I got this bike for my 15th birthday. I rode the heck out of her for 36 years 4 rebuilds, years of fun. Sold it for 11,000.00. best bday gift ever.

This is not just a bike, it's a piece of history.

You know its good when you stand out in the rain to do a walk around! Thanks for helping us relive our youth

Dang it Joe, I gotta go to work in 10 minutes! You do this to me every time 🤣 we’ll continue this at 5.

Make sure you have a coffee can over your tractors mufflers if they dont have a flapper. Dont want all that rain down them. Just saw while you flew by them.🙂

I bought a new 1976 CR 125 Elsinore and then I also had a 74 CR 250 with the aluminum tank very pretty bike all I can see is you got a jewel for a steal$$

1970s Japanese air cooled scramblers were things of beauty, what a keeper.

This is a real 2 VINTAGE bike!!!! Love it!!!

A guy down the street from me had a 70's 250 Elsinore. Was a nice bike and beat most of the kids in the neighborhood. The only guy that beat him constantly had a Montesa 250 and raced NE Ohio circuit motocross & took a couple of championships at 14 years old. His Dad was a machinist and his brother worked for Weisco. Nice unmolested Elsinore, congrats on a great purchase!

By far the most bad ass bike you've done to date. Those things are awesome. I remember seeing them as a little kid.

At 59 years old you just brought back memories of my youth! If you would have straddled it when starting in garage it would have lit off right away. And you never want to use your arm to turn that over, that's one lesson you don't want to learn. I wanted to taste & smell that blue smoke. Can't beat that low end torque as evidenced by your tracks, Outstanding display of a beautiful machine!

Rain, snow or shine, Joe's out there finding the goods. Amazing how constantly consistent you are. Thanks for putting in all that time behind the scenes.

Watch out she don't "kick you back"! I had a '74 Elsinore that kicked back quite hard, and that probably won't be the first time you have to mess with the kicker either, I got so tired of messing with mine all the time I just pop started it, but MAN was that thing a rocketship, and hearing yours brings back memories...

I had a 1976 125. I was 14 back in 1981 it was a great bike. I beat on it for 2 yrs, then bought a 1980 cr 450. Those were great memories

Who needs a garden tiller when you have one of these bikes, awesome!

I owned a 1976 Mr 250 Elsinore in 1979 one of the best enduro’s Honda ever built I miss that bike I added a super trap exhaust

1973 Gary Jones , motocross champion on a Honda Elsinore 250. Looks fast as heckle just sitting there.

Man, I remember when these came out. They were rippers and everyone wanted one. Great find.

I remember as a kid we would say "The Elsinore can climb a tree!" nothing touched these bikes back in the day.

Just bought a 1976 MR250 last week in the UK as a resto project. So looking forward to building it and this video has been brilliant to watch for inspiration. Thank you. Last Honda I owned was a 1983 CR480 when I was 18, 36 years ago. " I love the smell of 2 Stroke in the morning" : Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore

wow had one back in the 70's, a real time capsule.

Ahh Memories, from my youth, the Elsinore is very light weight and has great power, without all of the add on stuff like power valves and liquid cooling, manufactures no longer keep things simple. This was one of your best videos so far, Thank You!

What a find and at a great price! Looks so much like a 1975 Yamaha MX175 I had when I was 20. Set it up like an IT175 with larger plastic tank. Plastic front and rear fenders and headlight and brake light. Rode it on several enduros in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. That bike could climb any hill and was very light. Engine never gave me any problems. Loved the video

Well crap… was just getting ready to leave the house and now I’m going to be 51:09 minutes late. 😊

My brother who was an engine builder raced motocross and flat track back when the Elsinore came out. They were formidable competitors and very reliable! You have a great find there and your fastidious approach with a new acquisition paid off bigtime! Congrats!

This one is dear to my heart Joe! I got this bike when I was 13 and it made me feel like I was Marty Smith! It was so beautiful and easy to ride compared to the 73 to 75 model. I added a Terry kit to the forks, Luft shocks, a Turner pipe with a Richter Performance muffler and she was perfect! Try dropping your needle one step and she will pull hard on top!

