1980 RC400 ?????????????

[Wheelie-Gene]

I've seen the cool 1970/early 80s CR250 bikes w/the 450/480 engines stuffed in 'em.
I have a question.
How different were the MT series Hondas from the CR? I know the MTs were street legal and had oil injection, but as far as frame and tank specs.....where there any big differences?

I might have stumbled onto an MT250.

[redrocket190]

Completely different animals. MT substantially different from early CRs. And early CRs substantially different from the Red Rockets introduced in 1978. Lots more here...
http://www.alp-sys.com/honda-elsinore/
http://alp-sys.com/vintagedbforums/

[Roostius_Maximus]

i have an 81 cr250 and the 450 engine bolts up no prob, even the part #s for the reed, pipe, ignition and other parts are shared, just remember the 250 was wet already, and the 450s a finner

[Wheelie-Gene]

The 1980 CR250 was a pinger. I'll never forget the time I opened the MX Action (or was it Dirt Bike) magazine and the new 1981 Hondas were splayed out in a full page ad.
Yeah, the 125/250s were pumpers....later on I had the priveledge of witnessing the meyhem of a 450.

When I moved away, my best friend bought the 1980 250.
Now I'm back home....the bike traded several different owners and none seem to know where it ended up.

Thanks for the links ans all the info.
I'll look into it.

[redrocket190]

This is the 1980 works bike with air-cooled engine. It's not 100% clear but looks like they used water-cooled engines selectively through 1980 and 1981.


1980 RC500. Looks very similar to the 1983 CR480R but with an aluminum tank and the works "coke-bottle" swing arm.

No surprise that 250 and 450 engines can be swapped. The OEMs would use one frame for 250 and Open Class bikes and then a smaller lighter frame for 125s. Jimmy Wienert had a KX250 bike that was in fact a 250 in a 125 frame.

[Roostius_Maximus]

nice post

[redrocket190]

I have the Jim Giantasis book on bike prep that includes the b&w photo above. Has lots of photos of works bike of the 1978-1980 period. Even porting and pipe specifications. Very cool.

[Wheelie-Gene]

That's some cool old history.
Works bikes have always been the shit. Too bad the factories don't produce them anymore. Todays factory's techno could produce some exotic stuff, look at the carbon fibre framed Ducati Moto GP racers
Imagine that effort dumped into an MX machine....but it'd take a new version of the old David Bailey to make it feesible.

Look at what they could do back then. And on the flip side, disc brakes weren't used. The drums just look out of place.


Who could forget the Superbikers


and an 81 RC500