84 or 86 Honda 200s

[TinTin23]

Hey guys, new to the forum and looking forward to hearing everyones feedback.

I'm currently looking for a Honda 200s and came across an 84 and an 86. They are both in decent shape (cosmetically) but was wondering if there are any major differences I should be aware of between the two?
I like that the gears on the 84 shift down instead of up like on the 86. Is there any sort of advantage or disadvantage to this? Also, can you convert the 86 to shift down?

Thank you!

[86125m]

There is only two differences that I am aware of the first is cosmetic the 86 looks a bit different than the 84 and the 86 is just a little more rare than the 84 but they use basically all the same parts. The second is that the 86 shifts up and the 84 shifts down. I also agree that the transmission should shift down but there is no real advantage or disadvantage to either. One problem I have is that two out of our 9 bikes shift up while the rest shift down so I have to remember to reverse the pattern depending on what bike I'm on. I guess you could convert the 86 to down but that would require changing the whole transmission out from an earlier bike. It really would not be worth the trouble unless the bike needed a new transmission anyway.

[TinTin23]

Thanks for the response. Yeah I noticed the cosmetic differences which are minimal. Just want to make sure everything else (important stuff: engine parts, electrical, brakes etc etc) is interchangeable.

[Ghostv2]

86 has different connectors on the CDI. I don't remember which one has more pins without going out and looking.

[n8r]

A lot of guys prefer the 84 down shift pattern for riding wheelies. Its easier to shift gears while wheelieing.