The engine itself is reliable as long as you use good quality 2 stroke oil. I use motul full synthetic. Gearbox oil motul as well . From 1985 to 1988 the earlier one's had trouble with the gearbox selection and thrashing all the time doesn't help. Think this was sorted out on the latest one's. Gears for this bike can be bought in the uk from billet and are not cheap but reliable. The cylinders are nickel plated so last well . Never had mine apart but only done 13000 miles. Will be using much more now I've retired from racing. The engine is simple and easy to work on. The biggest problem now is parts like a crank if needed. Not many around and not cheap. Only thing to make sure of, it's not been tracked because lots have been and would need a engine overhaul. Its a fun bike and easy to ride. Plus it's an investment because not many left. Uk had 300 ns400r uk bikes. Now only 64 left because of them being tracked raced or broken for parts.
I had one in 1989 in RWB long before cameras radars etc when nobody took speed limits that seriously. It was so quick that it's impossible to cruise any speed. You're constantly either accelerating or throttling off. I had a go of my mate's 750 Slingshot that was really docile in comparison. If you can get into 6th you're a braver man than me. Great vid, thanks.
That's a good way of putting it. I had the same issue. The difference between slowing down or being in a wheelie at the same throttle position is like 1000 RPM for my bike. They just beg you to whack the slides open. :P
I’m JEALOUS of you. I was watching your left hand and listening to see / hear how you were shifting…back and forth. NICE!!! A (pipe) dream of mine is to combine 3 250 2-smokes to make a batshit-insane 750. Hell - I’d be happy with a banshee motor in an appropriate frame, because it is SO HARD to find a good, old 2-smoker street bike, let alone one that is affordable. Either way, whether I have to save for one OR make one, I WILL have one before I die!! GREAT video!!
Thank you! That sounds like a crazy, but awesome idea 😂 I must say I am absolutely in love with two strokes since I have this NS400R. The sound, the sudden power delivery, and most importantly the smell 😍 I would definitely recommend getting a two stroke, even though they're getting absurdly expensive these days.
@@jakobvang3032 Yeah, but they are super out dated in every way and are going for $6k in decent shape. NSR400 is at least sorta modern. But, the potential of a fully modern 2 stroke, 3 cylinder is just sooooo high. I have a Yamaha triple 700 with 3 into 1 pipe snowmobile. It is just so incredible. Magic in a bottle engine. Sounds like an air cooled Porsche, minimal rings and dings and no sputtering. makes 130 hp, 20k miles without a rebuild, near perfect wide power band like a 4 stroke. It gets outrageous fuel economy, I don't know of any snowmobile, 2 or 4 stroke of any displacement that gets better fuel economy.
They made the center cylinder that gets a bit hotter, slightly lower compression ratio, so all three carbs can have the same jets. A v3 wouldn't have this problem, but I'm sure was deemed too expensive and complicated for a snowmobile so an inline was chosen. Man, the things I would do for an engine like that to ride on the pavement.
nc30 is ook geweldig! jc22 moest ik opzoeken, ik ben in die kleine 2 takten iets minder thuis. Helaas ben ik te groot voor dat soort motoren, dus ik hou het maar bij de grotere Honda's met een V4.
@@eddyboekhorst8479 Ik ben gelukkig niet de grootste en zwaarste en vind die kleine tweetakten echt geweldig. Zorgeloos volgas rijden met dat rauwe snerpende tweetakt geluid, heerlijk 😍
They are made to be ridden and there are too many just collecting dust in people's barns. So I try to compensate for those and ride mine regularly and properly, like they should! It also keeps the carbs and cylinders clean, so it's a win-win situation 👍🏻
I wish we were allowed to have two strokes like this in America because they are so worried about the climate here they are not imported here anymore great bike and great looking ride . Thanks for posting
Omg that sweet spot between 6 and 10k rpm .. what a beast. I'm curious how she is holding up after two years of ownership, Luc? I imagine those carbs would be tricky to get to, the engine design is really novel. There's a practically mint condition one with 13xxxkms for sale in NZ for $35k .. Considering robbing a bank ..
