Originally written by Paul from TYGA Performance. Adapted for TYGA Europe.
It is hard to believe that more than two decades have passed since Daijiro Kato rose through the 250cc World Championship and established himself as one of the most gifted riders of his generation. In 2000 he finished third in the championship, won four races and earned Rookie of the Year honours. He went on to become World Champion in 2001 before moving up to the premier class in 2002. His tragic death at Suzuka in 2003 remains one of the sport’s great losses.
This Honda RS250R NXA project bike was built by TYGA Performance as a tribute to Kato’s memory, his racing brilliance and his unmistakable presence in Grand Prix racing. It also celebrates one of the most iconic liveries of the era: the AXO scheme.
Kato’s original 2000 HRC machine was a factory NSR250, an extremely rare works race bike that was never offered to the public in any meaningful numbers. Those machines were reserved for top-level teams, and today almost none are believed to be in private hands.
For this project, TYGA Performance chose the Honda RS250R NXA as the base. The RS250 series was Honda’s customer GP platform during the two-stroke era and was sold to private racers competing in national and international championships. The NXA, introduced in 2001, represents the final evolution of the line and makes a fitting base for a tribute of this kind.
Although it is not identical to the factory NSR250, the Honda RS250R NXA is contemporary to Kato’s era and carries enough visual and technical character to make it the perfect foundation for a respectful and exciting tribute build.
This latest project benefits from more than twenty years of TYGA Performance development experience. Earlier AXO-inspired builds were based on the NSR250R road model, but for this bike we wanted to go further and create something more ambitious around the RS250R NXA platform.
The bodywork shape used here is essentially stock in style for the NXA, although we have noticed that several different fairing variations appear to exist. The fairing and seat cowling molds used for this project were originally created from genuine damaged panels recovered in Sepang in 2003, giving us a solid reference point for authentic proportions and fit.
For this build, we selected the carbon version of the TYGA bodywork and finished the inside with a special Kevlar weave, inspired by the factory-style appearance used by HRC.
To map out the design, we used 1/12 scale decals as a starting point, enlarged them to full size and mocked up the layout directly on spare bodywork. This allowed us to refine line placement, decal sizing and the overall balance of the scheme before committing it to paint.
This process was especially important because the NXA bodywork differs significantly from Kato’s original factory NSR250. The side AXO logos, the upper front fairing and the seat cowling all required careful compromise to make the design work visually on a different shape while still remaining true to the spirit of the original machine.
After repeated adjustments, comparisons and refinements, the mock-up was sent to the paint shop as the final reference for the carbon bodywork.
Because this project was also intended to showcase new TYGA Performance products, it was essential that the bike feature a proper TYGA exhaust system. Development of the NXA chambers was brought forward specifically so the finished project would present the bodywork and exhausts together.
The design was based partly on our proven NX5 chambers, which already deliver excellent performance and share a close technical relationship with the NXA engine. However, the final NXA exhaust system required extensive redesign to achieve the right clearances, proportions and visual quality.
The result is a cleaner and more refined chamber set than the factory originals, with improved routing and a much more purposeful appearance.
Beyond the carbon bodywork and exhausts, this Daijiro Kato tribute bike features a wide range of TYGA Performance components. In fact, almost everything we currently make for the Honda RS250R NXA found its way onto this project.
Highlights include the carbon/Kevlar air box, steering stem cover, ECU cover, replacement handlebars, meter stay, heel guard, short TYGA foot pegs, top nut, fuel filler cap, brake reservoir kit, heat reflective sheet, seat pad and bum stop, as well as a newly reproduced rear brake caliper bracket developed from a 3D scan of an original NXA part.
Together, these parts help transform the bike into a complete showcase of TYGA Performance engineering for the rare RS250R NXA platform.
Once the bodywork, paint and exhausts were finally completed, the bike could be assembled for its long-awaited photo and video sessions. We photographed the project both in-house and at the brand-new EEST NJT training track at the Box Box Hotel in Sattahip, conveniently close to the TYGA factory.
The location was ideal for capturing the bike in a fitting environment, and the finished machine proved well worth the wait. Some small jobs still remain before the bike is ridden properly, including wheel crack testing, refurbishment and fresh tyres, after which it will be ready for a full shakedown.
We had a huge amount of fun building this Honda RS250R NXA AXO tribute, and we hope it stands as a fitting tribute to Daijiro Kato’s memory while also inspiring others to create their own TYGA Performance project bikes.
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