BARN FIND '74 Honda MT250 Elsinore | Will It Start? 

Hey your TS185 restoration inspired me to do one of my own on a 1981 Yamaha MX100. I’m not the most experienced at 14 but learned a lot from you. Keep it up! I also love the South Park bmx track

Holy Crap Man! I owned an Elsinore back in high school. I had to work my ass off for two summers and after school. I was still short $200 bucks. My uncle loaned me the extra 200 to go down to G&C Honda in Bossier City LA to load it up. I had a 125 Suzuki. There was a place in my area called Hilltop. My friends would gather and ride our own homemade motocross track. One of the guy's dad had an old Ford tractor with a box blade on the back. We designed the track for our 125s, one dude on an old Honda 305 Dream street bike he had halfassed converted to dirt. It wasn't any competition at all. He would smoke our ass on the back roads heading to the track, but once on dirt, he was toast. Speaking of toast, I left the 125s with a face full of dirt. That Elsinore was the bomb! I mean it was nothing like it around for miles. Back then it was the quintessential dirtbike. The ktm's and Bultaco's were as close as it came to hanging with the Elsinore. Did I mention I still have a limp to this day. :) That is the Enduro version. My moto version came with an aluminum gas tank and beefier suspension. Thanks for sharing this. Cheers from Louisiana.

Very nice. My son and I are restoring the exact same bike. Kinda hard to find parts and not cheap when you do. Lol can’t wait to see the finished product

You know you can install the piston, cylinder and carb from Elsinore CR250 from same year and wake that thing up. You’ll have use a fernco fitting for the carb and air box though. Different size carb

The look on your face when it started... pure happiness lol love it!

So glad to have found your channel. I bought a brand new ‘74 MT250 when I was a junior in high school. I now have a barn find ‘74 waiting in my garage to be restored whenever I make it a priority!

I would not sell that airbox, I'm sure it's as hard to find as the air filters.

I started watching this channel for the TS 185 restore , awesome to see you got another 70s dirt bike to restore, will be watching. 👍👍

Well done, really enjoyed watching that and I’m sure it’ll look and ride great when you’ve done what’s needed. Excellent 👍

Great to see this one GG!.. These are worth good money in a stock light refurbish/survivor mode.. Thumbs up!.

“This deal was gonna be swooped up fast” Was listed for over a week

Hello gold guy ! Just found your channel on my suggestion page . As soon as I saw the name Elsinore , I immediately thought of my days growing up during my high school years . A friend I grew up with got an Elsinore CR125 M dirt bike used but in good condition . I also remember there was the same bike BRAND NEW for a mere $800 of which I just didn’t have 😢 . I’m thinking it was a 1979 (?) , if that was the last year of the M series and of 1980 (?) was the first year of the R series , not sure . It’s so long ago I can’t remember exactly what year it was since some time around then I started a job working in a junkyard ( around ‘78 ? ) during summer vacation . Well , I never came up with $800 any time soon so yeah , lost out on the bike 😢 . That was heartbreaking . Brand new and awesome . I know there is a reason why things happen the way they do , but I so wanted that bike . Well , I’m wishing you much success on getting this bike running . Your determined and you will . Obviously , the T denotes it as as trail bike . A lot of the trail bikes were two stroke . Some were four stroke as well . This bike will be a runner , just a little research if needed and a search for what parts can be had from anyone who has a stash . I’m only assuming it has the capacitive discharge ignition ( CDI ) so I’m thinking , does it use the cdi box ? Not sure , it’s been a long time for me since I had my hands on any trail or dirt bike , fixing or riding . I never owned my own bike , was always one of the kids who grubbed a ride off of the bikes owner 😆 . You might have all you need with the eBay coil for the ignition but I’m still thinking what about the CDI box . The CDI replaced points and condenser for some engines but obviously you got it running so I’d have to say it doesn’t use that system . Too long ago to remember those systems . I’m thinking the wires hanging out of the case come from a generator ( stator ) for the battery which powers lights since it’s a trail bike street legal . Guessing you’ll be getting the engine to run better and diving into the clutch and checking the transmission as soon as you get a shift lever . Hope the splines on the shift shaft are ok . Looking forward to seeing what’s next as all your subs will be . Well ,take care and be safe . Make sure to get the brakes working too as we don’t want any dare devil rides . Remember , it’s not a road kill series where you’ve got to get it running and ride 500 miles home or bust . Have fun and enjoy but be safe ! ✌🏻

Love it. Need more vintage dirtbikes on this channel

Your TS 185 restoration made me want to get one so I did I'm currently restoring it thanks a lot for the help.

Looking forward to seeing this one progress good luck with it 💪💪🔥🔥

Great job bro I enjoy watching your videos bro keep it up especially the motorcycle builds those are what keep me coming back.

Great that your back doing another resto,always a joy to watch👍

Haven't watched you in awhile, good to see you still around!