She really comes alive after 6k RPM, it's a real kick in your face 😈 Honestly, I thought servicing the carbs was pretty straightforward, nothing different from servicing a regular inline engine. The only thing to note is that the middle (top) cylinder requires a different vacuum when balancing the carbs. For the rest, I've had a cracked carb bowl, but got a replacement from someone from NZ , they're pretty rare apparently. Another issue was a leaky fuel tap, but revision kits are well available :) That's a crazy price for the one in NZ! I think I could get €14000 ($25000) for mine right now, but that's already a €4000 ($7000) increase since I bought it!
@@LucHeijnenvery smart decision love these bikes im 22yrs old missed out on these but i have a 1992 fzr600 didnt go for a 2 stroke as I would be out riding it all the time
@@LucHeijnen I rode and owned a number of 2 strokes back in the day. I never rode one of ns 400 most of us had RZ 500s or rg500I think the 400 is best bike and I wish I had one now, there were a few around in Wanganui New Zealand in full Rothmans livery
Stunning Bike the Honda NSR 400 👍 I grew up with 2 strokes. Had RGV's TZR's etc. I currently own (25yrs)an Aprilia RS 250. Just use it on Track now, where it belongs. Been offered silly money for it. Would I ever sell.. Hell No..
ahhhh the sheer sounds i can relate, i ride a 97 Kawasaki AR-80K Liquid Cooled, i hope one day that i can buy and ride a bigger 2 stroke, hopefully a Kawasaki KR-1S or a Honda NSR-250.
Man, you worded it in such a way it sounded new and it looks in such good condition I was like "WHAAAT?!?!?". I don't follow bikes much these days, hence the confusion. I just watch these video's to relive my youth building and riding 2 strokes. :)
@@GamingHelp @COBS: Sharpening Your FPS Skills I am very sorry, I can imagine your confusion, but I have to help you out of your dream... Sadly, two-stroke street bikes are no longer made due to higher emission restrictments :( So the next best thing is buying the 80's GP replica from Freddie Spencer! I haven't really experienced the peak of the two-stroke era as I was born in the 90's, but since I've bought this one, I've been in love with them ever since 😍
Yeah, I knew they'd stopped, but they originate in Japan so I thought maybe they might still be doing limited production over there or something. Such a beautiful bike though man. It looks bloody new from your POV there. The RD350 I have, it's in rough shape. It was owned by an ex racer in town who moved back to England and I bought it for 300 bucks. It didn't run. Of course, the REASON it didn't run was he'd rebuilt the carbs and got the round slides backwards. The left was in the right and vice versa. I just cleaned it up, got em right, gave er a few kicks and ring a ding ding. The very first time I rode that bike, the VERY first gear I went through on pavement, I was like "Isn't that front wheel shadow supposed to be touching the front wheel?". The 2 strokes are such ridiculous wheelie machines. It was a fun project though. I'm also a machinist so I spent a few years building it up. In the end, I had to swap the clutch pack for one with race friction pads and race springs. It would slip the clutch in every gear. Not bad, but enough. Good god is it a lot of work porting a bike though. I still have it too. Every so often I wander down and look at it. Doesn't even have a speedometer anymore. Just the tach and dual pyrometers. :) The top end 4 strokes of the day were faster of course, but none of them FELT as fast. The pipes and porting I have on that bike are such that at 5 grand, you can whack the slides all the way open and it just sounds different. Do that 1000 RPM higher and the front wheel and it's shadow immediately depart. I even used to run it on 110 low lead aviation gasoline (I upped the compression too. The 110ll was a bit overkill though. Pump was fine. I just felt cool buying gas at the airport. Lol). I hope you have many long years of enjoyment on that bike. You literally own one of the dream bikes I spent YEARS looking for.
@@GamingHelp Thank you so much for sharing this with me. It's always nice to hear a fellow motorcyclist's stories :) It sounds like you've had loads of fun tinkering with your RD and riding it like you should ride it: full throttle 😎My first experience with this NS was the same in regards of the front wheel. I thought the bike was a bit tame up to 5000 RPM, but then at 6000RPM, you suddenly get a kick in your face so hard that almost makes your helmet fall off. Just a few shifts upward, and before you know it, you've hit 200 kph (120 mph). It's madly addictive.
