Any of you guys race these quads still?

[badtothebone250]

I raced trx250r's for awhile and then made the switch to bikes for many years. Now i am having the thought of getting back on 4 wheels once again and was wanting to do something different than a 450 4 stroke like everyone else has. I still have a honda 250r, but I was thinking it would be really different to show up on an old suzuki 2 stroke! Question is, how reliable are these things and how competitive can they still be in cross country racing? Whats the parts availability like? Is there a good market for used aftermarket parts such as chassis parts and shocks?

[thepowester]

you can find just about anything for them, might cost a few more pennies but its all there. im working on building one up as an all around bike, ive got alot of help and parts from ebay, everything2strokedotcom and quadracerhqdotcom. there is still a huge community.

[headache]

i ride and race an 87lt. the bad thing about these quads are aftermarket parts. my quad is almost too wide for some of the spots in xc racing. i'm running +2 a arms and really need 4-1 wheels to bring the front end in a little but no one makes them for the suzuki pattern. but mine is reliable enough and has held together through tough 2hr races. just be sure to check all nuts and bolts before the race to make sure nothing is loose. These 250s have more than enough power to hang with the 450s in the woods. mild porting, lots of compression and a lowend pipe like an fmf or dynoport will have you screaming through the woods. you can get some nice shocks from just about anyone such as works or elka or even racetech. i'm running works on the front and a burgard steering dampener. that is a must have.

[thepowester]

while you are correct about the bolt pattern issue there are ways to fix that. the front end will take yfz hubs all thats needed for that is a bit of shimming on the brake disc or caliper (i forget which but ill be doing it soon) and the rear hubs can be swapped out as well different years have different spline counts so just see what you have and swap em out with something of the same spine count. im switching to all yfz bolt pattern (seems to be the most common)

[badtothebone250]

Awesome, I might give the suzuki a try! When looking for one to buy, is there a particular year that is better than the others? Also, I have heard about these things eating water pump seals like crazy? True or myth?

[thepowester]

get a '87 they have a bigger intake, as far as water pump seals, ive heard nothing.

[89trx250r]

Im not trying to be a debbie downer here but you'd probably be doing yourself a favor to just race the honda...The suzuki will never handle like the honda no matter what you do to it...Not to mention the motors are not as reliable as a honda.

[headache]

yep 87 is the best year. i havent had any water pump problems. Just do away with the thrust washers on the wristpin of the piston and you wont have any motor reliabilty issues. Yeah the yfz hub conversion would be the way to go along with the yfz front calipers and master cylinder. the LT's front brakes suck. I'm running yamaha bolt pattern wheels on mine i just redrilled the suzuki bolt pattern in them so i could run beadlocks without having to change anything else.

[axellmusic19]

I am sponsored by a few companies and still race currently and will continue to. My LT has offset front wheels and +1 laegers, 2+2 durable in back, +2 z400 hubs, and itp 8 inch offset wheels, fmf pipe, cool head high compression, pep steering stabilizer, reeds, and mild porting and it runs like hell. The clutch and just about everything else has been modified and I have stainless front lines with kevlar ebc pads all around and running DOT 5.1 and the brakes work great now. I think the honda is a cheaper and better first step, but for cost in the long run to take it to the next level, nothing runs like an LT250R. :)

[ah665]

1 thing I always had a problem with, when racing these quads years ago, was the frames. It felt like I was getting my frame welded/gusseted all the time. Granted, it was moto but I was young and didnt weigh much at the time and still was cracking them all the time. Just something to consider. The front end on these quads really seems to be unreliable, compared to the TRXs, when ridden hard.

[CorvetteZ06]

I know how you feel op. I have always ridden the Honda 250R's, and LOVE them, but def. want a LT250R just because of its history, and the fact that its a sweet quad. Overall, was 1992 the best year? it seems to be the hardest to find.

[ah665]

Originally posted by CorvetteZ06
I know how you feel op. I have always ridden the Honda 250R's, and LOVE them, but def. want a LT250R just because of its history, and the fact that its a sweet quad. Overall, was 1992 the best year? it seems to be the hardest to find.
A lot of people say the '87 was the best due to the fastest motor. I am not sure how much truth is in that. I had an 87 and an 88. The 87 was faster but also had more work into it. But to be general, 87+ seems to be the most desirable. Although an 85 or 86 would be an awesome oem resto project.

[Scott270R]

Here is a picture of my son on his '89 LT250R at Ocala.

[f150dan]

The only racing I do with mine is dragracing at the county fair's, but it sure is fun

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc308/f150dan/ATV/cimg1247_0005.jpg

I wish they would let me enter this ole bike in the 450 class. I've tried and tried but they just won't do it.

I told them its just a old, wore out, smoking 250

[f150dan]

Here's a pic of my buddy on his '88 Honda 250r launching in a drag race against a quadracer at the ATV Jamboree at Windrock TN

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc308/f150dan/ATV/null_zps574f8bd8.jpg