I'm thinking of buying a 1986 250r $900

[honda 4h]

i have driven big reds for ever. and now i have a chance to buy a 1986 250r. the bad needs. rear fenders,the guy thinks i needs cdi box. i have not seen it yet but i am thinking about it its complete. newer top end ,clutch.what should i be looking for that gos bad on the 250r thanks all info needed how hard to find are the cdi box.will the 85s work.

[RoscoW]

Where in Ontario are you?

Grab the rear grab bar and lift, shake it side to side, same with the rear wheels, steering stem, this should give you an indication of the condition of the bearings and if it has been looked after there. You could also cheak the compression, oil level and appearance. I think the 85 -86 cdi's have a different connection but I'm not 100% sure, fenders are still available.
Most parts can be found on E-bay so I'd look more at it's overall condition and to me if it's got all the right parts and fasteners in the proper places and hasn't had 20 years of botched repairs that can't be undone.

Ross..

[SYKO]

man, whatever.. who cares if the bearings are bad BIG DEAL they can be replaced easily and cheaply 85 and 86 have differnt wiring harness and connections square for 85 round for 86, as for 900 for a NON running trike? no way! make sure it kicks over, and if he really wants to sell it, have him pull the cylinder off. Telling someone it wont run becouse the cdi is junk sound like a coverup, could have broke rings a cracked piston a bent rod who knows? only you if you plunk down 900 and find out when you get it home. or take you a ohm meter and get the specs for a cdi unit and find out if its good or not. 900 dollars for a non running 250R why I never!

[Dirtcrasher]

Wheel and axle bearings are cheap, plastic is cheap and tires are cheap. But the cosmetics can easily add up to 500$ or so.

It's the 800$ it costs you to rebuild the motor that kills you. Unless a 250R is fresh and has been maintained, the motor most likely needs a total teardown. Unless maintained, the main bearings are usually loose and the counterbalancer is known to fail. Most 250R's I work on usually need a clutch and the 89 update kit too.

[Kintore]

IF your near London or so, Ill come with ya to check it out.... Probably me and ross would! Right bud?

[digity x]

buy it they are sweet when fixed up 9 beans is a deal

[honda 4h]

well all i can do is take a look at it and go from there. i am good with 3wheelers and do my own work.but not 250r. the guy told me he got it off a guy that put strate gas in it drove it:cry: so its supposed have new piston topend.cluch the guy that has it now got to ride it for less then 10 min it just stopped no spark he got the coil tested. regulator .the switches the dealer thinks its the cdi so the guy dose not want to spend the cash plus he cant find one.and rear fenders. i am in the Ottawa Ontario area.thanks for the input on the bike i know its a roll of the dice with a non runner what is the comparison for the bike.

[Nick_R_23]

900$ sounds like a good deal. I paid 900 for mine and didnt think twice about handing the guy the money. For a liquid R in overall good condition that is more than a fair price. One thing you really want to check is the casing around where the front sprocket is, chains are known to jump and damage the cases, and sometimes the shift shaft. Other than that I would just make sure the motor feels smooth, kick it over a few times, make sure it shifts through gears ok, take the plug out and look down the cylinder, and also see what color the plug was, if it was running right when it died. And bring some kind of Ohmmeter to test out the coil and CDI.

I noticed that you are in Canada, is the 900$ in US or CA money?

-Nick :TrikesOwn

[honda 4h]

thanks for the info its cdn money.im going to look at i next week. now i have a list of things to check.