Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

Hello,
Thinking about pulling the ol' CR out of storage to work on it over winter. Last time I worked on it I got stuck at the flywheel. I ordered a puller listed for it and it had internal threads on it and didn't work. THe inner hub of the flywheel is threaded and I am assuming that the puller would need to be male threaded to engage the flywheel. Corrsponded with an ebayer that claims the opposite is true. Anybody know?

ALso looking for a set of '83 480 forks to convert to. Local recycler has a set with triple clamps for $250. Seems a bit steep, but could be that they are getting scarce? If you have or know of a set for less, or if $250 is reasonable let me know and I'll pick these up. (do '83 250's use the same fork as the 480?)

I'm in the market for piston, rings and gaskets.

Any feedback on OEM vs. aftermarket gaswket sets?

I'm considering the WISECO piston kit, but the OEM parts aren't much more.

ALso planning to retro fit an '81 Pro link aluminum swing arm as I had read it was pretty easy to do. I have found that it is just a hair wider ( maybe a mm or 2 on each side) I am planning to have it machined to the correct width, but would appreciate any input. Removing the single shock mount and adding the twin shock mounts doesn't look too difficult, again any advice appreciated. ( I do need the '81 axle it looks like)

Any one figure out the Tahitian paint code or something close? I really don't want to rattle can the tank and frame............

Also, any tips for painting the engine cases, cylinder and head ( how to make standard automotive paint hi temp? ) I recall soemthing about adding a polyurethane additive, but that was way back around 1980 when I was racing this thing!

You can e-mail me direclty at mailto:scott@ipdusa.com

Thanks for all your help!

The puller you need is female. This is because it needs fit over the center of the rotor. (It is an unusual "inside-out" design.) I got an OEM tool from the local Honda dealer, but I believe Motion Pro does them too.

For what it is worth, I paid $250 for a complete set of very good condition Honda CR480R 1983 triple clamps, forks, and front wheel. After shocks, I would rate these as the next most important upgrade if you plan on racing your CR. I believe they are the same as the CR250R 1983...

You can get pistons and rings from Wiseco (and maybe still Honda). OEM pistons are/were made by Pro-X so you might check them too. Cometic does gasket sets.

http://www.geocities.com/oldmx/ I think you will find a picture here of a 1983 CR480R engine in a 1980 CR250R frame complete with Pro-Link swing arm welded up with two fabricated shock mounts. This bike was raced at last years Vintage Iron World Championships. A Honda nut built it and plans to do more for customers. Very well done and impressive. (Yes, the Pro-Link swing arm went in pretty smoothly as it is nearly a perfect fit.)

Red Racer has Tahitian Red spray paint and might have correct powder coat available too. I would be interested to see what this color is in practice, as some of their restorations are done in a Du Pont Chrysler Red to match their replica plastic. My buddy swears by PPG Russet-Orange OMNI urethane. The Color Rite code is 2095, the factory code is R23 for Tahitian Red. Personally I had my frame powder coated to match the RR plastic and the underside of my original tank. I will have the motor done the same color in the near future. I think a consistent color is more important than an exact match to Tahitian Red. However I do have some NOS frame and motor parts as a reference.

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

Thanks Michael,
Small world as I think the person you referred me to on the swing arm is the guy that origianally told me about it. I sent him an e-mail to see. If I recall he was not too far away from me ( just outside of Portland Oregon)

Thanks for th einfo on the forks and the pint tips.

Do you have a site with details / photos of your bikes?

My 1979 CR250R is on the Honda Elsinore web site as "Bike of the Month" for January 2004. The only differences today are that I changed the 1982 CR480R brakes for 1983 ones, ditched the Moose Racing pipe guard, and swapped the Works Performance shocks out for Fox Shox. This year I will have the motor and tank powdercoated (dropping the Fox stickers) and perhaps use a Fox replica swing arm if they turn up from Red Racer!

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