27:
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The Japan
Motorcycle Association introduced a domestic motocross championship from 1967, to which the group of Honda engineers - like their development counterparts at Suzuki and Yamaha - developed lighter weight two-stroke-powered machine. Suzuki's development programme had started in 1965, which by
232:
The Honda CR250M had a two-stroke 29 horsepower engine, and weighed in at 229 pounds (104 kg). Designed by
Soichiro Miyakoshi, the prototype production machine began testing in Japan in 1971, and on California motocross tracks in 1972. The CR250M was Honda's first two-stroke production race
241:
frame, aluminum bodywork and plastic fenders contributed to its light weight, even after restyling when initial tests showed the frame to be too fragile, potentially bending after less than an hour of riding.
224:, where it was recognised as a Honda. As a result, Soichiro Honda gave his reluctant backing to producing not only a works competitive motocross racer, but also an out of the box version as well.
201:-powered machines, and had no official national championship in Japan. Further, Soichiro Honda had publicly announced that Honda would never build two-stroke-powered motorcycles.
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193:. However, Honda pulled out of motorcycle racing in 1967, leaving it with a world class development team with nothing to do. Up until this point,
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The 357 was released as a Honda CR250M in the years 1973 and 1974, and the 381 was released as a CR250M1 in 1975 and as a CR250M'76 in 1976.
383:
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258:, the best-known off-road race of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The popularity of the CR250M and its derivatives soared after
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bike, the first competition dirt bike that Honda built from scratch instead of adapting a street bike, and the first production
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26:
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In August 1971, the Honda development team took a two-stroke prototype to a
National Championship motocross race to
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collecting the world's best engineers together to create winning road motorcycles such as the
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Honda had developed its global motorcycle brand through track racing, with
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513:"Milestones: 50 years of American Honda - the Detroit Bureau"
269:
In 1974 the CR250M was followed by its smaller version, the
273:, and the first US Honda factory that opened in 1979 in
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from March 1973 until 1976, when it was replaced by the
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1.5 US gal (5.7 L; 1.2 imp gal)
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323:Motocross racers: 30 years of legendary dirt bikes
317:Ryan, Ray; Bill Forsyth; Jeremy Holland (2003).
250:Named the CR250M globally, it was subtitled the
412:Assoc, American Motorcyclist (September 1997).
384:"King of the Hill: 1974 Honda CR125M Elsinore"
538:
8:
319:"1973 Honda Elsinore CR250M: A Star is Born"
19:
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438:"First test on production Benelli Tornado"
388:Motorcycle Classics November/December 2012
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18:
256:offroad race in Lake Elsinore, California
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491:. MotorBooks International. p. 95.
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361:. MBI Publishing Company. p. 192.
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325:. MBI Publishing Company. p. 159.
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464:Honda Production Motorcycles 1946-1980
304:Honda Production Motorcycles 1946-1980
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262:rode a stock machine to win the 1973
7:
355:"The King of Motorcycles, Take Two"
466:. The Crowood Press. p. 196.
14:
553:Honda Offroad Motorcycle Timeline
264:AMA 250 national motocross series
215:FIM Motocross World Championship
136:213 lb (97 kg) (
1:
414:"1974 Honda CR125M Elsinore"
254:in North America, after the
209:, which ridden by Belgium's
128:56.5 in (1,440 mm)
98:75 mph (121 km/h)
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568:List of Honda motorcycles
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573:Honda Racing Corporation
76:247.8cc single-cylinder
1141:Two-stroke motorcycles
205:1970 had produced the
197:had been dominated by
487:Frank, Aaron (2003).
462:Walker, Mick (2006).
418:American Motorcyclist
390:. Motorcycle Classics
353:Frank, Aaron (2003).
31:Honda ELSINORE CR250M
213:won Japan its first
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16:Type of motorcycle
1136:Honda motorcycles
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489:Honda Motorcycles
359:Honda Motorcycles
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275:Marysville, Ohio
169:manufactured by
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515:. 16 July 2009.
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277:built CR250Ms.
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222:Mine, Yamaguchi
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164:single-cylinder
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90:70x64.4 mm
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444:. 4 March 2003
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302:Walker, Mick.
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187:Soichiro Honda
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1054:CRF-F Series
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1025:CRF-X Series
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975:CRF-R Series
903:
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578:Repsol Honda
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446:. Retrieved
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421:. Retrieved
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392:. Retrieved
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322:
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284:
271:Honda CR125M
268:
251:
249:
231:
219:
203:
184:
175:Honda CR250R
157:Honda CR250M
156:
154:
104:Transmission
65:Honda CR250R
37:Manufacturer
20:Honda CR250M
281:Model codes
239:chrome-moly
235:motocrosser
228:Development
211:Joel Robert
207:Suzuki RH70
199:four-stroke
191:Honda RC116
45:Also called
1130:Categories
448:2009-11-08
423:2009-11-08
394:4 December
289:References
260:Gary Jones
246:Production
181:Background
167:motorcycle
161:two-stroke
53:Production
800:CR Series
195:motocross
124:Wheelbase
95:Top speed
61:Successor
56:1973–1976
1107:CRF230F
1081:CRF125F
1069:CRF110F
1057:CRF100F
1041:CRF450X
1028:CRF250X
993:CRF250R
252:Elsinore
48:Elsinore
1094:CRF150F
1006:CRF450R
980:CRF150R
956:CR500
944:CR480
932:CR450
851:CR125
612:2020s
609:2010s
606:2000s
603:1990s
600:1980s
597:1970s
495:
470:
365:
329:
133:Weight
117:manual
115:drive
86:stroke
72:Engine
889:CR250
816:CR80
804:CR60
563:Honda
237:. A
171:Honda
159:is a
113:chain
110:speed
40:Honda
1112:KPS
1100:KPT
1086:K28
1074:KYK
1062:KSJ
1047:MEY
1033:KSC
1018:MKE
1015:MEN
1012:MEB
998:KRN
986:KSE
967:MAC
964:ML3
961:KA5
949:KA5
937:KA5
925:KSK
922:KZ3
919:KS7
916:KA4
913:467
910:430
895:335
881:KSR
878:KZ4
875:KS6
872:KA3
869:466
866:444
844:GBF
838:CR85
830:GBF
827:GS2
824:GC4
821:169
809:GF5
593:Type
493:ISBN
468:ISBN
396:2012
363:ISBN
327:ISBN
155:The
82:Bore
904:381
899:357
862:400
857:360
138:dry
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