Nice choice love them bikes glad to see you back 👍

Nice can’t wait to see you get this bike all fixed up and going well hey you got it to start now that’s a big plus…

When I was 15 in 78 I got a 1975 for $300 it was mint ! But it would stay wide open so I rebuilt the carb and put a new fuel cable on it and couldn’t fix it. So I sold it to my older brother for $300 he couldn’t fix it either . Meanwhile I got another 75 for $300 and it was perfect had a blast on it loved those bikes .

I had one of these bikes when I was 16. My bike seized up and I haven’t heard the sound of that engine since 1978. Gotta tell you, it was very cool. Thanks!

That capacitor / resistor is actually part of your iginition system. She'll sound good til she seizes from lack of OIL.

Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the video! It feels good to be back doing another resto. Please share this so we can get this video to 10k views! Stay tuned for the disassembly video next week!

I just bought a ‘74 mt250 in pretty good shape. Not running yet. Had to rebuild the carb and still have to de rust and seal the tank. It has 6,800 miles on it and was registered and tagged as late as 2013. I had to buy miscellaneous parts like a seat lock, the correct tank because it had an mt125 tank on it and it’s substantially smaller in capacity and mounting. Also a new battery. Stoked!

Great to see you back into the bike restos again 😁☃️

My Dad bought one new in 1975 and I would ride it to 10th grade high school. I had the CR125 Elsinore back then I loved that bike the Mt250 wasn't comparable to the CR250 s raw power

I like the way the old bikes sound. I remember those back in the day.

Never give up kickstarting!

Cool bike! One way to help with those cold starts is to squirt a little gas directly into the cylinder via the spark plug hole, before you put the plug back in.

You hit a home run getting it started,at least you know she will run,you'll be riding that in no time,sweet bike,should run really good it being a 250..

Sounds like a 2 stroke. that should have a ton of torque and be a fun ride. nice find

Always good to figure it out and get a bike running I love it

Will be interesting to see how you go with this could be a firey little devil those old elsinores the 500 was a beast

Hey whatsup gold guy? Boy back in the day I remember riding around with guys that had those bikes. Especially the Elsinore MX or whatever Honda called those. I never owned on Elsinore but plenty of my friends did I always stuck to Suzuki's or Yamahas but I didn't own a few smaller Hondas. Quite a few actually. I know one thing for sure the elsinore's were Screamers. But then again all the Two Strokes of that era were Screamers. I will give you a clue though a bike that rare in that kind of condition you don't just start pulling parts off of it and sell it. Keep trying and you will find the air breather for that bike. Anyhow good luck with the bike, she will be loads of fun to ride around that's for sure.

A cool find, bike.. 😊

new shop space looks good .. bike sounds slick

I had a 74 Honda MT 125 Elsinore that I got at about age 14 or 15 around 1985. The Elsinore line of Hondas consisted of two different bikes, the MT which was a well equipped trail/enduro that was street legal and had all the lights, horn, and gauges needed for on road use as well as dual purpose tires from the factory. The other Elsinore was the CR, and this was the real deal dirtbike that Honda offered. It had a lot more power than the MT, which had a significantly detuned version of the same engine. The CR was also lighter weight, partly because it didn't have lights, a horn, or gauges, but also because it was designed to be a bike you could buy and race without a lot of modifications and still be competitive, at least at the local level. The MT, both the 125 and 250 were slower in top speed and acceleration than the CR by a long shot, but had a much easier to ride broadly tuned powerband that was suited for trail riding. Bot the CR and MT models handled reasonably well with the CR having better handling on dirt due to its lighter weight and aggressive full on knobby dirt bike tires that had a lot more grip. As far as power output, while the MT models were a lot less powerful than the CRs from the factory they shared the same basic engine and could be tuned and modified to get equal to or more power than a factory stock CR. In fact the Clymers manual, an aftermarket version of the service manual actually had a section in it that went over what modifications one needed to do to get CR level performance out of an MT model and was a very good thing to have handy when it came time for more power from the MT.

Nice video once again! Just FYI your Ebay link doesnt work, where can I find it? I wanted to check some of the parts

I didn't even know there was a raod leagal 2 poke Honda... OMG. I had the '74 XL250 Motorsport and a couple of SL125's. The 1st I got in trade +cash for the 250.. same cash as I bought it for... that SL was supposed to be dead.. I just turned the points lobe 180deg and away it went. I put a YZ125 plastic tank on it and had a lot of fun on it till it seized. (Nothing like doing your own crank repairs with a bronze hammer... Got it within a couple of thousandths true.) Then I got a DT125, XR250A, IT175k, IT200s, YZ250 '97, YZ250 '99. Still got the YZ's and IT200s. So yes... 2 pokes... ALWAYS make sure you have a kill switch when doing anything... The plug lead can jam, and give you a decent belt when removing it.. and an ol 2 poke like that can hand grenade if it over revs for long. I'm betting the MT has points. Make sure they are clean, gapped correctly and they are opening at he correct point (I couldn't find that one with a quick search.. all I found was a CR250 same era and that was 1.5mm BTDC... Good luck converting mm to degrees... Appears kickback is the norm for CR/MT 250's so good luck with that.

This bike looks great, i like this old one. Sound is also great

You could make your own foam airfilter using open cell foam soaked in filter oil - keep it as stock as you can!

