86R resto project ?'s

[VZTech]

Hello Everyone, a 250r newbie here. I just bought and all original 86 250r from my cousins. My uncle bought it back in 1991 and it was like new but they did not know what they had gotten,they used it to drag the local baseball field. Ha, Ha. I have been trying to buy it ever since but they would not sell it,well I finally have been able to buy my dream quad that I have wanted for so long. But it is not like new anymore. It is in excellent shape for being used but not abused. It is all original,nothing aftermarket on it. But the left side case has been busted under the gear shift lever from the chain coming off. I have gotten a new left side case for it and a service manual. I am wanting to restore it back to original as close as possible. My ? is while I have the motor out I thought I would put a new crank in it considering the motor is 20 yrs old and never had anything but top end rebuilds,but I have found out that a 86 short rod crank is no longer available from Honda and I do not want a aftermarket from what I have read on here. So once I get the motor apart if the crank assy looks good do I put it back in even though it is 20 yrs old or do I go ahead and put in a long rod from 87-89 in it and not have to worry about it for a long time. I am looking for opinions here on what to do, I want to keep it original but due to the extensive tear down it takes to get the crank out I don't want to be doing this again in a year or so. Sorry for the long post but I wanted to give some history on the bike,I have wanted it for a loooong time.

[xlr810]

Congrats on your purchase, and welcome to the 250R forum.

Nice story. Patience and persistance usually pay off. However, I picked up a vibe of indecision from you...

What kind of experience do you have working on motors? What is your budget?

Like you said, it is 20 years old. There are a lot of things that should be inspected carefully unless you want to tear it down again soon. The crank is certainly an important consideration, but it is not the only thing. You might be money ahead to pay an experienced builder to work on it for you. The $150 or so in labor you'll pay is less than a new crank- which you may or may not even need. New crank bearings and seals are a certainty, though.

Whether you do the work yourself, or send it out-- make sure to get it right the first time. Short cuts are not an option. Take a good look at the manual, and make sure everything is within specifications.

To answer your original question-- yes, going with a new OEM longrod crank would be the most reliable of the provided options, but it is possible that the existing crank is still good, or could be rebuilt.

[Dave83]

If you go with the long rod,be sure to get the piston for the same year.I understand you wanting oem parts,but I I cant say anything bad about the aftermarket ones.I have one in an engine I raced for almost 2 yrs,with no probs.You may get someone like ESR to rebuild yours if it needs it.They also carry alot of oem stuff,its possible they have an oem shortrod setup.

[smoxy]

:eek:
Dude! You said you bought a new case half for your R after the old one got cracked from the chain coming off. Now that you've spent all your money on that overpriced casting, let's look at the reason the chain came off and broke the old one. Chances are you have either bad bearings in the axle carrier or swing arm bearings, or both. Get that thing on a milk crate or something and wiggle the axle! And more importantly, toss that old case saver from the factory and buy a good aftermarket one. It will be the best $15-$25 you'll ever spend! Just my 2 cents worth!

[JTRtrx250r]

Welcome to the club!:cool:

Some good advise here!;)

[VZTech]

Thanks guys for the replies. I am glad to be in the R club as I have been trying to buy this wheeler since I was 16. I have always wanted an R but I wanted this one because I knew who had it and it had never been raced. It's been along time coming to get to buy it. Smoxy thanks for the advice on the axle I am pretty sure the axle bearings are bad,because I have stood on the bike and rocked it side to side and it seems to have play in it. I bought this bike for a project to work on myself and plan to go through it completely. I have not even ridden it. I went and got it in September and brought it home and parked it in my garage. I did not bother with trying to start it because I knew the case needed replaced. Could some of you give me some advice as to leave the short rod in it or put in a long rod, this is my first 2 stroke I have owned and am not sure what to do? I have done a search and found that the life of the motor is a little better with the long rod and better bottom end. But I have not ridden alot of 2-strokes and don't know what I would like better. It will be trail ridden some but mostly ridden at some gravel pits in the sand. I'm sure I will have alot more ?'s as I get into working on it. I sure am glad I found this site!!