I can tell you really love this bike. You stand out in the rain for a long time just talking about it. Respect!

Beautiful classic Honda! Not sure if you noticed but you vacuumed up the builder of that mouse nest right at the end 😀

I like how you clean up , repair and reuse as much as you can.

Great find ! A bike from my era. I remember the Cycle magazine had the 2 red factory race Elsinores on the cover when they first came out.

When you were getting ready to start the bike, my thoughts were “I hope he has ear plugs”! Those Elsinores were some of the noisiest 2-strokes. But they sure made some power! I remember sitting at the starting line, before the MX races, and you could always tell where the Elsinores were! The Yamahas and Suzukis were quieter, but also not as much power. The only hold backs of the Honda was the suspension. Within the mid to late 70’s, the other manufacturers were changing suspension geometry and frame designs. Honda finally caught up by the late 70’s. Awesome bike, Joe! 👍

I bought the 76 125 brand new still in the shipping crate from our local Honda dealer. I was 13 and I saved every penny I made working for my dad on the weekends and bailing hay and straw for our neighbor who was a dairy farmer on my summer vacation. The dealer was so impressed that I paid 700 dollars cash all on my own that he paid for my first years AMA dues and also my entry fee for my first race at Redbud our local track. That little red bike never did me wrong. All the other 125's were five speeds while the Honda 125 had six which came in handy a few times lol. still wish I had it.Thanks for bringing that 250 back to life, They were the first year Honda started riding RED.

When cold, shift earlier keeping the revs lower. Speed shift. I cringed every time you kick started it. Push start until you get your replacement parts. Replace the kick starter gear since you have a couple of attenuated teeth. Nice bike for sure. Another successful endeavor.

Wow! Out of all the bikes you have this one is by far the best, what a find, a true jem! The Sound is amazing. I assume this is a keeper.

The second MX bike I ever bought was this when it first came out.. I saved money for two years to go from a modified 125 Hodaka to a 250. I had to get something better looking than the Hodaka, but that chrome domed bike gave me the Bike Bug for Moto Cross. At first I was liking the Yamaha YZ but after I seen a friend with the silver green tank 250 Elsi, I had to get one. It was way more than I expected, to be honest it was scary at first but after a few days cutting track and feeling the groove of how it handled I loved it. I quickly installed a Compression release kit on mine as I was tired of getting my leg hammered by the unpredictable unexpected kick back. Wound up trading it in plus mucho mas dinero for a 1981 Maico 490.. I was at my pinnacle with that bike on the open class. Miss all my bikes, the Elsi was a fun bike at 17 years old with lots of power for a 250.

I know they're not in the same class but these old bikes are just so cool looking, though I'm an old guy. I purchased a new DT250 Yama. in 1973 at 19 yrs old ($835 OTD). I still have it. It was modified by the dealer for the woods: removed signal lights; high-rise plastic front fender; fork brace; cleated foot pegs; alloy handle bars; different grips; HD knobby's all around instead of on-road-off-roads.. Competition Green..

Got a semi running 77 cr80 Elsinore out back of shop. Gonna do full resto on it this summer Those bikes are great, they sound amazing to.

This is from my time. I had a 77 Suzuki RM 125. Those were great bikes, the Yamaha Yz was also great. I really liked the Honda but I think the YZ was the best of the bunch. But I loved my RM. I never had so much fun as a 16 year old. So much fun.

You know Joe, with all of the equipment you have on the Land now, you could create for yourself a test track for all of the test runs you take with your bikes.. like a loop course and /or a woodlands course. just a thought. thanks for the great content.

Unfortunately, those C clip springs get metal fatigue, and bending them back is only temporary. Eventually, they lose tension again, but if your willing to deal with the relapse, then go for it.

Thank You for getting that bike. I had the 77 model and you brought back a lot of great memories.

Nice find Joe! I owned a 1976 Honda 125 Elsinore. Also bought a 1985 Honda CR500 new. That thing was a beast.

