opinions on lt250r's

[89rebel]

lately I have become more interested in the old 2 strokes again. I have had my share of Honda 250r's and a few 450 4 strokes. I currently own a really nice '89 trx250r and a 2008 ltr450 se, but im curious about the lt 250r's. Their design doesnt look as good as the trx but Im interested in them anyway. So what are they worth? best years? What to watch out for? Who's got one for sale near se wis.

[Dkilby95]

honestly in my opinion the '85-'86 are the ones you probably want. the way i see it the closer to the late 80's and 90's you get with LT's, the worse they are. my favorite is the '86. they are just as good as the '85's but if there were any problems with the '85 the '86 wouldn't have the same problem. you also asked about price. it depends on where you get it, who you get it from, and the condition. say you are looking at one that runs good but has some cracked plastics, or needs new tires, or needs an exhaust.You would probably be looking at paying (rough estimate) $900-$1500 give or take. but dont just take my word for it, keep asking other people.(by the way, check for welds in swing arms, a-arms, and ask for a test drive, there is no better opinion then your own). :cool:

[Growler]

IMHO, look at '87 and newer. I raced an '86, an '88 and a '90. Broke the frame on the 86, engine needed LOTS of attention, while the other 2 handled MUCH better and never broke. That's saying alot being that they were raced at all the GNCCs (from the front row) and countless local races.

[headache]

yeah the 87 up models have better suspension, (much longer shocks) and a long stroke powervalve engine that is much easier to get more power out of. I love mine and i wouldn't trade it for a honda 250r. i like being different.. like stated earlier look for bad welds on the frame, and wore out bushings and bearings. these quads are around 25 years old.. Its best to get one and tear it completely down and go though everything.

[LTandRaptorider]

Dkilby95, curious why you think the 85-86 LTs are better? I've had my 92 for about 13 years now, only ever rode that year of LT.

89rebel from my experience with my 92 and what I've heard, 87+ would be best to look for. Doesn't mean the 85-86 are no good. Differences are 87+ had the power-valved engines, which make them easier (less tiring) to ride. 87 had a larger intake, 88+ the engines are the same. 87+ had the larger, adjustable (pre-load and compression) front shocks. 91-92 had the different conventional rear shock. Things to look for- check frame out carefully. Look near the a-arm mounts, and lower frame rails near the foot pegs are known places to crack. Check rear swinger where the carrier is welded to the swingarm. Water pump seals don't last long, almost always see one leaking from the weephole. That is no biggie, just a mechanical seal and oil seal kit for about $25. Don't forget to add Bars Leaks when filling rad with coolant anytime you replace the coolant. This is actually in the service manual!

Like any quad, there is good and bad. Frame geometry is better on the Honda 250R, the LT had a little more power. I've seen some people trash the LT, but in all the years riding mine it has never left me stranded. And anything I've had to replace except water pump seals have been from crashes or normal wear and tear. Chain adjustment sucks on them, I happily replaced my swinger with an LSR that uses Honda style chain adjustment. Look any quad over real good. Whatever you get will be tons of fun. But remember it's an old quad that who knows how other owners rode and took care of it. But lots of parts still available, Ebay will be your friend! :cool:

[89rebel]

I had a z400 and yeah that chain adjustment is the same on the lt250r's. Its a dumb design, any reason why they changed the swinger from the '85-86 models? looks to be like the honda's design

[fx4pitrone]

I've had a 86 and an 89... and now have a 92, and an 88....

I find that the 87+ are much better....
1. Powervalve
2. Easier to find parts for (especially PIPES!!)
3. Better front and rear suspension
4. Stronger frames

THe 85-86's can be great quads though. The chain adj. is better as long as you reinforce that weak, weak swingarm. Gusset the frame and start w/ a good foundation.
TRY to find a good pipe... best (and easiest) option is prob. gonna be the FMF... unless you can come across a Klemm pipe (rare). The 85-86's are very light and fun quads. Just not quite as much power as 87+, suspension, and hard to come across good (nice!) parts...

JMO... take it for what it's worth!! :)

[Dkilby95]

Ok the '87 may have had more power with a stronger swingarm, but what your looking for depends on what you're gonna do with it. are you going to be just a weekend warrior like me or are you gonna run it like you stole it? i have never had a problem with my LT's swingarm. then again it's previous owner worked (as in does not anymore) for my dad at his contractor business so after I bought it I brought it in and had him weld my swingarms with this special weld that strengthens the metal (this is commonly seen on backhoes and stuff). this thing has been in atleast 2 crashes (not at my hand) i know because this is it's second set of plastics and they are not in good shape in the back and there are some different handle bars so it was a pretty good wreak. but this thing still kicks *** so call it a preference. call me dumb, call me stupid, but dont trash talk my LT (i know you didnt but just keep it to yourself)

[hawaiianbasshed]

go on quadracerhq.com or everything2stroke.com forums and you'll get ALOT more info on the 1st few pages of every section than you could possibly learn here imo.

85-86 have much shorter front suspension travel. the shocks are not as good. doesn't have a power valve motor. (makes less power by quite a bit and not as much low end power so you can't ride it like a 4 stroke lower in the rpms lugging it. it IS lighter so that's nice, but I wouldn't really consider one and I love zuki's an 91-92 lt500 hybrid would be sweet :D or one with a custom full aftermarket frame :D hybrid meaning 250 frame/500 motor

pipes... I wouldn't waste money on an FMF. get a newer one preferably with a Dr.Q pipe :D

go look on the quadracerhq.com forum, a few guys have bikes they got for under 1,000 just this year that are complete and NICE. I WISH I could get a deal like that. you could probably find a nice one fs there...