"Where does he get those wonderful toys?" isn't just a famous line from the 1989 Tim Burton Batman film; it's also something you might find yourself asking as you watch this video. Because honestly, The Bearded Mechanic might just have outdone himself here in terms of '80s and '90s JDM holy grail motorcycles.
But as anyone who's ever lusted after a cool car or motorbike that wasn't ever sold in your country, I think you'll understand that there's a certain lure associated with those vehicles. They're not the same vehicles you see every single day of your life, you know? The kind that are so ubiquitous, they cease to be seen as entities of their own, and instead appear as so much rolling furniture to be avoided as you make your way through the place where you ride or drive every day.
These aren't those, is my point. And that's at least, in part, why something like this gorgeous little Honda CBR250RR MC22 is so appealing, on its face.
That's before you get to how it sounds. If you're not yet familiar with these, and you watch this video, I'm pretty certain you won't be able to get this sound out of your mind. And also, that you're in for an absolute treat, because it's one of Honda's early 1990s 250cc inline four-cylinder screamers. Some might even say it's the single best-sounding one, but of course, that's a matter of opinion. What's absolutely not debatable is that it sounds good. Damn good.
Break out your best headphones for this one, folks.
What makes this video even more special is that it's not just a running video, though that would be cool in its own right. No, since this is the Bearded Mechanic we're talking about, naturally Craig's challenge involves getting the thing running first. And then, he says, if he can get it running, he can take it out for a ride.
If you're familiar with Hondas of this era, then the words "vacuum petcock" might make you inwardly (or outwardly) hiss like a demon that's been hit point blank with a Super Soaker filled with holy water. Gentle reader, if you're wondering how I reacted at this part of the video, now you have a pretty accurate picture in your head. (In actual fact, right now I'm not certain that my personal vacuum petcock issues are over with the VF500F, but I won't really know until I get the carbs synced and reinstalled, so.)
The great thing about this video (and TBM in general) is that, if you ever wanted to see what the inside of this bike looks like, now's your chance to find out. While he doesn't go deep inside the engine, we do get a good look at the components of the pretty massive airbox, as well as those four little CV slide carburetors (and yes, the dreaded vacuum petcock). We also get a good primer in how, if you have a cable-actuated clutch or throttle, you really do need to clean and lubricate it every once in a while for optimal operation.
I mean, this bike is getting close to 40-ish years old. If no one's cleaned and lubed those cables by now, there's every chance that they're going to be gunked up, sticky, and not working anywhere near as well as they should (if at all). It's not really a surprise, right? It's just a matter of standing back for a moment, thinking about it logically, and then doing the thing. Kind of like a lot of cleaning/maintenance tasks, when you think about it.
Honestly, given its age, and not knowing when it last ran, it's in pretty fantastic shape. I know cameras can make bikes look nicer than they might in person, but the paint looks pretty gorgeous still. The inside of the fuel tank is beautiful, and not a rusted-out mess. Instead of having the kind of carburetor bank that would give even the hardiest of folks recurring nightmares, it's really quite good, all things considered. You wish you had a bike this nice to work on, is what I'm saying. (And yes, so do I.)
Do you (or did you) have an MC22, or one of its older siblings? Would you absolutely love the chance to ride one if you could? I feel like it'd be a grin for days if I ever had the chance, but let me know what you think in the comments.