Yes, because the NS400 has a 90° V3 with two cylinders pointing down and one up. The NS500 has a 112° V3 with two cylinders pointing up and one down. This gives it a different firing order and different vibrations which changes the engine note.
@@LucHeijnen oops that was a few years back wasn’t it. Are you still burning synthetic two stroke oil now and then, you have to exercise the race horses too ✌️🇺🇸
I currently have a CBR250RR MC22, RVF400RR, NS400R Rothmans and a NSR125R with the special NR750 colours. I also had a CB-1 and a CBR400RR (NC29) but I recently sold them.
@@jdm-motospares5398 The RVF is much more comfortable than the CBR, but is also way more secure around corners. The RVF's engine also has more usable power in the lower RPM's and is steadier when accelerating out of corners because of its big bang V4 layout. The CBR is a lot of fun in the higher RPM's with its screaming engine though :)
@@LucHeijnen thanks, that's good to know! I tossed up between the RVF and CBR400RR for a while, but the uniqueness of the V4 and styling won me over (I'm now looking for an RVF). I'm glad your experience of both cemented that decision - and I've got the 250RR for a howling 4 cylinder experience 😀
Did you use some sort of ND filter? Or just changing shutter speed to 2x framerate made that good looking motion blur? It looks great btw, sound is excelent too, maybe more stabilization would enhance it.
Thank you! Yes, I used a Telesin ND16 filter here and set the shutter speed to 2x the framerate, so 1/48 in this case. This was my first try with this setup, so I'm still looking to improve. I will also try putting the stabilization on 👍
@@LucHeijnen Great I have exactly same filters ordered, without them it doesnt look that fast as IRL...I will catch your new videos in the future for sure!
@@Tomas-oy4go It's certainly a big improvement. Right now I'm in Italy around Lago di Garda, so I will probably post a nice video again when I'm home, if the footage has turned out good 😊
Yes I know 😅 This was my first ride on it and I was unaware of the damage the partial throttle can do to the gearbox, so I only ride it full throttle or no throttle now 😎 The carbs weren't well-synchronized here too, so that made the effect even worse.
Still have mine for 23 year's now. Had many offers over the year's and still not for sale. Just a beautiful bike to ride. 🙂
How's the reliability of it ? Did you have to rebuild engine often or replace pistons etc ?
The engine itself is reliable as long as you use good quality 2 stroke oil. I use motul full synthetic. Gearbox oil motul as well . From 1985 to 1988 the earlier one's had trouble with the gearbox selection and thrashing all the time doesn't help. Think this was sorted out on the latest one's. Gears for this bike can be bought in the uk from billet and are not cheap but reliable. The cylinders are nickel plated so last well . Never had mine apart but only done 13000 miles. Will be using much more now I've retired from racing. The engine is simple and easy to work on. The biggest problem now is parts like a crank if needed. Not many around and not cheap. Only thing to make sure of, it's not been tracked because lots have been and would need a engine overhaul. Its a fun bike and easy to ride. Plus it's an investment because not many left. Uk had 300 ns400r uk bikes. Now only 64 left because of them being tracked raced or broken for parts.
@@langdonfairchild1st805 thank you kindly for taking time and elaborating this to me . Really appreciate it :) All the best t.
@@tommyakaexpert9960 Your welcome.
Finally a good video that shows what this bike is like to ride properly ❤️
Had a couple of hours on one of these years ago.... Probably the best bike I ever rode....
I can't ride it too much because I bought this bike as an investment, but it's very hard to resist 😂
I own a NSR125R JC22 Super Sprint 2001 ,so satisfying but this is on another level 👌
Awesome machine 👊
I had one in 1989 in RWB long before cameras radars etc when nobody took speed limits that seriously. It was so quick that it's impossible to cruise any speed. You're constantly either accelerating or throttling off. I had a go of my mate's 750 Slingshot that was really docile in comparison.
If you can get into 6th you're a braver man than me. Great vid, thanks.
That's a good way of putting it. I had the same issue. The difference between slowing down or being in a wheelie at the same throttle position is like 1000 RPM for my bike. They just beg you to whack the slides open. :P
Cracking bike just a pity honda didnt make it a full blown 500
Ring-a-ding-ding-ding-rrrriiiinnnngggggggg😁...love those 2-strokes.
