Again, I must share a very heart-felt memory. Seeing those old Honda "Pamphlets" brought back a very special day in my life. As a young boy of 11 years old, I had several of those pamphlets tacked up in my bedroom. In the center was my dream bike; the 1972 Honda SL 70 in Red. My Dad had told me if everything went good that year he would buy it for me for my Birthday. However, the day of my Birthday, 8 June, my Dad informed me my Mother was very upset for me to get a motocycle. She was afraid I would get hurt. So, it appeared I would not get the bike. I returned to my room and for the only time in my life, I buried my face in a pillow and cried. I so felt my Dad would get me the bike and then my dreams were crushed by my Mom. Well, the good thing is my Dad came in my room and asked why I had been crying and I told him. He told me to wipe my face off and get ready because we were driving to the Honda Dealership to buy me a SL 70. I was in Heaven. All the way to the Dealership my Dad kept telling me to be safe because itf I were to get hurt it would blow up in his face with my Mom. Looking back all those years ago, this was the best birthday present I ever did get in my life. Thanks Dad, you made a really young boy happy. Also, after my Mom witnessed my riding skills she really let up on the worry. I rode that little bike for about 3 years and out grew it. Later, my Dad sold the little bike, but I wish I still had it.
I’ll never forget the time I came home as a kid and seen the back wheel of an XR50 my dad got me poking out the back of the house. Is your dad still around?
Same thing happened to Me......but then they got divorced and Dad split the cost of a 74 XR-75 with me since I lived with him. 35 Bikes later he is gone but my Mom at 82, still hates that I ride!
Ya, a little red dirt bike (XR70) was what I gave my kids for Christmas one year. We still have it. I feel like the movie "A Christmas Story" should have a sequel, and the XR 70 is what the kid dreams about instead of a BB gun. Moms and teachers hate them just as much.
My similar introduction to bikes was after borrowing a cousins 197? Honda 50 for a few weeks I was hooked and got my pops rip to agree to buy me a used 1985 CR 80. Paid $500 bucks for it in 1994 and it was a dream come true. I remember finding it in the want ad in Westford Mass and me and my dad going to see it in the ford escort hatchback we had. Met the kid selling it he fired it up and took me for a rip on the back down a few streets and a trail and I was holding on 4 my life and trying to keep my feet up and 5 minutes later we returned and I had the biggest ear to ear shit eating grin and tried to play it cool and tell my pops that It was exactly what I needed! He paid the kid 500 bucks and got the bill of sale. The kid asked us how we were going to get the bike home and my heart sank. A quick thought of having to wait a few more days for transportation arrangements flashed thru my head and I looked at my dad he was smirking saying " it'll fit in the back of the escort, I got rope!" What a guy. The three of us got it lodged in the back of the Ford escort hatch raised open , and bike fit perfectly by compressing the rear shock to squeeze inunder the cars roof and to my amazement we stuffed it in with the front tire hanging out the back over the rear bumper and tied it up secure. One of the best days of my life thanks to my awesome dad and I shouldn't forget my moms too for putting up with years of a CR 80 ripping laps around the house and yard as every friend of mine in the neighborhood learned to ride and crash on my bulletproof 1985 Honda CR80. Bike never died and actually still ran when I sold it probably 10 hard ridden years later for 200 bucks as it was just sitting in the shed. Today its place in the shed is occupied by a 2003 Honda RC 51 which has been the best street bike I've ever ridden. Thank HRC
Wish we could all go back in time with these bikes; the 70's set the tone for motocross heaven. Tracks were packed with people, shops were packed with people and families were out riding every weekend together. Great times!!! The 70's really did start us out for what we have now. Amazing bikes, excellent craftsmanship and what a great guy.
What a cool guy. Im glad there's people like that that are willing to put that kind of time and effort into making and keeping these bikes so amazing. I know I couldn't not ride them 😂😂
I bought a true barn find 1980 Cr250r Elisnore, guy bought it in 81 New was killed I a car accident shortly after purchase. It was covered in dust, pulled it cleaned it off changed the plug put new fuel in(tank was bone dry). Left foot kick start, 2nd kick and fired up. What a fast bike!!
As a two stroke only fan, I sleep good at night knowing kaplan, preserves all these one of a kind bikes, you guys are legends, bring it back, fuck 4 stroke, admire what you guys do and are about, thank you!
I have the pleasure of knowing Mark. He is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Mark's bikes wish they were as high quality as he is, if that tells you anything.
Love hitting the rewind button with you guys. The bikes, the stories, the people and places. Brings me back to some great times. I was fortunate enough while growing up in Upstate NY , to live less than a mile in both directions to Harley Davidson shop and Honda Shop with my parents house butted up to a couple hundred acres of farm land. So ya, the bikes were always ripping around night and day. Thanks for keeping it real Kaplan’s!! We all thank you for your passion and persistence. As Ken Sr says: God Bless America. Now “ send it”!!
