Dirt an Trail July 2022

HONDA CELEBRATES
50 YEARS OF
MOTOCROSS LEGENDS
The 23YM CRF450R marks 50 years since the arrival of Honda’s first moto
crosser intended for all riders, not only racing teams. The five decades since
have been marked by a number of technological leaps that have made the
letters ‘CR’ and then ‘CRF’ synonymous with off-road performance. Here is a
look back at just some of those major landmarks.
1973: CR250M Elsinore
Win on Sunday, sell on Monday! The CR250M Elsinore was a product of growing motocross competition,
(and sales demand), in the USA and Europe. It was Honda’s first built-from-scratch, two-stroke production
MX machine and met with instant success, thanks to its user-friendliness, high build quality and reliability.
Promotional activities for the new bike included a much-loved advertising film featuring Steve McQueen.
Named after the legendary Elsinore Grand Prix, (held by Lake Elsinore, California), the air-cooled 247.8cc
engine propelled 104kg while the chassis comprised a semi-double tubular steel frame, telescopic forks,
steel swingarm, twin rear shocks and drum brakes front and rear. Honda’s MX journey had begun…
1981: CR250R Liquid-cooling and Pro-Link arrive.
A big year for development. The CR250M had an earned its racing ‘R’ in the late ‘70s, and in 1981 Honda
unleashed their factory-bike technology to the buying public with the first production, liquid-cooled machine.
The engine was a long-stroke design cooled by two small radiators. Perhaps more telling is the chassis; the
aluminium swingarm and single, remote-reservoir Pro-Link rear shock pointed to the future, complementing
the known quantities of steel frame and double-leading shoe drum brake. Only one year later in 1982, Honda’s
Racing Service Centre was reborn as the Honda Racing Corporation. HRC soon became synonymous with
motocross racing success.