Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

hi Guys,
I hear two diferent stories on what is the correct OEM tire that came on the 1973 Honda CR250M when it hit the showroom floor in Oct of 1972. Does anyone know for sure? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the great site

I don't know about what came on them in Oct of 72, but I do know what came on the 73 CR250M that I bought in April of 73. They were Dunlop Sports.

I'm not sure about the 73, but in 74 mine came with Bridgestones

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74 CR250M, bought new in 74, still stock, except for the new 36mm Carb, and proform exhaust.

Could it be that Honda switched from Dunlops in 73 to Bridgestones in 74? I'm pretty sure the 74 CR125M's had Bridgestones on them, right? Hmmm....

I'm currently at work, but I'm 99% my 74 CR250M came with Bridgestone's. I'll check when I get home, as I'm still running the original front tire. and Yes its still in decent shape... (I think the original worn back tire is still in the rafters of my parents garage...)

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74 CR250M, bought new in 74, still stock, except for the new 36mm Carb, and proform exhaust.

Hi People,
Well here's the skinny on the tires. Yes Nathan you are correct on the DunlopÌs, they were Dunlop Sports M115, and M116 for the early 1973 250MÌs. Honda did go to the BridgestoneÌs mid year 1973 on the serial number bikes starting with 101. And those were the Bridgestone Motocross 4.00-18 & 3.00-21 They used these tires all the way up to the 1976 250M. I hope this helped?

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Don Brooks
Vintage Elsinores
Ventura, CA.
http://www.elsinores.com

Hey Don,

I see you have a CR480 on your bike list now. Does that mean we may be seeing parts for them soon?

J

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#829 The "Factory Novice"

1988 Honda CR250RJ
1983 Honda CR480
1981 Can-Am 250 MX6-B
1979 Honda CR250RZ
1979 Kawasaki KX250 A5
1978 Husky 250CR
1978 Honda CR250R
1977 Yamaha YZ400D
1977 Suzuki RM125B

Hi J,
You bet we're working on alot of stuff for the 480's. The first to come injected molded fenders in the correct color for the 1983 125, 250, and 480's. IÌll let you know when they arrive.

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Don Brooks
Vintage Elsinores
Ventura, CA.
http://www.elsinores.com

Are you going to stock PFR pipes and silencers for the CR480R?

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Michael Stiles
1979 Honda CR250R Elsinore | 2006 Husqvarna SM510R | 2007 Service Honda CR500R-AF

Yes we are, they should be to us in the next two weeks or so, and of course they won't be selling for retail.

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Don Brooks
Vintage Elsinores
Ventura, CA.
http://www.elsinores.com

I bought a '73 with about 30 hours ride time. The previous and original owner said everything on the bike was stock. I looked and the date code under the seat and under the swingarm. It looks like I have a May '73 bike. I have Dunlop Sports on the bike. The back is a M-115. The front says M-67. Also my motor and frame number start with 101 which according to another post on this subject should mean that Bridgestone's should be on the bike. I'm a little confused. Any help? Thank you

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1973 Honda Elsinore CR250M

I bought a brand new '73 CR250M Elsinore back in April of 1973. I KNOW it had Dunlop Sports on it. That is a fact. I don't own that bike anymore, but I do own a May 1973 CR250M Elsinore with the codes you mentioned. It too has Dunlop Sports on it. That is also a fact. I don't know where you got your conflicting info, but the '74 CR125M's did have Bridgestones on them when they came out. Maybe a displacement miscommunication? Bottom Line is the Dunlop Sports you have on your bike are correct and OEM and I'll go to my grave, not believing that, but knowing that.

dillsey, I think you have the correct tires according to the date of your bike. As Nathan said, his April purchased bike had those Dunlops as well as his May bike. Don 'Vintage Elsinores' above mentions the change over to Bridgestone mid year. My July build has the Bridgestones and the dates match. It's possible the change over happened right at Jun 15 or so. It would be great to find some Jun built bikes to know for sure. I guess I wouldn't worry about the 101 in the serial number as much as the dates. On a side note, I'd like to keep my original tires on my bike..any suggestions if there is a way to repair a split in the sidewall? After I restore it, it will most likely not get ridden all that much (which is a shame).

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Austin, Texas
73 CR250M - in restoration
69 - Z50AK1