When you’re a toolmaker by trade, you’re not going to let the small matter of a V-twin crankshaft rebuild set you back (or anything else for that matter). Here’s how one man rescued an ailing example of a magical bike.
Taking a bike from poor-running and unloved to eager and immaculate in under seven months is no mean achievement. Tooling up and teaching yourself the art of two-stroke crankshaft rebuilding midway through the process is even more impressive. Yet 45-year-old toolmaker Paul Monger achieved all that and more in reviving his 1993 Honda NSR250 SE MC21 (Super Edition), buying the bike and completing the work for around £3500. So although prices of desirable two-strokes are undoubtedly on the up, you can still score one and get it properly sorted for decent money.
Starting in September 2016 when Paul bought the bike unseen from an NSR Free internet forum member in Yorkshire, to April 2017 when the V-twin stroker returned to the road, Paul suffered the usual highs and lows familiar to any restorer. However he emerged from the process not only with an immaculate MC21 SE but also with the skills, tooling and confidence to set himself up a sideline rebuilding crankshafts. More of which later.
“I’d lusted after an NSR250 since I saw a display one with clear fairing panels on the Padgett’s stand at Ally Pally, probably in the early 1990s,” says Paul. “I paid three grand for this one unseen which is always a bit of a risk. Actually it’s always a big risk. The previous owner had given up because he couldn’t get it to run right. I had massive doubts and thought I’d made a mistake but I wasn’t about to give up easily.”
In common with many of us, Paul operates on a strict one in/one out policy and had sold a Yamaha TZR250 3MA to fund his NSR acquisition. The MC21 arrived dressed in Rothmans colours Chinese bodywork but, pretty as it was, it certainly wasn’t running right.
This story is from the January 2018 edition of Practical Sportsbikes.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2018 edition of Practical Sportsbikes.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Gold Rush
A stock 2014 CB11 is, let’s face it, a fairly dull device. But chuck some engine tweaks and a cosmetic makeover at it and all that changes.
Tony Scott - A Life In Engines
One of the greatest engine tuners of any generation, Tony Scott’s work is synonymous with Honda’s RC30. But Tony won TTs with every manufacturer, in a career spanning some of the greatest names and greatest bikes of the modern era.
Origin Of The Species
In the 17 years between Suzuki’s GS1000S in 1979, via Yamaha’s 1989 FZR1000R EXUP, to Honda’s 1996 CBR900RR-T ’Blade, the face of big-bore sportsbikes changed beyond recognition. PS celebrates this huge evolution.
Fettled Kettle
Tony Edwards, it’s fair to say, is obsessed with Harris Magnums. He’d never seen a Kettle engined Magnum 2, so he set about building one. Two years (and thirty four grand later) here it is.
Lester Harris
Hertfordshire’s most famous sons are now involved in developing new Royal Enfields, yet they’re still right in the thick of old school tubework and their stainless steel paddock stands are still the industry standard.
Shafted By The Weather Gods
The H1F’s crank was a sorry rusted mess. Now it is a thing of great beauty and strength.
Special Build Of the Year
Enter your stunning home-built special in to our Venhill Special Build of the Year competition and you could win our £1000 cash prize.
Dukes And Hazards
The Isle Of Man is an unforgiving place for any machinery, not least big twins from Bologna. Despite meticulous prep, a small stone did forJames Hillier’s Classic TT.
Greek Tragedy (With A Happy Ending)
It arrived from Athens, a hound with a bag of nails in its jaws. After untold amounts of pain, suffering and expense, Tony Barrow’s RG finally emerged, as the pristine square four he always craved.
Droop Snoot Beaut
It ‘only’ took Mike Newman four years to get his Bandit/’busa/ZX-9/10 hybrid into exactly the shape he wanted. Now it’s precisely the machine he had in his head all that time ago.
