Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

Hey all,
Just picked up a CR125M elsinore from a guy at work who had it siting in his back yard for about 15 years.
The frame is pretty 'good' but the whole bike is pretty rusty. The rear axle has seized, the front drum brakes look pretty bad as well. The rear sprocket can be cleaned but the front needs replacing and the chain looks like a brown tree bark it is that rusty and seized up.

Is it easy to interchange parts for these such as putting on another set of wheels with disc brakes on? I live in Melbourne (Australia) and haven't had a look around yet at what parts are available in too much depth, but so far nothing.

What about the engine? Can i replace it with a normal CR125 motor (newer motor off a normal cr125) or do i need to have an older one?

Also, the throttle, the right hand grip has totally come off but even then, i can't see how the throttle works on this bike? does the throttle assembly work different on these bikes? I have no information at all on any of this, just want to get the bike running, not fussed about getting it 'show room' condition.

Thanks
-dims

If you are just looking for a beater to ride, I would find a newer, less collectible bike
for a starting point. All parts for the early Elsies are hard to find and increasingly
expensive if/when you do. Few if any parts are interchangeable with later CRs.

From the way you described it, you are looking at the equivalent price of a good
used steel framed tiddler (93-97) just to get that bike rideable, and I mean "rough"
rideable.

If, on the other hand, you are looking to compete in vintage motocross, I would
designate this bike as a donor and salvage what you can. Then find another better
shape CRm and combine the two to build your racer. It will be much cheaper and
much less frustrating that way.

dogger

_________________
1973 CR250M
1979 CR250R
1993 CR250R
2008 CR500R
2009 CR250R