Awesome video, straight to the good stuff without hello guys what's up bs :) thank you
Thank you too! I hate those blabbermouths too and everybody's only here for the sound anyway 😂
My kind of guy - first day he gets his new toy he's out redlining it!
That's just the way they should be ridden 😁
I absolutely love these! I might just be too lazy for one, though...
They're comfortable enough for a casual cruise too!
I owned one, was the most comfortable bike I owned
Awesome. I dont care even 1000cc beside that bike. Stunning legend bike
great sound, i also like 2 stroke, i still keep the 2stroke ninja 150cc and some suzuki moped... nice video man... :D
Thank you! I must say I've fallen in love with twostrokes since I have this NS400R. I might just trade in my CBR400RR for another twostroke 😁
@RizMoto Indonesia?
Really love 2 stroke
I’m JEALOUS of you. I was watching your left hand and listening to see / hear how you were shifting…back and forth. NICE!!! A (pipe) dream of mine is to combine 3 250 2-smokes to make a batshit-insane 750. Hell - I’d be happy with a banshee motor in an appropriate frame, because it is SO HARD to find a good, old 2-smoker street bike, let alone one that is affordable. Either way, whether I have to save for one OR make one, I WILL have one before I die!! GREAT video!!
Thank you! That sounds like a crazy, but awesome idea 😂
I must say I am absolutely in love with two strokes since I have this NS400R. The sound, the sudden power delivery, and most importantly the smell 😍
I would definitely recommend getting a two stroke, even though they're getting absurdly expensive these days.
Hi you might want to look into the Kawasaki h2 750
@@jakobvang3032 Yeah, but they are super out dated in every way and are going for $6k in decent shape. NSR400 is at least sorta modern. But, the potential of a fully modern 2 stroke, 3 cylinder is just sooooo high. I have a Yamaha triple 700 with 3 into 1 pipe snowmobile. It is just so incredible. Magic in a bottle engine. Sounds like an air cooled Porsche, minimal rings and dings and no sputtering. makes 130 hp, 20k miles without a rebuild, near perfect wide power band like a 4 stroke. It gets outrageous fuel economy, I don't know of any snowmobile, 2 or 4 stroke of any displacement that gets better fuel economy.
They made the center cylinder that gets a bit hotter, slightly lower compression ratio, so all three carbs can have the same jets. A v3 wouldn't have this problem, but I'm sure was deemed too expensive and complicated for a snowmobile so an inline was chosen. Man, the things I would do for an engine like that to ride on the pavement.
@@apodski true but the Kawasaki is an acquired taste although I think the Suzuki RG 500 is even better than a nsr but mostly sound wise
Wat een fantastische collectie motoren heb je! 😍
Dankjewel! Inmiddels zijn er nog twee bij gekomen 😇 Een JC22 en en NC30!
nc30 is ook geweldig! jc22 moest ik opzoeken, ik ben in die kleine 2 takten iets minder thuis.
Helaas ben ik te groot voor dat soort motoren, dus ik hou het maar bij de grotere Honda's met een V4.
@@eddyboekhorst8479 Ik ben gelukkig niet de grootste en zwaarste en vind die kleine tweetakten echt geweldig. Zorgeloos volgas rijden met dat rauwe snerpende tweetakt geluid, heerlijk 😍
@LucHeijnen jaloers hoor! Wat een gave motoren
I like how you give these bikes a workover. Good use of the 2-stroke powerband. You definitely find the screamers…
They are made to be ridden and there are too many just collecting dust in people's barns. So I try to compensate for those and ride mine regularly and properly, like they should! It also keeps the carbs and cylinders clean, so it's a win-win situation 👍🏻
Nice bike and sounds awesome!! 😆👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I wish we were allowed to have two strokes like this in America because they are so worried about the climate here they are not imported here anymore great bike and great looking ride . Thanks for posting
Omg that sweet spot between 6 and 10k rpm .. what a beast. I'm curious how she is holding up after two years of ownership, Luc? I imagine those carbs would be tricky to get to, the engine design is really novel. There's a practically mint condition one with 13xxxkms for sale in NZ for $35k .. Considering robbing a bank ..
