1979 HONDA ELSINORE CR125 SHOW PIECE 

A delight watching an Elsinore in that condition!

So badass! My uncle had the first year Elsinore 125 silver. I used to look at it all day when I was a kid. Would love one in my collection someday.

I was 16yo when this bike came out and DREAMED about owning it! What a beautiful bike.

That cylinder whirring means it is tight...

The 79 Elsinore is my favorite year because of the long travel suspension and the old-school bodywork and metal tank. Those bikes tore it up in the vintage races I used to flag at.

That’s got a very cool ring to it 👍

i'd say that sounds a lot better than newer125's. looks good too honda was one ahead of its' time.

Soundin like a turbo charged foundation rippin demon!

yep, those red elsinores (125 & 250) had me drooling as a teenager. still do. that one is drop dead. 🏴‍☠️

The sound of it brings back great memories, one of those bikes you wish you never got rid of.

Red jug with gold head is killer looking!

That bike is sweet.just needs some fox air shox.i remember racing mx back in that era.there were alot of those on the starting gate.👍

Sweet piece. The gold DG head looks wicked on it. The red if I remember right is Tahiti red. Yeah, those CR's were always cool lookin bikes.

Watching this again... because that sound brings me back nearly 40 years. I miss mine.

Things ridiculously mint thanks for sharing!

I greatly miss that era!

The red rooster on the back is actually the THRUSH exhaust logo. I have the THRUSH welded exhausts on my Mustang GT.

Those Red engines are the ones we learned on in Vo-Tech. 1983-1984. A+

I miss these times ,and that sound seriously What ? cant be beat

I had the 78 CR250. It had Fox air shocks and a few other nice enhancements. One of the most beautiful and killer bikes ever made.

This was way before my time but my father and I found one of these in a barn years ago. Probably the loudest motorcycle I've ever heard.

Nicely done. Looks like it has a 21" front with corrected head angle/trail. I raced 80s, but my brother raced a 79 CR125...it was fantastic power (especially for a 100lb kid), but start getting up in the gears on a straight, that original 23" wheel and lack of trail was an absolute tank slapping nightmare. We did a 21" swap and had a shop in Cali do the head angle. Much better bike after that, and he started adding up the trophies. DG heads make everything great!! I have them on 3 bikes with RKTek remachined chamber(s). This and proper timing makes a huge difference in response.

Crispy, love the channel from Australia 🇦🇺

Honda was decades ahead with the "turbocharging" on this bike. These late 70's air-cooled 2-strokes MX bikes were the best on the trails.

I had this bike when I was a kid, raced it and had some decent success.

❤ you guys just took me back to being 15 yes old in the 80s sounds beautiful !!

It’s beautiful and tough all at once 💪🏽

1979 Rear number plates were moved back under silencer FIM AMA .. That a 781/2? Straight cut gears like old Husqvarna make that whine . Chrome cylinder also I recall. 23" claw tire 17" rear that year. Awesome bike 👍

Sounds awesome 🎶 not rattling just a magic whirring.

As Usual Kaplan, A Big Red Diamond 💎. Thanks for Showing us this Beautiful Masterpiece! I have so much Respect for these Simple Motorcycles.

Beautiful! after my 1980 RM80, I got a 79 CR 125! great memories

I was born in 85. I never knew how gnarly these 70s bikes were. Thanks for showin us younger bucks that our dads werent full of shit lol

My buddy in Jr High had one just like that. Zero midrange power, rap it up to 9000+ RPM and drop the clutch and you were good.

What a Bike Ken Absolutely amazing time machine.

Bought one brand new a year after i graduated from highschool. Loved it. Mine had the original 23" front wheel .Always got the hole shot.

DAM. I think it's one of the best looking two stroke dirt bikes. Like the 1978 Maico .

As Always KA and his team putting their craft to create THE MOST AWESOME CR 125 79. THE 21" WHEEL AT FRONT gives great balance to the whole bike.❤ PRISTINE written all over it!❤

Amazing how your able to find all these parts for these bikes that have been long out of production.

