The NSR50 was in Honda’s lineup for decades before they blessed the USA with a chance to officially try it for ourselves in 2004 with the NSR50R. Before that year, Americans had to either order one directly from HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) or try to import one through the gray market. It was well worth the effort, because Honda used components that made it much more competent on the track than the usual choice of the Yamaha YSR50. Here’s one of the earlier examples with the full street-legal kit and an awesome Rothmans livery!
Producing 7.2 horsepower at about 10,000 rpm, the 49 cc two-stroke single is liquid cooled and redlined at 11.5k. This powers the NSR50 to a top speed of about 60 mph. Ask anyone serious about racing and they’ll tell you that this is one of the best bikes to get started on. Frankly, many experienced riders love getting practice on the NSR50 and its incredibly light weight of just 161 pounds.
I love this example (VIN: AC101315825) because of the paint job – the seller also has a “matching” NS400R in the Rothmans livery if you want a larger companion to this bike. 1990 was the only year that Honda offered the Rothmans livery. The seller acquired it in Japan three years ago and it’s offered with a clean Washington state title. It also comes with two keys, the OEM tool kit, and the owner’s manual.
Find this NSR for sale in Auburn, Washington with bidding up to $4,600 and the reserve not yet met here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions.
Disclosure: Bike-urious is a partner in Iconic Motorbikes.