For decades, two-stroke MXers were big business. Production versions of factory competition machines became desirable off-roaders, leading to some of the most iconic quarter-liter off-road racers of all time. Two of those machines are undeniably the Honda CR250R and Kawasaki KX250. Both bikes were “out of the box racers” that were instant classics, receiving various updates over the years in their more than three-decade production runs during which one of the greatest motorcycle arms races of all time would take place.
Both of these competition-derived two-stroke Japanese dirt bikes are from 1982 and have undergone a complete restoration with each machine being stripped down to the frame before being pieced back together using a combination of “reconditioned” and new parts. Though these 250’s are really clean, they’re not museum-quality, or as the seller puts it: “Not perfect but pretty damn close.” These ’82 two-strokes are admittedly cool looking brappers, but it’s unquestionably their performance that has cemented their place in history as some of the most iconic dirt bikes of all time, with Dirt Bike Magazine calling the CR “Honda’s greatest bike ever”.
The CR250R was first introduced as a prototype in ’71, with the first production version rolling out of factories and being made available to the public two years later. The model’s lineage can supposedly be traced back to the six-cylinder RC166 250cc road-racer (famously piloted by Mike Hailwood). It wouldn’t be until 2007 that Honda would finally pull the plug on the CR due to the rise of the four-stroke )and the introduction of the CRF250/450R). Between the CR’s debut and end of production, countless changes were made to the nimble dirt-goer. Half a decade after its release, the CR250M would become the CR250R, and two years later Honda would redesign the machine with a double-downtube chassis and a center exhaust port before doing another redesign the following year.
It is pretty common knowledge that Soichiro Honda famously wasn’t a fan of two-stroke machines and supposedly even made the statement that Honda would “never build one”, but after a while it seemingly became increasingly clear Soichiro was fighting a good thing, and maybe more importantly, a good thing that sold like gangbusters. Though Honda was much more successful on the local level (opposed to the national level), the manufacturer would enjoy sales success as countless professional riders would pilot the CR to victory in various competitors, including names such as Gary Jones, Marty Tripes, Marty Smith, Bob Hannah, Donnie Hansen, David Bailey, Johnny O’Mara, Rick Johnson, Jeff Stanton, Jean Michel Bayle, Danny LaPorte, Chuck Sun, Jeremy McGrath, Doug Henry, Mike LaRocco, Ricky Carmichael, just to name a few.
The year after Honda would first gift the riding world with the CR, Kawasaki would strike back in ’73 in the form of the KX250, another competition-derived Japanese two-stroke MXer that would see constant production until October of 2007. Kawasaki would keep the KX competitive via a series of updates over the years. The 1982 KX250 – which was interestingly the largest KX model offered at the time – like the Honda saw a new center port exhaust design. It also got a revised eight-petal reed valve and revamped cylinder head that allowed for more power at bottom and top. A new frame and an unapologetically gold swingarm (with matching wheels) was another update for ’82. (Fun fact: Ricky Carmichael would also pilot a KX to victory).
Not only are both of these restored 1982 examples valuable due to their age, scarcity, and historical significance, but in recent years two-strokes have become increasingly popular again. The minimal upkeep and overall simplicity of the two-stroke has resulted in a major resurgence. Companies like KTM opting to invest into the development of a fuel-injected two-stroke machines demonstrates this reality. It’s pretty common to see old two-strokes retrofitted with newer bodywork or non-factory components, and off-road machines are ridden hard, often by kids and teens who beat them to shit, so examples like this are only becoming harder to find. The exhaust on the KX appears to have been dented at some point, but aside from that both these machines are pretty solid examples.
You can find both these classic 1982 MXers for sale on Craigslist in Phoenix, Arizona, with the Honda CR250R going for $3,999, and the Kawasaki KX250 for $4,199.