First Ride: Honda's NSF100 ... or how Mike killed a Honda
Jul 25, 2006, By Michael Lenz, Copyright 2006, MiniGPX
Walking up to the hot-pit at the last Northwest Mini Road Racing Association (NMRRA) race, I caught a glimpse of an undertail pipe...one that until that moment that I had only seen on the web. It was an interesting angle to first see Honda's new for 2006, NSF100 - the backside. That tailpipe view was one that quite a few racers got a close up of during the day's races.
Initially I was surprised to see the little NSF present at the NMRRA race; after all they only started to show up to US dealerships a few days before. The first one I spotted belonged to long time NMRRA racer Steve Littlefield (#65). A veteran NSR racer, Steve opted to go the 4-stroke route and kick down the near $5K (USD) Honda dealers are asking for the NSF.
Don't expect the price to move much either, according to our local Honda dealer they are getting the bikes for $4,500. With an official list of $4,999 (USD), that doesn't leave much room to move on the price.
In my opinion, $5K is a pretty hefty investment for what is basically a $2K NSR that Honda simply bolted its tried-and-true XR100/CRF100 air-cooled motor into, although working around the NSR's excellent chassis enabled them to really create a mini monster. While the NSF's peak power of 8.7 horsepower at 9500 rpm is only 1.5 ponies above the NSR's claimed power, its torque numbers are the kickers, enabling the NSF to out motor its screaming sibling. Considering the investment, imagine my surprise when a second brand spanking NSF pulled up Sunday morning, this one from University Honda of Seattle.
Having two of the bikes at the track was too much to ignore. I talked to Steve about getting a ride on his sparkling NSF. After giving it some thought he agreed to let me take his new baby out for a few laps. Not wanting to toss his new baby down the track and ruin his raceday, I agreed to keep my excitement in check until the last race of the day was run.
Race time! The NSFs took to the track, their bright white fiberglass bodywork shining in the morning sun. The NSF by all appearances it is still built like a tank but kept the same Cadillac-smooth handling of its sibling, the NSR. Throughout the day the NSFs held their own with an abundance of torque that carried their adult passengers through the wide power band. In one race the NSF was pit against two motard KX65s each ridden by leather-weight junior riders. While not as fast as the 65s when they were on their pipe, the NSF's wide power band and extensive torque was able to keep the it out in front of the 65s. Eventually the 65s got around the NSF, but not without a fight. By comparison, when on a NSR, the 65s would simply walk away no matter the caliber of adult rider on the little 50. While not collecting the top spot on the podium, the NSF put on a good show for the weekend.
As the day came to a close, Steve readied his new baby for me to run a few laps on. Having ridden MiniGPX's sponsored 2004 NSR50 in several prior mini races, I had a baseline to compare the new NSF with. Immediately as I sat on the bike it was apparent that the NSF was not designed to be ridden by anyone close to 5'10" tall. The NSF's reach is short and the cockpit cramped. I immediately got the impression that the NSF was developed for those little folks that had difficulty reaching the controls of the NSR.
While not as easy as a push start NSR, the NSF's kick start made it relatively easy in get life into the motor in comparison to the 125cc motards about the paddock.
First off, I killed the NSF. Yup, right there in front of everyone, popped it into gear and proceeded to kill it. After inspiring folks with my incredible starting skill, I then almost dropped the bike. You see the NSF doesn't have the same range of steering the NSR does. While this doesn't do anything on track, in the paddock it made for a brief awkward moment. Steve must have been having a heart attack wondering who this guy was about to destroy his bike.
Having raced Supersport bikes for years, it was a nice surprise to find that the NSF came stock with a GP shift pattern (1 up, 5 down). With the engine braking common to 4-strokes the GP shift made it easier to quickly drop gears.
Being a 4-stroke guy (no jokes please) it was nice to get back to riding a 4-stroke. The bike pulled all the way through the power band - so much so that I found myself getting lazy in my shifting and simply letting the mid-range to do the work that on the NSR would require a shift or two.
Soon as I got the bike into a few tighter corners the compressed cockpit made it awkward to ride. I was unable to scoot back in the seat to get into a proper riding position. This in turn put excessive weight on my wrists. After my ten or so laps my wrists were not happy campers. After pulling in, the cramping wrists were joined by pounding palms, as the blood started to flow back into my hands.
Steve and I talked about the riding position and agreed that to make it really comfortable for anyone above 5' 7" you would need to move the seat back. This would be easily accomplished by moving the tail section's two mounting tabs back about an inch on the sub-frame. $40 at a local welder and the NSF's single major fault (for someone my size) would be a thing of the past.
The overall finish and sleek lines of the NSF made it appear modern, making the NSR look clunky and dated. Even though the majority of components on the NSF would bolt onto the NSR, the NSF's modern bodywork and simple lines really make the bike stand out in the paddock. It looks and feels like a mini version of Honda's CBR600RR.
Beyond that there wasn't anything remarkable to speak of. The bike looked sharp, it handled well, had good balance and the tried and true power plant delivered good usable power.
I still don't believe the NSF is the bike to use as a trainer for junior riders, as evident in my lazy riding. A bike like the NSR requires precision shifting to get the most of the bike. The NSF allows riders to be sloppy and gets itself out of trouble with its mid-range. While great for the older guys, not what you would want when trying to get a rider to refine their skills.
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