Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1543392
March 2026 39 other, which resulted in both bikes being wheeled out into an alley behind the building where the trade show was taking place. Some premix was then obtained, as all bikes in the show had to be drained of fuel. Fueled up, both 125's were then run head-to-head up and down the alley, the outcome of which, to the surprise of the Honda reps, had the Chaparral coming out on top each me. The resul ng noise brought the a en on of Chaparral's regional distributor, who was at the show but did not know of the impromp- tu drag races. He was about to admonish the Chaparral guys for their ac ons, but first asked, "Who won?" When told their own bike beat the Elsinore, his response was, "Well, I guess it's all right then." Unfortunately, the prototype was stolen during the trade show. Some me passed, and the bike was eventually recovered. The authori es re- turned it to the regional distributor, in whose care the bike was at the me of the the . Chap- paral by this me had gone out of business, and the 125 was pushed into the corner at the distrib- utor's warehouse. The bike's whereabouts even- tually came to the a en on of Bre Buer, who arranged to purchase it. So, the the of the bike and its treatment at the me, along with years of storage, led to its current appearance. Bre reports that despite the cosme c deteriora on, the bike appears to have been hardly ever ridden. It is basically as-produced. A plas c tank, Preston Pe y "Muder" fenders, and no silencer are some dis nc ve features. Bre says the side covers are missing, although he does have the airbox for the bike, which is no ceably absent from the Chapar- ral marke ng brochure. How would Chaparral's larger-displacement ma- chines have fared in the market? Would they have ever go en into produc on? Hard to say for sure, but MX machines produced by both Japanese and European manufacturers during this period were really coming on strong, with major improvements implemented each year. As the old saying goes, it would have been a tough row to hoe.