Well, this is unexpected. I actually bought an NSR; it's an MC16, would have liked an MC18, but can't complain for the price:



About $465 at the time of writing, and it seems like most of the important bits are there (besides the carbs, fairings, and tank).

For those who have seen my other post, you have seen the parts that I was using for a different project (the GSX-R forks and Rs250 swingarm, R1 shock, and MC17 rear wheel); those are probably going onto this bike now.

So, back to the title of the post, I'm not really a fan of the styling of the rear lights and the welded passenger pegs on the MC16. Does the subrame from any gen MC18 fit on there, or at least the tail fairing?

Also, any idea on the carbs? I could get a set of stock ones for around $50-$100, but I saw these RS250 ones listed, and they look very similar to the modern stuff coming out of China, so I might try some copycat 38mm carbs since they are quite cheap




Also, any chance of this NF5 carb box working?



10x the price of an original airbox, but would look quite cool

I'd stay clear of those cheap knock off carbs. I was recently given a four stroke 4 wheeler from a friend who needed it out of his place. Apparently it had sat for years, someone tried to fix it. Instead of rebuilding the OEM carb they put a knock off on it which apparently worked for a bit. I was told, when it runs, black liquid that smells like gas comes out of this here tube!!!!

Needless to say that tube was the crankcase breather and what was coming out of it was oil and gas from the crankcase. The carb was letting fuel run right into the crankcase. Luckily it wasn't run very long so we don't think anything was damaged, it was just washed real good. My buddy and I managed to fix the carb, because the OEM carb was not around. The oil was changed several times and it's ok now, but we are recommending to the person who currently has it that they look for a used OEM carb.

So bottom line, I am strongly opposed to knock off carbs or any other knock off parts. First, they are stealing the OEM design and second they are making junk. That's my input.

PJs are complete overkill on an NSR250R, and particularly on an MC16. The porting, compression, and ignition just isn't there to warrant them, and will destroy the performance. Even the first NSR250 GP bike only ran 34mm carbs. PJ/PWK38s only really have [some] use on the 300s, and even then we've not seen any real practical gains, but rather mid-range losses.

The RS carb shield base could possibly "fit", but it's highly unlikely to fit without modification, as the RS frame is significantly different to the NSR's. I'll go out on a limb and say that there's no hope of the rest of the airbox parts fitting.

RS250R NF5 components are all strikingly similar to NSR250R parts, but just different enough to give you real headaches trying to mix & match them. Numerous NF5, or NF5-derived parts, are used in the HRC Formula 3 kits, but need to be used as a whole kit.

Honestly, the best way forward, in my personal opinion, is to get it up and running with all the correct MC16 parts first, then start tinkering if you want to start boosting the performance. The bonus is MC16 parts are still relatively inexpensive at the moment, and they aren't technically restricted, but the downside is HRC parts for them are incredibly rare.
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Thanks for the input. Is there any benefit of slightly larger carbs on the MC16, like 32mm of the next models? Most of my experience is on the 50cc 2-strokes, and going to a 17.5mm or even 19mm carb on an Aprilia RS50 is considered a solid upgrade compared to the stock SHA 14.12 carb.

Also, any reason to fiddle with the reeds? (Carbon petals, Vforce, HRC, etc.) or there's nothing to squeeze from an MC16 there?

The biggest issue with the MC16 is the porting. The exhaust ports are very small compared to the other models. In fairness, I think you will be surprised at just how well a 16 goes, once you've got it up and running properly. Even the HRC kit retains 28mm carbs!

The reeds are the same for all models, and good for high 60s. We've never seen carbon reeds give a measurable gain over stock, however they are much less likely to cause any damage if one breaks and finds its way into the motor! HRC rectifiers and spacers under the stopper plates give more noticeable/measurable gains.

See here for a visual depiction: HRC reed cages.

Of course, there's still plenty of additional performance hiding in an MC16, but it'll take some careful work to extract it. There are no simple gains like with the MC18 and MC21.
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Andy.
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Thanks for the site, I'll spend some time browsing it

I'll be adding a dedicated HRC Formula 3 section later, but it's going to take time.
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Nice, it's mentioned that there were no TT-F3 suspension parts for the MC16, so this means that this shock is probably for the MC18 or something else?



Has been listed for a while, but I have been passing over it since the shaft looks like it has rust spots on it

There's something unusual about that shock. Can you post more photos please?
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Andy.
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Sure, here's a link with all of the photos from the listing:
https://imgur.com/a/aAFFynt

The description just translates to: "NSR250 (year unknown), possibly (MC16/'87). Overhaul required. Free length approximately 295mm. One-week warranty."

1989 shock.

Here's an '89 [left] and '88 [right] compared...



I can't guarantee a direct fit, but it shouldn't be too hard to get it in there. Really, you can't go wrong for that money for an HRC shock, even if it needs a refurb!
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Might consider it then, but my concern is with the link that I'm using on (what I think is) the ND5 swingarm.



The ND5 swingarm doesn't use bushings and plates like MC16 and MC18, and is closer to what the MC28 uses on the pro-arm.

Since MC28 links were ridiculous money, I got the link from a YZF-R1 and mounted it up with some washers. The shock wasn't a concern since I was going to use the R1 shock anyways, but I doubt that the HRC shock would fit the 25mm width of the R1 link, since IIRC NSR shocks were 35mm when I was researching

I will be watching keenly to see what you come up with!

Personally, I was going to fit an '88 HRC swingarm and shock to my MC16, which would allow the use of the wider MC18 rear wheel and later caliper too.

Incidentally, a 1988 HRC swingarm is essentially just a factory gusseted stock '88 swingarm.



Please excuse the poor scan... I have new '88 HRC setup & parts books on the way!
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I know that it's a bit of a sacrilege since 18-inch (there even is a very cheap MC18 MAGTEK rear wheel listed on a site here) wheels are a part of the NSR DNA, but I want to use modern rubber and from what I have been looking at, CBR wheels from the same era should be a pretty easy fit with some light machining, since IIRC all of them use the same cush drive part at least. IIRC, the rear brake disc diameters are all the same, and, from my testing, the CBR also uses the same caliper mounts between generations. MC17 wheel is pretty much a direct bolt-on replacement, and the MC19 wheel fits with some light machining if you can find the plates from the MC21, pretty sure that the same applies to MC22 if you want the MC18 design.

https://sames505.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-316.html?sp

As for where I'm going with my, I'm already changing the front to an MC22 wheel since I decided against using the MC16's axle-mounted speedo drive. This removes the brake disc problem, since then I can get smaller spacers machined to fit 80mm PCD Yamaha 320mm discs for the GSX-R forks, and I can re-use the non-standard 22mm ID 6004 bearings that I already bought to fit the R1 axle. So the rear will probably be changed to match it.

But that ND5 swingarm is a major headache for me. From the pictures I have seen, it didn't use any cush drive, so the wheel ends up not being centered if you mount the MC17 wheel with the cush drive, I was able to get it centered by removing one of the bushings, but still not sure about it. There will need to be some work done over there. Also, the axle needed is ridiculously long, longer than any that I have come across yet (300mm IIRC)

Pretty much why I'd use '88 MC18 at the rear, and any '88 onwards NSR at the front. Front's a direct fit, rear's pretty much direct too. MC21 wheel is a direct fit in an MC18 swingarm... just have to play with the geometry to get the ride height and spring rate correct. Even seen MC16s with Gull-Arms and Pro-Arms transplanted.

But fair play if you want to go an unconventional route. As I say, it'll be interesting to see how it turns out.
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