What are the differences between the 86, 87 and the 88, 89 250R's? I"ve heard that the 89's have a shorter swingarm, and that the stroke is different than the 86, is this true? The guy told me that either engine and frame will be the same when ridden, for example, when drag racing a 89 wouldn't pull away from and 86 or vis versa. What are the other differences if any? I need help bad cause i'm looking into buying one and i don't want to waist my money on the wrong one!

 

Like I said all years are great!The only reasons 86-87's are cheaper is because there older and most people like them better.I have an 86 and LOVE it.It has lots of mods and is REAL fast and handles AWESOME.The only reason I can think of someone wanting an 88-89 is to say they have one.The 88-89's have to be better somehow beacause they are different because honda was trying to fix stuff that was not right or could have been better.But I gaurantee which ever year you get you won't be disapointed.I got mine when it was COMPLETELY stock and I loved to ride it!It was still faster than my cousin's 400ex and handled better to.And if i didn't have a 250r I would have be a 400ex.I love to ride 400's and think they are the next bext thing to a 250r.The 88-89's also had taller seats,You will not find another atv that has the brakes of the 250r.It has dual piston rear calipers and if you put braided steel brake lines all the way around and better pads the brakes will be awesome.I like the way the 86-87 look better than I do the other years.


86 trx250r wiseco .020 piston,boyesen reeds,FMF gold series fatty pipe,power core 2 silencer,DG alloy series nerfs,Porting by p.m.s,Uni filter,Jd performance +2 A-arms,white bro's white power shocks with adjustable res's all the way around,Durablue eliminator 2+2 adjustable width axle,Red Renthal trx 250r bend handlebars,AC stadium series front bumper with # plate,durablue posi loc axle nut,Braking brake pads,fastline braided steel brake lines,nac's casesaver,PEP easy pull clutch perch and lever,motion pro clutch cable,Factory 909 grips,pro design kill switch,18/11/8 holeshot mx's on mitchell .190's,21/7/10 holeshots on ITP .190's

 

Just like Jeepin said, any year of R is awesome. I would only base my buying decision on the condition of the R, not the year - you would be happy with any of them.

The 88-89's have a 1 inch shorter swingarm among other little changes. I have heard that they turn better than the 86-87's because of this although I have never ridden anything but my 87 and I LOVE the way it handles.

One other thing about 86-87's is that the ball joints in the A-arms are replaceable while on the 88-89's they are not. I have never broken a ball joint but if you did on an 88-89 you would have to get a new A-arm.

 

This is a great site, but you might want to check out Todd's site at http://pub20.ezboard.com/bhondatrx250r, you will find tons of R freaks to also answer your questions.

I have an 88 and looking through the service manual there are alot of little differences between the 86/87 and the 88 and 89's. Probably nothing you would really ever tell, but a few things;
- clutch area was improved on the 88's
- gearing was improved (86/87 were prone to 2nd gear breaking more so then 88 and 89's)
- After 87, seat hieght taller, wider, and shorter wheel base by about 1".
- 86 is a longer stroke motor.
All little things, but 86' was the first year for the fourtrax and 88' and 89' had several improvments over the 86 and 87, so if I was looking, I would go with a couple years newer and with improvments, you will pay on the average about $700 more for those years, but it is worth it. I looked at 7 88's before I found one that I wanted and it was in great condition (I payed for it though).
Another good site is macdizzy.com (there is a link through the other site I listed if you goto the microfiche topic).

Nick

 

I'm looking for the best one. I'm definitly not gonna spend more that $3000 on the quad itself. Thats why i was looking at one of the older ones because i know i can find them at that price, and its a little harder to come about an 88 or 89 at that price. Also what do the differences do between the two? the differences you mentioned in the list before. Because i certainly don't want to be goin down the trail and have second gear break.

 

well i think that 89 was the only one thad had the better cluch and grear changed. personaly i have not heard of it very much (mostly on the super mod quads) and any year/or gear will go if you do not do ragular mantiance on it after a while. the stroke did not change on any the rod was longer on the 87-89 but i do not think it was any night and day differance.

 

If i were you i would buy any year 250r you could find. Unless your a serious racer you'll never tell the difference. I have never heard about a problem with second breaking. I have 3 86 engine's and all of them run flawlessly and I race mx with 2 of them. The 86 did not have a different stroke either. The 86 rod was 5mm shorter but the stroke was still the same. The cluth was updated in 89. You can buy the update kit for $60.00 from your dealer. The gearing difference on the 86 is 5th and 6th gears are 1 tooth different than the 87-89. I have rode all year engine's and i couldn't tell any difference.

 

Oh, so the differences are mainly between the 86, and then the rest are basically the same? Cause if thats true i'm gonna be looking for a 87, or do yall think i should go with a different year?

 

Let's get this straight once and for all!
All Honda 250R's have the SAME BORE AND STROKE!!!
The 86 has a different cylinder jug and taller piston, therefore, you can't swap an 86 style piston into any other year without extensive modification. You can use an 86 jug on other years, but again, you need piston and rod modifications.
The 88 and 89 have A-arms moved forward one inch, and a one inch shorter swingarm. Same wheel base as the 86 and 87.
Ball joints on the 86 and 87 are replaceable, and have camber adjustment. The 88 and 89 don't.
The seat height is changed only by the amount of preload you put on the shocks.
All plastic from any year R will fit any year R with only a rear latch change.
The headlight was moved to the hood on the 88 and 89, it was handlebar mounted on the 86 and 87.
The clutch was vastly improved on the 88, but you can get a kit to do the job from Honda for $60.
They all had the same horsepower from the factory.
They all used slightly different carbs but they are interchangeable with all years.
They did away with the gold anodized wheels in 88 and went to polished aluminum. The gold wheels were aluminum also, and were the same wheels, just gold anodized.
There are many, many little minor differences among them. You can't use and 86-87 swingarm on an 88-89 without some modifications, but it can be made to work.
Now then, just go buy one.
It is still the best machine ever made and is STILL the standard by which all other race/sport quads are measured. Some are faster than the R, but none have the combination of speed, handling (nothing handles as well as an R), durability, and GREAT LOOKS of the R!
But, since I own 2 of them, I could be prejudiced. But I rode every quad I could get my hands on before I decided on the R. And you can't buy them from me ever.

 

Only the upper ball joints are replaceable on the 86 and 87's. Actually all you need to do to run an '86 style piston on an 87-89 style top and bottom end is buy a spacer plate and long stud kit which will cost you $60.00 plus 2 base gaskets. And to run a 86 cylinder on an 87-89 bottom end you just need to run an 87-89 style piston.