Just bought a... Honda NSR125 1990

[ReadySalted]

Hi all, been after a sporty 125, and theres one of these locally that look's like it's been well maintained, and it's dirt cheap.

Anybody got an NSR 125, particularly an old one? WIll it be a laugh, or will I be laughed at?

And how will it's speed compare to say a CG125 and an Aprilia RS125?

Cheers all.

UPDATE: Just had an offer accepted for one of these on ebay so any more info you have on them is very useful!

[Tamsin]

i'm surprised you mentioned CG125 and speed in the same sentence

[Teflon-Mike]

[ReadySalted]

Haha fantastic advice. Thank you very much, what a great post.

Having learnt that the NSR is 2 stroke, and taking into account the point in mikes post, I'll make an offer, and if I get it, then great. If not, then perhaps I'll apply the stop thinking start riding advice, and find something that's simply local, cheap, and in good nick.

[ReadySalted]

As it turns out I had my offer accepted so will hopefully be going to pick the bike up some time in the next couple of days.

A few quick questions about riding them though, since all I've ever ridden are CG125s, and about 5 minutes round a car park on a KTM exc125. Is there a certain way you need to ride a 2T? I've heard about handfuls of revs when pulling off, and that they need a while to warm up (how do you warm them up?).

Also does anybody know where I can find the servicing schedules and servicing parts for these babys? The advert say's it was rebuilt and services 6 months ago, but I'd rather do a major service myself some point soon to get to know the bike and for peace of mind.

Finally, the bike is about 20 miles away on A and B roads, so I'm planning to ride it home, although slightly nervous since last time I got on a bike was last october on my CBT and before that was 7 years ago when a taxi driver knocked me off my CG125.

[ReadySalted]

Oops double post.

[Teflon-Mike]

Its a Honda, so for parts, your first call should be to Dave Silver Spares.

I believe there is a Haynes Manual for them; you may as well buy a hard copy. They are more resilient than lap-tops or tablets to having oil or spanners dropped on them.

Service schedule; maintenence data; full how to rebuild the bike instructions should be in the book.

Find the Spark-Plug code; order a four-pack of e-bay. Two-strokes eat plugs.

I would take anything previouse owners say with hefty dose of ready salt... and 'fully rebuilt' means shit.... really, you take knackered bike, take it to bits, put same bits back together, its fully rebuilt, innit? dont mean its been reconditioned, overhauled or made any better than it was before!

Its an old bike. Even by MY standards. Realised last week, when Snowie put her 'new' 750 on the patio, that at 19 and three quarter years old..... it's the youngest bike in the fleet... only vehicle in the household newer, is my car.... by about eighteen months!

Anyway; learner legals lead hard lives. They are built down to a price, as people expect performance to be proportional to pounds; but bikes still have to have two wheels, two tyres, two brakes and stuff, and some-one has to bolt all them bits together; so it costs much the same to make one, no matter how many holes there are for pistons, or how big they are. Then they get bought by newbies, who tend not to know how to ride them too well or how to look after them too well, and who have tendency to thrash the knackers off them in their excitement to go fast. this does not bode well for longevity. YET many do survive against the odds, incredibly.

So, 1990 NSR. Good chance that if its lasted this long, its either not been thrashed to death, and some-one has paid a bit more than average attension to looking after it, OR its been sat derelict at the back of some-one's garage for a decade or more. Latter is unfortunately the more likely.

Derelict bikes... I love'em. I'm a motorcycle necromancer. I bring'em back from the dead! BUT, sat derelict, stuff still goes wrong with'em. And I talk often of the 1000mile post resuscitation 'run-in'. Easy enough to scrub up an old derelict and make it work; but takes about a 1000 miles to shake down all the faults and find out what is REALLY wrong with them.

Typical example is piston rings. Bike sits for ten years, the iron piston rings sat in an aluminium piston groove. The oil drips away, and then condensation sees the iron ring start to corrode, and 'electrolytic corrosion' between iron and aluminium eat away the corners of the piston groove and fill the gap with 'fur'. At resusitation, bit of oil down the bore, work the crank over, engine turns; plug goes back in, carb gets tickled, engine gets started, and it runs, and can run reasonably well; BUT, 1000miles, the fir in the piston ring groove shakes loose, and the weakened piston rings slowly looses its seal, accelerated bore wear occurs and the motor starts burning engine oil, and worst case, rings snap or snag.