This collection takes me back about 25 years ago. I attended an Air-Cooled Volkwagen show in Memphis TN. While at the show, I had a 1972 VW Bus, I met this retired Orthopedic Surgen. He invided all show contestants out to his farm for an over-night camp out and BBQ. So, we all attended. It was a really nice spread, with a pond and everything. To this day, I have never met anyone with a VW Collection like this guy had. I bet he had over a Million Dollars invested. He even had a Swimwagen, and took everyone on a ride in it. He drove it through the pond many times. It was a really fun weekend.
honda always painted silver/ silver metallic or clear coated the front lower fork legs ..let me give you some of my back ground . i started working for my local honda shop in 1975 a time to remember as every thing we got now was in its infancy...so i spent a lot of time at the honda R&D training center that was at that time in Milwaukee Wisconsin just a few blocks away from the Harley-Davidson engine plant. I was single at the time and no ties as all the other employees are married and wouldn't take a week to two weeks off to go to school and my boss had to have at least one Factory trained authorized technician are Honda would pull his franchise so the first thing out of the gate I spent two weeks 8 hours a day 5 days a week taking a brand new Honda Goldwing completely apart down in the brain and putting it back together again we spent one week on just a engine transmission and then another full week all on the electrics as you probably know the Honda Goldwing has backup on all the lighting saying it did my xs750 Yamaha twin. anyway 1975 was the first year for the Honda Goldwing the first year for the CX500 and don't ever buy a CX500 or even sell one to anybody as they have a very bad Factory built in problem oiling the camshaft lobes as they don't get any oil at all Terry and I mentioned this one time to the Honda Factory service representative of the entire Midwest and he told me to keep quiet about it as they were facing out that model anyway so it doesn't make any difference what he said as Honda new all about that problem. another one to stay away from is the V45 V 4-cylinder 750 Magnum as I have Cam followers adjusting screw that pushes down on the valve stem and it was designed just a few hundreds of a millimeters to short and when you set the valve lash correctly will cause the adjusting screw to slide off the tip of the valve stem gaining the valve open and binding up the cam follower rocker causing the cam lobe to press hard enough against the cam bearing caps to break off inside the head what is chunks of shrapnel dropping into the cam chain and sprockets locking up the engine. don't buy any 1979 CB750 twin camshaft 16 valve engines as the cam chain saws its way through the front of the cylinder block cooling fins and all ...anyway every time there was a change in the Honda Elsinore I was back in Milwaukee in class and our instructors name was pop Yoshimura the same one who designed and built Hondas very first two stroke engine back in 1971. so looking around in this garage find every one of those Honda elsinore's for each year there was a major change like twin shocks to prolink air cooled to liquid cooled I was sitting in a Honda classroom about it with the world's greatest four stroke and stroke engine designer and tuner of all time.as the first day of class a honda ceo said we have an engine designer and engineer who can tell you what you had for breakfast by reading your spark plug ....i have an associate's degree from the University of Illinois and that's on her class also got to they tested by the perfect circle Corporation with a doctor of Motors degree as the course I'd check with oriented from single cylinder industrial engines Taylor Automotive agriculture Manufacturing and large equipment like track-hoes Shrivers draglines things like that ...and no one ever explained how a two stroke engine actually works with an expansion chamber ....as pop yoshimura showed us how and why two strokes ate self supercharging making boost as they come "on the pipe" and no one on you tube has ever explain how and why but to only comment back to me that i dont know anything after spending the time it takes to go through the complete process as yoshimura taught us in his class i attended ..as there were only about 30 of us that attended those honda Elsinore schools I'm 70 years old last September do I doubt there's too many people left alive today who were trained on 2-cycle elsinore's by the man who designed and built the first one. Bring me to a statement that was made about Jeremy McGrath as he was said that he didn't like the new aluminum frame Elgin R's when as he was said that he didn't like the new aluminum frame Honda 250 Elsinore handling ..so the 93 to 96 should be the very best of the CR250R ...GRAB UP ALL OF THEM YOU CAN GET.....you dont seem to say much about the ossa's and didnt say much about the one they had at barber ..but in 1977 a friend sponsored Brad Lake a close friend of mine who was the USA importer and Factory team Rider Maico usa as brad was riding the factory werks one off aw400 open class but for the pro 250 class the 1977 OSSA 250 PHANTOM III ....as that bike is still the most power ful 250 mx race bike i have ever ridden as it is still the only bike i could pick up the front wheel power shifting from 4th to 5th all tucked in pulling a wheel to top end that was about 90 mph ...i can do a great port and polish job and can tune any of the CR250R so the spark plug reading it looks like it came out of the honda 4-strokes and hold it wfo all day long without any scratches on the piston or the bore and no carbon but shinny on the inside but it wont have the power of this old bike that the factory rep and rider for Maico rode instead of a werks 250 maico ..check this out and then try and find one ..restore it and then grab a hand full of turning up the wick past omfg and ftw www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/176273772888249082/ btw that was my 1st and last time on one as i wheeled it for a good 1/8 th mile up North McGuire Street Brazil Indiana in a power wheelie pulling it up in 5th gear to top end ...of the only 250 anything i have felt that kind of power from ...it would be interesting to measure the boost port timing and size and distance of the exhaust port ..and copy all specs stroke and all to a liquid cooled jap 250
Interesting stuff about Hondas. I wasn't really aware of how the expansion chamber acted like a SC. I do remember hitting powerband on my 85 CR80 and it was sort of a mystery to me anyways why 2 strokes had the powerband surge and how it worked. I actually remember b4 I rode a actual dirt bike or knew anything about motors hearing kids talk about their CR KX RM YZs powerband and how much ass they hauled when 6th gear PWBND kicked in...i initially was confused and thought of some kind of mysterious industrial rubber band that was wound up inside the motor or swing arm or something. Lmao. What a knucklehead eh?
