I have been looking of a trx250R & finally found one for the right price but its a 86. I was wondering is there any major differances between a 1986 & 1989? Is the 89 better or is it about the same?

 

the 86-87 and 88-89 you wont see much of a difference in handling or power. the 88-89 have a 1" shorter (and alumn. rather then steel) swing arm and a longer stroke which would be ideal if you want to go big bore in the future,you wont have to machine the cases. i believe the 87-89 motor mounts to be alot stronger then the 86's. and the 88+ bikes had a resonance chamber in the intake...not sure exactly how this effected the performance...but i didnt ever notice any diff. another basic diff. is the exhaust bridge. i believe the 86-87 have one the 88-89 dont. no matter what year 250R you get, you will love it and never want to get rid of it. 88-89 would be ideal for the racer/big bore guy. but the 86/87's are still fast, and i got TONS of power out of my 86 with a simple 270 port polish mill and o-ring head combo. *another thing to keep in mind is parts availability...now with 250R's that really isnt a prob. since they are so popular you can get just about any part from an aftermarket dealer save engine cases and other small parts. the 86-87 is fairly compatable with the 86 and im pretty sure 85 ATC250R from motor to rear suspension. BTW good luck if you ever lose a crank from an 86 retail on the replacement crank from service honda just went past 600$ i believe...i was able to pick one up from IMS for 350$ but i only see parts getting more expensive in the future.

 

Am I missing something here? I just looked up an 86 crank on servicehonda.com (part number 13300-HA2-671) and came up with a price of $170.

 

I don't mean to keep hammering this over and over, but, all stock 250Rs have the same bore/stroke when stock. The difference is the 86 has a 5mm shorter connecting rod and a different piston with the wrist pin located 5mm lower than the other years.

If you found a really nice 86, it's what you want and you can afford it, by all means buy it! I've had an 86 for about 10 years now, and 7 years ago purchased an 87 for my wife. Love 'em!

What ever year you find/buy, you'll be very happy with it. Don't worry about the differences in years. Find a nice one and get it. You can mod any of them to your personal specs. I know people keep saying one year is better than any other, but you need to remember that what they are saying is opinion.

Just get one and you'll never look back![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]