85/86 250r

[Rigaman]

I am looking to buy this 250r. It isnt stock. It isnt perfect. But it is nice. Guy said the motor has never been opened up, and its on its original bore. I dont have any way to tell unless I open it up.

It is obviously parted together with 86 and 85 parts. I would like to know if anyone can help me on this. The plastics look oem. But the rear fender plastic, I cant tell.

The motor has every correct nut and bolt it seems. It is an 85 motor. The axle carrier is 85.

Can anyone tell me what is 86? The frame looks 86. I think..

I just want to know if it is worth buying If it runs like it should.. I know ones that are oem are huge money, but this is still $2500..

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[JasonB]

that is not a 2500$ machine by any stretch of the imagination. Its nice, but not that price. I would be more likely to give closer to 1000$ for it in my area. But aside from that, i cant tell what parts look like 86; seat and headlight are 85, engine/swinger/carrier/brake caliper is 85. I dont see anything 86 right off the bat, doesnt mean theres not 86 something somewhere though. Really, if your going to spend that kind of money, 2500$ would get you something MINTY FRESH all original 85 or 86 or barely modified.

[oscarmayer]

^ I totally agree. around here it would go for about $1200-$1300 max. i think he;'s a bit WAY to far off and if your considering your a way bit too eager....

Take your time on the purchase. You coudl literally find one in another state and have it shipped in much nicer shape for less than what he is asking. Also in my opinon, if it;s that much parted together, theres a decent chance he;s lying about the motor. You really wanan take that chance with that kind of cash?
Hell i have an all ogirional 350x with origional title that needs fixing up, I'd be willing to sell it you to at a good deal, then you can pay for the parts and i'll fix it up for ya and when done, it will be a butie and be shipped to you for under the $2500.

[Rigaman]

I figured as much. He's asking that, not necessarily what he would take though. Only nice 250rs I see on eBay are going for over $3000. I wanted to offer $1500, but I've had very bad luck with bikes built from parts.

If any of you guys can help me find a nice 250r, let me know. Im in massachusettes. They aren't around here... or... haven't been. I missed out on an 84 because I was slow and had transportation issues, but I'd rather have an 85 or 86.

I am interested in a 350x. Definately. I love my 200x's, but they aren't enough power for me.

[Super350]

carrier is 86 style, rear fender looks maier,shroud decals are 86 style, seat has been recovered or lettering worn off,custom tail-light brackets!....def not worth 2500

PS: i hate when you dont get a pic of the entire trike..just up close shots of parts of it...those are great but i always like having a full shot too! thats just me

[JasonB]

ya dont settle for an 84/83 R if you really want a 250R. Go liquid cooled, newer and they are easier to manage. Also, check your local craigslist on a daily basis if the money is in your hands and you're ready to spend it. you will see something pop up and you can grab it QUICK. cash in hand will also get you leverage on pricing. See a nice 85/86 R pop up for 1000$ you can grab it up for 900$ cash in hand picked up ASAP. Those deals come up alot, people sell them fast, and then pull the ad's to make people stop calling about a bike thats already sold. Thats why you dont see alot of ads floating around with good deals on nice bikes in them. Heck, search in the morning and in the evenning to see if new stuff pops up. Craigslist is your new friend :D

[Jason125m]

Swinger is an 86, unless i am blind and not seeing the brake stay linkage. triples and most likely forks are 86. Original tires all the way around, with good tread.

[jsmay]

I have an 84' I love it.. Forced to sell it though. Liquid is nice though.. But you pay for it.

[Rigaman]

I mean. I can tell the frame is 86 by the front motor mounts. But I see lots of 85 parts.


It is a nice 250r... its not a show piece, but considering how much perfect 250r's go for, I couldn't touch one.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

In addition to what others have mentioned, that is an '86 and later carb too...

I wasn't aware there was a difference in motor mounts from '85 to '86. Can you elaborate??

And I agree $2500 is off the mark. I mean yes, here in the northeast it seems the more desireable trikes seem to bring the most compared to other regions. But that is at least $1000 too high IMHO. I would keep shopping. Maybe you find something better for a more realistic price. Maybe he sits on that R for awhile and comes down to a more reasonable price.

[Rigaman]

the 85 mounts have the bolts welded to them. The 86 mounts dont.

[falloutboy]

looks to be an 86 shock, going by the gold adjuster knob. not worth $2500. $1000-$1500 around here...

[Rigaman]

Here are some full pics. I mean. I know it is a mix of 85 and 86. But I do still want it. I have been searching craigslist for a nice liquid R for awhile. I havent seen many. Most are beat to crap. $2500 is a no go. But what would a decent price be? Any new england guys here chime in. I am the guy who paid $1500 for a tri z that had more wrong than was right. So I cant let that happen again. I got excited, and all common sense went out the window.

