1979 Honda CR 250 Elsinore

The Honda CR250 Elsinore was the natural progression both for Honda as a company as well as for the budding Moto-Cross rider who had been raised riding Honda motorcycles. 1973 marked the year that Honda began marketing and selling 2 cycle engine purpose-built Moto-cross bikes that would compete wheel to wheel with bikes from Europe. And the Honda was good, right out of the crate. Fast forward 5 years, and the conservatively styled and somewhat dated CR got an extreme makeover, painted completely fire engine red with an all new single down tube frame, Euro style drive train with a right-side chain and sprocket and reed valve induction. Suspension travel grew to an astronomic 11” front and rear. Notably 1979 was the first year that Honda moved production of the Elsinore to its Marysville, OH plant in the USA.

If a young racer had moved up from his first Honda Trail 50 and began competing in Moto-Cross events on smaller 125 Honda Elsinore bikes, he knew that bikes from Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki had more power and better suspension by the time 1976 rolled around. But Honda’s “Red Rocket” CR250R changed all that in 1978 with a much-improved bike in the 250 class which carried over to the 1979 model year. Lightweight aluminum alloy components such as rims and wheel hubs and leading axle front forks added to the handling.

Much was borrowed from the successful RC250 Works factory race team machines that competed in world championship outdoor Moto-Cross racing and even the kick start lever and gear change pedal were crafted from aluminum to save weight. Liberal use of Magnesium in the motor had the engine weighing in at a mere 56lbs.

While the ‘79 did not win any world or national Moto-cross championships, the bike was a viable competitor in the hands of skilled rider who could use all the power and suspension the bike had to offer.

**Specifications:**

* Engine displacement: 248cc

* Horsepower: 29 hp

* Weight: 212lbs

* Suspension Travel: 11” front, 11” rear