85 and 86 compatibility

[arlaunch]

Thank you for your time in advance.

I will try to make a long story short.

A few months back i purchased a 1985 250R rolling chassis. It is in pour condition. It had decent factory plastics though. Lots of corrosion but must have been stored under cover for the majority of its life.

It came with a honda XR headlight and a completely corroded rear master brake cylinder. Obviously rode at the coastal dunes without a proper cleaning prior to a long time in storage.

My plan was to restore it over the next couple of years.

Looking on craigslist i found a 1986 rolling chassis for what looks to be a good deal...

I spoke with the fella who owns it and found out:

It has no front brake assembly at all, no wiring harness or kill switch. But has a nice functional honda OEM headlight.

My question is this....????

I have a 1985 honda engine. I also have the full wiring harness from the previous 1985 rolling chassis i bought earlier.

1. Will the 1985 stator power the 1986 headlight?

2. Will the 1985 front brake assembly work on the 1986?

3. Will the 1985 good OEM plastics i have fit on the 1986? I am aware of the rubber gas tank/frame protectors being different.

4. Will the 1985 forks work with the 1986? My understanding is they have a 1 degree difference as far as the angle goes.


I know about the minor differences in brake systems.

Anything else somebody can chime in about regarding putting 85 equipment on an 86 would be appreciated.

[86125m]

Um what bike are you speaking of.

[arlaunch]

Right!!!!

Honda 250R ATC

[ScAwN7]

Yes to everything. You shouldn't have any issues at all. I'm not quite sure what you mean about the rubber gas tank / frame protectors being different. If there was any difference, it was way back in the day and they are interchangeable as far as I know. And the 1 degree of rake in the front end is supposed to be due to the angle at which the neck is welded onto the frame when comparing an 85 and 86 (someone correct me if I am wrong on that), so this would have no affect on you using the forks. You're good to go.

[bkm]

Rake difference is in the frame itself. Triple trees will interchange and the forks are internally different, but will also swap between the two.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Electrically speaking, the CDI is different between 85 and 86. So, whichever electrical harness you use, you will need to use the corresponding CDI.

[ScAwN7]

I did find out what you meant about the rubber gas tank / frame protectors being different. The 85 models have the nipple built into the large grommets that sit under the tank while the 86 models use nipples built into the frame. Kind of a stupid small change that almost make these hard to use back and forth but can be done with the use of some ingenuity.