1973 HONDA ELSINORE: Where were the GP starts ..?

[VMX247]

Agree with above, CZ was already in the Euro market and was ahead of the 73/74 CR250m marketing.
Got to be quick to beat the European's.
Even today at a WA club meet there are more CZ's than the silver tanked Elsie's.

[KTM47]

CR250M is way down the list for '74 as far as production racers go. A stock Elsinore wouldn't get a look at the exhaust fumes of a Phantom, Montesa VR, RH Suzuki or even a KX back then. Perhaps because there were zillions of them & they were readily available makes them seem better than they were.
K

The best 250s in 1974 was the Maico.  I bought one and went from C grade to B in three meetings.  Brisk's Sales sold their first shipment out and then bought in a second lot.

[JohnnyO]

We have to remember that the very early Elsinores were not Honda's and they were very limited in number.
The Elsinore's were still being developed by the Jones' at Lake Elsinore in California (hence the name) and all had the highly desirable billet crank. It wasn't until Honda were happy that the bike would stay together and win races that they put the Honda name to it.
The bike was developed for the US market and at the time, (even today actually) there weren't too many US riders taking on the GP circuit in Europe and no doubt the Europeans didn't want any cheap production run mx'ers in their box vans.
And like BigK suggests, the bike wasn't that good out of the box and it was only because there were so many of them in 1974 that they were at the pointy end of races.
The bike that GJ won the title wasn't a Honda.....It was the original Elsinore that He and His father built and developed with Honda providing the parts as per what the Jones clan wanted.

The bike was always a Honda and the one Jones won the championship with in 73 was a works bike. It was the Yamaha in 72 that Don and Gary Jones built and developed with their own frame and gas tank held on with an old belt..
On mxworksbike.com you can see the early 71/72 Honda CR250 Elsinore prototypes

[Berwick Boy]

Thanks for all the info, everyone.  It's a good summary of bike's birth and history.
Australia definitely loved them.  I'm glad they were built 
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Graeme Smythe back home in WA

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The Athol Patterson entered CR in 1973 Grand National  (Not sure if it's Ploen or Collison)

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Murray Tainton's Honda (with Eddie Lancaster's VR)

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Vic Allan and Anton Alers at Wallan International

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Victorians Greg Flood 79 and Ian Carrington 23

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This Forum's KB171

[GD66]

Thanks for all the info, everyone.  It's a good summary of bike's birth and history.
Australia definitely loved them.  I'm glad they were built 
----
The Athol Patterson entered CR in 1973 Grand National  (Not sure if it's Ploen or Collison)

Long hair and no gloves : Peter Ploen for sure.

[Husky500evo]

[/quote]

The best 250s in 1974 was the Maico.  I bought one and went from C grade to B in three meetings.  Brisk's Sales sold their first shipment out and then bought in a second lot.
[/quote]
That is a pretty big call, Kev, especially seeing that there was so many good options in the 250 class in 1974. My pick would have been an Ossa Phantom, or a YZ250B. I have owned a '73 and a '74.5 Maico 250 and although they are probably the best handling bike in their respective years, they had friken slow motors that were even more handicapped because of the 4 speed gearbox. That is why I am trying to build the ultimate pre '75 250 (if I ever find the time to put it together), using a '74 Maico rolling chassis, fitted with the unbelievably fast Can Am/ Rotax motor  .

[KTM47]

The Maico in 1974 had better rear suspension than any other bike. The motor wasn't a problem. But with the Classic MX/DT rules restricting the suspension there biggest plus is handicapped.

I don't understand why they are referred to as 74.5. The ones we got in Australia were here in March 74. I thing the US got the normal suspension early 74 and then the longer travel mid year. My bike had a fibreglass tank too.

I was more than competitive in C grade and then against A & B grade in 74. In those days good suspension was more important than power.

[GMC]

Dollars could be a part of it too.
The Euro stuff was dearer over here than the Jap bikes but the Japs may not have had the price advantage in Europe