Looking at getting 250r!!!!

[theanswer4]

Hi I'm currently in the market for a 250r....I grew up as kid riding banshee's and since have moved to 4-stroke dirtbikes.....BUT I miss the 2 smoker and and looking at getting a 250r....I plan on making it a full mx quad. I would like some suggestion on how other's would go about getting one?......Try to find a mostly stocker for 1300-1500 bucks and build myself so I know what's going in and on the thing....or look for a semi built one for 4000-6000, by semi built I would prefer a-arm and shock kit, axle, ect....a built engine is not priority, since you cant go fast without handling, the problem I have with buying a built one is finding parts for all the DIFFERENT parts all the different owner's have put on them.

[orwjason]

I bought mine on Crigslist for $1500, and she was stock as could be, other than a silencer. Thats the way you want it if you are going to build one yourself, and want to be familar with every part on it. Look on Craigslist and be patient, you will find the one you want.

[250rdude]

i have one for sale 1989 in mint con 3000 in ga #706 473 1530

[bada$$250r]

I dont know where you live but there is one in Madison wi on craigslist for 1200 bucks stock

[acecarlos]

FYI...in SoCal $1500 buys you a decent TRX250R, $3000 buys you a clean, very nice one and $5000 or more buys you an up-graded 'R' with lot's of aftermarket parts. Can't go wrong with what you buy as long as it is a Honda 250R...best quad ever made.

Carlos.

[theanswer4]

FYI...in SoCal $1500 buys you a decent TRX250R, $3000 buys you a clean, very nice one and $5000 or more buys you an up-graded 'R' with lot's of aftermarket parts. Can't go wrong with what you buy as long as it is a Honda 250R...best quad ever made.

Carlos.

Thanks for the help ...checking on one next week...owner is out of town...any common problems on the r's I should look for...ex..frame cracks ..bearing problems?

[deadly]

I just put on my flame suit because I have a very firm opinion on this whole situation. I have been down this road and by gosh I would hate to see anyone else go through what I did.

Rule #1 - you have no REAL evidence of how a bike was maintained. It can be "pretty" but knowing now the things that are A-typical of failing you just can't openly see. Common failure points are crank bearings (on 86/87 most people install the 88/89 bearings as they are more robust), crank seals, infamous igniton issues that can only be apparent when ridden at higher RPMS, cranks tins come loose, gears and shift forks badly worn, the counter balancer is infamous for breaking the long bolt too. If that happens and especially if you break a second bolt your casings will get ruined. Our good friends here from BDT sold me a new set because of that very reason. Old shocks and hard jumping will end in broken motor mounts too (I speak from experience as well). That's just off the top of my head I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two others

Rule #2 - things you can see are bent steering stem, steering stem collar (typically worn out), bent knuckles, testing the tie rod ball joints (typically shot), and brake callipers are typically in need of rebuild and if they haven't been serviced in a long time you could end up with them so badly seized you have to buy different ones. The bearing carrier (lift rear end up and see if you have any up/down side/side movement, also while the rear end is up in the air start the bike up, put it in first gear and let the tires spin to see if the tires wobble. (axle bent). While the bike is in the air crawl underneath and with a flash light inspect for cracks. I'd probably ask the owner to pull the plastics off so you can inspect the frame. If you look at the guesset kit here it'll be a great road map of places for you to check.


So here's what could get people excited - when you buy an R the main thing you are after IMHO is the frame and motor. The rest of the OEM crap is just that , crap. Mostly due to age but partially just because it's WAAAAAY old technology and not worth paying any extra for. You'll be miles ahead of the game to buy one that already has upgrades because you can spend an absolute buttload of money on these (which you will lose your arse when you sell it) however if you do decide to do your own build, the money you saved from NOT buying the OEM crap is MUCH better spent on aftermarket parts. A good place to start is shocks. You can be faster than your friends but if your suspension is crap they'll blow right past you. Plus it's nice not to roll out of bed in the morning and feel like you were at a Sumo wrestling match the night before

I have dumped WAAAAY toooooo much money into mine over the years because the original stuff was just worn out. And to comment on Carlos' price range here in Oregon $2K buys a nice ride - typical top end upgrade to 300/310/330, aftermarket pipe and MAYBE aftermarket front shocks. I've seen decked out R's (lonestar this and Laeger that) for $4500+. Let's face it, the economy sucks right now and I can't remember a time that I've seen so many R's for sale. Supply and demand drives the price too.

Not trying to sound like an arse here, but I hope future readers take what I've said to heart. These truly are the best machines ever made, but I wish I had come back from the future to tell myself don't be an idiot and just buy one mostly upgraded.

[Lonewulf71]

I think every buying situation is going to be different. It all depends on how much the quad has actually been ridden/raced over the years and whether or not the person selling it really knows what they have. Just because something is older doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to be bad or in bad shape.

I picked up an 86 last Spring for $1500 (I'm in WV). It's a little rough (mostly cosmetic) but the main components were in good working order. I pretty much knew what I was buying because all the aftermarket parts were almost identical to my 88 which was originally put together in the mid 90's. I raced it for a couple of years then it sat around for years, which I suspect is the same case for the 86 that I bought. Someone else bought it in pieces and put it back together. The 86 has aftermarket +2 Laeger A-arms, Laeger swingarm, +1 Laeger steering stem, aftermarket axle, anti-fade hub nut, pro peg nerf bars, etc. I got lucky in the fact that it had a Custom Axis rear shock in really good condition plus Works front suspension (not as great).

Personally if it were me, and I was going to race I would try to find an R that has the main aftermarket components already unless you have a lot of money to put in it. If your going to race MX and you buy a stock R you're going to want to replace everything I mentioned above. I got lucky on the price because I knew the kid that was selling it. He'd been trying to sell it for awhile for as much as $2500 and he needed to get rid of it because he was getting married.