Honda NSR 125R-R
Honda NSR 125R-R | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Production | 1993 - 94 |
Engine | Two stroke, single cylinder, Reed valve induction |
Compression ratio | 7.0:1 |
Ignition | Capacitor discharge electronic ignition |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Suspension | Front: 35mm Showa Telescopic forks Rear: Pro-link rising rate adjustable preload |
Brakes | Front: Single 316mm disc 2 piston caliper Rear: Single 220mm disc 2 piston caliper |
Front Tire | 100/80-17 |
Rear Tire | 130/70-17 |
Weight | 127 kg / 280 lbs (dry), |
Recommended Oil | Honda GN4 10W-40 |
Fuel Capacity | 13 Liters / 3.8 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
EngineEdit
The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Two stroke, single cylinder, Reed valve induction. The engine featured a 7.0:1 compression ratio.
DriveEdit
Power was moderated via the Multi-disc oil bath.
ChassisEdit
It came with a 100/80-17 front tire and a 130/70-17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 316mm disc 2 piston caliper in the front and a Single 220mm disc 2 piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a 35mm Showa Telescopic forks while the rear was equipped with a Pro-link rising rate adjustable preload. The NSR 125R-R was fitted with a 13 Liters / 3.8 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 127 kg / 280 lbs.
PhotosEdit
OverviewEdit
Honda NSR 125R-R
FRIDAY: I HAD a Nissan Bluebird this morning. Perfect run up, nice body shape
and tuck. Then the bugger floored it. Next mountain-to-climb: an Eddie Stobart
lorry, a towering aircraft carrier to my plucky 12bhp Greenpeace dinghy. I had
reached 'Stob' when it pulled out to overtake a crawling Mini Metro.
It goes on, it gets worse. The wind shifted, the road climbed and my speed
sagged to 57. Eddie Stobart, Mini Metro and Nissan Bluebird grew inexorably in
the NSR's mirrors, then took me back, their withering glances prickling my
thickening skin. There was exasperation -why doesn't the silly git change up?
There were useful tips on roadcraft - Aye mate! Learn to ride.
And this could be any morning for any learner. I had conveniently forgotten
that L-plate life is one brilliant overtake followed by 20 acute embarrassments.
That each outing is a shall-I-shan't-I; yes, go, stop, now go
geddoutdafakkinway-willya! ditherFest. That each ride begins with an empty
promise to commit 100 per cent or go to sleep for the duration. Thousands of
learners know no other way.
Ask me about the new Celica tail-light cluster or the timeless back end of
the Scirocco. I know this stuff, and so do learners. They live with the humdrum
and the dangerous, with cars and 60mph tailgating. 12bhp 125s have their moments
of freedom but, due to wind and hills and fast roads, can never escape for long.
We could be talking any 12bhp 125, but not quite. With a spindly, moped
lookalike AR125, there is no doubt about the learner bike's status: L-plate oik,
motoring untouchable, but at least car drivers don't expect too much. Not so the
NSR. It looks 160mph and makes its hapless rider look especially crap as a
result. And it costs £3870. You could buy a nice little Peugeot for that.
IT DOES an indicated 85mph. Needs a keen south-westerly up its chuff and a
ski slope beneath its wheels to get there, but 85 is 85 on anyone's speedo. It's
easy, too, to write off the NSR as neither so delicious nor grand prix cred' as
the Cagiva Mito EV or Aprilia Extrema. Fact is, though, it is Honda and not the
Italians that makes the ultimate two-stroke (Mick Doohan, 500 World Champion,
rides it) so if the restricted NSR is a poor motorcycle, it is hardly the fault
of Honda.
After all, the NSR125R-R has most everything except speed. Built in Atessa,
southern Italy, and first shipped here last May, it oozes Latin-Jap sex:
gorgeous NSR500 wheels, capacity defying styling, poised racer-rep loveliness,
and a smattering of Italian eccentricity to boot.
The frame is plain weird. Alcast Zeta is the name, a cast ally twin-spar
similar in cross-section to the Aprilia Extrema's. Its beams are V-shaped, which
can't be right, and their tatty grey paint seriously lacks class. A steel,
bolt-on, box-section subframe and box-section swing-arm complete a chassis,
which for 12bhp at least is a total stiffy. Steering geometry is midway between
the RGV250 and rapier KR-1S, ie fast. 127 kilos dry, 1345mm wheelbase, no power
to tame: the NSR is bound to handle.
Find a bend slow enough and it turns off the slightest nudge on the bar,
launches into its apex, the only discernible limit a rock hard front Arrowmax.
The trick to NSR corner speed is to steer low-resistance arcs because a sporty
flick only scrubs off precious speed. And if the corner falls between the
gearbox's horrendously wide ratios (geared for 28bhp) that's another lOmph down
the plug hole. The bike is swamped by slowness; consumed again by the 60mph
tailgaters. The NSR has great mirrors, which is lucky.
