Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

Looking to buy an '81 CR450R for a father and son fix 'er up project, I know these 450 Elsinore's are as rare as hens teeth and a nightmare to deal with but i'm thinking about tackling it anyways.

Have a concern though, called a bike shop in my area (Ontario, Canada) and they said the piston for the 450 is no longer available and Wiseco discontinued their piston as well. Looked on eBay and found some parts here and there, but no piston.

The bike definitely needs a new shock (found two on eBay), and it needs some new rear shoes, sprockets and chain are great and it runs exceptionally well...

But i'm concerned if down the road I do have to look for a piston, they can be really tough to find. Any ideas?

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2007 Honda CRF250X (Currently Riding)
2002 Kawasaki KX250 (Sold)
1986 Honda XR250R (Sold)
1977 Yamaha TY175 (Sold)
1974 Yamaha TY80 (Sold)

Just me personally but I don't go through a lot of parts after I get a bike running. Specifically what I mean is: Your concern and research so far makes it look like you are an intelligent and informed. If you can get all the parts you need I am sure you will get it running right and not have a lot of problems downstream.

The CR450 is one heck of a bike so the chances of you or your son breaking a well tuned one in normal use are remote. Maybe if you lived in the desert and ran it lean you could burn it up, but being from Canada it should last you a lifetime.

Rick

Thanks for the Response. Unfortunately, the guy sold it before I could go pick it up. Oh well, on the lookout for a 480 now!

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2007 Honda CRF250X (Currently Riding)
2002 Kawasaki KX250 (Sold)
1986 Honda XR250R (Sold)
1977 Yamaha TY175 (Sold)
1974 Yamaha TY80 (Sold)

I just happen to have a 1981 CR450R in excellent condition, 100% OEM except the fuel tank.

email: mailto:mxquad@hotmail.com

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