Want in the absolute f!!!!??? This was the best video you or anyone had for the history of Honda motor cross! I am blown away and have watched this 11 times!
Take a peek at the stater covers and clutch side cases. All look to have been repainted or coated like those front forks. He defiantly does a damn good cleanup job though.
Would love to have them all again but theres no hardly any parts left ! Also. loved the 480 cr but again No parts left ! I had all these bikes shown here too ! Just loved them all & felt like that they really made me happy back when they were Point blank alive !
cap, i gotta hand it to you, you find the gems. i couldnt resist not to ride a new bike i just bought. it takes a special person to look at a machine for 40 years and never put fuel in it
Oh My..Thats awesome.. Elsinores were So epic...Nothing could compare back in the day... i had Two different 125's ( forget which year models).....They were Beasts for me when i was about 10 to 11yrs when i could Only "tippy toe" to be able to ride them.. Took one of them 1/4 way up my mesquite tree in the back yard, luckily no damages... Oh the days..
Beauties of MX history here - K.K. Echoed Mx racers around the world about the '87 Huskys & KTMs 'We had to go Japanese', cos thats what we all did, globally, even the die hards of us would end up on a CR, or a KX etc. The US Supercross style tracks changed bikes forever and here is a great garage of bikes showing that great time. Stunning video👍
Thats why I vow todo what I live I had a family and we have to live but yeh I will do me and I am starting to I will always put my family first tho at the same time swings and roundabouts come to mind buddy
Man, those CR250's! I raced a CR250 at Cycle World, USA in St. Peters, MO, when the Elsinore was still silver. Those things didn't do anything but scream in all 6 gears. This was a very cool video. Loved the paperwork/publications too.
I understand that guys like this are the reason we had incredibly peices of equipment but watching this it made me think to myself that he kept saying I have I have I have but haven't used well there only going to sit there untill he passes so if I was him I would have been enjoying the peices o restored but just respecting them at the same time, awesome that you can score some of these
this show is never gonna end either is the building, we get a push some times from above, thats all. Keep pushing as you are Kaplan America. best show on youtube buddy
Wish you guys had a shop in Mississippi.. The business would be 10 times better.. A lot of riders in the State but no good shop to get work did to your bike.. Love this channel
You've done it again, stopped me dead in my tracks, cannot do anything but watch all 56 minutes of excellent video content. I get nothing done when you post a video!! Lol
This is a great video I love how you take the time to talk to them and also listen to there story your a a solid guy God bless america and Mr. Caplins family
They won't sell you a bike still in the crate , uninspected anymore. It is a federal requirement that they do the pre delivery inspection on them before they leave the dealers premises. My local dealer said he could assemble it all up to sign it off and then put it back into the crate for me on a honda I wanted was the best they could do
One of two things need to happen here. Either these bikes need to be ridden and used or they need to be sold to a museum. It’s a shame to have them in a garage like that. What incredible beauty and work.
The dream's garage!! 😍 I already watched twice to delight every piece of that amazing bikes. Everything completely clean and cared well. Congrats Sir!!
Hahaha!!! Now that was an entertaining 2 minutes!!👏👏 And the Scorps topped it off🎶🎵 I wanna move to Connecticut and roost leaves🍁 on my five hundie!!! Thank you!!
@@LRP-e1m that's what I was gonna say. They want a guy like him to buy it. They dont want some dumb kid with money that's just gonna ride it to its grave. These bikes are one of a kind and need to be preserved but still rode.
