what was the deal with the 250r?how good of a bike was it? why did they stop making it? how powerful was it?



2003 honda 250EX

 

you must not be that old?
Let me see if i do justice here and answer this correctly. The Honda TRX250R was the first factory racer (some argue it's not, but that's another story) that a manufacturer put out. Honda made it in response to quads taking over and 3wheelers were on their way out (due to getting banned). Its competition at first was the Suzuki Quadracer 250 - the first high performance quad. It tore up the track b/c thats all that was out there until Honda released their 250r. The 250r gained ground fast b/c it had superior handling characteristics than the quadracer. By 1988, honda redid the 250r, slightly adjusting geomerty and swingarm lenght, some engine stuff, and came up with a worldclass package that was even better (to some) that the original 1986 TRX250R. They continued to dominate racing for years(even now) after honda quit making them in 1989. They stopped making them because honda was getting sued left and right from idiots who could NOT ride them and from idiodic people that would by their 6 yr old a 250r and let him get killed on it. Stupid crap like that. Plus, honda was to blame in the courts' eyes for inventing the 3wheeler and getting people killed/hurt on those. They were under alot of pressure and they were the ones primarily being targetted in the lawsuits. i think they just had to walk away and regroup. Then in 1998, they returned to the "serious" quad market and introduced the 400EX as a '99 model and the industry woke up and it where it is today b/c of this bike and the 250R before it. (Though I must give a shout out to Yamaha for not giving in and continuing to produce all their machines during Honda's, Suzuki's, and Kawasaki's near coma from the sport for these years. Thank you Yamaha!)

It is a little known fact that Honda advertised the 250R at having 40HP. Not sure if that was the crank or not. I think it was.
Oh yeah, Ii must say though that even though the 250R rules the track, most (99.99%) of them are not stock. There is ALOT of aftermarket parts for this bike and people buy them. The aftermarket and racing kept this bike alive for the last 15yrs! Also, only now has 4 stroke technology finally caught up (in a quad sense) to 2 stroke power. This is partly thanks to 2006 anti twostroke regulations pending in the USA and the revoluton of Cannondale proving it could be done with 4 stroke power. Now Yamaha has followed suit with the YFZ450 and things are heating up like there were in the late 80's.
These have been the only bikes so far that rival the 250r and even beat it in some ways, depending on who you ask! But seriously, stock for stock the Yamaha and the Cannondale are more racer oriented.
Of course, a stock new 250R hasnt been available in almost 15yrs...so it may be a little unfair to compare, but everybody does compare every new perfomance bike to the 250R. They always will because it is the benchmark. It is the standard. If it doesnt stay the benchmark/standard, then it will still be a good measuring stick to compare against. One thing is for sure, I really dont think any quad will ever have the dominance that the 250R has had, no matter who makes newer bikes. Competition is feirce!
The good news is Honda is to release a TRX450R this September, November for Europe. Maybe this could be the new standard? Maybe not. But it will definitely be another good measuring stick and a bright spot on the sport of ATVing.

 

hey thanks for clearing that up for me because alot of people told me it was a really awsome bike but i didnt no and it would be nice if i could get my hands on one of them because i may not of been driving long but i think i could handle one of them.





2003 honda 250EX

 

I have the 1986 water cooled 250R 3 wheeler with a Astro quad Kit. I love the handling. Like you said, I believe it to be a benchmark. However, I broke a front spindle on Memorial day. Since it is an Astro Kit, do you have any ideas where to find replacement parts. I would hate to part it off.