Honda XLR250 - Opinions please

[varlac]

Hi Guys,
I have just sold my KMX125, and I am looking for another Dirt Bike before the start of Rainy Season in a few months. As its not my main bike, I am really looking for a second hand deal.

I have seen a few Honda XLR250`s for sale. Anybody have any experience with one of these ?
And how would it compare to the KMX 125..
I have been through a lot of the previous posts, concerning the comparisons between the KMX and others, but could not see any direct comparisons between it and the Honda XLR250.

I am just guessing that on-road performance would be about the same, but more low-rev torque available for off-road.

I am also considering a bigger Dirt bike, but I am a bit concerned about weight. I do quite a bit of riding on Steep tracks. The KMX125 was ideal for coming down, as it was light and easily controllable. The only problem with it was going up, if I lost its revs, frantic gearchanging to get the engine powering again before I fell over. Hence looking for something bigger, and 4 Stroke.
(Despite this, if I cant find a suitable replacement, I would still buy another KMX to replace it )

Appreciate any feedback........
varlac

[nirvana]

i think kung sa babaran ang pag uusapan, powerful ang xlr 200 at xlr 250. yun nga lang mabigat pero ok naman ito sa performance at no need to ad 2T.

[varlac]

Thanks Nirvana,
(If my translation is correct),
I tried the XLR200, and it had a lot less power than the KMX. Also it was smaller, and I have long legs. The pictures of the XLR250 look like its about the same height as the KMX. I was hoping the extra 50cc on the 250 would be a big improvement from the 200
Adding 2T on the Kawasaki was not such a pain, as its a separate oil Tank.

I tried the Yamaha DT125, but it was to low for me

Thanks for your help
varlac

[winer]

XLR250 and KMX125 is almost the same if were going to talk about power, keep in mind that we are comparing a 2stroke and 4stroke engine, from what i know, you must atleast double the CC of a 2stoke engine in order to have it match with a 4stoker, the only difference between the two bikes mentioned is KMX125 is a wild horse in going up (trailing) you really have to gain speed and keep pulling the trottle and hope that you reach the top before the engine starts to fade, not like with the XLR250 even if you are on the foot of the hill and starting from idle youre going to have no trouble in climbing up it will not over shoot, this is what others call "gapang" also XLR250 has the cheaper gas consumption compared to KMX125

[R-1]

varlac,

I had a kmx, my ride buddy has an XR250L, which i rode too.

The xr250L is a tractor going up steep mountains compared to the kmx. With the kmx you have to keep the revs high. the xr also seems to have better suspension, i couldnt feel the rocks so much on the xr250l compared to the kmx. The xr250L is taller and heavier than the kmx. A DT125 is one of the lightest bikes we have here.

overall i feel the XR250L is far superior to the kmx but with a price tag to match. Got my kmx new for p73k, my frend got the XR250L new for p185k !
and this was in 1998.

The only nice thing about the xlr200 is the electric starter and the price.

the xr250L is a lot more powerful than the xl200r. Not only does it have an extra 50cc, it also has four valves.

I like the torque , power and suspension of the xr250L, but its a bit heavy. If you want a light bike a dt125 is light.

[Knobby]

xl - xlr are good bike for dual purpose, off/on road, fuel comsuption they are best considering atleast 30+ km per liter..
but kmx is good bike not only for dual,off/on road, how about trail and mx (enduro bike category)...yes its consume 20km/liter...

suspension comparison they almost same i think kmx is softer on stock condition. sorry dt user - the muscle bike, yes you can use xl - xlr on trail but make sure to keep your balance because when you fall, you'll be needing a lot of muscle because of its weight, likewise on the race tracks.

on uphill very stiff uphill must use some technique like the squeeze/release all the way to the top.

[varlac]

R-1, Ediabs, Nirvana, Knobby,
Thanks for the info. I was only guessing that the performance would be
about the same as the KMX, and you have confirmed it for me, although I agree about the limits of comparing a 2T to a 4T.

