86 trx 250r

[jonathanfromquebec]

ok, I'm looking to buy a 22 Y/O money pit (new toy I mean). I really miss my atc 250r... so I'm going for the 4 wheels version

What should I be looking at when I go to see it ?
what's the weak point(s)?
what are the availability of the parts ?
what are my options if it blows ?

thanks
Jo

[Sloppyduner]

Oh no somebody is coming to look at/pick up my 86 250R today. If your going to Fontana to look at it and the guy is fat and has long hair just take it and have fun. Offer him a cookie, chocolate chip. He likes those. The bike is good. Pay him, Take it, have fun.

If your not looking at my quad today I would...
Check for cracks in the frame
Missing parts, (bolts, etc)
Compression above 100
A bunch of dirt in the airbox is a bad sign.
The weak points Dunno, Ask Woody or Washer.
There are parts all over for these things still.
See Woodglues thread about life with his TRX250

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN ON IT they ARE a blast!!!

[Washroad]

See if it's all there. No obvious missing parts.

How do the tires look? Do the wheels match? ( I ask this as I saw someone buy a 250R and the rear wheels were different widths.) Do the tires match?

Is it rusty like it's been left outside like a redheaded stepchild and ignored? Is it filthy dirty?

Does it run? If you can't start it see if the seller can.

Park it on the grab bar and look over the bottom of the frame closely. You're looking for breaks/cracks in the frame. See if the engine and swingarm skid plates are there.

Sit on it. Hold the bars and wiggle them back / forth. Watch the front wheels. Do they both move the same distance while wiggling? Turn the bars all the way each direction, do things match up?

Take a 10mm socket wrench and see if there is oil in the tranny. Just take the little bolt out and see if oil comes out. No oil? It's low. Not a good sign but not terrible if it's not empty. Oil? How clean?

Ride it. Do all 6 gears work? How does the clutch feel?

Ask about repairs done to it. Do they have paperwork on recent engine top-ends/ bottom-ends? (I won't go into it too much, but paperwork doesn't always mean the truth; case in point: a friend bought one, told it was a 300cc factory cylinder, a few trips later the engine seized [crank] and when he took the cylinder to be bored he found out it was not a 300cc but original sleeve on it's 4th bore and was still a 250!)

Does the shut-off switch work?

Counter-shaft gear and rear sprocket and chain....not that important as long as they're there. This is something that ought to be replaced anyway unless they are brand new and it's not an expensive thing.

Do you see any obvious repairs to the engine case? Any JB Weld smeared on it?

I would tend to stay away from a "built" quad unless I knew what I was doing. Some of the "racers" do run like a stripped-butt ape but aren't dependable and need top-ends often. Look for something close to stock.

Almost all 250Rs will have an aftermarket air filter and exhust as the stockers were too restrictive. See if the air filter is clean. Remove it and look inside there. Any dirt/grit? Hmmmmm.

While any of them are "salvageable" unless the frame is bent up, it depends on how much time/effort/money you are willing to sink into it.

I've been riding the same '86 Fourtrax since '95 and I just can't seem to give it up.

Parts.....many are not available from the factory anymore. Forget getting factory plastic, frames, kick-starter shafts, etc. There are aftermarket for some of them.

Engine parts....I go to a machinist locally and he can get or make just about anything and does a great job on bottom-end rebuilds. He carries rebuilt cranks/rods, has pistons, etc. You may have to look around until you find someone like that.

[Astro]

Get familiar with the machines Engine color, swingarm, frame, body work all can help you see if it's a clean one owner or a Picaso of left over parts In light of all the VIN# issues now get a title or walk away

Take someone who knows what each year machine looked like new & where they break with you if you don't know. Stock or close to it are the best bets in my opinion It won't be as fast as your ATC250R was, but it's still an R

Astro

[Washroad]

The VIN have 2 locations; the 86-87 is a tab on the frame, left side on piece going up for the rear support, the 88-89 it's on the front of the frame where you need to remove the fenders to see it.

Yeah, all years of engines will fit without any modification, even the liquid cooled 3-wheeler engines fit right in. They all have about the same horsepower stock; approximately 36. The 86 has a shorter connecting rod and many feel that this engine will rev up faster than the others. I can't prove it one way or the other. You can put any year cylinder on any year engine without modification at all, they fit right on and work just fine. If you find one with a spacer on the bottom of the cylinder, that means it has an 87-89 rod/crank and an 86 style piston. Not a bad combination at all, gives a more torquey feel to the motor and smooths out the power band.

Ask how long it's been run on the piston in the engine.

Swing arms, the 86-87 were gold colored and steel, the 88-89 are satin finish aluminum. The 86-87 are 1" longer.

Front a-arms; 86-87 have camber adjustment which isn't on the 88-89. The 88-89 a-arms move the front wheels forward 1". All years have the same wheel base stock.

Plastic from any year will fit any year if you change the mounts/latches.

I've seen all kinds of combinations of stuff out there, some are good and some aren't. It's the overall machine you need to be concerned with.

[jonathanfromquebec]

thanks for the answers !!!
It's really appreciated

I'm going to see the machine on the 22nd...

hope it'll woth the trip

Jo

[Astro]

Did you find a good 250R

I've got to service mine for our next trip on President's Day

Astro

[GlamisSandDuner]

If you haven't purchased one yet be sure to check for cracks in the frame in these locations. Take the rear fenders off and look at the frame by the grab bar. Check the frame where the frame piece comes down at a slope towards the main part of the frame by the foot pegs. The other place the frame tends to crack is up by where the top of the steer stem mounts to a loop in the frame, where that loop conects to the rest of the frame is where it cracks. I use to have an 1988 250R, which I think is the best year ever made, and when I had my frame powder coated I took it over to a local fabricator that had made a gusset kit for the 250R's and he welded them in. The engines and tranny's on the 86 & 87's where all painted the same color dark grey. In 88 the cylinder and head where satin aluminum (bare) and the rest of the enging and tranny were painted black. Hope this helps.

[jonathanfromquebec]

sorry, i didn't answered earlier, I just finished a contract on baffin island (arctic region) and haven't got a chance ton check the BB.

Well bad news, by the time I got home and called the guy, the 250r was sold... but thanks for you input, I'm gonna recall this all for when I'm gonna find another good one