I'm thinking about buying another quad and got a hankering for a 250R. What are things to look for when buying a used one? Is any one year better than the other?

 

Best year is the 89. Why?? gear ratio's, porting, strength, swingarm. All the years are good but if I were to look for another it would Def. be an 88 or 89. When looking at a used one look for these things..

- case saver ears (you DONT want these broken off)
- cracks or welds on frame..Big no-no, unless it was gusseting
- make sure its not all "zip-tied" together
- steering stem mount on the frame (look for cracks)
- motor mounts (look for cracks)
- swingarm pivot mounts (look for cracks)
- check back and forth play in a-arms, swingarm, axle, steering stem
- IF every thing else seems good and you are thinking about buying (seriously) See if you can drain the anti-freeze from both the radiator AND jug and take off the head and see if the piston looks good.. Move it down to bottom dead center and look around the sleeve for hairline cracks, scratch marks, hatch marks, any thing out of the ordinary with a flashlight.
- Depending on what the bike has.. Don't spend too much. IF its stock (completely) and in ok condition, has every thing and maybe a pipe. It's worth about $3000-$3500, With motor work such as porting, cool head, reeds, carb, tires, etc etc etc.. price goes up into $4000-$5000, and if the bike is TOTALLY decked out with professional motor work, long travel shocks/a-arms, aftermarket swingarm, sets of tires, etc etc.. the price can be $5500-$10,000

Hope this helps.. Mines for sale by the way!

 

What made you decide on the 250R just out of curiosity?

 

that list of stuff is good. i concur.

but as far as year goes, the 89 year had some of the things reinstated from the 86 that honda took off for the 87-88 yrs that deal with the clutch and other stuff. 88 is the most sought after yr and it waws the slickest looking. one of the best looking bikes of all time to me.

88, 89, 86 should be the order of search if it was me. the 87 was a bast@rd kind of year, IMO.

i bought my great conditioned, nearly stock 1986 model 2 yrs ago - not a crack and it just got it's first rebuild right before it was shipped to me. 16yrs (18 now) and everything is still tight, smooth shifting. plenty of power and not a hint of a problem. hey these are excellent machines. i dont think they make them quite like this anymore, despite what others say.

 

*****,

I miss a 2 stroke. They're easier to work on, cheaper to build, and I always wanted an R when I was younger. I've owned many quads but not an R. With the introduction of the 450R, the prices seem to be going down on them. Not to mention the aftermaket stuff available for them.
I'm just ready for a new project. I like this DS, but it's time to move on to something different. And when I get tired of the R, I'll move on to something else again. It's just a hobby for me, I want to own them all once. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

250R is a great choice for a quad as long as you can pick it up reasonable. If the frame hasn't cracked around where the swingarm bolt goes on one side or both then it hasn't had a hard life. I can slpit the cases with a blindfold on they're so easy. Nothing hard to work on, just parts can cost some money when buying so try to get a complete good unit if possible. I personally like the 86 because of the longer 1'' swingarm and frame design. Everyone has their own tastes.

 

I picked up a stock 89 a couple a months ago, also because I've always wanted one. I've sunk about $3K into the motor, A-arms, axle, carrier, pipe and carb. Now I won't even ride the raptor! Fills to big and heavy. It's become my loaner bike.