Project MC28

Hi Noah, yeah that is his bike. He stacked his Panigale and the missus convinced him to offload the whole lot. Now he has a new boat ha ha. The RGV and NSR are both still for sale. I can vouch for the dollars spent on the NSR but the asking price is pretty steep. I think he'll be very lucky if he can get 10K for it, if that, but whoever buys it will be getting a pristine bike.

Managed to get my MC28 registered on my last break. So I took it for a run around northern NSW and a few rides up past the Gap in Brisbane. It handles really well (surprisingly well over the bumps actually) but definitely needs some more mumbo. It's got reasonable midrange but the rest is just basically over-rev with the standard ignition module. Next time back home I'm going to fit the HRC ignition, new piston/rings, exhaust and modify the air box then re-jet to suit. Hopefully it should change the power to my satisfaction. I managed to drop the bugger when I had it parked on a hill and ended up putting a few cracks around the base of the mirror and indicator. So I found a mob that does pretty good reproduction fairings in the original 96SE colours which I think I might get.

 

Hi Noah,

Well as far as price goes I'm not really sure. This is the only MC28 that I have ever seen come up for sale in Australia although I know there are a few around from reading the forums. I paid 5K and to be honest I think I probably paid a bit too much but it doesn't phase me, I wanted the bike. It was offered with an MC21SE that I could have got for only another 2K - I'm kicking myself I didn't as most parts are interchangeable and the electricals in particular would have been very handy. If you wanted a good MC28 from Japan you'd be looking at more like 10K not including the import and costs of ADR etc. You would also have no idea on whether the bike had been raced and what condition the crank etc was in for that money. I guess in total, including the purchase price, I've spent around 9.5K on this bike but that includes a second hand HRC ignition, new stainless exhaust, new crank assembly, new top end, new gear selector shaft, dry clutch overhaul kit, new water pump drive gear (these are plastic and are known to crack and are very hard to find), braided lines, water pump overhaul kit, new bearings / seals where appropriate, new carbon airbox lid, new reeds and reed stuffer, carbie kits (all yet to be installed). I've have already installed billet triples, billet rearsets and replaced all bearings and seals in the suspension and wheels, a new bearing retainer for the rear wheel and new cables.

I've kept all the original parts as it seems to me, especially in the US and Japan, these bikes are starting to pick up in price and the ones that attract the most money are the ones that are in stock condition.

Like most things I buy I tend to leap in before fully researching things. If I had the time to look for another MC28 I would look primarily for these things:

Make sure you get an SE (they have the dry clutch and fully adjustable suspension), preferably an SP (SP has the dry clutch and adjustable suspension with the addition of Magtek magnesium wheels) and preferably an unmolested SP Rothmans or Repsol (doubt you'll find a Repsol though).

Original Panels. These are worth a lot of money new and are hard to get second hand. The panels come from the factory painted and with decals, and most years are discontinued so, basically unless you have an original Rothmans or Repsol (for which most panels are still available), you have to have the new panels stripped and painted and buy new decals (many of which aren't available OEM either) to suit your year model. You may be able to get a decent paint job in Europe or the US for 1K or less but certainly not in Aus. Realistically to buy a new set of OEM panels would set you back more than 3K. To restore a bike to original I think this is your biggest cost.

HRC Ignition - this bike only has about 40hp stock. You can fit a new exhaust (it's worth remembering that many say the original is hard to beat for power although it is heavy) and open up the air box for some more power. You can also fit a lightened flywheel with a different woodruff key or fit an MC21 flywheel. The real issue is the PGMIV ignition though. The timing with the standard ignition is retarded in the top 3 gears. Stock the bike has great midrange for a 2 smoker (it has power jets and air solenoids to aid this) but the top end is uninspiring and is basically just over-rev. An HRC racing ignition fixes this problem (with the right tuning you should get at least 60hp, up to 70hp with F3 kit parts and porting) which makes them a completely different bike. They aren't available new and they are not cheap second hand. Apparently you can get your standard ignition reprogrammed to HRC specs now which is what I probably would have done had I done a bit more digging and known it was available. The problem with the HRC ignition is that it turns the speedometer (an LCD speedo) into a big temperature gauge and the lights won't work. You have to do a wire splice to get the lights to work but you won't get the speedo to work or a few other lights (eg oil warning light which won't be an issue if you go premix). Some people install bicycle speedos, some a complete wiring harness from an MC21 or MC18 (but you lose the cool card ignition and LCD display) and some a speedo takeoff drive and speedo from an MC21 (the dash get a little cluttered though).

