250R OEM handlebar compatibility

[keith1976]

Hi. I own an 85 250R and am looking for oem bars so that I can use the OEM grips and bars ends. 85/86 bars seem very hard to find. Will handlebars from 81-84 250Rs work? Is the knurling for the clamps in the same locations?

[ps2fixer]

I don't know a whole lot about the 85-86 250r, but I could measure the handle bar spacing to compare to yours. I have an 81 and 83-84 machine. Pretty much all of the handle bars are the same size around for OEM stuff, 7/8's inch.

[shortline10]

Here is a pair on eBay at a decent price .
https://www.ebay.com/i/143002669741?...d0079affd884a6

[keith1976]

I don't know a whole lot about the 85-86 250r, but I could measure the handle bar spacing to compare to yours. I have an 81 and 83-84 machine. Pretty much all of the handle bars are the same size around for OEM stuff, 7/8's inch.

Yes, could you measure the knurling where it clamps from inside to inside, and then outside to outside. Thanks a bunch!

[keith1976]

Here is a pair on eBay at a decent price .
https://www.ebay.com/i/143002669741?...d0079affd884a6

I saw those, but it says they are bent.

[bkm]

There used to be a seller on Ebay named soilmec that reproduced oem bars and they were spot on. I know he still sells the front brake hoses. You might want to contact him and see if he still has a set or could get more.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[ps2fixer]

Handle bar bolt pattern center to center on the bolts is 140mm for 81-84 ATC250R, also the same for my ATC350X.

My 81/82 machine had aftermarket handle bars, the knurling is the whole center, and ends just before the clamps lol.
83/84 machine the knurling isn't visable, pretty sure it has the stock handle bars, same with my 350x.

The 350x is a lower profile handle bar than the 83/84 one. The 350x has a center support bar while the 250r one didn't.


The clamp width on the handle bars is about 23mm, for ez math I'll call it 24mm. Just using math, inside to inside should be 116mm and outside to outside should be 164mm.

I believe the 86-87 (maybe 83-85 as well) ATC200X uses the same handle bar spacing of 140mm. Most/all TRX models have a very narrow handle bar mounting width, something like 100mm.

Hopefully this is the info you want/need.

[keith1976]

Thanks! This helps a ton!!!

[BOB MARLIN]

What's a center support bar ?

Did you mean cross bar ?. None of the ATC's (to my knowledge anyway) came with a cross bar. It was considered a safety hazard from what I've read . I've never measured the spacing between the 350x bars and the 250r of the same years but have always used them for either and never noticed a difference. Not saying there wasn't a difference, just saying it must be very slight.

Any bar listed as an ATV bar has the knurled area across a wider section and are a bit longer in the clamp area to make them compatible with the wider spacing found on ATC's and most ATV's. As for the threaded insert for the end caps I think your best bet is to find an OEM one off ebay, but I've never received one that wasn't at least a little bent. If the ones you have are not too bad you can usually bend them back using a long pipe for leverage.

[ps2fixer]

Yea I wasn't sure what that support bar was called, figured it's across the center of the handle bars, so should make sense lol. Anyway, I pulled up partzilla and you're spot on, the diagram doesn't show any cross bar so the one on my 350x is either aftermarket or for another machine.

I'll have to pull the 250r handle bar I have some time to make sure the knurling ends where I think it ends. It looks a lot like the one linked below, but it has no knurling at all.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-ATC20...4383.l4275.c10

The aftermarket bars (or whatever they are) on the 350x are something like 2 inches shorter than the ones on the 250r I have. Now that I think about it, my other 350x's handle bars are a lot like the 250r's I think.

[Shep1970]

And just putting this here because I can. After reading this post, I figure there must be a (hand) knurler?sp and there is.
I may need to try one some day.
Just passing it on, I never knew this hand tool existed.

A little more kinda useless info: my sons 200x has $35 (emgo) bars. Knurling is off by 3/4” but otherwise fit all controls nice and the bend is very close to oem. They also have the welded nut in end of bar for endcaps. Bikes been through some very rocky terrain and the bars have held up great, haven’t moved at all.

Shep

[Red Rider]

What's the knurling supposed to do, make the handlebar clamps grip the handlebars better? The inside of the handlebar clamps aren't knurled, allowing the knurling patterns to lock together. The way I look at it, the ridges, caused by the knurling, decrease the surface area that the handlebar clamp has to clamp to. Other than helping you center the handlebars in the clamps (assuming the knurling is symmetrical), I don't see a need for it.

[ps2fixer]

I think that's the idea behind it. Not clue if OEM has it or not though. AL is soft, so the peaks of the steel will embed into the AL and make it more surface area and be a physical contact. Wiper arms on most cars use the same logic/basic design. I suspect it's not really needed unless you're really riding hard and doing MX jumps and such.

[Red Rider]

I suspect it's not really needed unless you're really riding hard and doing MX jumps and such.

To be honest, I don't even think it's needed under these circumstances. Aftermarket BMX goosenecks and handlebars did away with knurling years ago. And here's some features of Renthal 7/8" aluminum handlebars:

Renthal 7/8" handlebars re-wrote history when they became the first aftermarket aluminum handlebar to be fitted as O.E.M. on a Japanese motocross motorcycle. All Honda CR/CRF and Kawasaki KX/KXF models (except minis) are fitted with a Renthal 7/8" handlebar as original equipment.

The exclusive aluminum alloy and the advanced manufacturing processes Renthal uses result in a handlebar which is more than capable of withstanding the extreme rigors of motocross and supercross riding and racing.

7/8" (22 mm) external diameter to fit most standard-sized clamps and controls.
7010 T6 aluminum - which Renthal has exclusive rights to - is a specially developed alloy for the manufacture of handlebars.
Oversize tubing is machined down to 7/8" to ensure a perfect, consistent diameter.
High impact strength, lightweight and excellent vibration dampening.
Shot peened surface finish to help prevent fatigue failure.
Knurling - grip end only - increases bonding between bar and grip.
No knurling in clamp area, this could cause stress on the riser and lead to fatigue failure.
Anodizing - a 15 step anodizing process forms an integral coating giving protection against corrosion.
Renthal's copyrighted, bonded lightweight single bolt clamping system for the cross-brace greatly increases strength whilst still allowing flex.
Laser-etched positioning grid.

If motocross bikes don't need knurling for jumping, I think we'll be fine without it on our 3-wheelers.