1974 Honda MT250: reviving the classic Honda 2-stroke enduro
Vložit
- čas přidán 12. 08. 2023
- Follow along as I bring this 50 year old classic Honda enduro back to life. Pretty much complete, I picked this up at Mid Ohio 2022 VMD swap meet and finally getting around to this beautiful 2-stroke enduro and giving it the attention it deserves.
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
One thing about it that stands out is the Elsinore style look.
Great video. My first motorcycle was a 1975 MT250. I bought it brand new from a dealer. I used to run it in local match races and she held her own. The only competition was the early Yamaha monoshock bikes. They ate moguls and hard berms for lunch. I was quicker in the straights. It was a really fun machine.
Thank you! I appreciate the feedback and sharing your MT250 story! It’s been great hearing all of them since I started this channel.
Hard or soft rubbers those carbs were always a pain to get off and on. Love the sound of a 2 stroke. Thanks.
I know! I even try to put a little heat to them with the heat gun which helps a bit but still a pain! The smell of a 2 stroke is good too!
My friends next door father bought this bike new in 76 model (i think), put his wife on it in the 1st week, she let the clutch out and held it wide open down the alley about 120 feet across the street, over the curb and into a chain link fence, never let off the throttle, for me at 15 it was crazy 🤣🤣
Lol man, that would have been something to see!
i had one of those fun bike some of those wires are for rear tail and directionals also had a xl 350 many many years ago have fun
I also have a 74 XL350! I LOVE that bike for cruising roads. It’s an absolute tractor and my friend has the same model only setup for woods. It just thumps it’s way up any hill you point it at at like 2k rpms just above idle lol
Nice bike I didn't know Honda made the two stroke 250 !!! Nice looking bike and a great project.👍 great to hear it running at the end , good trick with the rear fender and hockey stick 👍
Lol thanks buddy, I knew a broken hockey stick would come in handy sometime 😆! Yeah I think they only made the MT250 from ‘74-‘76 but I may be wrong on that.
If it was my bike I would restore the tank restore the frame and complete engine restoration to have it run and look sharp
If I had the money and time I would do the same! I love my Hondas.
I rode a buddies 76 model similar to yours, it was fun on the trails, now they are valuable fer sure.🤠👍
Awesome! I think I’ll keep this bike when I’m done with it. I got a thing for old Hondas lol. I have the ‘74 XL175 in mars orange and the ‘74 XL350 in blue/silver. Might as well collect all the ‘74 Honda enduro bikes lol
@@Garage2Trail Healthy passion for sure. I'm a 80s bike nut. Love the uni-track, mono-cross, pro-link and full floggers, I had a few in the shop awhile back..I'll see how your resto progresses, looks good Bubba.🤠👍
@@Workerbee-zy5nx thank you! I need to delve more into the 80s. I did have an ‘81 XL500S last year that I got running and running real good. Sold it last year at Mid Ohio
@@Garage2Trail 87 kdx 200..😎
I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on a KDX. Never had one but a friend of mine had a 90s KDX200. Great woods bike.
Your doing great on the clean up !! I’ve got a 73 Suzuki 380 that I need to clean the tank also, how did you keep the vinegar in at the petcock outlet? Love watching your videos
Thank you! I appreciate the feedback and you tuning in. I should have showed it when filling the tank but I ended up just using some gorilla tape after cleaning up the surface. Lasted a couple days before leaking out. Just a heads up, don’t use a petcock to block that off because the vinegar will eat that pot metal away pretty easily. Ask me how I know 😆. I’d love to get my hands on a 380 one of those 400 Suzuki motocross bikes that were monsters back in the day.
I bought a 74 MT new for 999,00, the swing arm bushings only last 3000 miles, the diappointment with perfornance was 1) it wouldnt pull to redline 2)it wouldnt do more than about 70 mph--consider 78 with an xl 250, i dont think honda knew en ough about 2 strokes-- a dt250 put it to shame--a kawi 175 was only a half length behind--but it handled better than either those on the street, it starts easy are you aware of FMF parts? something I wondered about to improve power output. after all its a de-tuned 250 moto-crosser--bronze swing-arm bushings.maybe they have higher rpm points
Interesting. I know the 74 XL350 I have has the same junk bushings. What did it do before redline? Maybe it had poor jetting from the factory. And yeah, 2 strokes were new to Honda at this point for a bike like this. Probably had a hand in what you experienced. Thanks for sharing!
Where was the smoke coming from when it backfired? Exhaust gasket missing?
Yup…it’s coming apart real soon. Gotta do both crank seals.
Can you get a BONDED title in PA ? In newyork i have got a BONDED title you pay a fee in newyork it is $100 and after i think 3 years you get a clean un /bonded title.With the Bonded titled you can register it Or get a frame with clean title rout.
That’s a good question and I’m not sure, but I’ll be calling my DMV when I feel like dealing with them lol. Thanks for the suggestion!
why does it have 2 spark plugs?
In case you foul one you can move the plug wire over to the other one in a pinch
@@Garage2Trail daaang thats nice
I’ve had a couple Yamahas from that era with the same setup. Pretty cool.
@@Garage2Trail I'm gonna be looking at a 71 ct1 tomorrow for 100 bucks needa a lot of work but Im sure it'll be worth it
@@chickenlegman5460 man, I’d be all over it for that price! That’s awesome!
Penn dot sucks. Honda should have made more 2 strokes. I like the xr's/xl's just like 2 strokes alot more.
PA DMV is a joke.
Ya I bought one of these new, think I paid $850. It was really a POS. Extremely heavy, terrible suspension, and the most gutless motor ever made . I bought it on looks.
I’ll give it a pass since it’s a classic now lol. I plan on doing a shootout with this and a DT250 when it’s done and will be able to compare back to back. Hondas have always had a weight problem but I still love them lol. I rode (and still ride) my XR400 for years and she’s always been heavier than my friends bikes.