Everybody here in So. Cal. wanted a Honda Elsinore when they first came out, with that down swept pipe and that silver tank and green # plates…then when the red ones came out, holy shit, the Honda fans went nuts, great looking bikes with great reliable performance…love that gold sunburst head! 😎🇺🇸✌️

WOW.. ! That is nice,, the CR125Elsinore was the bike to have back in the 1970's. Had myself a 1976 model, with the under pipe, dual rear shocks, ,,, so many fun times on that bike in Miami, FL when I was 15-17 y.o.

I got to see this when i stopped by this week. Even more incredible in person

Definitely has a smaller front rim. That DG head was something I lusted after but never got on mine.

The black wheels really look mean on the bike. The King Of Ping does it again

It's amazing the passion you guys put into these bikes

I have one of these. Mostly original. The guy we got it from bought it in the mid 80s, still in the crate. My dad traded 2 gocarts for it in the early 90s. We screwed up, and had the cylinder sleeved.

my second bike was a 1979 cr125 with the same DG head.........the kickstarter used to ding the head and loved to eat pistons, what a great bike tho.....i emember the front fender being longer on the motor side, so we drilled holes in it for more airflow...if i was to start a collection, this would be it god bless america AND kaplan cycles

Beautiful bike you have there, brings me back to my childhood!

Bike sounds solid and looks cherry brah!Old school.💯🤙🏼

You guys are so blessed you have all the cool bikes and That one is awesome one of the best.☘️🤘🇺🇸⚡️⚡️

Nice bike excellent restoration 👍

J'adore either 450 Elsinore or 480 I do believe it was a 480 and a kick-start was on the left hand side

In 1981 my brother and I were racing peewee YZ 60s. My uncle thought it looked easy so he went and bought an Elsenore, I’ll never forget when he tried to start it in the pits during practice, the kick starter went up and slapped him in the shin, and broke his whole leg. He never wanted to ride again. I never understood this, but I guess it was a whopper to start back in the day?

Old Hondas are beautiful

Dam I am not into older bikes but that got me hooked , I would buy that and not want to take it off road I am in love

When I was a kid used to go to the local shop after school and look at a pair of these and dream.

Gorgeous bike, what a thorough restore! I didn't remember the chain being on the right side. That is interesting. Ya, the stock 23 inch front wheel back then was ridiculous, I bet it does handle much better with the modern wheel sizes and those nice beefy spokes and rims. That is too pretty to vintage race though. I had a new '79 RM 125 as a kid back then. In those days lay down shocks were a revelation. My RM was faster than my buddy's Bultaco 250 Pursang and of course the long travel suspension was way better. Realized back then that it was over for the Euro brands. Currently riding a 300 XC and survived owning 500s back in the 90s, but have a soft spot for 125s as my RM was my first high performance: bike and 125 are just a gas. I would love to take a spin on a modern KTM 125 SX. Oh ya 😆

That dodgy noise is micro vibration from the air cooled cylinder and head. My 79yz100 sounded the same . Dodgy frequency revurbing off the fins

How is the ride feel with them 21 inch front? Planning of restoring my '79 and 23 inch rims, tubes and tires are hard to find.

Man my 78 Elsinore 250 was a beast!! Was best 250 ithought that I ever owned!!!keep it snappy kappy!!! Right on sr!! Up all night sleep all day!!🇺🇸🇬🇧💪😎

Best sound in America! You could hear it in the woods a mile away! Awesome bike big Ken!

I had that bike new in 79 when I was 15 years old. Used to ride it in Gerritsen Beach and then we made a track in the dump by Korvettes and Nellie Blye in Brooklyn. Used to ride it on the walkway of the Belt Parkway to get it there.

Stunning!!nice job fellas

Was on my way to buy one in the summer of 79 but came home with a 79 RM 125 instead. $995.00 OTD had a special deal going. Both beautiful bikes! Still sometimes wonder if I made the right decision.

Sorry I stand corrected I was wrong Ken. I looked it up the 1979 CR125 weighs 188 pounds WOW . I road one before and it was the lightest 125 I have ever ridden. That has to be hands down the best example of a 1979 CR125.I don't know where it gets that trippy sound from with stock exhaust but i like it .

I had a 79 just like that...........aaah the memories.

That's Mr horsepower smokin the cigar and he's a woodpecker 🤙

That's better than brand new! Open it up!

Absolutely beautiful

Yes please. Still raining in the uk...since November 2023. But this has brightened my day. ❤

That's a racer for real.

wow thats a badass build

Dammit I’m so homesick for those days, listen to that girl rip

Sounds awsome.

