I just have a few ?? what would be the best year to get or are all years good??dose it come with hydro brakes stock(blasters dont)and how often will i have to rebuild or work on it??reliabilty??

 

All the years are good & basically the same. The 88-89 used a shorter, aluminum swingarm & the 89 had an upgraded clutch rod bearing & pressure plate. A lot of the older 250R's have been upgraded with the new bearing & pressure plate(not real expensive anyway($50)). The 86 had some slight differences in the top end of the motor & there were some different gear ratios over the years. Reliability is as good as any ATV. You hear people talk about doing a lot of maintenance on the 250R's, but that is because the type of people that own R's run them HARD! I hear of guys running the engines 3 years without any engine maintenance other than spark plugs & oil change. But if you hop it up a lot and/or dog it a lot, well, you put a lot more wear on the machine. Good oil, good gas & a little TLC, and you can have a very reliable ATV that is FAST. Be careful buying one, because a lot of them have been rode hard & not maintained well. Just replacing all the bearings & brakes could cost some big bucks. But there are nice ones out there that have been well maintained & although the R's are over 10 years old, you can still buy parts for them. In fact there are probably more aftermarket parts available for the R's than any other ATV. Check out this website, it is 250R ONLY: http://pub20.ezboard.com/bhondatrx250r
Yes, it has hydraulic disc brakes, front & rear.

 

When we park an 86, 87 and 88 next to each other, lots of little changes among them. The 86 and 87 had adjustable camber on the front A-arms. The 86 and 87 have the headlight mounted on the bars, the 88 and 89 in the front cowling. The 88 and 89 A-arms also are a little further forward. The plastic from all years fits all years if you change the seat latches.
Beyond that, they're all GREAT years. Shop carefully for one and don't get in a hurry and buy the first one you look at (well, that's what they always told me!) A lot will depend on how much you are willing to work on or invest in one. Actually, I do very little work on mine except maintenance. My last engine rebuild was over 4 years ago and my friend swears his 88 has NEVER been rebuilt! So much for a 2-stroke being unreliable! The biggest factor in reliability is making sure it's put together properly in the first place, then maintain it. Same with any machine.
And if you don't like the color, well, just get new plastic. Look like a different machine.

 

for all of the years can you remove the front light and put a scoop front nose peice.I wouldnt need a light.

 

yes you could on the 88-89 you would need a nother hood unless you leave a hole from the light (UGLY).

 

If you check out what most of the pros ride, they have 88's and 89's with no headlight. They just take out the nose-piece and put in an 87 or 86.

 

a lot mor than just pros take out the light. but yes it is simple