What are the differences between these two machines other than a little more modern looks on the recon. I'm still looking for the right machine for my wife and I've seen some advertisements for the older trx250s and I'm wondering if one of those would be aright. Thanks.

 

Hello Moorefun!

Well i know alot of people who own the recon and the older trx250.
I have ridden bolth and heres what i think:

Suspention:
The older trx250 has TERRIBLE front suspention, it feels like there is none at all.
The rear suspention is alright for trail riding but when ridden aggressivly it doesn't work as well as the recon's suspention.

Handling: the recon has this one by a long shot theres no way the older 250s can handle as well as the newer recon.

Reliability: I think motor wize they are about equal because all of the older 250s i see still have to stock motors and theyre running strong.
I know alot of recon owners that put a beating of their machines that would have sent many other machines to their oily grave.

Downsides: For the older 250 its definetly the suspention they have a fair amount of power for pulling and such but are by no means near as sporty as the recon. They also have very weak plastic so if you find one with few or no cracks in the plastic consider yourself very lucky.
Is it true that the recon has no oil filter? or is this just a rumor if it isn't it would definetly be a downside because the smallest peice of dirt or grib gets in the motor and your gonna end up looking for a rebuild.

Diffrences between these to machines: looks are the biggest thing, the recon has a wider more comfortable seat. The recon uses smaller 22" tires versus 25" on the trx250. The recon has a back up pull while the trx250 has a back up kick (nice feature) The trx250 has a power outlet which I'm not sure uf i'm correct but the recon does not have?, They bolth have electric start and reverse , shaft drive and full suspention, the motors are fairly diffrent too the recon uses a more modern sideways mounted engine (first used in the foreman) and the trx250 uses a forward mounted engine similar to the one used in the 300ex and trx300 4x4.

I say if your wife doesn't ride too hard and you find an older trx250 in good condition buy that, otherwise go with the recon.

One thing.. the older trx250s tend to have loose steering and alot of front end problem , that would be a good thing to check on those machines before you buy one.

 

I pretty much agree with ex_master on this one.

The older TRX250's are some really tuff machines. One of my friends has had one for 12 or 13 years now, he bought it used. He has put it through it all. They aren't the fastest thing around, but the reliability of them is awesome, especially if you find one that was treated right. The plastic isn't the strongest on them, so that is something to watch for. I second the front end problems too. My friends have some issues in the front steering area, it didn't fall apart or anything, but there was way to much freeplay, I forgot what he changed, a few bushings or something every now and then I guess.

I've not had much experience with the recon, but its a Honda how bad can it be? It is probably much better than the TRX250, since it is being built with updated technologies and stuff. I've considered getting one, but if I came up on a great buy on a TRX250 I wouldn't hesitate to get it either.