I just picked up a 1979 rm100 and rm125 for $200 I'm gonna do a full rebuild on one and race it next year in vintage.

Sweet bike ... Every young mans desire ... back in the day

Red rocket!! My brother raced 1❤

Just…❤😍😍😍❤️❤️ gorgeous!!!!!! OMG! I would have surrendered a kidney for that thing back in ‘79 when I was 13! I was just transitioning to 125’s that year (‘79 RM125)… but all my bikes were stock until I got a little older….

Such a peppy motor. I would kill to see a high-performance air cooled bike nowadays. Give the people what they want. Cheap bulletproof easy to work on bikes.

Should have a 23" front wheel ! How nice

amazing bike 🔥

This exact bike 79 cr125 Elsinore was my first big boy bike at 14yo I paid 350 bucks and a carton of smokes at the Englishtown old Bridge raceway swapmeet on a Sunday late afternoon I fixed it up rebuilt the carb new floats etc that bike was a house puller!

The new liquid cooled jobbies just Don't Look Right without those far out chill fins on the motor!

That honda is badass kap and it sounds super crispy great job God bless America 🇺🇸

Love these clips, thanks.

I watched this 10 mins ago and my ears are still ring dingalinging 🤣

the new bikes are nice! but these old bikes have style!! beautiful bike!!!

OMG DO U HEAR HOW CLEAN IT SOUNNDS THATS FUNKING CRAZY THATS GOT TO BE THE BEST SOUNDING 2 STROKE IVE EVER HERD!!! CR500 IS CLOSE BUT 2ND !! JUST ME LOVE IT THANK U FOR SHOWING IT !! WHATS THE PRICE WOW ITS NICE !!

I Remember Tommy Benolkin in 79 Winter Series he totally smoked everyone... even with the 23" Front wheel! Bbrraaapp

Thats a beautiful bike,I"m a car guy.That sure looks like the Trush muffler,glass pack,Woodpecker.Unless Honda had one too.I"m 64,I remember when those "Elsinore"s" were king.

I raced a class Hare Scramples on a 1978 250. 4 races i sold it to a collector in1985

Looks like the 23" wheel has been replaced with a 21" . I had one new back in the day, sort of a crappy bike, later had a '78 YZ, ate that CR alive!

That's absolutely beautiful.

Dream Machine!

Beautiful design..... super motorcycle... show...🇺🇸🇧🇷😎🏁

I had that bike when I was a kid. Traded a 73 Chevy LUV for it sometime in the 80’s.

met a guy one day out on the tracks he had a 250cc Elsinore bored out to 305, and he told me all bout how they got to that size, it wasn't just an overbore, crankcase spigot was opened up and packing plates under the barrel and skimmed head, A bespoke liner made from a blank and he cut the ports at home, the sound of was like a GP 2T race bike, too much for me, he asked if I want a go on it, I was on a TS250 at the time which was fast but declined his offer, the pipe it had on was fatter then me, his was silver with red stripe, street legal with lightsl, must be worth a fortune now if it still alive,

Yeah I love tht turbine sound on a freshie, tht motor runs tight and crisp ,no way it was tht dialed in when it rolled off the 79 showroom floor....they came rich and in need of personal tweaking us what I heard......funny it always makes me think when u describe the challenge of the builds u guys do and convince us to forego that hellish experience and just buy from kaplan cycles, worry free, ready to race....but I also think the kinds of people watching these vids aren't the type neway to do a complete museum resto neways so u needed convince them of anything because the people like you guys , WHO ACTUALLY BUILD AND RESTORE bikes, don't do it mostly to place 1st in some race........rather , the experience of the slow painful build and the suffering incured only makes it that much more enjoyable when it's finally finished!!!..and. many times becomes a showpiece of nastalgia and a once great time!!!!.......so u needn't convince those guys to forego that either because they are in it for the love of restoring the past, and inspire new generations to inherit our world w pride and hard work......

Werent those heads called porcupine ? thats what I remenber

Totally awesome!!! ❤😎😝

That is beautiful..That u say is a "79"? I had one after Tradeing in my Xr-75.But my CR-125 had to be a 77 or 1978.Because the pipe came down under the frame and continued to go back out like the bottom of the twin shocks.