I think the XLR could be looking for from what you are saying, I really need that extra low down power for going uphill, and being able to start and stop
again on a Hill is something I have difficulty with on the KMX. Usually if I stop on a steep section, I have to turn it around and go back down again and try again.
I do a lot of new Rides, where I dont know the track...difficult to just "creep" up the Hill with the KMX.
Really need a cross between a Trials bike and an Enduro I suppose....

Agree I am probably going to miss the lightness of the KMX.

Okay, I am convinced, for what I need it for , the XLR 250 is probably the way to go...I`m going to miss that KMX though

Really appreciate sharing your knowledge of these bikes with me guys,

time to go spend some of that hard earned I suppose....
varlac

[jeff_o]

may xlr 250 na ba? last time alam ko up to xlr200 lang ha. papost nman ng pic. saka double disc brakes na b sila?

[R-1]

peak power of the kmx might be close to that of the xl250 but thel xl250 has lots more torque! you can really feell this. and i found it much much easier to climb a mountain off road on the xl250 than on the kmx.

[winer]

R-1, Ediabs, Nirvana, Knobby,
Thanks for the info. I was only guessing that the performance would be
about the same as the KMX, and you have confirmed it for me, although I agree about the limits of comparing a 2T to a 4T.

I think the XLR could be looking for from what you are saying, I really need that extra low down power for going uphill, and being able to start and stop
again on a Hill is something I have difficulty with on the KMX. Usually if I stop on a steep section, I have to turn it around and go back down again and try again.
I do a lot of new Rides, where I dont know the track...difficult to just "creep" up the Hill with the KMX.
Really need a cross between a Trials bike and an Enduro I suppose....

Agree I am probably going to miss the lightness of the KMX.

Okay, I am convinced, for what I need it for , the XLR 250 is probably the way to go...I`m going to miss that KMX though

Really appreciate sharing your knowledge of these bikes with me guys,

time to go spend some of that hard earned I suppose....
varlac

not a problem, very happy i helped

[winer]

may xlr 250 na ba? last time alam ko up to xlr200 lang ha. papost nman ng pic. saka double disc brakes na b sila?

bro i think the most common name for this bike is "BAJA 250" sorry can't find any picture, what i got is xr250 only similar looking

[oirog69]

gas consumption ng XLR200 XLR250 salamat

[Thoth]

Can you buy new XR250's here in the Philippines ? if so where ? if not would a XT225 be the next best choice? And lastly is there much difference between the 2 ?

Thanks

Thoth

[xr_guys]

Thoth,

I use to own a 2002 XR400R which is very similar to XR250 except for the engine displacement. The XR250 is designed intended for off-road use. The frame and suspension of the XR is a lot stout compared to the XT225 bike. The only gain you get from XT is the electric starter but there is no reason you can’t get the XR to be a dual sports bike. In the power department, hands down the XR will out run the XT. Reliability & maintenance, it doesn’t get any simpler and trouble free bike than the XR. The only complaint I have is the ergonomics, but then again I may not be the ideal frame when they designed the bike back then. I wish I have kept my XR400, my first love …. Hu hu hu hu…. damit get over it.

[R-1]

my freinds XR250L is a dual purpose bike, it has turn indicators (signal lights) and a steel fuel tank. An XR250R on the other hand has no signal lights and has a plastic tank and is more powerful and lighter.

[themanoy666]

hey guys! new here...i own a XLR250 BAJA. difference with the standard XLR250 is that it has a larger diameter fork and twin round headlights.


just wondering why is it that my bike runs really wierd...the bike runs as if "malapit na ma ubos ang gas" most of the time, but when its not like that my bike rips hard and lots of low end power. just replaced the block, piston and rocker arm tho after the convention at gen-san. from what i see everything is ok, no leaks, no cracks in the block, valves are set. could this be that my carb is not set well??? or could it be dirty inside???

[stevexr250]

themanoy666, baka naman wala na talagang gas..hehe joke..check the air screw, ganyan din nangyari sa bro ko.it has something to do with the altitude of your area.i dont know much about this since i had my bro's xrl250 tuned by one of Aguilar's riding buddy here in baguio. also your tank might be rusty and needs cleaning.

jeff o: here's a pic of a honda xlr250. and yes.they have disk brakes for front and rear.

http://motorcyclephilippines.com/ppc...cat=all&page=1

[stevexr250]

gas consumption ng XLR200 XLR250 salamat

mas matipid ang xlr200..by about 5-10 km.from experience.