Enough whinging. Stick to twisty B-roads and the emasculated NSR can be
hilarious. In the damp, especially, I can't think of a bike that dances so
elegantly, has so much natural corner speed, feels quite so balanced on a
mini-roundabout - Extrema and Mito included. The front end is supremely sorted
care of a pair of non-adjustable, non upside-down Showa forks stiff enough under
all but the most severe of braking. The twin-piston Grimeca caliper looks
agricultural but does enough for a 127 kilo lightweight. The lever's initially
over sensitive then hard work at ten-tenths, but last gasp braking is essential
to 125 technique, and the NSR can gasp later than most. The biggest surprise,
though, is the quality of the suspension. The fork action is superbly
controlled, progressively damped and easy on the wrists. The rear shock is a bit
bouncy, the rear Dunlop skips off white lines, but for 12bhp it is, in fact,
trick. All the NSR needs is some sticky rubber and another 15bhp.
The next NSR plus is its tiny but accommodating nature. Anyone between 5ft
and 6ft will fit no problem. The seat is low and long, the tank is narrow and
short, the riding position reminiscent of the brilliant RC30. Sit up and your
nose is over the bars, dialled in to the front end. Crouch down and your bum
slides back on the generous seat as the tank comes up to meet your chin early.
High pegs take weight and steering input (and never ground, on these Dunlops at
least). Next stop: 72.8mph.
The NSR coaches body language; helps perfect a tight, wind-cheating crouch
and teaches to steer with a twitch of a cheek. Even a medium-sized pillion was
made welcome. Measured braking, timing and rapid power shifting are all on the
NSR curriculum.
What it doesn't teach, of course, is powerbands and the art of burying a
tacho needle therein. Restriction distorts the reed-valve single's true power
curve, capping it at 8000rpm with 3000 still to come before the redline. The
exhaust sounds like Trevor Brooking. Throttle response barely betters a KR-1S
running on one.
There's a weak pulse at 7000rpm as the exhaust valve opens but I am unable to
type p-o-w-e-r-b-a-n-d proper. 8500 in fifth is 69 chin-on-the-tank mph on the
speedo; 7500rpm flat out in top (strictly a downwind gear) is also 69mph.
Upshifts at 8500 drop the revs maddeningly to 6000. At 9000, when the engine
should be bristling with stroker aggression, the legislator's noose tightens its
grip.
The 28mm Dell'Orto (Italian connection) is jetted for 28bhp at about
10,000rpm. Hence a woolly throttle response throughout. The NSR is at its best
with a following breeze and a part-throttle to keep it running crisp. The thing
is as sensitive to a breeze as a becalmed yachtsman; two bikes in one: one
beating upwind (55mph), one surfing downwind (80mph+). The 30bhp Mito 125 we ran
through the timing lights was faster uphill into headwind than the NSR was
downhill with a tail-wind. Still, its 0-10mph times are quite competitive.
Switchgear and fasteners are old hat for nearly four grand. Levers and
suspension are non-adjustable. And debate rages about the wacky headlight
design, but I didn't care because the puny 35W beams are crap, end of argument.
But I'm whinging again. In fairness, when the traffic cleared and the road
unfurled across a tempting, flat out landscape, I nearly cried.
STOP PRESS. Monday: things have changed. The NSR is now a derestricted
motorcycle. Claimed power 28bhp, real top speed 98mph. No more Nissan Bluebirds,
thank God.
At 7000rpm the exhaust fizzes, the throttle goes live. At 8000 the NSR
locates its long lost powerband and blats for the horizon, relatively speaking.
It is as crisp at 11,000 as the benchmark Mito EV and only six mph slower
through the lights. The carburation is spot on and the gears make sense.
Now I cruise at 85 hey if I want to. I feel safe and very happy,
and so too would learners. Trevor Brooking is dead. New tires needed urgendy.
Furthermore, test graduates can now derestrict their '94/'95 NSRs without
invalidating their warranties. The work (removal of restrictors in carb and
exhaust, Honda asked us to be vague) must be done by a franchised Honda dealer,
who will also fit new Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) plates. Owners are
obliged to sign a declaration that lists their responsibilities, and inform the
DVLA and their insurance companies of the power change.
In other words it's a right chore but worth every inch of red tape. A 28bhp
NSR is a whole new motorcycle, a snip at £3850. EE3
Source Bike Magazine 1995
Make Model | Honda NSR 125R-R |
---|---|
Year | 1993 - 94 |
Engine Type | Two stroke, single cylinder, Reed valve induction |
Displacement | 124.8 cc / 7.6 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 54 x 54.5 mm |
Cooling System | Liquid cooled |
Compression | 7.0:1 |
Induction | 28mm Dell'Orto |
Ignition | Capacitor discharge electronic ignition |
Starting | Electric & Kick |
Max Power | 12 hp / 9 kW @ 9500 rpm |
Max Torque | 15 Nm / 11 kb-ft @ 8000 rpm |
Clutch | Multi-disc oil bath |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain |
Front Suspension | 35mm Showa Telescopic forks |
Rear Suspension | Pro-link rising rate adjustable preload |
Front Brakes | Single 316mm disc 2 piston caliper |
Rear Brakes | Single 220mm disc 2 piston caliper |
Front Tire | 100/80-17 |
Rear Tire | 130/70-17 |
Dry Weight | 127 kg / 280 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 13 Liters / 3.8 US gal |
Road Test | Motosprint 1993 |