Update 9.4.2016: I’ve received word that this bike is now sold. Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc
This Featured Listing is part of a set from the sellers for a VFR400, TZR250, and an NSR250. They are available for purchase as a group or individually. The sellers are available this labor day weekend for personal inspections in Southern California. -dc
Competition may have been fierce in the 250cc two-stroke class, but it always seemed like it was Honda’s 800 pound gorilla that was setting the pace, with the others scrambling to keep up. Sure, there were plenty of fast bikes from Suzuki, Yamaha, and a couple years of krazy Kawasaki shenanigans, but the NSR250 seemed to define the class, and is certainly the most well-known bike. Today’s featured listing is the final iteration of the little sports Honda, and possibly the most desirable as well, the Honda NSR250 SE MC28.
Built between 1994 and 1998, the MC28 was actually the heaviest of the series, as that very trick-looking single-sided swingarm added noticeable weight compared to the more conventional item. This SE “Super Edition” has most of the even rarer “Sport Production” edition goodies, with the SP’s dry clutch and adjustable suspension at both ends. It only lacked the SP’s magnesium wheels.
The NSR250 MC28’s electronics weren’t as flashy as those very trick hard parts, but contained some of the bike’s most exotic technology. Introduced on 1987’s MC18, Honda’s PGM interpreted throttle position and rpm to simply adjust the RC “Revolutionary Controlled” Valve and air-correction circuit for improved midrange response. The Later PGM-II system added ignition timing to the magic box’s repertoire and the bike ultimately could create a 3-D ignition map from the various sensor inputs, strange when you think of that technology combined with good old-fashioned carburetors.
The MC28 version of the PGM-IV had the famous digital Smartcard in place of a key, and that card also stored ignition maps for the engine, along with a tiny gascap key that slotted into the corner! Want more performance for your racebike? Just get a real-deal HRC card and voila: 60hp! Unfortunately, that same technology means de-restricting the bike from the government-mandated 45hp can be devilishly difficult. Ideally, you’d just track down an original card, but that can be an expensive option or simply impossible.
So while the MC28 might not be the lightest, or the fastest two-stroke, it is arguably one of the best-looking sportbikes of the era and is absolutely dripping innovative technology and Honda refinement.
From the Seller: 1994 Honda NSR250 SE (MC28)
$9,000 with 34,938km
Purchased in 2011 from RSBFS listing, CA titled & current registration, this NSR has the Tyga 300cc big bore kit & expansion chambers, upper triple clamp, and rearsets, fresh Dunlop Sportmax tires, and new fork seals & front pads. Oil injection intact. A few very minor fairing scuffs and cracks, this bike needs nothing, ready to ride.
Spares & Extras: used OEM bodywork pieces (upper cowl, R side panels & tail section), cowl stay, stock upper triple clamp & more.
A bit of quick math indicates that the bike has 21,709 miles on the clock. As I mentioned in the TZR250 listing, parts availability can be difficult for these grey-market bikes, and plenty of owners have already begun hoarding critical maintenance parts for the rarer models. I haven’t tried to run one of these, but poking around the internet, one of the real advantages, besides the obvious Honda innovation and quality, is the relative parts availability in terms of aftermarket support for the NSR. Certainly, the other bikes in the class have their charms, Honda is, well: Honda. $9,000 is a big number for a little two-stroke, but the MC28 version of the NSR250 SE represents the pinnacle of the class in terms of technology and rarity, especially here in the USA, and that CA title is worth its weight in gold.
-tad
