Hi, I have just finished reading the local paper and seen a ad for a 1986 250r
and was wondering if this is a good price for it. Oh what where the
mechanical problems the first year???
anyway here is the ad "1986 Trx 250r, 40 over, shaved head,wiseco piston,
good cond $2000 (Canadian Money because I live in Alberta)" Thanks I can wait to see what everyone says about this.

Thanks BUB

 

How much is that in American dollars? Look the frame over for cracks and welds. Pay attention to the swingarm pivot bolt area, the motor mounts, and the top front area where the steering stem mounts to the frame.
ERIC

 

Well, it looks to be a little less than $2000 in American dollars...I think it's a great buy. The 250R are pretty rare and possibly the greatest ATV ever =) If it it in good condition, go with it, you can put some slick mods on the thing and have that puppy running =)

-Wombat

 

I've only seen a handful of 250Rs for sale in Alberta in the last couple years and they were nowhere near $2.. They've been $3-$4,000 CDN, the ones for $4,000 having newer plastic and said to be mechnically sound. I'd expect this one to be in fairly rough shape, but if it looks good and runs good its a great bike to have. Easy to work on and lots of parts flying around (check the classifieds here and see). 40 over means its been rebuilt probably twice which is not a heck of a lot of mileage really, thats where mine is at and I've yet to have any serious problems at all.

Another thing to look for is how easy it is to find neutral when its running, if it tends to jump into 2nd, that gets to be a pain when you get stuck in the mud a lot, and its a lot of work to fix, but it isn't anything serious, just a worn part which will keep working for a long time.

You can also kick it over slowly and listen for any squeaks, and maybe go to a dealership and listen to a used CR250 to see what it should sound like for rattles when idling. Although in my opinion mine makes a worrysome rattle, but its been doing it for 8 years, so maybe its normal.

Also see if the front shocks have good damping by jumping on the bumper, since they are not rebuildable and quite expensive to replace.

The seat/fender pulls right off with 1 catch under the rear and the airbox lid pops right off to see the air filter, if its clean its a good sign of maintenance, same thing with sticking your finger into the oil filler hole on the rigth side, grey oil is a sign of the waterpump leaking, but nothing critical.

Rod 86 250R

 

Yes, great deal! I just bought mine for $2450. That was a real good deal.

 

Thank you everyone for your help, I went to look at this machine but I felt that the owner didn't seem to take very good care of it as he used cheap oils and when driving to the man's place I noticed quad marks going up the road, when I asked him why
He had been doing that he got a strange look and said "I just wanted to make sure it ran" but anyway the plastic had been "plastic welded" and was in terrible shape from being stored outdoors and the tires where full when I got there and dead flat from the 5 min ride I put in on the machine. The machine also needed a new chain and set of sprockets as the were in terrible condition, The machine had been rebuilt twice as Killefitt had predicted, the machine seemed to find neutral rather easily, but I asked what kind of oils he had used and he said "It likes the cheap stuff and I can't figure out why"
so that gave me some speculation as to how long the lower end would last if I purchased it.
Also the shocks were very soft and didn't have very much rebound.
I asked the man what his lowest price would be for it and he said "I'm not quite sure on that" So I concluded that he doesn't really want to get rid of it yet, so I said I'll think about it but I thought that I would consult all of you to see if this quad is worth $2000, But while riding it I found out why all of you 250R owners rave about them so much I absolutely loved the power and handling (even with semi-flat tires) but I couldn't really wheelie it that good but I think that may have been because of the poor tires.
I may call this man and offer him 1500-or 1400 if his ad runs in the paper for a really long time.

Anyway thank you for reading this extremely long post and I thank all of you for your great efforts and knowledge offered to me.

Thanks
BUB

1999 Wolverine
1999 Grizly
1995 Warrior
1990 Lt 160
1995 Lt 80
Atc 200x

 

sounds like a dawg, but it could be a nice sand dragger someday!

 

doesnt sound the best you might want to spend more and get a good "R" you may spend a few thousand in it in a few years replaceing parts butt if the frame does'nt have cracks it could be a awsome bike wonce you put that all the good stuff on it. I would try to get him to go lower tell him what the blue book is for it www.kbb.com they are not right but if you decide to get it try to get him to go down a little but it is not super bad if the frame it straight/no cracks and it runs good.

 

I have a 86 R. Bought it 5 yrs ago for $1900. Learned a lot about them since. Bought my wife a 87 R. If you can get that one for $2000 Canadian, that's about $1200 US and it's an exceptional deal. You may spend a lot to get it in top condition, but it will stay there once you get it done. I've smoked my motor 3 times and learned what to do. It's been running without a hitch for 4 years now and is really still strong. The front shocks sound like a problem, but for that price it still isn't a bad deal.