@@justobservenow3480 yes i think epsept the cr500 & ttr & cr450 for what i just seen but i still wouldn't say no to any of them it might even give my right leg a rest Lol
Some count sheep to get to sleep, I count CR'ZZZZ !! Restored 92,93 CR125'S ...they are sweet ! I ride them ...but they are kept close to new as possible while still enjoying them ✌🏼
I remember in my high school days I had a subscription to Cycle magazine and the day the issue with Pierre Karsmaker and Marty Smith were on the cover with their red gems. I couldn’t stop staring at them.
I almost can't watch these anymore. It reminds me so much of being a teen and all the great bikes available but also I had an actual place to ride them then.
Wow watched snr with the guy who got them bikes I watched it the first time it came out sad to no he hid no longer with us you can here the passion he has for the bikes and his cars rip to him great bikes thanks for sharing
Oh man that’s nasty. Rest up brother. Listened to you on pulpmx the other day and this really puts it into perspective. Thoughts from Queensland Australia!
I really appreciate the time you take making this video’s I always thought Honda should come out with a new version of the 79 250R Thanks for the video
I had a NOS 1977 RM 125 that a guy got off eBay still in the original crate. He got it assembled and rode two tanks of gas in it before I acquired it. When I decided to sell it a guy paid insane money and had it shipped across the country because it was his first bike when he was a kid.
The cr 250s brought back memories, when I switched from Yamaha to Honda I raced a 1980 cr250r which the forks were set up so they weren't so soft and had fox twin clickers on the rear. Great bike, I rode for a year than switched to desert racing with an 81 KTM495. Awesome collection.
i hope these bikes are kept as they are, not started, not even put gas in the tank. These are real pristine collectors bikes and if they are kept like this they will just sky rocket in price over the years
I was a Suzuki kid growing up but my friend bought a brand new 79 Honda 250 and kept it in his kitchen and it was the most beautiful bike I had ever seen with the red motor and Huge suspension Great collection
Again, I must share a very heart-felt memory. Seeing those old Honda "Pamphlets" brought back a very special day in my life. As a young boy of 11 years old, I had several of those pamphlets tacked up in my bedroom. In the center was my dream bike; the 1972 Honda SL 70 in Red. My Dad had told me if everything went good that year he would buy it for me for my Birthday. However, the day of my Birthday, 8 June, my Dad informed me my Mother was very upset for me to get a motocycle. She was afraid I would get hurt. So, it appeared I would not get the bike. I returned to my room and for the only time in my life, I buried my face in a pillow and cried. I so felt my Dad would get me the bike and then my dreams were crushed by my Mom. Well, the good thing is my Dad came in my room and asked why I had been crying and I told him. He told me to wipe my face off and get ready because we were driving to the Honda Dealership to buy me a SL 70. I was in Heaven. All the way to the Dealership my Dad kept telling me to be safe because itf I were to get hurt it would blow up in his face with my Mom. Looking back all those years ago, this was the best birthday present I ever did get in my life. Thanks Dad, you made a really young boy happy. Also, after my Mom witnessed my riding skills she really let up on the worry. I rode that little bike for about 3 years and out grew it. Later, my Dad sold the little bike, but I wish I still had it.
I’ll never forget the time I came home as a kid and seen the back wheel of an XR50 my dad got me poking out the back of the house.
Is your dad still around?
@@Shoorit Sadly No. He passed away back in Feb 1992. He was 64 years old. I was 30 years old when he passed. I'm now 59 years old.
Same thing happened to Me......but then they got divorced and Dad split the cost of a 74 XR-75 with me since I lived with him. 35 Bikes later he is gone but my Mom at 82, still hates that I ride!
Ya, a little red dirt bike (XR70) was what I gave my kids for Christmas one year. We still have it. I feel like the movie "A Christmas Story" should have a sequel, and the XR 70 is what the kid dreams about instead of a BB gun. Moms and teachers hate them just as much.
My similar introduction to bikes was after borrowing a cousins 197? Honda 50 for a few weeks I was hooked and got my pops rip to agree to buy me a used 1985 CR 80. Paid $500 bucks for it in 1994 and it was a dream come true. I remember finding it in the want ad in Westford Mass and me and my dad going to see it in the ford escort hatchback we had. Met the kid selling it he fired it up and took me for a rip on the back down a few streets and a trail and I was holding on 4 my life and trying to keep my feet up and 5 minutes later we returned and I had the biggest ear to ear shit eating grin and tried to play it cool and tell my pops that It was exactly what I needed! He paid the kid 500 bucks and got the bill of sale. The kid asked us how we were going to get the bike home and my heart sank. A quick thought of having to wait a few more days for transportation arrangements flashed thru my head and I looked at my dad he was smirking saying " it'll fit in the back of the escort, I got rope!" What a guy. The three of us got it lodged in the back of the Ford escort hatch raised open , and bike fit perfectly by compressing the rear shock to squeeze inunder the cars roof and to my amazement we stuffed it in with the front tire hanging out the back over the rear bumper and tied it up secure. One of the best days of my life thanks to my awesome dad and I shouldn't forget my moms too for putting up with years of a CR 80 ripping laps around the house and yard as every friend of mine in the neighborhood learned to ride and crash on my bulletproof 1985 Honda CR80. Bike never died and actually still ran when I sold it probably 10 hard ridden years later for 200 bucks as it was just sitting in the shed. Today its place in the shed is occupied by a 2003 Honda RC 51 which has been the best street bike I've ever ridden. Thank HRC
This gentleman is your one in a million.
