What year of 250r should i get. I want to do mx a little, i ride the dunes and trails also. Is it worth getting an 88 or 89? i have seen many 86 for cheaper. What are some major differeces? I have heard that the 86 has a longer swingarm.

 

I have an 86 and have rode an 88 I really can't tell the difference!His had more power.(paul turner 330)Other than that I coudln't tell.I would buy an 86 and with the extra money mod it all up.Yes the 86 had a longer swingarm.The 88 front end was redisgned.The wheel base is a bit shorter.


86 trx250r wiseco .020 piston,boyesen reeds,FMF gold series fatty pipe,power core 2 silencer,JD performance +2 a-arms,white bro's whit power shocks with adjustable res's all the way around,durablue eliminator 2+2 adjustable width axle,durablue posi loc axle nut,ac stadium series front bumper,dg alloy series nerfs,renthal trx250r bend handlebars,PEP easy pull clutch lever and perch,nac's casesaver,Uni filter,18/11/8 holeshot mx's on mitchell .190's,21/7/10 holeshots on ITp .190's

 

Well, the wheelbase isn't shorter on the 88-89; they reconfigured the A-arms 1" forward and shortened the swingarm 1". Makes it turn better.

Get any year R. They're all great years!

 

i like the way the newest ones look the best (87-89?)

 

If I were you I would get an 87' or newer because there are alot of parts out there that you can only get for 87' and up and also the 86' was the firts year of production and in the later years honda looked at the bad things about the 86' and saw some problems big enough that they felt they needed to change . so I think it just makes more sense to get an 87' or newer , Thats why the 86's are cheeper

 

Honda, unlike some other manufacturers, up-graded the R with EVERY year of production.
In 87 they used a different connecting rod and piston. Same cylinder, etc. They all have the same bore/stroke. The 88-89 had maybe 2 more horsepower than the 86-87.
In 88 they changed the suspension and headlight.
They up-graded the clutch.
In 89 they up-graded the clutch again.
The only engine parts that you can't just "swap" year to year is the piston/rod from an 86, but it can be done if you make a "stroker" out of the R.
Lots of little things were changed every year.
I'll tell you what, if you put my 86 next to my wife's 87, I guarantee you you couldn't tell one year from the other just by looking at them (unless you know what to look for).

 

I dont really care about looks. Do they all handle the same? What is different about all the suspesion?