Circa 1984. My brother had a 1975 250 Elsinore, keep in mind that I was riding a 1983 Yamaha YZ125 that I had upper/lower ends rebuilt and bored. I jumped on that Elsie, couldn't kick it over, oh, compression release should have told me something lol! Anyways, I goosed her over a fair jump, not realizing she didn't handle like my Yamaha, didn't yank back enough on that tank of a bike Elsie, rode an endo for about 50ft after I landed then the rear swung about and put me down hard, both shoes were caught by the pegs and dislocated both knees. She's a big heavy tank of a bike, ya gotta yank on her to put her where you want to go. After hear that crispy, cackle of the exhaust, I can tell she's running strong, you got the deal of the day! Nice!

Had a MT 250 Elsinore in 1977, street legal. Had oil injection and paid $700 for it with 300 miles on it. Great bike and I did race it. When I blew a piston, I replaced key engine parts with CR stuff and added Testors model airplane fuel to the oil tank to get a little extra oomph out it.

You know how many guys are drooling over that bike right now 🤤

Your spark tester, the way it’s intended to be used, is you’re supposed to put a “known good”, or new spark plug, in the far left hole where it says “normal light”, then up to four plugs you want to test in the other holes, and you compare the sparks as you run the test.

Memory overload! I remember bikes sounding like that all over the fields back in the 70s and 80s.

I was 11 om 76 and remeber a neighbour had a simlar bike, this is a beauty Thanks for sharing

Good Lord what a beautiful bike. Found another Jem bud. Most definitely put that one in your collection. Been looking for one like that forever myself but every one I have found is to rough for me. Or over priced. Absolutely beautiful thank you for the video!

That bike reminds me of my 75 Husqvarna. Loved that bike, but if you rode it all day, you felt it in every bone of your body. A guy, me and my brother went to church with, gave it to us, as payment for helping him move. He had 3 of them, that he used to race. Bike was ridiculous. I remember thinking the back sprocket was the biggest I had ever seen. Me and my brother rode the wheels off that thing, up until some guy ran into the side of it with his 3 wheeler, and broke the shift shaft. That was back before the Internet days, and we never could find another shaft for it. We tried having it welded but it never lasted . Wish I had that bike now.... Lol

I can honestly say this is the first video I’ve watched where I have been genuinely excited to see you take a bike for a test rip

That's awesome Joe! Love the video and would like to see more bikes from the 60s and the 70s. I think I have the same problem with the kick start. Immense thanks for explaining the issue with it! Watching all your videos from about a year ago. Love the procedure you do for finding the issues. Thanks a lot for that! Last year I bought a '74 Honda MT125 Elsinore for $800 from a guy close to Joliet, IL. MT125/250 is the enduro version of CR with lights and turn signals (mine are missing) and a bit detuned engine. The bike runs when bump started, but a lot of things are missing including the entire electric system. I bought some parts from ebay though, like speedo and tacho meters + new battery, bar handles etc. You may try running NGK B9ES spark plug instead of BR9ES. R means it has a 5K ohm resistor which adds additional resistance and usually is not needed for vintage bikes.

That initial fire sounded like a machine gun. Nice find man.

Oh man how I miss that sound! Makes me happy and sad at the same damn time😅😢

I am 61 years old I had 2 Elsinores in my teens both 125`s A 1976 and a 1978, I had no idea they were worth that kind of money, but my favorite was my 1979 CR 125, the suspension on the rear was night and day, I believe it was 12 or 13 inches of clearence on the shocks.

I've been riding Hondas for 40 years and there is nothing sexyer than hearing it run!!💯👌

"Just a couple scratches on the tank" And missed the big dent next to the scratches completely lol.

Happy Days Joe Has Posted 🔥🔥🔥

I started working for a Honda dealer in '77', we had several brand new units on the floor, on sale for a bargain. This bike was not competitive in the class, 76 on. But the gear box was hugely improved and a direct install in early cases.

I googled this bike and looks correct except shocks,some graphics and many were indeed missing the silencer. Great find Joe.

