1980 Honda CR

ME03-2105421

1980 Honda CR-250R Elsinore. This was the first US manufactured Honda Motorcycle model. Manufactured in 3/80. Engine number: ME03E-2005934. This 1980 model is also the very last year for an air-cooled Honda 250 motocrosser. It has many unique parts compared to the somewhat similar '78 & '79 CR-250's. It also has the center port exhaust, utilizing twin front frame downtubes. I have owned this bike for 11 years and purchased it from the original owner. They told me that in 1985, they had their local Honda dealer put in new reed plates and new rings, but their son moved away shortly after that and the bike was parked, ridden less than a couple hours after the work was performed. It then sat in their garage until I purchased it in 2001. It was 100% original/complete and very nice when I bought it. I had it on display in my offices (I moved a few times) until January of this year when I decided to get it ready for Vintage racing. Only due to the weak economy and need for the funds back I just put in the bike, am I forced to sell it. I have added 1983 CR-480R Front Forks, 1982 CR-480R Triple Clamps (in my opinion, better geometry compatability than '83 clamps) and '82 480 front wheel/brake assembly (I drilled the three holes in the brake arm, it is not from an '83 model). The forks add much needed high speed stability and much improved fork action over the spindly stock forks. I also added new Fox Podium X "Piggyback" rear shocks ($1000!). These contribute to stability in all conditions along with the forks. They are dual spring and offer compression adjustability (rebound feels excellent/in the ball park). Wayyy better than the stockers and the old Fox 'Shox' from back then. If you added one of the trick aftermarket aluminum swingarms on the market to the bike, it should remove most of the flexing that some testers back in the day complained about (which much was the suspension). The wheels are nearly "true" with no major damage. The bike also received new tires & tubes, brake pads, fork seals and all internal fork bushings (didn't need them, but already bought them). I added a folding tip shift lever. Also new chain and sprockets. The rear sprocket is an NOS/New Old Stock Honda unit with 53 teeth (stock was 49T). Amazingly, the gearing feels 'right' and not too low. Also new CR-HI Renthal Black Aluminum handlebars. The frame and engine have been touched up and I just had to clean the paint of the "Honda" letters on the clutch cover like I have always done through all the years. The seat, tank & all three number plates are original and in excellent condition. The bike still retains the stock cables, chain rollers and swingarm pad which show little wear. Also, it has the stock air filter and should probably be replaced with a dual stage Twin Air unit. Still retaining these original excellent condition parts is a true testament to the low-usage of the original owners. You can see the shallow line dent on the pipe and the seat has one tiny hole. I hadn't yet purchased the "O" rings that hold the front number plate on. This bike starts easily/instantly and idles, shifts and runs perfectly with no issues! It is ready to go! I do have all the original take-off parts; forks, clamps, front wheel assy & rear shocks. If someone is interested in them with the purchase, I will sell them for an additional $300. I have invested over $4500 in the bike, but realize in this economy, that may not be realistic to get back. You never know, as it is very nice, mechanically sound and they are getting rare with so many original parts like this. Thanks for looking!On Aug-14-11 at 21:12:43 PDT, seller added the following information: I forgot to mention that the bike will come with a Bill of Sale. I've received several e mails commenting on how good the bike looks. It does look good - realize that it has it's natural patina and possibly appears better than the pictures reveal. It truly is an impressive looking bike, but not a museum quality "restoration" by any means. It was just a great platform to work with from the beginning. I also wanted to mention that I somehow got mis-matched rear shock springs. I purchased them brand new from a dealer in Ohio a couple years ago, but just realized this an hour ago when I went to alter the spring tension. The right side springs are correct (stiffer than left ones). I would take the right shock springs to a suspension specialist that has a spring tension measuring device and order duplicates from Fox for the left shock (Eibach would also have them, but not in Red). I weigh 190 and the shop I purchased them from said the springs should be in the ball park for Vintage Motocross/advanced ability rider. Of course you may want to change springs depending on your weight and track conditions and riding ability. Not a big deal, but amazed the springs are not matched!