Nice find.

Can't wait for part 2!!!!!

hey cool bike! you should polish the tank up a bit and keep the patina, really would be a cool style i think.

I had one that eventually burned in a garage fire. Pretty cool bike but relatively unexciting compared to other 2 strokes

I enjoyed that big thumbs up!!!

The Honda Elsinore series were light, good handling bikes but.... They were seriously lacking in power compared to Suzuki and Yamaha models of the same year. The end of the muffler is not standard. Someone has messed with both of them, like they did with the ignition coil. The bike was way noisier than it should have been. The footpegs are not standard either. They had the slippery when wet rubber devils. The 125 model had serrated metal pegs as standard though. A lot of people put a CR barrel and carbie on their MT's to solve the power issue. Had to run it on premix though as the CR model didn't have the oil injection port. Great to see one running again.

You guys get all the good bikes uk there gone mostly rusted 2 bikes id love to find wld be an IT490 AND AN XT 500 .OH I may dream but one day maybee .brilliant start cosmetic fix bro ,

Those were nice bikes, back in the day.

I can't wait to see what u going to do with it , Is it just full restoration or will be some modifications ? Good job man

Por fin de tanto tiempo, como esta la honda cb750??? Un saludo

U need to get the right air filter and do this bike right as it could be worth a bit money good luck 👍

I had 1 when I was 15 sold it a long time ago I got the urge to get a nother one grate bike light fun and 2 stroke I'm buying a nother one after all these years I got to do it again

DAYUM!!!! WHAT A CATCH!!!!!💪💪🔥🔥

That sound was exciting..

I’m pretty familiar with those bikes and that one appears to be a 1975. Black exhaust guard, black side covers and headlight bucket. Also tank stripe is more of a red color where the 74 was orange. Just trying to help you out.

Just love 2smokes, keep'em coming please

Few parts and little $ a great bike & find😃

That's a win 🏆

Awesome! Just A little advice don’t use a fuel filter on a 2 stroke !

just subscribed, saw your Suzuki 180 videos. good fake you had to know the black and white wire came from the mag ignition coil. LOL

Squirt a bit of 2 stroke petrol into the spark plug hole. Without the carburettor attached. Much better way to check if it's a runner

I had a 74 cr125 wish I still had it

He’s back

Can you come to WA and fix my 85' XR600R? lol You're the old bike whisperer!

Is their a difference between a carburetor stamped 004A and one stamped 004C

That is a low hour find,holy crap!

Their is a bike shop in New England that has 2 Elsinores .125 and 250 that are mint..they want 10 grand for the 250..so you have something special there .

sorry this isn’t related to your vid, but i miss seeing the subaru build. i got a N/A SAAB 92x and i was seeing the turbo build. How’s it doing now

They are $6500 here in Australia. That’s about four thousand US dollars. But fully restored.

When fiind a barn find oor any older bike put some oil in the cylindet befoor kicking the engine. Just a tip

yes!

I would not sell that airbox, I'm sure it's as hard to find as the air filters. Kind of envious of your shoes at the end, mind spilling what they are?

Try a sos pad on the rims

clean up those forks with a grinding wheel!

With metal tank, isnit it best to leave it WITH fulll tank to prwvent rust? That is what i was thught

Brill are u putting back on the road

Are you still taking questions about the elsinore? Your video helped me out getting mine started but it only wants to respond with the throotle it wont start without throttle What do i need to check/do

I'm gonna guess yes since it's smoking in the photo xD

What is the fuel mix ratio?

You can make a filter with bulk foam/ metal screen that fits in the stock box. The pods don’t really effectively filter and can damage your top end in dusty conditions. Definitely keep the stock air box with the bike if you run it or not

Do more two-strokes

The E bike vids suck you lost me for a bit Love the Ts vids scrambler vids love this vid glad your back hope you restore this one too

2-stroke

Rare bike here in UK

That clutch seal must be bad

She lives

These were some awesome bikes back in the day. Yours has been hacked nearly to death after being ridden hard and put away wet and dirty. She's smoking real bad there pal. You've got a long way to go on this one. At least a half of an overhaul on the top end, and all the other consumables; cables, clutch-pack, gaskets, hoses, exc..., and all the goodies other's left to you to fix. Long road out, but nothing money and time can't cure.

Its a "condenser" not a "capacitor thing, the Honda MT 250 was a foofy dumbed down Elsinore that was a slow tank

ישמח חתני

Ahh yes the good old Elsinore grand prix. Used to be really cool not so much anymore.

You need an ultrasonic cleaner bro

Hopefully you’ve learnt from your TS185 restoration

like the Latino music .

What is up with that music? I wanted to watch this with the sound off!

Is 100 bucks a good deal on this .. Its complete just not rinnin

What works well for the tank , throw a handful of nuts in there and swish them all over dump them out and wash with gas !! The rust will wash out 😀😀😀📸📸🏍🏍🏍🏍🍺🍺🍺🍺

that intro music tho.. where do you find it>

Dont paint it! Just oily rag it!!