The History of Honda's XR250 and XR250R off-road machines from 1979- 2004
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- čas přidán 13. 03. 2019
- This is my look back at the history of Honda's 250cc XR Enduro machine from its introduction in 1979 through its eventual retirement in 2004. Often thought of more as play bikes than racers, the XRs were a line of machines that introduced thousands of enthusiasts to the joys of off-road riding.
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In 1988 I rode an all black XR 250R in the US Army Spec Ops to ride off the tailgate of a C-130 onto an enemy runway for airport seizure operations. We rode in teams of 2. The best part was training. Riding our XR's all over the back woods and trails of our base in Washington state. It was a fun job when you are 19 years old. We rode the wheels off those bikes and they showed up the next day asking for more.
These are the type of in depth reviews that I crave
Excellent report, it’s nice to see someone present the facts in unbiased way, and with the understanding that not every bike has to be a hair on fire screamer to be a great machine.
I had a 1981 xr200R . I abused that thing for years, jumping it 4-5 feet in the air all day , hardly ever changed the oil (I was a kid) , never adjusted the valves or the cam chain, the thing ran like a clock
The XR200 was very reliable. I saw a guy win an enduro with only a supertrapp exhaust on a 1982 XR200R. You really do a great job with your videos!!
I still have my 2004 XR400R that I bought new in 2005 as a discounted dealer left over.
I've got the 98 .. absolutely love it , not many bikes with fully adjustable rear suspension from the factory, still smashes newer bikes on the trails ,great engine to work on... You just don't have to.
Wow this is great stuff. Very professional and accurate. You sir are very talented and your general love of dirtbikes really show in your work. I know that this review took ALOT of time. Thanks for sharing!
Bikes for having fun wraps it up perfectly, great clip!
Thanks for the excellent review! I recently bought a 96 xr250r because of the reliability and parts availability. Also, it is easy to access the carb and the valves for service. Everything you said about the suspension being too soft and the frame too weak is true. It is really interesting to see what it looked like when it was new.
I have owned many of these throughout the years... I can still recall each new cosmetic revision when they came out. Good times.
I had an 86' punched it out to a 300, camed it port and polished it. Put a bigger flat slide carb, Had the original Moose Racing in Colorado do the motor. Added supertrap with as many discs you could put on it. Powder coated the frame blue. Added a white Acerbes tank changed the number plates to blue. Finised off with White Power upside down forks and a White Power shock. It was really one of a kind bike. The bike had probably 50,000 miles on it by the time i sold it. 90%; all Colorado off road miles. Wore the engine caese out and later had to repalce the the lower motor from and 94' after blowing 3rd gear out.. And main bearings would fall out cases after tear down. Thank you for the video, brought back a lot of memories.
I sold Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasakis 1982 through 1986. I got to ride most of the dirt bikes we sold. The XRs were always fun to ride with the XR200R the most capable in New England woods where it could, if flogged, keep up with the standard bearer of the class, the Kawasaki KDX175. I owned a 1979 XL250S as a playbike while I rode an IT200L for serious speed. I would like to point out that while the 23" front wheel did limit tire choices, it never caused any odd or unpleasant handling. I rode my XL250S very hard and was heavy at that time. It was great in tight woods and would only get funky if you mounted knobbies and rode fast in a straight line on power lines and such where the frame would now flex very noticeably. The stock trials universal tires allowed mores sliding so the frame was less taxed. Overall, the line of 4-stoke playbikes Honda built was never excelled for performance in the woods or for reliability by other manufacturers. Again, your work here is very accurate and detailed. Thank you for your efforts.
The gearbox on my ‘81 XR-250 had a better ratio spread than my 84 XR-350 for what terrain I rode COLORADO. Also my 250 had a higher compression ratio than 350 , which I found much better at above 8000’ elevation riding . !
Thanks for the video, that was excellent!
I got mine new in 2004. Years ago I did the 280 big bore kit with cam, rod etc. I got no problem keeping up with my friends on their 450's on the trails. Such a comfortable bike to ride you can get right up on the tank smashing thru the single track I will never sell this bike. Green sticker registration for life in CA. Love it
Awesome job on the history of these xrs. I still have my 83 500r and still love it. Keep up the great work please!
Thank you for this. It is beyond appreciated. You have really done a service for a lot of people.
One of the most loved bikes here in Costa Rica, really reliable and good for our topography. So common around here, I worked at a shop that sells parts and services for XR's only.
We had an1983 XR200r, it was an awesome machine, first "performance" bike I ever rode, and what I learned about engines on. It was unburstable, and when it wore out, it was Honda easy to fix. Loved it.