Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125996
Elsinore update Last year's winner needs some help The up-dated Elsie sports a DG lay down shock kit fo r increased (61 /2-7 ") travel with Bilst eins. DG Perfo rmance Specialt ies also furnish ed the radial head and "H i Torquer" expansion chambe r. Penton plast ic fende rs, Husky bars, an accessory fiberglass tank and rub ber fo rk boo ts compl ete the pa rts list . All wo rk was do ne by Cycle Shack. By Jim Gianatsis As they say, good things can't last forever, and the 125 Honda Elsinore '5 domination of th e 125cc class In motocross racIng IS al l. What it all co m es d own t o is. if yo u wa n t to re m ain co m pe ti ti ve w ith a Ho nd a , yo u 're going to have to m odify th e eng ine a n d th e s us pension . suspension and supe r t un ed en gines did Fo rtu nately, there's m or e t rick stuff it. Bo t h th e S u zuki a nd t he Yamaha are available fo r t he Elsino re t han p er hap s hea vie r than th e Elsino re by ab out 15 an y bike since t he DT · I Yamah a. You pound s, but th ei r p owe r and handlin g ca n build a really neat bike , t he wa y more t han make up for it. T he o ther yo u lik e, a nd come o u t o f it wi t h a 12 5 ne at t h ing is th at bo th the new Yamah a ·Elsin o re th at'll be th e top of its c lass fo r and Su zuki sell for under S 1000. ano t he r yea r and a half. Y ou won 't b e ab le to d o it chea p ly, thoug h, and th at's Hond a has a bike co mp ara b le t o the th e o ne important t h ing t o co ns id e r . new e nt ries fr o m Yamaha and Suzuki , Ho nd a's fact o ry RC-12 5 m otocrosser, b ef 0 re yo u st a rt sp end ing all th at w h i c h h a s been aro und sinc e last mo ne y . Ask you rse lf. is it really wo rt h $5 00 t o $ 700 ov e r t he price o f a new summer. Marty S mi t h used it t o w in t h e Suzu ki o r Y am a ha to have a co mpet itive 125 cc Nat io nal Champ ionsh ip in 19 74. E ls in or e ? Oth e r importan t fact o rs When and if Hond a wi ll p u t t he RC -125 include ho w to ugh th e 125 class is in into p ro d uc t io n t o repl ace th e CR·1 2 5 yo u r area, a nd how good o f a rid er yo u is n ot kn own . Whe th er they co uld d o it are . and sell it for less t han a S 1000 is T h e Els inore p ictured here is an quest ionable. exa mp le of j us t how far yo u can go to T he o n ly sign ifica n t chan ge Ho nd a b ui ld a t rick 125 CR. Cycl e S h ac k, a m ad e t o th eir 125 for th is year was t o Ho nda deale rsh ip owned b y Gary J on es give it a nev.. cy lin d er an d ca ll it t he in Picay un e , Mississip p i, t urns o u t th ese CR ·1 2 5 l\1. U n fort una tely , t h e new t ric k 125 Elsin ores a s fas t as they ca n , cy linde r m ad e good d y no horsep o we r . and th e y se ll everyone at S 15 -160 0 per but n ot good m ot o cro ss ho rsepowe r. co py . They d o such a beau ti ful job with This m e an s t hat t his yea r's st o ck er thei r Elsinore m odifica tion. comp lete p erh ap s isn ' t as co m pe t itive as last ye ar's m od e l. An d in co mpa riso n with wi th a fact o ry -like re d and whit e pain t job. t hat yo u 'd swear the bike is the ne w Ya m ah a and S uz u ki 125 s t he Ho n d a 's newest f rodu ction racer. Elsino re 12 5 isn' t very com e titive a t ~ ..., t I ,U ..I,U.U.UU ' •. ' 0.. , .. just about o ver. Th e in troductio n of Yam ah a' s YZ -12 5 Monocross and Su zuk