(19-02-2011, 04:24 PM)Malcolm Wrote: Honda has released the first official photograph of its 250cc four-stroke Moto3 race bike, the NSF250R.

Previously called the NRS250 (NRS for “Next Racing Standard”) The Honda NSF250R will be offered to teams looking to race the Moto3 World Championship which will replace the current two-stroke 125cc class in 2012.

No official specifications were released but under Moto3 regulations, the NSF250R is limited to a 250cc single-cylinder engine with a bore of up to 81mm and a maximum rev limit of 14000rpm.

According to a statement from Honda Racing Corporation, the NSF250R inherits elements from the Honda RS125R 125 Grand Prix race bike. The RS125R has captured 130 Grand Prix race wins with nine riders winning the world championship on the RS125R including current Honda factory MotoGP riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso. The RS125R has not been a familiar site on the grid in recent seasons however with only one rider, Marcel Schrötter of Interwetten Honda race team, competing in the entire 2010 125cc World Championship season on the RS125R.

Hopefully this is the start of a new era for 250cc bikes. It seems to be forgotten that 4strokes were the backbone of 250 bikes until the East German, and Jap bikes appeared in the 60's. I know there were 2strokes racing pre second world war(DKW, Scott etc) but 2strokes were a rarity.