Tips on what to look for in an ATC 250r?

[McTrikerson]

Hello,

I grew up riding an ATC 200x and have also raced dirtbikes, so I'm no stranger to the offroad world. My family thinks I'm crazy, but I've been wanting a 250r for over a decade. I think it is time to throwdown. Being a student, my budget mandates that I'll likely end up with an 83-84.

So, I'm wondering what kind of problems I should be looking for on a 250r, when buying. I've never actually bought a used dirtbike/atv, so your help is important to me.

I'm also wondering how high maintenance they tend to be, assuming I get one that is in mostly average condition (whatever that is).
Any feedback would be helpful. I've never even been on a 250r. But, for as much as I love offroading and my old 200x, I doubt I'll be disappointed.

Thanks!

[jakep53]

you wont be disapointed I just bought an 82 and that thing rips!!

[f76]

Some quick things to check:
front and rear shock condition ( if it feels bouncy like a pogo stick it will need rebuilding or replaced)
bearings in carrier and front axle. Ask to jack the trike up and turn wheels by hand, listen for noise, wiggle axle around to see if there is any play. Also free spin the axle and check if the axle is bent, or rims are bent.
Also while trike is off the ground check swing arm bushings/bearings. Attempt to wiggle swing arm and check for slop or play. Same with front forks, check the neck bearings.
Condition of tires.
Look frame over for cracks or repairs. A 250r frame is robust but it never hurts to look things over.
Under and around engine for oil leaks.
Test the brakes, if possible look at pads.
Chain and sprockets. If o-ring chain look for missing o-rings, stuck links. Sprockets look for worn out teeth on gears, will have a hook shape if severely worn out, sharp tips.
Look inside gas tank for rust.
Check gear case for oil. Pretty sure the 83-84 250r had a little screw you remove to check if there is a slight amount of oil in the case. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Plastics, look for cracks, repairs.

If it's running make sure to take it for a test drive if they allow. Cycle through all the gears, open it up and verify engine is running properly, listen for misfires, excessive vibration. If the engine is warm or hot when you get there, more than likely they are trying to hide worn rings or low compression. When a motor is warmed up or hot, the rings will have expanded from heat and the usual tell tale symptoms will not be apparent.

This is a just a quick list of things I thought of. I'm not an expert with two strokes so hopefully someone will chime in with things to look out for. If you start noticing many things wrong, don't be afraid to point them out and offer a lower price since they will need repairs.

[McTrikerson]

If it's running make sure to take it for a test drive if they allow. Cycle through all the gears, open it up and verify engine is running properly, listen for misfires, excessive vibration. If the engine is warm or hot when you get there, more than likely they are trying to hide worn rings or low compression. When a motor is warmed up or hot, the rings will have expanded from heat and the usual tell tale symptoms will not be apparent.

Thanks for the great advice! I think this will be really helpful.

[jb2wheels]

With 30 year old toys, expect every wear item to be worn.

in addition to the above, look for gross buffoonery - welded on shift lever, kick start lever, hubs, etc.
Does it have an air filter. Sounds silly, right? Until you start popping the lid on every trike you look at. I'd say 8/10 have no filter. WTF? How long has it been that way?

I also hate when people take a rattle can and paint everything. Unless it's really cheap, walk away. Takes to much time to make it right.

Know what's hard to get for whatever trike you're looking at. Hondas are pretty good, you can get just about anything. Some things sneak up on you, though: the brake line guides that bolt on the top tripple tree, for example.
back to my air filter example, just try to find the air filter cage for a gen1 Tecate....

I don't know about 2nd gen Rs - can you get plastics if you need them?
Worn out wear items (chains, sprockets, brakes, tires, bearings, etc) are not deal breakers but negotiating tools.

[jacobfour]

Well I just bought a 250r atc 84. And it was quite the eye sore. I love it and glad I bought it. But the guy was like oh just needs top end rebuilt everythings good man. no pics went to go look at it. No Exhaust Silencer, no Header, No Carb, No Jug, wrong beat up plastic fenders, dented up gas tank, Need new piston, rod bearing, Jug, Throttle Cable, the wiring looked like a nightmare, the kill switch wasnt hooked up wish i would of thought of that when i was putting it back together and had no spark! bc the kill switch didn't work which would explain why it wasnt hooked up. no ignition coil. and there is a oil screw on the clutch side of the engine which is how u measure how much oil to put in for clutch and trans and the screw is about 90% stripped but I made it work with some high heat silicon around washer but might look at that. I paid $400 and got about $1300 in it total after parts. But Ive been riding the piss out of it and its a blast. I learned alot about it having to put it back together but If I was gonna giv advice I'd say find one running for $800-1500 depending on shape its in and or if its the 85-86 water cooled or 81-84 air cooled preferably water cooled bc u can get parts easy and they would prolly be more reliable. If you by one in parts not running like I did Id say pay like $100-$400 cheapest u can get bc parts add up quick and if jug is off make sure u dont have play on the connecting rod, If u tug on it and it slaps up and down its shot.