Wish we could all go back in time with these bikes; the 70's set the tone for motocross heaven. Tracks were packed with people, shops were packed with people and families were out riding every weekend together. Great times!!! The 70's really did start us out for what we have now. Amazing bikes, excellent craftsmanship and what a great guy.
My blood-type is HRC. 4 decades of loving Honda
Ken was very polite knowing that the bikes weren’t NOS, God bless both of them.
These are art pieces no longer just motorcycles. Rarer than rare. Crazy to even see this on video.
Legend had it that senior is still trying to politely leave lol
Love this mans passion.You can tell he was excited to hav ken there
What a cool guy. Im glad there's people like that that are willing to put that kind of time and effort into making and keeping these bikes so amazing. I know I couldn't not ride them 😂😂
THX, Carl. Carlsbikes.com
BEST BIKE CHANNEL ON UA-cam
SERIOUS collector this guy is.. 👍🇺🇸👍
His sales brochures are even Mint..
THX, Carl .Carlsbikes.com
Don't get me wrong modern bikes have their place but these vintage babies make me drool. I could watch this for hours on end!
I bought a true barn find 1980 Cr250r Elisnore, guy bought it in 81 New was killed I a car accident shortly after purchase. It was covered in dust, pulled it cleaned it off changed the plug put new fuel in(tank was bone dry). Left foot kick start, 2nd kick and fired up. What a fast bike!!
As a two stroke only fan, I sleep good at night knowing kaplan, preserves all these one of a kind bikes, you guys are legends, bring it back, fuck 4 stroke, admire what you guys do and are about, thank you!
I have the pleasure of knowing Mark. He is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Mark's bikes wish they were as high quality as he is, if that tells you anything.
Love hitting the rewind button with you guys. The bikes, the stories, the people and places. Brings me back to some great times. I was fortunate enough while growing up in Upstate NY , to live less than a mile in both directions to Harley Davidson shop and Honda Shop with my parents house butted up to a couple hundred acres of farm land. So ya, the bikes were always ripping around night and day. Thanks for keeping it real Kaplan’s!! We all thank you for your passion and persistence. As Ken Sr says: God Bless America. Now “ send it”!!
This collection takes me back about 25 years ago. I attended an Air-Cooled Volkwagen show in Memphis TN. While at the show, I had a 1972 VW Bus, I met this retired Orthopedic Surgen. He invided all show contestants out to his farm for an over-night camp out and BBQ. So, we all attended. It was a really nice spread, with a pond and everything. To this day, I have never met anyone with a VW Collection like this guy had. I bet he had over a Million Dollars invested. He even had a Swimwagen, and took everyone on a ride in it. He drove it through the pond many times. It was a really fun weekend.
