im looking to buy a trx250r. i used to have a lt250r(suzuki) then sold it and switched to four strokes and now want to buy 250r. is there anything to look for on them. like i know on the lt250r the 86's didnt have power valves. any help?

 

the 88-89 have and updated clutch and a longer rod? it might be shorter im not sure, and the 86-87 have a stronger frame.

 

despite what others tell you, the 86 was the fastest year. mine has been up against many bikes and laid the smack down and rips it up pretty good. I have a banshee too, and can tell you that although the banshee is faster, this bike is 10X more fun to ride! also, the 86 had the short rod engine and revved faster than the later years. this engine was pretty much taken from the ATC. honda then wanted to 'tune' it more for quad use and they changed the cylinder and stuff after that year. 87 was the start of the longer rod. 88-89 had the same cylinder, though i remember reading somewhere where honda changed some porting on the 89 and brought back some other engines parts from the 86. also the 88-89 had a smoother powerband as honda was striving for an 'electric' feel- they SHOULD HAVE just put a powervalve in it....but maybe they would have if they hadnt pulled the plug after 1989...who knows??....but the 86 had the most noticable hit.

the 86-87 frame was identical, but the wheelbase was slightly longer than 88-89. 88-89 saw the aluminum swingarm and it was approx. 1/2 inch shorter than the one on the 86-87. they also changed the front geomtrey ever so slightly, slapped the first radials ever on an atv - the MR series othsu (still used today on 400ex and now bombardiers). and it has been the frame copied ever since... but to me, the 86-87 seems to handle just as well.

some say get the 89 for the best updates. but any year in good condition (well kept, cleaned, runs good)should not dissappoint you. the 88 was the best looking (possibly the best looking quad ever made) check the frame for cracks and welds very thoroughly. check the bearings and stuff and make sure everything is ok by your standards. if you need to replace anything- honda still has parts for them and this bike has probably the biggest aftermarket following in history, so you should be able to find stuff for it; but im sure you know that.