Model: XL250 Elliot Special
Year: 1979-1983 (bike Completion) Engine: HONDA XL250 YEAR 1979 NR VEO526T,
MAX POWER: 20 bhp AT 6000 RIM, FRONT SPROCKET: OSSA MAR 10 TOOTH,
REAR SPROCKET: BULTACO SHERPA 48 TOOTH, FRAME: STEEL TIG WELDED, ELLIOTT SPECIAL DESIGN,
CARBURETOR: AMAL 26, WHEELS: FROM MONTESA 348, RIMS: AKRONT, FRONT FORK: TELESCO, REAR SHOCKS: GIRLING GAS SHOCKS, FUEL TANK: FIBERGLASS, SEELEY MODIFIED SHAPE, FUEL TANK CAPACITY: 2.5 LITRE, WHEELBASE: 1320 mm, WEIGHT: 94 k
Original Owner: Patrick Elliot Units Made: 1 Actual Owner: Italian Collector
Honda xl 250 Elliott special – history thanks to Justyn Norek
Patrick Elliott master welder in tig technology and great enthousiast of trials, has ridden at early seventies best trials bikes of that period (namely ossa, montesa and suzuki) by pure chance has one day ocassion to compete in trial on english bike, triumph tiger cub.
Fact is that he has enjoyed this ride on small four stroke bike than riding more powerfull and fast two strokes that he has used so far…
In that period there was begining of honda domination in trials, first by sammy miller team in national events, then with eddy lejeune in world trials championship on honda 360 prototypes.
Patrick was fascinated by performance of these moto, but production bikes were different and less competitive. so he decided he can built one of his own concept. He started buying production off road xl 250 (uk registration number veo 526t) destroyed its frame, and built new frame, light and compact.
Here comes interesting fact, as he has used steel tubes of very hard steel that were almost impossibly to bent, he has designed frame using only straight elements and multiple tig welding !!!
Same concept was aplied for exhoust tube, straight segments and lotof welding, at least he was master welder, wasnt he ? good example of quote «necessity is mother of invention», so in this way Patrick bypassed limitation, using his creativity…. engine was detuned with lower compression rate and amal carburetor was fitted, smaller than standard Keihin, to get better torque, so important in trials.
As for suspension, he has opted for best from period: Telesco front fork, Girling shocks, Akront rims, montesa hubs…. at the beginning fuel tank was from Yamaha fs 1e 50cc road bike, later substituted by fiber glass tank seat combo taken from Seeley Honda,
Albeit heavilly modificated to allow fitment of xl250 engine , so tank capacity was finally 2,5 liters more than sufficent due to low fourstroke fuel consumption. final weight was reduced to 94 kg, some 30 less than original bike and also 5 less than standard tl250. This bike was completed in 1983 and used till the end of 1985, when pace of development of works trials bikes has outclassed it with arrival of mono shocks…during this period patrick competed in several local trials in northern england, most challenging and memorable was «lakes 2 day trial», after that Patrick gave more time to marriage, growing family, house then trials and rode bike only ocasionaly through 90ties.
Finally in 2007 he has met passionate trials rider from Italy and with help of lot of Italian red wine, decided to sell his unique and only one trials machine that stand now proudly between moto Guzzi trial and CCM 350 trial that we already tested, in garage of this keen trials rider somewhere in Piedmonte and now its time to test her…more about it soon…
Best regards
Justyn