A dream collection no doubt and at the same time such a shame they never see the dirt,the ramps, the finish line! Still so great
most them bikes did seen dirt probably wouldn't be here today just saying
honda always painted silver/ silver metallic or clear coated the front lower fork legs ..let me give you some of my back ground . i started working for my local honda shop in 1975 a time to remember as every thing we got now was in its infancy...so i spent a lot of time at the honda R&D training center that was at that time in Milwaukee Wisconsin just a few blocks away from the Harley-Davidson engine plant. I was single at the time and no ties as all the other employees are married and wouldn't take a week to two weeks off to go to school and my boss had to have at least one Factory trained authorized technician are Honda would pull his franchise so the first thing out of the gate I spent two weeks 8 hours a day 5 days a week taking a brand new Honda Goldwing completely apart down in the brain and putting it back together again we spent one week on just a engine transmission and then another full week all on the electrics as you probably know the Honda Goldwing has backup on all the lighting saying it did my xs750 Yamaha twin. anyway 1975 was the first year for the Honda Goldwing the first year for the CX500 and don't ever buy a CX500 or even sell one to anybody as they have a very bad Factory built in problem oiling the camshaft lobes as they don't get any oil at all Terry and I mentioned this one time to the Honda Factory service representative of the entire Midwest and he told me to keep quiet about it as they were facing out that model anyway so it doesn't make any difference what he said as Honda new all about that problem. another one to stay away from is the V45 V 4-cylinder 750 Magnum as I have Cam followers adjusting screw that pushes down on the valve stem and it was designed just a few hundreds of a millimeters to short and when you set the valve lash correctly will cause the adjusting screw to slide off the tip of the valve stem gaining the valve open and binding up the cam follower rocker causing the cam lobe to press hard enough against the cam bearing caps to break off inside the head what is chunks of shrapnel dropping into the cam chain and sprockets locking up the engine. don't buy any 1979 CB750 twin camshaft 16 valve engines as the cam chain saws its way through the front of the cylinder block cooling fins and all ...anyway every time there was a change in the Honda Elsinore I was back in Milwaukee in class and our instructors name was pop Yoshimura the same one who designed and built Hondas very first two stroke engine back in 1971. so looking around in this garage find every one of those Honda elsinore's for each year there was a major change like twin shocks to prolink air cooled to liquid cooled I was sitting in a Honda classroom about it with the world's greatest four stroke and stroke engine designer and tuner of all time.as the first day of class a honda ceo said we have an engine designer and engineer who can tell you what you had for breakfast by reading your spark plug ....i have an associate's degree from the University of Illinois and that's on her class also got to they tested by the perfect circle Corporation with a doctor of Motors degree as the course I'd check with oriented from single cylinder industrial engines Taylor Automotive agriculture Manufacturing and large equipment like track-hoes Shrivers draglines things like that ...and no one ever explained how a two stroke engine actually works with an expansion chamber ....as pop yoshimura showed us how and why two strokes ate self supercharging making boost as they come "on the pipe" and no one on you tube has ever explain how and why but to only comment back to me that i dont know anything after spending the time it takes to go through the complete process as yoshimura taught us in his class i attended ..as there were only about 30 of us that attended those honda Elsinore schools I'm 70 years old last September do I doubt there's too many people left alive today who were trained on 2-cycle elsinore's by the man who designed and built the first one. Bring me to a statement that was made about Jeremy McGrath as he was said that he didn't like the new aluminum frame Elgin R's when as he was said that he didn't like the new aluminum frame Honda 250 Elsinore handling ..so the 93 to 96 should be the very best of the CR250R ...GRAB UP ALL OF THEM YOU CAN GET.....you dont seem to say much about the ossa's and didnt say much about the one they had at barber ..but in 1977 a friend sponsored Brad Lake a close friend of mine who was the USA importer and Factory team Rider Maico usa as brad was riding the factory werks one off aw400 open class but for the pro 250 class the 1977 OSSA 250 PHANTOM III ....as that bike is still the most power ful 250 mx race bike i have ever ridden as it is still the only bike i could pick up the front wheel power shifting from 4th to 5th all tucked in pulling a wheel to top end that was about 90 mph ...i can do a great port and polish job and can tune any of the CR250R so the spark plug reading it looks like it came out of the honda 4-strokes and hold it wfo all day long without any scratches on the piston or the bore and no carbon but shinny on the inside but it wont have the power of this old bike that the factory rep and rider for Maico rode instead of a werks 250 maico ..check this out and then try and find one
..restore it and then grab a hand full of turning up the wick past omfg and ftw
www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/176273772888249082/
btw that was my 1st and last time on one as i wheeled it for a good 1/8 th mile up North McGuire Street Brazil Indiana in a power wheelie pulling it up in 5th gear to top end ...of the only 250 anything i have felt that kind of power from ...it would be interesting to measure the boost port timing and size and distance of the exhaust port ..and copy all specs stroke and all to a liquid cooled jap 250
Interesting stuff about Hondas. I wasn't really aware of how the expansion chamber acted like a SC. I do remember hitting powerband on my 85 CR80 and it was sort of a mystery to me anyways why 2 strokes had the powerband surge and how it worked. I actually remember b4 I rode a actual dirt bike or knew anything about motors hearing kids talk about their CR KX RM YZs powerband and how much ass they hauled when 6th gear PWBND kicked in...i initially was confused and thought of some kind of mysterious industrial rubber band that was wound up inside the motor or swing arm or something. Lmao. What a knucklehead eh?
Did you ever learn anything from Honda about their 2000-2006 1000cc V Twin motor they put in the RC 51 VTR1000R street bikes? I own a 2003.
Ken your passion for these bikes is amazing thanks for keeping these bikes alive !!
Want in the absolute f!!!!??? This was the best video you or anyone had for the history of Honda motor cross! I am blown away and have watched this 11 times!
Wow!! A true collector...not a horder. Passion for the passionate. Lucky 🤞
Take a peek at the stater covers and clutch side cases. All look to have been repainted or coated like those front forks.
