Dyno'ed the Elsinore mt250

[Dirtstar1]

After a long search I finally got me an mt250. Being that I grew up in lake Elsinore, one would say its my god given right to ride an Elsinore. Lol after many searches and a long debate about actual HP I decided to take the MT250 to Full Throttle Powersports in santee ca. They have a dyno jet. I asked them to do a baseline pull for hp and torque so we could compare after putting on a CR top end. This where it gets fun. Mike from full throttle at the controls of the mt250 warmed up the bike while setting the perimeters of the dyno. Next he ran through the gears until he hit 4th. Once in 4th gear he rolled on the power. The old bike sounded great! With a small puff of 2stroke the bike cleaned out fast and revved up to 7600 RPM's before flatlining. Since this was only a run for test he reset and ran it up again. With crisp throttle response the old elsinore started to sing that piston ported note it was known for. When it was all said and done, the 37 Year old bike with 2100 miles on it made a solid 17.6 hp with 15 foot lb of torque. I'll post pics of the dyno sheet later. It's no powerhouse but it does make a good wide powerband.

Mike at full throttle powersports took great care of me and my grand daddy of dualsports. I'd recommend his services anytime.

Ryan Kennelly

[Dirtstar1]

I said I'd ad a pic or two.

[bluebye]

Thanks. That's way cool.

[brucifer]

Yes, very cool. I'm interested to see how much of a difference the CR top end will make.
As I recall, the early ('74-'76) CR250 Elsinores were rated at 33 hp, I would assume at the crank.

My uncle bought a new leftover '74 CR250 still in the crate in '76. That was a bad a$$ bike. They had a reputation back then of hurting people who didn't give them the respect they deserved.
He let me ride it one time when I was about 10. What a freakin' animal! It certainly left an impression in my motorcycle addled 10 year old mind.

[Dirtstar1]

You are welcome. We all assumed the MT250 would make similar Horsepower to the CR250m. Since their is no info anywhere on the MT250's HP I figured let's find out. The first time I rode it I said to myself, there is no way this has 28 HP!

[Dirtstar1]

Originally Posted by brucifer

Yes, very cool. I'm interested to see how much of a difference the CR top end will make.
As I recall, the early ('74-'76) CR250 Elsinores were rated at 33 hp, I would assume at the crank.
.

You may be right at 33hp at the crank. Everything I could find pointed at 28 hp at the wheel. My guy Allen at CT racing thinks we can break 30HP at the wheel with a DG pipe, CR head, piston, and cylinder, once we reset the squish and give it a modern combustion chamber for today's pump gas.

This all started when my girlfriend wanted me to get a 250 to ride with her. She rides a WR250x I chose the Elsinore to give her a handicap of suspension and brakes. Imagine my disappointment when I found out I was 10 hp light against her WR.... Lol

[Foot dragger]

Oh Yes,the memories come back. My dad was my sponsor when I was 16 or so,we went down and got a brand new 74 CR250 Elsinore. I wanted a new Pomeroy Replica 250 Bultaco but the Honda was 100.00 less.
I was used to Bultacos as I had been racing a 200 for a couple years.
That Elsinore showed me who was boss more then a couple times.
I missed a shift on it one day in the heat of battle,the engine spun up so fast it destroyed the cases/cylinder,the rod snapped and spun around leaving a wide swath of destruction.
One brand new engine in the crate later and we were back in business. The chain popped off while a light kid was riding it,broke the gearbox all to hell but we saved the engine at least.

It also had an odd habit of sticking the throttle wide open,it did this when new,the shop couldnt figure it out,and neither could we. It did this off a tapped in 5th gear jump at a scrambles race.

I bailed off the back and slid to a stop,it continued on with stuck throttle flipping end over end launching itself way up in the air like a big shiny hooked salmon. Ripped tires off rims,bent the frame a lot,the seat was bent in half in the middle,both handlebars were like road race bars laying on the tank,tank was destroyed.

My girlfriends dad and I put it between a telephone pole and truck and used a come-along to straighten the frame out,then I traded it for a 56 Ford pickup with fat tires and nice mags.

I bought a 77 KTMGP250 shortly after and never looked back,never bought a Honda again.

Yours looks good with the red tank,better then the silver ones. I always ran the MT piston with the CR top end,lasted longer and had more low end grunt.

[Foot dragger]

Originally Posted by Dirtstar1

You are welcome. We all assumed the MT250 would make similar Horsepower to the CR250m. Since their is no info anywhere on the MT250's HP I figured let's find out. The first time I rode it I said to myself, there is no way this has 28 HP!

A stock 74 CR250 will do 5th gear wheelies all day long,not much rev but they have good snap at midrange.

The MT is Very mild in comparison,like any japanese dual sport bike.

[Gizzaride]

Maybe it's my age, maybe I've watched The Great Escape too many times, but the classic look of an old school scrambler just make me go weak at the knees!!!!!
Also, with all due respect to your GF's mode of transport, the Elsie looks 10 times better to me.......but I expect she looks 10 times better than you do![

[/QUOTE]

[Dirtstar1]

Footdragger that is a fantastic story. I can totally picture the hooked salmon! My friend had a pink baja bug we "called fish outta water" Hondas have always treated me right until I got the crf 450. Man did I get good at pulling the head off of it. My daily driver is a kTm690. It is a total "Do all machine"

Ps, it didn't take long for the girlfriend to fall in love with the vintage look. Lol (Gizzaride) I bet my girl would take that as a complement. Thanks

[Airhead Wrangler]

Originally Posted by Foot dragger

My girlfriends dad and I put it between a telephone pole and truck and used a come-along to straighten the frame out,then I traded it for a 56 Ford pickup with fat tires and nice mags.

Nice.

[larryboy]

Was the Dynojet set for rwhp or corrected? They typically give you a corrected sheet to make you happier.

14.04 HP with a Dynojet correction factor would give you the 17.55 number for crank hp.

[Dirtstar1]

Originally Posted by larryboy

Was the Dynojet set for rwhp or corrected? They typically give you a corrected sheet to make you happier.

14.04 HP with a Dynojet correction factor would give you the 17.55 number for crank hp.

I asked for a baseline rear wheel hp. I'm aware of the laboratory correct imaginary horsepower. Lol

[snowhawk jockey]

I am "restoring" a barely running an MT250 barn find as a vint bike as well. Thanks for the dyno pulls, I feel better about what ain't happenin between the cases, now that I know it is only 17HP!! I look forward to the upgrades and their effect on the chart!

[Dirtstar1]

Originally Posted by snowhawk jockey

I am "restoring" a barely running an MT250 barn find as a vint bike as well. Thanks for the dyno pulls, I feel better about what ain't happenin between the cases, now that I know it is only 17HP!! I look forward to the upgrades and their effect on the chart!

My bike is really complete. Near all original, never been apart. It seems it doesn't like today's oxygenated fuels. Mine hits 78 mph but likes 60 as a cruise. As far as the 0-60 run its only slightly slower than the WR250 do to the weight difference. Might give you some seat dyno to gauge off of when you ride your bike.