i's R~I - 1 2 5 ca nt ilever bi k e s w i th l on g tr a vel rea r Cy cle Sh ack d oes t heir o wn special po rting to th e cy linder . If yo u can ' t port yo ur o wn cy linde r and t here isn't a shop near b y wh ich ca n d o it fo r yo u , yo u ca n send your cy linde r t o Cycl e Sh ack o r one of the m anufact u re rs list ed . T he only modifica tio n which had n' t been mad e to th is bike, an d needs t o b e d on e , was to replace th e stock 28 m m Keihin carb with eit he r a 30 o r 32 m m Mi k u ni or a 32mm Bing ca rb o Both the Mi ku ni a nd t he Bing carb s gi ve a re markable power increase th rough o u t t he RPM ra nge ov er the Keih in carb , Star t ing at th e t op of t he b ike, Cycle S hack uses a set of H usk y h andle bars with Oury type grips. Th e fuel t an k is a fib erglass Husk y design wh ich is lighte r th a n t he alu mi nu m Elsino re tank. T he whi t e f end er s a r e fro m Pent on's m o toc ro ss bikes. a nd a re lightwei ght ABS p lasti c. O th er th an the sho p 's p or tin g jo b , e ng i ne modi fi cat io n s include a DG radial head a nd " Hi Torq uer" expansio n c ha m be r which ru ns th rough t he fra me like t he fact ory w 0 r ks H o ndas. T he rear ca n t ileve r suspen sion u se s Bilstein shocks an d is made up of DG's lay dow n shock kit. On the fron t forks , fo rk b o ots keep di rt away from th e sea ls a nd add th at ex t ra fact o ry lo ok . All th e par t s o n t his Elsinore a re read ily available parts o r accesso ries from ei ther you r local d eale r , or d irect b y mail order from the m anufacturers . • Places to go shopping: Cycle Sh ack 3 0 9 H igh way II Sou th Picayu ne , M i ss. 39 46 6 (6 0t )79 8-9 954 (Offeri n g compl ete Els inores In var ious States of t une t o match your w all et, as well all t he ind iv idual It em s mentione d ). DC Performance Sp ec ialties I nc. 5 552 La Palma Ave. East Anah eim, Calif. 9280 6 (7 14)996-4430 A I Ba k er Racing and Development 15 114 Raymer Street V an N u y s, cal i f . 9 1405 (21 3 19 97 ·7 0 5 5 T & M Eng in eer i ng 21 10 -E Ea st M c Fa dden sa n t a Ana, Ca li f. 9 21 0 5 (A high p ipe for El slnores that t u cks away a li ttle be tter t h an the DG an d Is co vered by a n ew sid e cover. $19 .s 0) .. (Catal og u e f o r S1 . ,f eat u r i ng ra dial hea ds, al u m inum sw ing ar m s, p ipes an d port ing. and sw ing ar m bushings) . Flying Ma ch ine Fa ct ory 1418 We st 2 59 t h St ree t Harbo r Ci t y , Calif. 90110 (2 t3)5 30-4 656 (They b u ild b ikes f o r Amer ican Hon d a .Jnd Marty Sm it h , o ffe r a Nat ional Cham pi o n ship eng in e kit for S165, an d do frame m o d s). (Com p le t e cy l ind er p o rt in g. head work, dow n p ip e , 30 m m Mikun l an d new air box rorsr i s). C H In d u str ies 7 550 Bal b o a Blvd . Van N UY5. Ca li f . 9 1 406 • (All oy sw ing arms 8 11ste lns , seat kits , Hon da of P iq ua 15 00 South M ain Street P iq ua , Oh io 453 56 u p an d dow n p ipes, o p aq ue and ASS f end ers, an d all Els in o re spare parts) . Pro l in e Ra cing 40 26 Highway 29 T ucke r (A tlanta), Ga . 30084 (4 0 4 )934 -15 4 0. ...... ". (Ca t alogue for S 1 • f eat u r in g all manner of Els inore t ri ck stu ff i n cl ud i n g f ram e ki ts, p i pe s, l OOec k i ts, ra dial heads. etc.j .. .. . (Air f ork k its wit h ext en d ed t ravel ca ntilever f rame mod s, anste tn an d m o di fi ed Kon l shocks) . 17