He defiantly does a damn good cleanup job though.
This guy has to be related to uncle ronnie even sounds like jimmy haha
Would love to have them all again but theres no hardly any parts left ! Also. loved the 480 cr but again No parts left ! I had all these bikes shown here too ! Just loved them all & felt like that they really made me happy back when they were Point blank alive !
Beautiful collecion, CR 80,250,500,480 4stroke,congratulações.
Damn that 2001 cr500 is baddass
This collection has me saying wow over and over again. Straight up drool worthy bikes
lol i was doing same thing my wife ask me if i was okay
cap, i gotta hand it to you, you find the gems. i couldnt resist not to ride a new bike i just bought. it takes a special person to look at a machine for 40 years and never put fuel in it
Oh My..Thats awesome.. Elsinores were So epic...Nothing could compare back in the day... i had Two different 125's ( forget which year models).....They were Beasts for me when i was about 10 to 11yrs when i could Only "tippy toe" to be able to ride them.. Took one of them 1/4 way up my mesquite tree in the back yard, luckily no damages... Oh the days..
Can watch this stuff for hours on end. Heaven on earth
Beauties of MX history here - K.K. Echoed Mx racers around the world about the '87 Huskys & KTMs 'We had to go Japanese', cos thats what we all did, globally, even the die hards of us would end up on a CR, or a KX etc. The US Supercross style tracks changed bikes forever and here is a great garage of bikes showing that great time. Stunning video👍
This guy is living the life that all motorheads wish they had lived, but life got in the way.
Thanks for the shout-out. Ken has the best job in the Land. Your museum is on my bucket list.
Thats why I vow todo what I live I had a family and we have to live but yeh I will do me and I am starting to I will always put my family first tho at the same time swings and roundabouts come to mind buddy
@@1991enduro good luck to you. 47 years ago I wanted to do it all, but it just didn't happen.
@@tomchrisfield7348 hey your never to old
What a nice gentleman. So polite and generous!
I remember your daughter's super trick cr80,absolute BEAST
Hey you
Man, those CR250's! I raced a CR250 at Cycle World, USA in St. Peters, MO, when the Elsinore was still silver. Those things didn't do anything but scream in all 6 gears. This was a very cool video. Loved the paperwork/publications too.
Amazing...never thought I would see so many NOS in one garage..truly outstanding...
I understand that guys like this are the reason we had incredibly peices of equipment but watching this it made me think to myself that he kept saying I have I have I have but haven't used well there only going to sit there untill he passes so if I was him I would have been enjoying the peices o restored but just respecting them at the same time, awesome that you can score some of these
2 cool guys. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
That garage looks like heaven
I did the same thing I bought a 05crf450 and the bought a 06 cr85r just to have matching bikes for my girl. Great collection !!
Those 79’s are friggin gorgeous. even tho my first bike was a 78’ XR75- 1979 is when i started riding. You guys are awesome. Love the passion..
this show is never gonna end either is the building, we get a push some times from above, thats all.
Keep pushing as you are Kaplan America. best show on youtube buddy
Omg as a kid of the 70s-80s your making me drule that man's collection is awesome 😎
Dear god protect this collection.
Wish you guys had a shop in Mississippi.. The business would be 10 times better.. A lot of riders in the State but no good shop to get work did to your bike.. Love this channel
Wow what a lovely collection of Motor x gold could watch this stuff all day thank you
Those cr elsinore are something else. I want one. Any one would be amazing.
These videos have reignited my first love, thankyou.
You've done it again, stopped me dead in my tracks, cannot do anything but watch all 56 minutes of excellent video content.
I get nothing done when you post a video!! Lol
It must be hard to put a value on these , I would miss them as soon as i took the money
It's always fun taking a trip down memory lane.
This is a great video I love how you take the time to talk to them and also listen to there story your a a solid guy God bless america and Mr. Caplins family
Wow this guy has done so much to these bikes. He even has the snap on stands to park them on. So much new old stock.
That’s what you you look for when trying to find a nice used bike, an ‘04 crf450 “mail box rocket”.
Man CR5 is an absolute wet dream, but those vintage Husky's, damn, that's some Steve McQueen shit right there, too cool!
All I can say is these 2 are legends and a dying breed
Jeez, the product knowledge between the two of you guys is off the chain. Great collection and video. Thanks for uploading it!
They won't sell you a bike still in the crate , uninspected anymore. It is a federal requirement that they do the pre delivery inspection on them before they leave the dealers premises. My local dealer said he could assemble it all up to sign it off and then put it back into the crate for me on a honda I wanted was the best they could do
One of two things need to happen here. Either these bikes need to be ridden and used or they need to be sold to a museum. It’s a shame to have them in a garage like that. What incredible beauty and work.
perfect Honda CR 500 :O
So cool. Never heard of them. Can’t wait to see her after her bubble bath.
