best year for 250r

[daiglea]

Just wondering what was the best year to buy the 250r. I got a good deal going for a 86 250r in great shape. What year was the liquide cool 250r brought out.

[Taco]

85 was the first yr for liquid cooled. All of the quads came with it. the 85-86 motor is the short rod version and 87-89 use the long rod.

[250ex03]

who cares there all fast as hell

[fasterz]

Originally posted by Taco
85 was the first yr for liquid cooled. All of the quads came with it. the 85-86 motor is the short rod version and 87-89 use the long rod. wats the difference between long rod and short rod?

[cjpoole1]

88-89 are what i've always heard were the best year to have

[sweet300ex]

IMO 88-89 are the best, all years were liquid cooled, it started in 85 with the ATC 250r being liquid cooled

[Glow Plug]

IMO 88 and 89 are the best. But all years of r's are good :D

[tants]

Originally posted by fasterz
wats the difference between long rod and short rod?

short rods rev out quicker

IMO i like the shortrods beter

[Giz400ex]

I always thought the 86 was the year to have!

[JessetheKid]

I love my 86 i have ridden 86 87 88 and 89 and i really dont c a difference

[Freeride]

86 is the only one ive ever ridden, its a freakin sick ride.

[honda350r]

They will all work good but the 88-89 are without a doubt the very best!!
I will not buy one unless it is a 88-89
This is my 88

[honda350r]

her is my 89 also

[honda350r]

Here is my sand hillshooter

[lil400exman]

88-89 have stronger frames and better rear suspension action and have a better clutch and gears and are newer!:)

[CHAUNCY]

They are all good bike IMO. Like Tants said some like the 85 and 86 engines because they rev faster

[honda350r]

I don't buy the faster rev BS !!!

[310Rduner]

86 have more rear suspension travel..

dont let a year stop you on a purchase.. buy the one in the best shape you can find Period..

anything 86 in the engine can be turned to 89 basically.

[tants]

Originally posted by Giz400ex
I always thought the 86 was the year to have!


first times a charm
:cool:

ever wonder why so many pros prefer shortrods ...

[honda350r]

Originally posted by "2-R's Rider"
ever wonder why so many pros prefer shortrods ...

Not really!! Have you?

If I let you race a short rod engine and a long rod engine and you did not know which quad had a long or a short, you could not tell me what quad that had the shot rod !!

Now let's ask the girls how long they like there rods!!

[alias]

the year doesn't matter much

I have had both long & short rods ...I can tell the difference ...especialy when the motor is closer to stock ..

[honda350r]

Why would it rev faster? The stroke does not change! I think you have had two different engines with different porting and the short rod was a better engine than your long rod..

I have built many of both and have never said " Oh my God this short rod it the sh !t". I think both engines run very well!

[tants]

Originally posted by honda350r
I don't buy the faster rev BS !!!

:huh

[honda350r]

Originally posted by tants
:huh

Instead of giving me a stupid look,explain it to me ... Why does it rev faster ?

[tants]

ive rode severeal R's. and the short rods do seem faster. im not the one to get all technicle here... ask an R expert (CBW, 2rs, or methyman) and theyll give you all the tech info about it

it may not be an actual fact they rev quicker, but to me they do :p

[kicker696]

i'm with tants on this one, i don't know the technical stuff, but i've owned 2 86 R's and my best friend has an 88 and to the both of us we can tell the difference. We both have the exact same thing done to the engines also, they were built at the same time, same place, same stuff. It just feels faster and more responsive

[Atreyu]

thats nice pal

[honda350r]

Have you ever thought that it may be the cylinder and not the rod! I have bulit and owned as many or more 250Rs than anyone on this site PERIOD!

[kicker696]

alright, lets just settle it that they are both great engines and we all love em, that way we are all happy, and besides does it really matter which one revs faster or harder if you love to ride it in the first place?

[honda350r]

It has nothing to do with how much we like to ride! I want a reason why it is a faster engine than the later years! It just seems that someone says something and it becomes fact! So I would like to hear the facts. That is all

[kicker696]

truly i don't know the facts about the short rod and long rod, but put simply when i ride the 2 i prefer the 86's power for whatever reason, simple as that, its just and opinion not a fact

some would call the differences between the 2 major ....some would call them minor ..
but the fact is the 86 has a shorter rod & different gears for 5th & 6th ...I beleive it revs quicker cause it detonates sooner on each firing of the plug since the rod is shorter ..

[310Rduner]

also there was a difference in the bridged exhaust... not sure which the years are.. but i think the 88-89 Had the bridge and the 86-87 didnt..

am i right in calling it the exhaust bridge? im just trying to remember what they called it exactly..?

also the obvious one is the 86-87 had the +1 inch longer swingarms that were made out of steel.. and also the -1 inch a-arms..

the 88-89 had the -1 swingarm and the +1 inch a-arms for better traction and handling..

86 frames appear to be stronger ..
heavier forward motor mount ...
extra gusset below the fprward mount also ...
most people think the 87 frame is the same ....but its not ...

"exhaust bridge" is correct word

[310Rduner]

thx 2-r's

so freakin bored.. i think im going to go whip out the polish lol...

[honda350r]

It is the intake bridge, the 85-86 did not have one and the 87-89 had two on the intake side! the exhaust was not changed!

The length of the rod does not have any think to do with firing faster,the stroke and bore are the same on all years! The piston travels the same distance long or short!

I think there is a slight differance in performance between the long and short rod,I just don't think it is noticable!!

Thanks for your answers! Atleast we are thinking about things instead of shrugging our shoulders!

I dont claim to be an expert on the motors ....but if someone seeks more EXPERT knowledge I direct you to someone who is
I consider "Tony Kellner" an expert ..
He has built more trx250R motors of GNCC champions than anyone I know ...

here is something to think about awhile back ...we built a motor w/a 86 rod & 87 cylinder ..
after figuring out the corect "squish" it flies ..
but it is far from stock ...

[310Rduner]

ohh i thought it was the exhaust.. :confused2 .. time for a visit to macdizzy to investigate.. .

i thought the revving had mostly to do with the effect of the crankcase volume with the short vs long rods?

[310Rduner]

i know on all the pro-x motors the exhasut port bridge is removed.... i thought they emulated that off of the either 86-87 or 88-89.. i might have just confused it and thought that one of the years didnt have the bridge.

yeah the 86 was the only one w/o a intake bridge ..
& the 86 is a lil harder on pistons ..
but I definitely prefer 86's..
I am in no way saying the others are not fast ..but I have had short & long rod motors...just find the 86's a lil more desirable..

[310Rduner]

yeah.. i just found that on the 87 intake bridge.. was just about to post my correction

[JessetheKid]

Im not posative but i dont think all the yeasrs had the same cdi box i think the 86-87 were differend from the 88-89 and i thought the only difference in the a arms was the bushings were easier to replace in the newer years something like a nylon bushing in the 86 that was hard to replace