She really comes alive after 6k RPM, it's a real kick in your face 😈
Honestly, I thought servicing the carbs was pretty straightforward, nothing different from servicing a regular inline engine. The only thing to note is that the middle (top) cylinder requires a different vacuum when balancing the carbs. For the rest, I've had a cracked carb bowl, but got a replacement from someone from NZ , they're pretty rare apparently. Another issue was a leaky fuel tap, but revision kits are well available :)
That's a crazy price for the one in NZ! I think I could get €14000 ($25000) for mine right now, but that's already a €4000 ($7000) increase since I bought it!
@@LucHeijnenvery smart decision love these bikes im 22yrs old missed out on these but i have a 1992 fzr600 didnt go for a 2 stroke as I would be out riding it all the time
@@LucHeijnen I rode and owned a number of 2 strokes back in the day. I never rode one of ns 400 most of us had RZ 500s or rg500I think the 400 is best bike and I wish I had one now, there were a few around in Wanganui New Zealand in full Rothmans livery
Stunning Bike the Honda NSR 400 👍
I grew up with 2 strokes. Had RGV's TZR's etc.
I currently own (25yrs)an Aprilia RS 250. Just use it on Track now, where it belongs. Been offered silly money for it. Would I ever sell.. Hell No..
ahhhh the sheer sounds i can relate, i ride a 97 Kawasaki AR-80K Liquid Cooled, i hope one day that i can buy and ride a bigger 2 stroke, hopefully a Kawasaki KR-1S or a Honda NSR-250.
One of those is also still on my wishlist. It's sad they are so expensive these days though :(
What the hell kinda road is this, two cycle lanes joined together?
Welcome to the Netherlands 😂 These kinds of lines indicate that this is a 60km/h road.
Wait, what? Is this a NEW 400CC 2 stroke?!?!? As in, a 2022 model?!?!?!
No of course not 😂 It is a 1986 model, but it was a 'new' old bike for my collection.
Man, you worded it in such a way it sounded new and it looks in such good condition I was like "WHAAAT?!?!?". I don't follow bikes much these days, hence the confusion. I just watch these video's to relive my youth building and riding 2 strokes. :)
@@GamingHelp @COBS: Sharpening Your FPS Skills I am very sorry, I can imagine your confusion, but I have to help you out of your dream... Sadly, two-stroke street bikes are no longer made due to higher emission restrictments :( So the next best thing is buying the 80's GP replica from Freddie Spencer!
I haven't really experienced the peak of the two-stroke era as I was born in the 90's, but since I've bought this one, I've been in love with them ever since 😍
Yeah, I knew they'd stopped, but they originate in Japan so I thought maybe they might still be doing limited production over there or something. Such a beautiful bike though man. It looks bloody new from your POV there. The RD350 I have, it's in rough shape. It was owned by an ex racer in town who moved back to England and I bought it for 300 bucks. It didn't run. Of course, the REASON it didn't run was he'd rebuilt the carbs and got the round slides backwards. The left was in the right and vice versa. I just cleaned it up, got em right, gave er a few kicks and ring a ding ding. The very first time I rode that bike, the VERY first gear I went through on pavement, I was like "Isn't that front wheel shadow supposed to be touching the front wheel?". The 2 strokes are such ridiculous wheelie machines. It was a fun project though. I'm also a machinist so I spent a few years building it up. In the end, I had to swap the clutch pack for one with race friction pads and race springs. It would slip the clutch in every gear. Not bad, but enough. Good god is it a lot of work porting a bike though. I still have it too. Every so often I wander down and look at it. Doesn't even have a speedometer anymore. Just the tach and dual pyrometers. :) The top end 4 strokes of the day were faster of course, but none of them FELT as fast. The pipes and porting I have on that bike are such that at 5 grand, you can whack the slides all the way open and it just sounds different. Do that 1000 RPM higher and the front wheel and it's shadow immediately depart. I even used to run it on 110 low lead aviation gasoline (I upped the compression too. The 110ll was a bit overkill though. Pump was fine. I just felt cool buying gas at the airport. Lol). I hope you have many long years of enjoyment on that bike. You literally own one of the dream bikes I spent YEARS looking for.
