The motorcycle market is full of excellent modern dirt bikes, but for some reason, hopping on something rare and old sometimes makes the ride more exciting. Maybe it’s because a classic dirt bike has nothing computerized underneath? An old dirt bike runs purely on the good old-school mechanical engineering. Of course, there’s also the possibility that it could break down any second, but is that a reason to love it? Of course not, but a motorcycle without the modern technological configurations is a little easy to fix and get back up and running if it breaks down.
Finding any of the bikes featured here is quite a hustle, but not impossible. One reason is that these dirt bikes were designed and made to be ridden hard on the toughest terrains. Unfortunately, many of them rusted away, but a handful of them are still available in the classic bike market. The eight classic dirt bikes featured here are rare, somewhat expensive, but good enough to prove that price doesn’t really matter.
8 1961 Lito 500 Motocross
It is not just one of the insanely good-looking classic bikes in the market today; it’s also one of the best players in the early days of Motocross. The Lito 500 featured groundbreaking architecture that made it quite famous and popular with legendary riders like Sten Lundin. He rode the Albin-powered Lito to crush the FIM 500cc World Motocross Championship in 1961.
The Lito 500 Motocross came as a result of a fierce rivalry between Great Britain and Sweden. They were competing to build the best four-stroke motorcycle in the 1950s. A Swedish builder gave Sweden an upper hand when he used the best British construction and an upgraded chassis and engine to bring to life the 1961 Lito 500 Motocross. Apparently, only 35 units were ever made.
7 1968 Bultaco 360 El Bandido
The Spanish Bultaco was launched in 1967. It featured a 350cc engine that was later upgraded to 362cc and 43.5 horsepower. Today, the classic motorcycle market offers both the Motocross and the Scrambler models of the 360 El Bandido. It was an exquisite machine that was built rare and remains so even today.
In America, the Bultaco 360 El Bandido came with a long wheelbase of 55.9 inches. It also featured a 31-degree head angle that made it a wild performer on a scrambler track. And even though it’s not one of the most expensive, it is a classic bike worth investing in.
6 1966 Husqvarna 250 Cross
Motocross started in the UK and spread quite fast across Europe, then to America. Edison Dye is known as the man behind Motocross’s popularization in America. However, it wasn’t a walk in the park for him — he was convinced it could be a success, so he imported both the Motocross bikes and the riders for the first race series. At this time, the Husqvarna 250 Cross was the best choice of bike to pick, and Torsten Hallman used it to win the World Championship plus the Inter-Am. After the iconic win, American riders fell in love with it.
While there may be several classic 250 Cross models today, the 1966 one was built differently. It had a 19-inch front wheel, a frame bolted together, and smaller crankcases. Of all the models, the ’66 is the rarest and the best investment option.
5 1975 Puch MC250 Twin Carb
Puch is an Austrian company that hired the Belgian motocross rider Harry Everts to race in the FIM 250cc World Motocross Championships. It took a year before the champ found the winning trick. After that, he bagged four championships in a row, dominating big brands like Suzuki.
Puch produced 90 units of the MC250 Twin Carb with a clean frame design and Marzocchi suspension. These dirt motorcycles also came with magnesium cases, hubs and forks, and a twin carb setup. Unfortunately, not many Puch MC250 Twin Carb bikes are left, but finding one in good condition is like locating a gold mine.
4 1968 Suzuki TM250
In 1966, Suzuki commissioned two engineers to collaborate with a road racer to build a Motocross bike in Europe. After testing a single-cylinder and twin-engine setup, the team finally decided to utilize the single-cylinder. Influenced by the CZ Twin-Port 250 bike, the team brought the very first Japanese Motocross motorcycle to life, the Suzuki TM250.
At first, the bike didn’t perform as expected. So, Suzuki went back into the drawing board to improve it further. Unfortunately, its poor handling didn’t match European Motocross bikes from brands like CZ and Husqvarna. But that didn’t stop Suzuki from building 100 units, 65 of which were sent to the United States. Several iconic racers, including Gary Conrad and Preston Petty, rode the Suzuki TM250.
3 1974 Yamaha YZ250A
Yamaha launched the DT1 in 1968, when Don Jones, the Motocross icon, was beginning a new development program for his sons — DeWayne and Gary. DeWayne and Gary are some of the Pioneers of Motocross racing. Yamaha worked with the Jones family and helped Gary bag two champions in a row, the 1971 and 1972 250 National Championships.
The YZ250A is the Jones' modified model that began production in 1974. The bike came with whittled-down forks and a low-slung engine. It had a gas tank with loop-ring straps and featured the finest engineering throughout.
2 1973 Honda CR250M Elsinore
Honda produced the first CR250 Elsinore in 1972, but it didn’t go on sale until the Spring of 1973. There was a campaign that featured the screen legend Steve McQueen that made the Elsinore more popular. Compared to their European dirt bike counterparts, the 1973 Elsinore had improved ergonomics and proved to be more durable. They also had enhanced electronics and overall user-friendliness.
What makes the CR250M Elsinore even more collectible is its conservative styling and satin-finished gas tank. Gary Jones rode a CR250M Elsinore to win the 1973 AMA Nationals, the first of Honda’s 250cc National Championship victories. Today, the Honda CR250M Elsinore is one of the most sought-after classic dirt bikes of all time.
1 1978 Kawasaki KX250A4
From a distance, the KX250A4 looks like any other Kawasaki dirt bike. But it is not. There’s a very interesting story behind this classic, one-of-a-kind motorcycle. Between 1973 and 1976, Kawasaki Motocross racers saw dust on the MX circuit. The likes of Yamaha and Suzuki dominated the racetracks. To focus on research and development, Kawasaki shut down the entire production line of the KX in 1977. The focus paid off really well. They came back with the 1978 KX250A4.
The KX250A4 had outstanding features such as a Chromalloy frame, aluminum gas tank, gold wheels, gold motor mounts, and gold swingarm. The bike also featured KYB oil-charged rear shocks and air-charged front shocks. Kawasaki produced 1500 units of this bike, and 600 were sent to the United States.