Barrel condition - new barrels are ridiculously expensive as is electrosil (especially in Aus, surprise suprise). It's a lot better to start with a bike that has barrels you can use.

Realistically if you want an NSR and don't mind which you may be better off with an MC21. It has the twin sided gull arm swingarm (the bike is definitely faster on the track than the 28), is much easier and cheaper to de-restrict (a simple cut and solder job) and the engine is basically identical to the 28. I wanted the LCD display, the card key, the single sided swingarm, I think the 28 bodywork looks better than the 21, plus I road ride so I'm never going to push the handling to track limits. For me the thing handles like it's on rails. Judging from prices in Japan and the US, I think the MC28 will have better resale too.

Cheers
Jim

 

Hi Duggs. Yeah that was me mate. Went up there on my own, ended up in a convoy on the way up with a guy on an RVF400 (very nice condition) and a guy on a Ducati 900SS superlight. Glad there was no constabulary around ha ha. When I was sitting at the coffee shop in rides this fellow on an absolutely mint Monkey Bike. He took that snap you posted so I'm assuming he is your mate? He rode on west down to the T-intersection at the bottom of the mountain and the guy on the RVF and I followed 10 minutes or so later. On the way back to the Gap we ended up catching up with him down the road. That little thing hammers and your mate certainly knows how to ride it! I couldn't beleive how fast it was. Or maybe it's just me getting older and more cautious ha ha.

I've definitely got to fit the HRC kit to my bike. The RVF was pulling away up the hills easily!

 

I'll have to get some more photos up soon. As you can see I've fitted the Tyga exhaust. The only thing is I took off the rear foot pegs which are meant to support the cans with a supplied bracket. On the way home from Glorious the bike was making a funny sound. I checked it over and the right side exhaust was moving up and down easily in my hand. On closer inspection, the weld for the mount for the expansion chamber half way along the bike beneath the engine had cracked and the mount came free. Seems like the vibration of me ringing it's neck caused the weld to fatigue. Funny thing is I've seen a lot of MC28s set up exactly like mine so I think I might just get the weld redone and try it out.

 

For sure Brisfox,

Was that the bike advertised on Gumtree? An SE from memory. I looked pretty closely at that bike myself.

As far as the ride goes, sounds great, but your bike will probably embarrass mine until I get the HRC card / PGM in it.

What does the Ignitech do? Does it replace the whole PGM? Does it control the lights etc as well or do you need to run a Trailtech gauge or something. The HRC card drawbacks really annoy me and I've been looking for an alternative to be honest. Plus I want to keep the PGMs I have on the shelf if possible.

I also bought some 1995 SP panels same as the colours Mick Doohan's NSR500 sported the first year he won the 500 championship (Red / White / Black). I'll probably whack them on soon once I get a hold of the correct tank decals. Paint My Ride is going to paint the tank to match.

Cheers mate

 

That would be cool Kiffsta. Not sure about following though!

 

Noah,

I didn't rejet although I changed the needles by one clip to get more fuel into it mid-throttle. I haven't touched the air mixture screws. It's probably a little lean at WOT although I have ringed it's neck and it seems to run OK. With the Tyga pipes, for winter I think it would need bigger mains for sure but not by much. Really there is no noticeable increase in power - it just sounds a lot better and the Tyga pipes would have to be at least 2-3kg lighter than the stock pipes. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I have a complete PGMIV with HRC 030 card (for 95 octane unleaded) and a Tyga carbon airbox lid (much larger air intake volume). I also just bought a selection of jets. When I fit that kit I will definitely have to rejet. I'm going to start at 170 mains (I think stock is 145 or 142 can't remember) and go from there. I have from 170 to 160 mains in increments of 2. Hopefully I shouldn't have to change the slow jets. A lot of guys block the slow jets which means you have to go bigger on the mains again- most likely 190 or so. I also have a selection of needles with different tapers and some new reeds and reed stuffers. Once all that is fitted I should get somewhere between 55-60hp. Once I have it near right I'd like to get it on a dyno somewhere and get the jetting perfect. This is why I was saying the 21 is so much easier to derestrict. For starters, it's stock pipes have as good flow as the Tyga pipes (although they are heavier). To get 60hp out of a 21, all you have too do is a simple wire splice, some airbox mods and rejet. All the gauges still work. All the lights still work.

Cheers
Jim