What a cool old bike. The guy must have looped and scared himself on it and parked it for a long time.

I may have a silencer still from when I took mine off, it would be in a pile though... 1500$ you say.. hmmm... I might have to go looking for it.

Dang! I had the exact same bike when I was in high school…ended up selling it so I could buy car….dumbest thing I ever did….well not the dumbest…😅 Sweet video…brings back memories!

Interesting. I have owned several bikes but I never stopped to think how the kickstart works. 👍

What a find! I've been riding for 50 years and still enjoy your videos. I remember when these came out.....was riding an MXB400 Yamaha....my "learner" bike. A heck of a bike to learn on! I rode both one these Hondas that year and a YZ125.....both has a bunch on top as I remember.

Best sounding bike you've ever had! Aside from needing to be tuned a little bit better...

man this brings back memories I was a 15 and a freshman in high school when this bike came out.

That 76' Elsinore CR250 was the bike everyone wanted!! My neighbor down the street had one and you could hear it every time he fired it up!! Brings you back for sure!! BTW, he barely had it off the truck before the silencer came off. Heh heh

I had a CR 125 Elsinore 1976. The 125 had the exhaust pipe under while the 250 had the exhaust pipe over the head. That engine is pretty easy to completely break down. When I bought my 125 it still had the stickers on the metal gas tank the bike was like brand new. The guy I bought it from took the entire motor apart. I mean he split the crank case and took everything out and had all the parts in boxes. He at least labled the boxes with where he took the parts from. He couldn't put it back together and got so frustrated he sold it to me for $500.00 dollars. My dad bought a shop manual for it and we put the transmission together shifting forks gears everything. Bought new piston and rings and had the cylinder honed. The bike started on the fourth kick and ran like a brand new bike. I rode it for about a year and sold it to my riding buddy and best friend for what I paid for it. I could have sold it for way more but my buddy couldn't afford more than $500.00 and I wanted my best friend to have a serious Moto X bike. I was so lucky back then I found a 1974 CR 250 Elsinore a guy was selling. The bike was down in his cellar covered in inches of dust. When I walked up to it I almost shiot myself the bike was in mint condition and once again the sale stickers were still on it. The handle bar had a slight bend on the clutch handle side. I got that bike for $250.00 that was the best deal I ever found to this day. I've been riding over 40 years. Had more motorcycles than most people except you 😂. That CR 250 made me a better rider because I had about 4 to 6" of travel in the rear. I had to learn to pick the best possible lines on the track to beat people the engine was awesome compared to the 125. I had a ton of low and mid range power you don't get with a 125 Elsinore. After that I moved to a Suzuki RM 125 B 1977. Then a RM 125 C 1978. Both of those RMs were my favorite bikes I ever rode on the track. If you can find one of those years of RM buy it! Then try it Suzuki was king back then bro. You won't even want to ride a CR after that. To be honest I'd take my old Suzuki TM 125 over the CR 125 that was 2 yrs newer. I still regret selling my TM 125. It was better than the Elsinore in my opinion.

Nice find. I had a 76 CR250 in the early 2000s. got a lot of looks when I used to ride it back then. Sold it for $800 a few years later.

Little tip starting 2 strokes lean over till gas comes out overflow will fire up within a couple kicks usually always

That looks suspiciously in great condition from 1976! The seat doesn't never have a rip if it has not been replaced. Great bike such an icon for that period. Steve McQueen is a legend and this bike has probably done the most to bring MX to into the mainstream in the beginning than any other bike. Great find. Keep it foreverbits in great hands 👐!

I have been riding since I was five years old. My fourth bike was this Honda CR but a 125. I was completely two-stroke addicted. Great bike beautiful 250

I was a 13 yr old kid in 76 and this was thee bike as i rode my 76 XR75 pretending it was an ELSIE . The old bike are real beauties !!

The sound reminds me of YZ 465 that was a beast the power band was crazy

What an AMAZING find Joe, and for that price, I can't believe it, as if the seller didn't know what he had.. what a historic bike. I'm so glad you got this Elsinore and will save her forever.. So nice!

