MXA’S TWO-STROKE TUESDAY: HONDA CR250

The 2007 CR250R was the last year the bike was produced.

Who doesn’t have fond memories on a two-stroke? For many, those memories were formed on a Honda CR250. If you owned a Honda in the 1980s-1990s, you were living the life. Back in the early 1970’s Honda wanted to compete in the motocross industry, but were reluctant to introduce a two-stroke motorcycle. Honda’s owner, Soichiro Honda, vastly preferred four-strokes. Back then four-strokes weren’t powerful enough, nor could they generate the engine rpm to compete with two-strokes. Near the beginning of the 1970’s, Honda gave in to the two-stroke craze and introduced the Honda Elsinore. The machine caught like wildfire. That singular bike is often attributed to the rise in the sport on US soil. It was a wildly popular motocross bike.

Having a 125 may have been great for the consumer, but Honda wanted to compete in professional racing. In 1971, they assembled a prototype for a 250 machine. The prototype and the 1972 works machine from the following year didn’t make ripples at any major motocross events. In 1973, Honda enlisted brothers Gary and Dewayne Jones to race the new bike. Bruce Baron, Joel Nicholson, Rich Eierstedt, Ken McDonald and Marty Tripes were among the other test subjects in the AMA Nationals that year. The result? Gary Jones won the 250 National Championship. The win would be one of many for the Honda CR250.

1978 would be the first major change in the CR250. After the bike design started to become outdated, Honda decided it was time for a change. The 1978 model featured an engine redesign, along with an all-red chassis and plastics. The CR250 landed its first World Championship in 1987. Eric Geboers won five of the 12 GP races to take the 250 World Championship. It would be the first of eight championships won atop the bike in the GP series.

Jeremy McGrath is the undisputed king of Supercross. Four of his Supercross championships were won on a CR250. McGrath first raced a CR250 in 1992. Having “won” his way out of the 125 class in Supercross, McGrath first made the main event at Daytona in 1992. A 20th place finish wasn’t the best start, but Honda wasn’t too disappointed. Jeff Stanton won the race. A year later, McGrath secured his first of many wins at Anaheim. He dominated the series, only finishing of the podium in Atlanta, Houston and Orlando. McGrath wasn’t the only rider to have success in the USA on the Honda CR250. Jeff Stanton had won his third Supercross Championship on the bike in 1992. Stanton was a six-time Champion, having also won three AMA National titles. The CR250 also won in the hands of many other riders, including Ricky Carmichael, Jean-Michel Bayle, Rick Johnson, Johnny O’Mara, David Bailey and Donnie Hansen. The Honda CR250 was a winning machine.