@@GamingHelp Thank you so much for sharing this with me. It's always nice to hear a fellow motorcyclist's stories :) It sounds like you've had loads of fun tinkering with your RD and riding it like you should ride it: full throttle 😎My first experience with this NS was the same in regards of the front wheel. I thought the bike was a bit tame up to 5000 RPM, but then at 6000RPM, you suddenly get a kick in your face so hard that almost makes your helmet fall off. Just a few shifts upward, and before you know it, you've hit 200 kph (120 mph). It's madly addictive.
It’s a different sound to a racing NS500?
Yes, because the NS400 has a 90° V3 with two cylinders pointing down and one up. The NS500 has a 112° V3 with two cylinders pointing up and one down. This gives it a different firing order and different vibrations which changes the engine note.
Time for a clutch ? Slipping in 6th wasn’t it ? Nice bike.
Correct! This was one of my first test rides, I replaced it shortly after this video.
@@LucHeijnen oops that was a few years back wasn’t it. Are you still burning synthetic two stroke oil now and then, you have to exercise the race horses too ✌️🇺🇸
nice👏
Bad ass
Mooi filmpje en mooi geluid 👍
Dankjewel! 😊
😍😍😍😍😍 What's in your current collection: CBR250RR, RVF400, CB400 (CB1?) and NSR400R?
I currently have a CBR250RR MC22, RVF400RR, NS400R Rothmans and a NSR125R with the special NR750 colours. I also had a CB-1 and a CBR400RR (NC29) but I recently sold them.
@@LucHeijnen What a collection! I love it. How'd you find the CBR400RR compared to the RVF?
@@jdm-motospares5398 The RVF is much more comfortable than the CBR, but is also way more secure around corners. The RVF's engine also has more usable power in the lower RPM's and is steadier when accelerating out of corners because of its big bang V4 layout.
The CBR is a lot of fun in the higher RPM's with its screaming engine though :)
@@LucHeijnen thanks, that's good to know! I tossed up between the RVF and CBR400RR for a while, but the uniqueness of the V4 and styling won me over (I'm now looking for an RVF). I'm glad your experience of both cemented that decision - and I've got the 250RR for a howling 4 cylinder experience 😀
@@jdm-motospares5398 You certainly won't regret it ;)
Did you use some sort of ND filter? Or just changing shutter speed to 2x framerate made that good looking motion blur? It looks great btw, sound is excelent too, maybe more stabilization would enhance it.
Thank you! Yes, I used a Telesin ND16 filter here and set the shutter speed to 2x the framerate, so 1/48 in this case. This was my first try with this setup, so I'm still looking to improve. I will also try putting the stabilization on 👍
@@LucHeijnen Great I have exactly same filters ordered, without them it doesnt look that fast as IRL...I will catch your new videos in the future for sure!
@@Tomas-oy4go It's certainly a big improvement. Right now I'm in Italy around Lago di Garda, so I will probably post a nice video again when I'm home, if the footage has turned out good 😊
is it okay shifting gears without using clutch?
As long as you do it right, it shouldn't do any harm. The clutch was worn here though, so it didn't feel and sound as smoothly as it should.
One of the most dangerous roads think ive seen scary !
Record in 60fps please, this type of videos isn't meant to look that cinematic and it should be smooth as butter
I'll keep it in mind for the next one!
Oh boy my mo mo wevs weeely weeely high.
You alright mate?
Two strokes should be kind of human right.
Bought one in 98 but couldn't get the carbs to work properly so sold it for stupid money now I am aware that it is worth thousands 😢
That bike hates nothing more than partial throttle…lol
Yes I know 😅 This was my first ride on it and I was unaware of the damage the partial throttle can do to the gearbox, so I only ride it full throttle or no throttle now 😎 The carbs weren't well-synchronized here too, so that made the effect even worse.
@@LucHeijnen Nothing wrong with partial throttle, his timing or maybe carb sync seems off.
@@aumkar2 Correct, this was when I just got the bike before I synchronized the carbs. They were pretty far off 😅
Yeah.. I’d last about 4 mins on that🤣
Why? Because of the twostroke powahh?
@@LucHeijnen I’m easily overexcited!😊