The dream's garage!! 😍 I already watched twice to delight every piece of that amazing bikes. Everything completely clean and cared well. Congrats Sir!!
These Videos are Awesome!! Very informative n great information!
Each 1 gets better n better!!!!
Cannot wait to come by the Museum!!
Wow, what a collection. Bikes, engines, Corvettes. This dude is living the dream !
Perfectly preserved, should they be ridden or stored? How truly bittersweet.
Dam Sr. You definitely know how to find the nicest toys.. Blessed. 💪🏻🤟🏻💯
Now this is what u call a real man cave of the holy grail.... god bless America 🇺🇸
Honda Heaven at it's finest....
All I got is WOW!😳unbelievable
OMG,NOS red rocket aka Elsinore cr250 UNOBTANIUM BABY 👽🤷♂️
I almost cried when I saw the 79! This bike is beautiful 😍.
That was one bad ass dude! Such in interesting man being that age, the guy says he “just loves standing at his work bench porting his bike”
Wow that’s amazing. These bikes do need to be ridden though I sure hope you fire them up mate 👊✊
A little slice of MX heaven right there 🥰
Hahaha!!! Now that was an entertaining 2 minutes!!👏👏
And the Scorps topped it off🎶🎵
I wanna move to Connecticut and roost leaves🍁 on my five hundie!!!
Thank you!!
That teal/blue Suzuki tank is GORGEOUS 😍
how do you find these people, this is absolutely insane, its a dream
They find him, old timers look up these old bikes on UA-cam and find kaplan cycles
@@LRP-e1m that's what I was gonna say. They want a guy like him to buy it. They dont want some dumb kid with money that's just gonna ride it to its grave. These bikes are one of a kind and need to be preserved but still rode.
All my youtube family its YOU guys that bring these leads to me. I LOVE YOU ALL!!
@@KaplanCycles hell yea brother keep up the good work.
@@justobservenow3480 yes i think epsept the cr500 & ttr & cr450 for what i just seen but i still wouldn't say no to any of them it might even give my right leg a rest Lol
Some count sheep to get to sleep, I count CR'ZZZZ !! Restored 92,93 CR125'S ...they are sweet ! I ride them ...but they are kept close to new as possible while still enjoying them ✌🏼
Holy grail some real dime pieces very nice collection.
All man hell yeah great video kap
God bless America 🇺🇸
You’re living the dream Mr.Kaplan, that is soo cool , all those beautiful Honda’s , nothing but dimepiece’s , soo awesome
That guy has a serious collection. He took great care of his bikes.
I remember in my high school days I had a subscription to Cycle magazine and the day the issue with Pierre Karsmaker and Marty Smith were on the cover with their red gems. I couldn’t stop staring at them.
What a great guy. Beautiful bikes.
I almost can't watch these anymore. It reminds me so much of being a teen and all the great bikes available but also I had an actual place to ride them then.
Wow watched snr with the guy who got them bikes I watched it the first time it came out sad to no he hid no longer with us you can here the passion he has for the bikes and his cars rip to him great bikes thanks for sharing
Oh man that’s nasty. Rest up brother. Listened to you on pulpmx the other day and this really puts it into perspective. Thoughts from Queensland Australia!
I really appreciate the time you take making this video’s I always thought Honda should come out with a new version of the 79 250R Thanks for the video
I had a NOS 1977 RM 125 that a guy got off eBay still in the original crate. He got it assembled and rode two tanks of gas in it before I acquired it. When I decided to sell it a guy paid insane money and had it shipped across the country because it was his first bike when he was a kid.
Omg ,I'm back looking at this GRAVY 🤠🙏 that NOS cr250r is INSANIUM ❤👍🇬🇧
That CR500 though!!!!😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
This guy took very good care.
SUPER WOW FACTOR!!! Thanks for sharing this video.
The cr 250s brought back memories, when I switched from Yamaha to Honda I raced a 1980 cr250r which the forks were set up so they weren't so soft and had fox twin clickers on the rear. Great bike, I rode for a year than switched to desert racing with an 81 KTM495. Awesome collection.
i hope these bikes are kept as they are, not started, not even put gas in the tank. These are real pristine collectors bikes and if they are kept like this they will just sky rocket in price over the years
Listening to FOX radio.... GOOD MAN!
I was a Suzuki kid growing up but my friend bought a brand new 79 Honda 250 and kept it in his kitchen and it was the most beautiful bike I had ever seen with the red motor and Huge suspension Great collection
Guys like this are crazy, when they die a lot of their treasures go I know just like those shocks in the box they will end up at a goodwill
That's too awesome y'all fr killing it with that nos elsinore s wow , keep up the good work