I was an active member years ago, but in '06 I sold my '86 250R and haven't been on the forums since. I sold my R when their values were sky high and I switched to waverunners. Thanks to all of the new 450s, you can get a great R for around $2.5k - $3k in my area. Im looking at a mint '87 with all of the right aftermarket parts, except for a stock steel swingarm. My old '86 had an aftermarket unit, so Im not familiar with the strength of the stock 86-87 units. I know the 86-87 swingarms were 1" longer and had the motor mount bracket as part of the swingarm, but has anyone experienced any strength issues with these stock units? Are they stronger or weaker than the 88-89 aluminum units? Thanks.

 

I have an '86 still on the stocker. Seems to be a pretty sturdy peice.

 

86-87 swingarm will fit your 88 R. Only thing you would have to do is make a spacer for the center of the 86-87 swingarm were the motor mount bracket would normaly be when used on the 86-87 frame.

Most people like the 88-89 swingarm for it's length. -1 inch under 86-87 swingarms. That one inch makes a big difference in the way the bike handles corners.

 

Been looking for a few weeks and already Im starting to get discouraged on finding a nice 250R. The guy I was going to buy the mint '87 from didn't have a good attitude, so I let that one go. A lot of guys are asking strong money for frankensteined machines. I built my full custom '86 about 10 years ago...and now my tastes have changed. I just want a stock to mildly modified machine...that's proving harder to find than I thought. Starting to lean towards trying to find an '09 450R with the orange frame and white plastics...