High school friend acquired a 1973 Elsinore in our senior year of '82. It was absolutely Mint! Looked like it hadn't ever been rode on. It was such a beast!

That bike brings back so many great memories, ripping across the ridge and furrow feilds.

That Bike Sounded so Crisp. Took me right back to the 70s. Mint🇬🇧👍

Wow, that is one sharp looking bike! Seems like a really good deal! To be the same age as I am, Ill be 48 on the 24th of this month, I wish I was in as good of condition as that bike

My buddy had a 79 cr 125 elsanor with the big 23inch front tire. Awesome bike and quick it was a tall bike back in 79

Man, please never stop making these videos as long as you enjoy making them. I learn something new every time I watch. Thanks for always posting this quality content, we all appreciate it big time.

You brought back a lot of memories, my friends had the early 70s elsinores, silver, great bikes

This brings back a lot of memories. I bought the exact same bike in 1977. I was 16 years old at the time. It was the owner of our local Honda dealerships personal bike. He only rode it three times. He was going to desert race it but changed his mind so he sold it to me... I took the silencer off for a couple days and put it back on. We rode at least 3-4 hours every day, so it didn't take long for the noise to get old. Honestly, it really didn't affect the power very much putting it back on, and it was a lot more enjoyable to ride..

I remember these, along with all of the other Japanese bikes, as being very affordable. The last brand-new bike I owned was a 1987 Suzuki RM 125. I paid $2200 for it out the door back in '88. Now they're closer to ten grand with a brand-new Yamaha YZ 125 listing at $7300 and the YZ 250 being $8200. Both of these haven't changed in over ten years, but if you wanted the very latest in two-stroke technology, the 2024 KTM 250 SX lists for $9250. I don't know about you, but if I had to shell out that kind of scratch for an MX bike, I don't know if I'd be able to beat on it or not.

That bike rips and sounds so good. Love the gaps it left of clear dirt during gear change.

about 18 years ago i knew a feller that sold 13 of these for $1500.. half of them had all red motors even the internal of the case. very rare to find these anymore it seems.

I was 14 years old in 1976 when this bike came out and I wanted one badly. I did get lucky enough to ride one though Good buddy had one. Have a good one Joe Nice pickup buddy

Cool bike! Back in the 1980's my cousin had a 175 Elsinore and my friend purchased a brand new 1976 CR125 Elsinore in 1984. They were rippin' bikes! I had a 1980 XR200 and had to replace the kickstart gear about 3 times over 2 years & it was not easy. You have to take the motor out of the frame & take all the gears out to get to it.

Had a 1976 125 Elsinore with a performance pipe in the 70s and that crackle sound was superb. Brings back memories, thanks for sharing.

Bought one new in 76. Paid 800 plus 4%tax for a total of 832.00. I was the envy of the yz and the rm crowd. First thing I did was remove that silencer. Brought back memories. I was 16 then am 62 now.

Great looking and great sounding brings back some fond memories. Thanks Joe

I rode the '75 125 Elsinore back in the late 1970's. Added a radial head, up pipe and put in a 30mm Mikuni carb. A GREAT bike...wish I still had it. Great video by the way...brings back memories!

That's badass. You scored. My first bike was a HONDA XL175 enduro. Wish I'd kept it to this day.

Those were fantastic bikes. Good find. It has been well taken care of. You gotta sell some bikes or get a bigger shop. You are about out of room to work there Joe!!

Nothing like a crisp two stroke at full song. That rush of power when it comes on the pipe. You never get that with a four stroke.

I HAD A 76 CR 125...WHAT A STEP UP FROM THE XL 125 I WAS CUTTING MY TEETH ON...WHAT A BLAST.

Those old 250s were beasts! Should hear the 500s.

Soy un mecanico de uruguay, estoy atravezando el peor momento de mi vida por depresion veo esta moto y veo que eres feliz con ella me alegra tengo un gran corazon y se que voy a lograrlo saludos.

Wow ,I love this channel that was my very first real dirt bike when I was a kid. Real pipey bike have to keep the throttle open.