On a two-stroke; you have slightly more worrying scenario; the crank-case is 'dry'. There's no oil in it. Its lubricated by 'total loss' two stroke oil going in with the petrol when the engine is running. So unlike a 4T where the bottom end can sit, quite hapily for many years in a bath of oil, free of corrosion; two stroke wont. Plus two strokes have ruddy great hole in the side of the cylinder, the exhaust port, open to air; of course when a two-stroke stops running, piston passes that port starts compressing air in the pot; but without momentum to take it to the top of teh stroke, that compression will stop the piston, and push it back down... until the exhaust port is open! So they get extra condensation in the cylinder, to corrode rings and possibly seize the piston in the bore.

Similar processes happen in the head-race bearings, or suspension linkages, in fact in any or all moving parts.

Most common faults though are electrical; age hardened wires, and corroded electrical contacts. Use sees wires that haven't moved for ten years get shaken; contacts that were hapily corroded together start to shift and come loose, wires, copper, that age work hardens, snap.

MAYBE I should have warned you of all this earlier.....

But to late now I suppose... doesn't matter much, its a second hand bike, and its risks regardless; but you say your prepared for spanners.

Personally, I'd not try riding the thing home; I'd trailer it; but then I have car, and trailer. 20 miles? Well make sure you have AA cover if all dont go to plan; Dont get over exited and eager to find out what your new toy will do; straight home; take it gentle, and pick your route and pick the time of day you ride to make it as easy as possible; so day-light, and not in rush hour, main roads, not by-passes, not back lanes in the middle of no-where.

Hope for the best - Plan for the worst.

Could be a well loved bike... could be a resuscitation refugee.

Revs? Yes they will like a few more than a four stroke on launch; and they do tend to have a more aggressive power delivery, unlike little CG that chugs, from tick-over to the red line, low down NSR will have a little less stomp, but will build more fiercely to a higher peak as revs lift. About 6,000 revs, you will feel the bike seem to 'come alive' and want to take off... that is the notorious two-stroke 'power-band', dont let it catch you out.

Other wise; main difference will probably be the riding position, the narrow handlebars and the more restricted steering lock.

Practice pushing it around to get the feel for it, it will feel more unweildy, and you have expensive plastic if you drop it.

Warm Up: Burning fuel gets engine hot; bits of metal expand. Advice varies. But start engine, let petrol start making heat; dont rev the knackers off it 'off load'. Once started shouldn't need choke for long, then ride; but keep throttle opening gentle and revs reasonable, and dont thrash it, until the temp guage is about 1/3 the way up from the stop.

Service it; keep that AA card in your pocket, and remember the 1000mile resuscitation run in. EXPECT faults to develop; so get the Haynes, and deal with them as they arrise.

There's plenty of NSR spannermen in work-shop, and plenty of well visited Q&A's so use the search facility on the forum to see if any-one has suffered similar before; there is probably a well documented fix. But if not, ask in Spanners Section. Its all part and parcel of the 'fun'.

Good luck.
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Kickstart]

[Snorty]

NSR is a much more thrilling ride than any of the 4-stroke 125s.

My friend has had two of them, both of which I've had a go on, plenty fun.

P.S. Have fun! You'll make some YZF-R125s / CBR125s look silly.
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Current: Yamaha FZ1 '07 | GSXR 750 SRAD

Past: CB125TDC | TZR125 | GPZ500 | CBR600F3 | ZX9-R | GSXR1000 K4

[ReadySalted]

Picked up the bike yesterday and spent the majority of the evening playing around on it. It didn't miss a bit, and feels very nippy at the moment. Was a proper laugh and I'm off out on it again tonight so I'll get a chance to see exactly how crap the headlights are, but can't wait. Just hope it doesn't start raining.

[sidewinder]

One thing I was told about any 2 stroke is to use a decent quality 2t oil in them

[TCooper41]

If you've only ever ridden 4-stroke 125s, the 2-stroke NSR 125 might be a bit of a shock to the system at first! Having ridden other 125 two-pokers, I can tell you that they have very different power delivery, with a very distinct "power band", unlike four-strokes, which a smoother power delivery across the whole rev range.
I moved from a Honda C90 to a Kawasaki KMX 125 and when I gave the accelerator a good twist like I would the 90, I almost fell off the back the first time!
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