Anything I can point out to get the price down will help. How can I tell if the fenders are Maier or OEM? They dont look oem. They look a different shade of red even.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff25/Rigaman/fullRpic.jpg

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[RIDE-RED 250r]

Well for starters you can point out that a rare, truly original, OEM 250r in very good condition could bring $3000 or so. Now I'm not talking about a crated R, or some barn find that only has 5 hrs run time and like new in every way. I mean a mechanically sound and rideable original or close to it...

Having said that, point out that this R is not anywhere near the caliber of machine that people would be willing to shell out $2500 for. It's a mixture of an '85 engine, headlight, in an '86 chassis. Obviously someone did that at some point for a reason. And furthermore, his claim of it being on the "original bore, engine never opened up" is totally unfounded and not able to be proved either way. Yes you can determine what bore it is by pulling the head, but the claim of never opened up would be difficult to prove and highly unlikely for a 26 year old engine.

Now, to say this is a beat down POS would be wrong. It is certainly a very descent old R but it does need some TLC to be made realy nice. But it really isn't anything hugely special.

If I had cash in hand and was shopping for a good workable R to build on, this one would interest me for sure. But I would only be willing to go about $1500 on it, MAYBE $1800 if I REALLY had to have it.

The thing is, once you get it home and start really going over it to check and see what you have and what needs done, the dollar signs rack up in a hurry.

[Jason125m]

Honestly, we cannot tell you what it is worth, every area has different prices. Around here that would fetch 2500 easy. It looks clean. If those are the original tires and not replacements, then it is pretty good evidence of how much it was driven. All those fenders are OEM, and be thankful it has an 86 carb on it, the flatslides are way better than the 85 carb.

If you go see it, ride it, look at it, and you like it, who cares if it is a tad expensive, its worth it, trust me.
When I bought my R I didn't even mean to. I just wanted to have a lookie loo, got there, drove it, had to have it. 1500 later and its in my garage. ( guy wanted 2600... )

Money talks, bring cash, wave it around, you will get it cheaper.

[ebaccm26]

I agree with what others are saying, over the last 6 months there have been 3 250r's for roughly the same price that were near perfect on the local craigslist. In my area that is a $1500 machine on a good day.

[mart]

Also if you do decide to test ride it give it a little ride on some pavement and see if its not bent because from the fiirst rearward photo you have posted to me the subframe looks slightly twisted.That really is my test i allways do when looking at a trike bit of a pavement ride/roll and see if it veers or head wobbles.
I cant chime in on value because over here in aus they still fetch some serious $$ even for beaters,its all up to how much you are prepared to pay and pay to get it how you want it. Good luck with it mate ps:Im not trying to be a smart arse with saying its bent could just be the photo angle.

[ceaserthethird]

Look's to have '85 headlight, Not sure on the motor. Could of just been rattle can black.
Everything else is '86. Best thing to is test ride it!

[Rigaman]

I saw that it looks twisted from behind.. I figured its probably just the grab bar. But now that I look, it looks like the whole subframe is bent. Well.. frame... could be how the headlight is mounted. Not straight. So it makes it look very bent. Thanks for pointing that out. Smart ass! Haha. Just kidding.

On the carb I can see the "eBay" numbers like a lot of parts I've bought on ebay have. So it has been pieced together. I just found another 86 in my area for $1300. But its not anywhere near as nice. Rear fenders are cut off.. maier shrouds. Motor looks like it has a weird clutch cover..

[Rigaman]

I just got my tri-z running.

Nevermind on the r. I'm good.


Haha just kidding. :) well. I did just get my z dialed in. But I still want a liquid r.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

That "wierd" clutch cover could be a Hinson Quick Change clutch cover. That's a pricey yet nice add on accessory.

[Micahdogg]

this is a toughy. In the midwest, something like that will sell for $1500. It has some nice things going for it like the original front brake line, the primary sprocket cover, nice tires, matching gold rims, oemish plastic and decals, mostly original fasteners and mostly original (non modded) engine. However, the big drag is the seat not being original. The rashed up rims are also not too cool. And the most obvious being a mismatch of 85/86 parts. Still...I think it's worth $1500 because you can clean it, ungay all the spraybombing and pick up some decals from harlan for fairly cheap. And that would all go a long way to making it more presentable. Best thing is that it's a rider and you don't have to feel bad about ramming it through some brush - and with a little elbow grease it'll get all kinds of comments when hauling it around. Personally I would offer $1500 and $1800 tops if it runs good. Not a penny more though - and it would be nice if he had extra parts.

[Rigaman]

Ya. There are no extra parts. The plastics are oem. I am not sure about the rear fender though. Looks like it is not oem, but I dont know how to tell. I offered the guy $2000 and he didnt take it.

So. It looks like this one is all done.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Probably best you passed. I'm just not seeing 2500 there. He should have taken your offer of 2000 and he would have been doing well at that price. Let him marinate for a while. Who knows, maybe in a couple weeks he will call you and take your offer...