[jb2wheels]

Good points.

I paid $1900 for my 85R a couple of years ago. It was worth every penny. I replaced the stator but I'm not sure I had to. Changed all the fluids including taking the calipers apart and cleaning the gunk out from behind the pistons. I finally put a chain/sprocket set on it this spring. I spray painted a few things that had surface rust issues. No other big $$. I don't have many pic of it:

199839 199840

I paid $700 for my 85 350X and I'm not sure it was worth that but it was a cheap entry price to a 350X and I did not have $2k to spend at the time. I don't keep real close track of project costs but I probably have close to another grand in it and I did not buy fenders - which it needs. I doubt I could get my $1700 out of it unless I spend some $$ on fenders.

199841 199842

Hard to tell from the pics what a POS it was.

My point = a nice one is worth the $$

[manbearpig]

aside from basic 30 year old ATV routine pre-purchase checks...

specific to 83/84 250R, check:

swingarm pivot bolt
rear shock shaft
rear brake master
shift shaft & shifter


swingarm pivot bolts for 83/84R are relatively scarce and expensive to replace. if the one in the bike youre looking at has a pivot bolt that looks like it was beat with a hammer to remove it, it may indicate it is/was rusted in place and you should be aware of the nightmare that may await you when trying to remove it to service the pivot bearings or remove the motor. No company that i know of is producing a replacement pivot bolt for these machines.

inspect the rear shock shaft as closely as you can. One of the first things i do when i purchase a bike is have the suspension rebuilt. 83 & 84 used different shocks, swingarms, and linkages for both years. 9 out of 10 83/84 shocks ive come across have at least some pitting or damage on the shaft. to rebuild properly, you will need a shaft with NO damage or pitting. i believe you may be able to purchase a brand new replacement shock from WORKS, but it will be in the neighborhood of $500-$800

rear brake master cylinders are equally as difficult to find as pivot bolts for these years. as far as i know, no other year master cylinder will interchange so you are stuck to finding a good used 83/84R RBM if yours is not functioning. Most have the piston stuck in the master cylinder and if you can get it out, it may have damaged the master cylinder's bore. This often results in lots of bikes having their entire rear brake systems removed then subsequently lost before its eventual sale. The rear brake stay and arm are specific to 83/84R as well. Caliper is interchangeable, provided you have the 83/84R rear brake caliper mount. I have seen EastcoastATV offer these advertised as 'NEW' but are remanufactured originals. done to a very high quality, but still rebuilt originals... and $100ish

the shift shafts on these bikes are notorious for stripping splines and cracking the internal teeth that operate the ratchet mechanism. if you find that a motor will not shift past a certain gear, or will not shift at all, its likely due to broken or cracked and bent teeth on the shift shaft. you will need to find a good used replacement. parts have been discontinued for along time. The shifters are specific to these two years as well. they have a history of weakening at the pinch clamp and stripping their splines (and the shift shafts splines too). they bend and the welds crack/break often so make sure the bike has an OEM shifter that hasnt been welded to the shaft.

hope this helps

[McTrikerson]

Thanks, everyone! This is a lot of feedback. You have all provided me with some major points and tips that will be really helpful!

[manbearpig]

Also check the case in front of the drive sprocket. OEM chain guard was plastic and didnt do much in the event of a high speed chain wad-up.

[86125m]

jb2wheels your 350x looks great I don't see what wrong with the fenders personally.

[ps2fixer]

jb2wheels your 350x looks great I don't see what wrong with the fenders personally.

If you look closely, you can see they are sun faded, it is hard to get a clear photo of that, I sold a fender in the past like that and couldn't capture the "badness" of it very well.

The way I see it, even though he has $1700 into it, it is way better than a $1700 machine with problems/rigged up stuff and pretty plastics.

[jb2wheels]

We're sliding off topic but...

Yep - I know every nut bolt chain link and bearing on this thing.
And the plastics are 10 footers no doubt. Can't see the crazing, cracks, patched cracks, zip tied crack, and the spot where I melted some while "welding".

But it's an awesome dune ride - ride hard, change oil, repeat!