Honda XR 250R
NEW FEATURES ? New engine retains Radial four Valve Combustion Chamber IRFVC) but bore and stroke have been changed from 75 mm x 56.5 mm to 73 mm x 59.5 mm. The dual 24 mm carburettors of the 7985 model has been replaced by a single 30 mm-chokc unit KEY FEATURES Dirt Bike Rider 1986 The original XR250 began life in 1979 as a scaled-down XR500. While the engineers at Honda fiddled with the possibilities of punching out the two-valve, 200cc motor, they ran into problems with reliability and settled for a down-sized 500 motor. The tried-and-true 250 was a machine designed for the play rider with its docile motor and average suspension units, and it did the job it was intended to do. For several years the bike rode the same production course, until 1984, when the RFVC, or Honda's Radial Four Valve Combustion chamber was introduced in an effort to broaden the powerband and increase the compression. The '84 and '85 XR250s upped their competitive value with increases in suspension and motor output but still remained, at best, serious playbikes. TIME TO GET SERIOUS Nineteen eighty-six has seen the Honda people reevaluate their game plan in the four-stroke lineup. The mainstay XR350 has been dropped, and a major effort has gone into the development work of the '86 XR250. The '86 XR250 is designed to meet the challenges of Eastern enduro competition. Instead of being a 70-percent play and 30-percent serious machine, it is now 70-percent serious and 30-percent play. THE HEART OF THE MATTER Honda took the peaky power of the '85 machine and reworked the bore and stroke to allow for mid-range muscle. They kept the same compression ratio but dropped the twin 24mm carbs of the past in favor of a single 30mm unit. The '85 oil pump was changed from a single pump to a dual pump. By redirecting the oil away from the mag, they have helped keep things cool and assisted the power increase. With the addition of the steering-mounted oil cooler on this year's bike, they have further increased the cooling capacity. PRETTY SNAZZY CHASSIS The biggest news regarding the new XR is the 238-pound dry weight figure. With the box-section front downtube and the addition of a lightweight, rigid chassis, the old world theory of a fat four-stroke has been reduced immensely. The dimensions of the bike have been altered to allow for a slight increase in the trail and rake from 26 degrees to 26.5 degrees. It still turns with the prowess of the older XR, and has forgiving manners in the sand. Honda's new-wave thought process concerning the XR is evident in the suspension sophistication for '86. The forks have gone from the marginal 38mm units of yesterday, to the beefy 41mm units on the '86 XR250. They are similar to the motocross legs on the mighty Honda CR125—fully adjustable Kayaba units. The travel has been increased one full inch over the previous 250, from ten to 11 inches, and the performance of the forks would have to be rated as very good. While the action is plush and leans toward the soft side, they should make the Eastern rider happy. In the small bumps they perform flawlessly by sponging up any obstacle they come across. It's only on a major league wallop that glitches surface. They bottom out hard, and transmit the shock directly to the rider. A quick and painless remedy is to increase the oil level (from six inches from the top of the tube to five inches). The result is instant relief for the rider, who can then attack obstacles with little fear. A WORD FROM THE GALLERY Honda pulled out the stops and focused a serious effort on the enduro competitor. The front disc brake is a twin-piston caliper unit that slows down the rolling Honda nicely. It's not a grabby feel, but a progressive action that all our testers enjoyed. A quick-change rear wheel cuts the time of removing the wheel in half, over the older design. An ingenious clamp system does away with the time-consuming chore of readjusting the chain after pulling the wheel. Speaking of the wheel, Honda has finally dropped the 17-inch wheel of the past. With the use of lower-profile tires, the seat height of the '86 machine remains the same as the '85 bike. ON THE SADDLE With all the new tricks that adorned the '86 XR250, our expectations were high. After we performed our cures on the forks and did our best with the rebound damping, we lit out on the trail. During the course of one of our rides, a rather monstrous precipice was attempted by our group which consisted of one Open two-stroke, one competition two-stroke enduro 250, and the XR. The Open bike conquered the hill with sheer brute power, and the two-stroke 250 slithered and squirmed and finally cleared the hill. Next was the XR, which chugged its way to the top without a snivel. ALL IN ALL Honda's mission in building the XR250 was a tough chore: Make a competitive, fairly lightweight four-stroke with advanced suspension and make it fast. They designed it for the Eastern enduro rider, and it will make the East Coast pilot mighty happy. But the desert destroyers and Western bark busters will be lining up to bag one of these new XRs as well, and the sound of the 250 off-road class might never be the same. □ Source Dirt Bike Rider 1986 |