'86 250R swingarm vs. '89

[Tim83]

I've got an '86 250R and I was interested to hear that Honda ended up going with a swingarm that was about 1 inch shorter on the 88 or 89 250R. I'm just wondering what the advantages and disadvantages would be with a shorter swingarm? Could I get an '89 swingarm for my 250R and how would it change the handeling? I always figured that having a longer wheelbase is a good thing for things like going up steep hills and stuff like that.

I'd be interested in hearing any opinions or advice on this topic. Or any other tips and tricks someone could tell me about the 250R. I had a Suzuki LT250R back when they first came out, but I was away from quading for some time before I got back into it and picked up a sweet deal on a Honda 250R.

[310Rduner]

Yep, they are 1 inch shorter, and they are also made of aluminum as oposed to steal on the 86's.

The a-arms were pushed 1 inch forward, so it is the same length.What it does tho is the shorter swinger adds alot more traction, plus weight savings.

You can use an 89 swingarm on an 86, but you have to deal with relocating the engine mounts that go on the rear of the engine, and through the swingarm.

You can tell the difference between the years by looking at the front part of the swinger.. if the space is filled then it is the later year version, if the space is open to leave room for the mount that goes inbetween the swingarm then it is earlier year.

If you dont want to deal with that, you can buy an aftermarket one in 89 length, but made for the 86's and the motor mounts.

[Tim83]

Cool stuff, thanks for the info!

I've got one other question too, I guess you've got a 310R there. Do you find that you get a significant power gain over the original 250 cc's? Does the engine run overly hot when it has a 310 kit?

I was able to pick up a power valve kit when I purchased my R. I guess the guy was planning to use it for racing or something. He said that equiping the kit would bring the bike from 27HP up to 40HP. Does that sound right? I haven't had the kit installed yet 'cause right now I feel like I've got plenty of power. When I do have it installed what would it cost to have professionally done and what sort of performance gains should I be looking for?

[XANDADA]

I could tell a good difference going from a ported 250 to a powervalved 265 so I can only imagine that a 310 is one heck of a good step-up from that even. Haven't heard of anyone complain of a 310 running too hot but have for the 350-370cc in the sand. What do you mean by pv kit? You have a cylinder with a powervalve laying around because I don't think you can retrofit an old cylinder to accept a pv....

Congrats on the R... :devil:

[Tim83]

Yeh... yeh, I've got a cylinder with the pv kit. I've got everything I need to get it set up. I've also got an '89 head so I could go with the longer travel piston or something like that. Basically this R should haul *** when I'm done with it. I just don't know enough to do this stuff by myself so I'm going to have to find someone who can do it well for a reasonable price.

[310Rduner]

There isnt too much involved in putting the top end on.. it can seem pretty scary but it really isnt all that bad. Mostly its just torqueing all the bolts in the right order, and properly and making sure the o-rings and all that go on properly on the head.

As far as power in the 310cc kits, i would say it is deffinately there.:) This is the first 250R ive owned, and it was already a 310 when i bought it, so i cant compare the power to stock bores to well. I have only ridden one other R, and it was the first one i had ever been on, and was probably 2 years ago so i couldnt tell you much:(

40hp sounds pretty good. If everything is set up and tuned right i can deffinately see it making that much.

Most 310 kits on the dyno make around 56hp at the wheels.:macho

For the powervalve kit you have, you have a separate piston already sized for it right??

See if you can find any company markings on the cylinder, look underneath it if isn't somewhere on the top.

As far as heat goes, you shouldn't have a problem at all on the stocker really. Just keep checking your radiator level Constantly, as well as the overflow catch. Depending on the size of the powervalved cylinder you most likely wont notice overheating until around 350cc or so.

I deffinately check the levels for my coolant very often, prolly every two times or so i head back to the trailer or camp. If you were to lose an o-ring in the head (assuming you run an aftermarket head set-up for -rings) it takes allmost no time at all to burn, and run all of the coolant through the engine and out the pipe, and then you will have some troubles..:confused2

Are both of your heads stock? Or is the powervalved head a billet unit with o-rings rather than a head gasket?

If you are running a stock head on the powervalced motor, i would recommend talking to ESR and possibly ordering one of their billet heads. They have a larger cooling capacity, and use the o-rings like i mentioned. When you order it you can have them set it up to run either pump gas ( 93 or lower) or race gas (100-110octane). They will also set the dome so it has the characteristics of the powerband you want, either low-mid (w/ race or pump gas) or mid to high (also w/ pump or gas). The heads run about 200 or so.
Check their site if you want to see more. www.esr250.com

hmm,...a 310 powervalve :D
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V....;)