OK GUYS I FOUND 2 1986 250R'S FOR SALE. I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ANOTHER QUAD. I CAN'T SEEM TO REMEBER WHAT THE YEAR DIFFERENCES ARE BETWEEN THE 86 AND THE 87-89 ARE. I THINK IT WAS THE SWINGARM LENGTH (IT WAS SHORTER I THINK) , PLATSIC,AND THE A-ARMS WERE A BIT WIDER WERE THEY MOUNT . I KNOW THAT THE LATER ONES WERE BETTER BUT FOR WHAT OTHER REASONS. THE ONE I FOUND SEEMS TO BE ALL STOCK. I'LL RACE THEM MX AND HILLCLIMBS, SO I MAY BE CHANGING A-ARMS AND OTHER STUFF SO MAYBE THE DIFFERENCES AREN'T THAT BIG A DEAL. I'M GOING TO LOOK AT THEM TONIGHT. I'LL GET BACK TO YA TOMORROW. THANKS

 

86-87 have a 2 in longer swingarm. i think theyalso have a longer stroke as well. there are also subtle differences in gearing, i think. there is no difference in width between all years

 

SO IS THERE ANY MAIN REASONS NOT TO BUY AN 86?

 

I think the swingarm on the '86 was made of steel as opposed to the aluminum ones found on the later models.

 

there is no main reason to buy an 86. the main diffference is in the swingarm so the difference in length better suits different types of riding.. as for myself i own an 86 and teh extra 2 inches is a benefit for dunes. on the other hand the 88-89 R ( 2 in shorter swingarm) will better suit a trail or MX rider. some would say that the 86 obviously has 4 more years of abuse on it but that is a pointless argument. it all depends on how each bike was card for. make sure you look at the swingarm bolt mount and inspect for cracks. also look around teh upper shock and handlebar mounts

 

The 86/87 R's have exactly the same wheelbase as the 88/89 R's. The swingarm IS longer on the 86/87 by 1 inch, but the A-arms on the 86/87 are moved 1 inch back resulting in the same wheelbase. Because of this there is more weight bias on the front wheels of an 86/87 R. In other words, they (86/87) steer slightly better and have less of a tendency to push the front wheels. They also get less traction and are less wheelie-prone for the same reasons. All the aftermarket chasis' like Laegers, Aarens, etc use the 88/89 geometry.

The 86/87 swingarms are also steel whereas the 88/89 swingarms are aluminum.

Along with the rod and piston difference mentioned in an earlier reply, the 86 motor was the only one with no bridge on the intake port. Some say this makes them slightly faster but also slightly less reliable in the long run. I know plenty of guys who run 86's and have no probs. If it came down to buying a clean 86/87 or a beat-up 88/89 I would go with the cleaner 86/87 (maybe that is common sense).

Like some of these other guys said, I wouldn't be too worried about buying an 86 if it was in good shape. LIke Elsancho said check for cracks around the stem mounts and shock mounts. I have also seen them crack frames around the swingarm bolt and the rear subframe mounts.

There are alot of roached out R's out there - be careful before you buy!

 

thanks for the advise. i've been looking around for a new quad (to me anyways). i need something bigger to race then my 250x. i also looked at a 96 banshee for 2750 out the door. it has the motor all redone and only needs front arm bushings. i have always wanted a banshee or 250r. the 250r is 3100 with nerfs, a pipe and bumpers. gonna look at the 250r tonight. i'm gonna race it flattrack and Some mx, woods ride - hillclimbs. what do you guys think is the better deal?

 

YZ:

I guess if it were me it would depend on the condition of the R. I prefer the handling of the R over the Banshee for MX use but that is just my opinion. I have a friend with a high dollar Banshee that does very very well on it racing MX. I also think the R's hold their value better but on the other hand I also see guys asking top dollar for R's that are basically roached out junk. If the R was MX raced I would be pretty skeptical of the frame - it seems they all end up cracking eventually if you REALLY race/jump them.

I do know this about an R - take it for what it's worth: when I show up at the track with my 1987 R everyone wants to come over and check it out. And ... when I am with my buddy who has a $10,000 Banshee everyone is still surrounding my R asking questions and no one even seems to notice his Banshee - it really pi$$es him off!

The R is like a '69 SS Camaro or an old Stingray Vette - it is a classic and has a sort of cult following.

How long have you had that 01 CR? You happy with it? I have a buddy who is trying to buy one right now.

 

i know what you mean about the 250r following. it's gonna be a hard decision. if it's in good shape i may buy it. but it will have to be nice. i don't know how much mx either quad will see cause i'll just race my cr. but i will be using them for flattrack, and the banshee screams on flat out racing. i've had my cr for over a year now. i had a 98 before this and i liked the motor better. it seemed to rev forever. right now my cr motor is out getting rebuilt and ported. the 2001 seemed to be all low end power and not much rev, there was some but not like the 98. both are awesome tho.

 

You sound like a bike racer like me. I race a KTM 520SX in the old man class (+30B) - and I usually race my R once or twice a year also. I have so much money in my R now that it is hard to actually beat on it anymore. It has turned out to be a very expensive pit bike.

I have a bud with an 99 CR and he likes it but it is pretty much ready for the bone yard. I had not heard that about the 01's being lowend motors. I would like to hear what you think when you get it back from being ported. I rode a 2000 CR 250 that had been ported by Pro Circuit - it was INSANE fast!

Although I prefer R's, there is nothing wrong with a Banshee. My buddies MX Banshee has a 2 into 1 pipe to get a little more lowend. It sounds like a freaking Indy car - I have never heard anything cooler. And ... Banshees have their own little cult following too, just maybe not to the extreme of the R.

I would buy whichever was cleaner.

Good luck!