highly
priced Mag-Tek magnesium wheels which were made by Enkei, fully adjustable
suspension for the front and rear plus the dry racing clutch. 1991 SP's
were priced at 719,000 Yen.
Production was limited to 1500 units so getting your hands on one of these
will be tricky and probably pricey. In 1992 there were no major changes
but there were all new colors. The standard R type was still priced at
620,000 Yen and the new colors were Ross white and real blue with orange
accents and the green markings on the seat cowl that was becoming famous
with NSR's. The SE was still part of the 1992 lineup and this time two
different colors were available in fighting red and Ross white with blue
accents and the green marked seat cowl. The other colors for the SE were
in black and fighting red with silver accents and of course the green
marked seat cowl. SE NSR's were marked differently than standard NSR's
and
were unchanged in price from the previous year SE models of 660,000 Yen.
Honda brought back the Rothmans colored NSR SP models for 1992 with all
the extras as the previous year SP. These second generation Rothmans colored
NSR's were limited to a production run of 1,500 units and were priced
at 770,000 Yen. These SP bikes hold there
value very well due to the limited number of SP bikes built by Honda.
In 1993 there were no changes for the MC21 NSR's except for the SP model
which was no longer available in Rothmans colors. Instead it was offered
in the same colors as the 1992 SE colors. Known as the flash colors in
Japanese. The only difference was of course the stickers on the rear seat
that marked it an SP version, the HRC mark under the front turn signals
and the green trim from the rear seat cowl was carried over to the front
of the upper cowl covering the area where the number plate cover was on
race bikes to give the bike a more racier image. These were the last SP
bikes made for the
MC21 type NSR's and were limited to a very small run of only 900 bikes
making them the rarest NSR's of all. Honda made a total of 106,000 NSR's
from the very first MC16 1987 model NSR's to the final MC21 NSR produced
in 1993. MC21 Production stopped at the end of August 1993. On November
11, 1993 the all new MC28 model NSR went on sale in Japan as a 1994 model.
It was completely different than previous models and changed peoples thinking
about two stroke technology. The new Proarm NSR's as they became known
in Japan were the ultimate 250 bike for the street. They had PGM IV technology
which allowed more accurate
control of the carbs, smooth operation and perfect driving manners unlike
past two stroke bikes. The all new Memory card replaced the standard key
and made de-restricting the bikes very difficult. The 1994 lineup saw
three types of NSR's for sale once again. There was the standard 250R
type model in fighting red and Ross white. They were sold with a regular
wet type clutch and non adjustable suspension. They were priced at 680,000
Yen. The
SE model was priced at 720,000 Yen and came with the fully adjustable
suspension front and rear made by Showa plus the dry clutch and different
colored front disc rotors. SE colors were the same as the standard R type
in fighting red and Ross white but were marked SE and the NSR logo was
in bright yellow. SE models also were sold in blue and white with orange
accents and also were marked SE but the NSR logo was white. 1994 also
saw the return of the Rothmans colored
NSR's for the SP models only. They had all the extras as previous SP models.
The MC28 SP bikes had different front fork adjusters with cool blue anodized
blue knobs, the same gold colored front disc brake rotors as the SE model
and were fitted with higher grip and more pricier Michelin TX11B and TX23B
sport tires than the SE and standard models. The price was a whopping
800,000 Yen for them and only 1,500 SP bikes were built by Honda. This
was to be the last year for Rothmans colored NSR's ever. Today finding
a Rothmans SP is quite rare and expensive due to there limited numbers.
Honda was changing two stroke history with these
latest fifth generation model NSR's. They were very expensive but for
the technology they had were reasonably priced. The memory card was very
slick but some what controversial because of the difficulties in de-restricting
the bikes, but those cards looked cool and it started a trend for others
to follow with it's digital speedometer. The bodywork also had been upgraded
too for sleeker aero dynamics and better looks to match the all new single
sided swingarm or simply PROARM. Power was down to 40 horsepower from
45 on previous NSR's, but acceleration performance was not hurt.
In 1995 the SP changed it's colors to the HRC tri-colors with carbon fiber
like stickers and it's high grip Michelin tires to celebrate Mick Doohan's
1994 GP 500 Championship. There are only a few of these bikes around as
Honda again limited these bikes to a brief production run of 1,500 units.
Therefore they hold there value strongly too.
In 1996 there were no mechanical changes for the NSR's only new colors
for the new models. The standard R model was discontinued and now there
were only two types available. The SE model with the dry clutch and it's
fully adjustable cartridge type front suspension and rear adjustable damper.
Plus the SP version in full Repsol colors. Honda had produced a large
amount of early MC28 NSR's ( 1994-1995 ) They were having difficulties
selling them off so in 1996 the amount of NSR's built were
reduced. 1996 colors were available in Ross white and sparkling red with
yellow accents, the other choice was in Ross white and violet with yellow
accents that were the reversed colors of the other SE colors. SE model
NSR's were priced at 720,000 Yen and there were no more color changes
for the SE NSR's until their end of production in May 1999. 1996 was also
the last year for the SP to be sold in the world. It was released in striking
Repsol colors to once again celebrate Mick Doohan's 2nd consecutive world
championship in the GP 500 class. These wonderful Repsol SP bikes were
limited to only 1,000 bikes so getting your hands on one is probably a
good investment if you can find one for sale. These SP bikes were priced
at 800,000 Yen due to there pricey and light weight wheels in black. NSR's
were still selling for 1997 and 1998 but they were loosing popularity.
The racer replica boom was coming to an end with younger people preferring
American style cruisers or cafe racers in Japan. Sales for the NSR's were
down and newly introduced laws in Japan that restricted current two stroke
emissions led to Honda canceling the NSR for street sales. Who knows what
could have been had Honda continued with the NSR. One of the greatest
racing bikes in all of history. Good luck with your NSR or finding one
if you haven't found one already. |