Arens frame probs

[georgedoggy]

hi guys,
im changing my 86 250r over to a new arens frame and the steering stem doesnt fit? ive fitted a new bearing and the distance between the bearing and the stem clamp near the bars are different between the old and new frame. ive triple checked how i installed the bearing but the stem sits approx 1/2 inch to high.

the stem fits into the bearing fine, its at the top clamp thats the problem. the only way to fix it is to grind the lip that is below the stem clamp and it will fit fine.

anyone else have this prob??

[QuadRacer041]

its not a problem, arens just relocates it a little bit. ive had mine for 4 years and no problems.

[snapon]

georgedoggy,


You said a new frame? Is Arens still selling new frames or is it a used frame just new to you?

[georgedoggy]

i bought it off a guy who bought it new and never used it. so yeah, new to me.

anything else i should know about these frames?

[mxracer97]

About a year ago I also purchased an Arens frame and had to put the stuff from my '86 250R onto it. Here are a few issues I had:

- I went ahead a bought an '88 Lonestar swingarm because on an '86 the rear motor mounts are part of the "swingarm spacer". The Arens frame has the rear motor mounts welded to the frame(as does the stock '88 frames). You could probably still use your '86 swingarm and just cut the motor mount tabs off the "swingarm spacer" so that they wouldn't interfere with the mounts already on the frame.

- You will need to use your '86 footpegs, but you will need to remove them from the stock mounting bracket. If you try to use '88 footpegs the rear brake pedal will hit them.

- You will need to buy a rear brake pedal assembly from a '96 CR250 dirt bike. (I am pretty sure it is a '96, you may want to verify that).

- You will need a shorter shift lever because your footpegs will be located further back. You will probably also have to trim your rear fenders because of this.

- The '86 air box may hit the rear shock when your suspension compresses, I believe an '88 has a place molded in the airbox for shock clearance. (I just notched out my '86 airbox)

- Your '86 rear grab bar will need to be modified because the mounting holes are closer together on the Arens frame.

- If you are using an '86 belly skid plate you will need to drill new mounting holes.

- I had to slightly modify the head stay mount to get it to fit correctly.

- There is no place to mount the coolant reservoir, if you want to use it (I did), you will need to devise a way to mount it.

- The biggest pain was getting the exhaust to mount up correctly. This may not be an issue with all exhausts, but it certainly was for my ESR TRX 6. I had to fabricate custom mounts to get it to fit the way I wanted it to.

There may be other issues that I am not thinking of right now but these should help you out some. None of these things are "major" issues, but can be time consuming and annoying. Good luck with your project, hope this helps.

[ESR250R]

Originally posted by mxracer97
About a year ago I also purchased an Arens frame and had to put the stuff from my '86 250R onto it. Here are a few issues I had:

- I went ahead a bought an '88 Lonestar swingarm because on an '86 the rear motor mounts are part of the "swingarm spacer". The Arens frame has the rear motor mounts welded to the frame(as does the stock '88 frames). You could probably still use your '86 swingarm and just cut the motor mount tabs off the "swingarm spacer" so that they wouldn't interfere with the mounts already on the frame.

- You will need to use your '86 footpegs, but you will need to remove them from the stock mounting bracket. If you try to use '88 footpegs the rear brake pedal will hit them.

- You will need to buy a rear brake pedal assembly from a '96 CR250 dirt bike. (I am pretty sure it is a '96, you may want to verify that).

- You will need a shorter shift lever because your footpegs will be located further back. You will probably also have to trim your rear fenders because of this.

- The '86 air box may hit the rear shock when your suspension compresses, I believe an '88 has a place molded in the airbox for shock clearance. (I just notched out my '86 airbox)

- Your '86 rear grab bar will need to be modified because the mounting holes are closer together on the Arens frame.

- If you are using an '86 belly skid plate you will need to drill new mounting holes.

- I had to slightly modify the head stay mount to get it to fit correctly.

- There is no place to mount the coolant reservoir, if you want to use it (I did), you will need to devise a way to mount it.

- The biggest pain was getting the exhaust to mount up correctly. This may not be an issue with all exhausts, but it certainly was for my ESR TRX 6. I had to fabricate custom mounts to get it to fit the way I wanted it to.

There may be other issues that I am not thinking of right now but these should help you out some. None of these things are "major" issues, but can be time consuming and annoying. Good luck with your project, hope this helps.



some of these issues i've never had. the only issues i've had were the kickstarter gets hung up on the 96 cr250 brake lever (not a big deal just tap the brake and it releases the kick starter). i purchased a new swingarm and got the 89 so that was good. removed the coolant reservoir (dont need it anyway). and i had to modify the headstay a little bit. never had a prob with my 86 airbox though. but i am running standard travel so it might become a issue with different link setups. it has been a great frame so far.

[Rich250RRacer]

The Arens must be just like my Lonestars, I can't use a stock stem with the safety collar on it. The collar ends up where the top clamp is. I don't care for Anti-vibe stems personally, so I've had stock stems rebuilt with double wall tube without the safety collar.

[georgedoggy]

thanks for all your help guys.

much appreciated.

[250R-Dee]

I also have an Arens frame. My setup is below:

'86 motor with a 310 kit
CT midrange pipe (my only MAJOR fitment problem)
'88 LSR swingarm
LSR antivibe stem
new '96 CR250 pedal
Aluminum airbox with an '86 boot
Elka standard travel shocks front and rear
No name monster sized aluminum radiator that gave me fitment issues
Dry Carbon radiator shrouds
Maier plastic
-1 Pro Design shifter
ASR pro star plus +2+1 A-Arms w/ pro race tie rods

There is no need to do hacking on the frame when an '86 motor is used with Arens frames. The motor will be mounted solid without the upper rear motor mount connected.

Arens frames are built for '88-'89 parts so some '86'-'87 parts will need to be modified to fit properly on the frame.