Baja 250 is different from XLR250.

[themanoy666]

guys...the bike in that pic is similar to mine. only thing is that bike is much more updated than mine. my bike is a 1987 model. same Radial Four Valve Combustion engine. only difference is the rear brake.

when i got my bike it had the words "XLR BAJA" on the tank.

[lars]

Themanoy666 & Stevexr250,

Talagang weird ang makina ng XLR250 which is an RFVC, specially if its old. I have a stock 1989 XLR250R Baja. It has a mileage of over 110,000 kms. It still has its original piston and rings. Its top speed is 140 KPH. Consumption of petrol is 36 kms. per liter (80-90 KPH) and 100ml of oil for every 150kms traveled. Yes, 4 stroke ito. Syempre, this is going to be the case kung tinitipid ko ang pagpalit ng piston & rings.

Where is the weird part? Well, here goes:
1. If I dont use my Baja for 3 days, its a pain in the ass to start it especially on a cold morning. There are instances when the engine looses compression as evidenced by a very very very light effort in the kickstarter. Mas magaan pa sa 2 stroke kung sipain. I have devised a technique to overcome this problem. I think the culprit is a leak in one of the 4 valves. Funny thing about my engine is that compression comes back after about 60 kicks using my technique.

2. While riding to work (Cavite to Makati & vise versa) the engine is running prefectly and all of a sudden the engine conks out. This happened to me several times. Kickstart it, there is no compression. After a few tries (just be patient), the engine comes back to life.

Even with these experiences (others may classify it as a problem), I still consider my Baja a truly enjoyable bike to ride. Nimble, powerful, fast and frugal on my pocket.

[J99]

I had the same loosing compression problem as sir lars had and what i do is whenever i shut off the engine i slowly kick the starter and feel up to the point na matigas na siya. This action compresses the chamber and closes all the 4 valves. Relaxed ang spring sarado ang chambers para walang makapasok na whatever tapos wala na yung paminsan minsan na loss compression. Yung para naman nauubusan ng fuel and mahirap magstart sa akin was traced doon sa ignition system. Check yung plastic part that plugs into the sparkplug. Meron yung resistor na spring loaded and it loosens up and corodes heavily dahil sa heat and high voltage. Nung nalinis ko yun and nahigpitan ang laki ng naging difference ko sa start and power. Average start ko ngayon is 2 kicks on really cold mornings choke engaged and lights off.
Worst case ko with the ignition was it was so low and out of timing and this was traced to the emitter inside the engine. The thing that triggers the pickup coil is magnetized para maka-induce ng current strong enough to trigger the CDI. Yung sa akin was sobra ng hina nung magnet halos zero na yung reading nung coil kaya what I did was to epoxy a small but powerful permanent magnet to that moving part. Ayun awa ng diyos wala pa akong pinapalitan parts and okay ang andar.
Yung engine ko is an 86RFVC dual carbs XLX250R.

Hope my two cents worth helps

[themanoy666]

thanx for the info guys. i guess the RFVC 250 is the wierdest engine. my baja starts easily after 3 kicks even if its not used for a week, well thats no problem for me.

anyway i rode my baja today from my house to school and back. the ride was kinda slow and rally boring....really slow acceleration on all gears and i had 5 big backfires today!! the saddest part is when i was near my house my bike suddenly "had a good mood" and accelerates fast!!!! as if there is nothing wrong with it!!! parang gusto ng bike ko na bitin ako sa ride.

is there a solution to this problem of mine??? please give me some info.

anyway heres a pic of and my baja at the convention at gensan:
http://motorcyclephilippines.com/pho...here-thumb.jpg

heres a pic of my frineds KTM.heheheh he uses a custom made headlight sourced from a BAJA
http://motorcyclephilippines.com/pho..._ktm-thumb.jpg

[lars]

J99, that is exactly one of my techniques. That is, leaving the engine in its compression stroke, with its 4 valves close.

My other technique is, with ignition off, I prime the combustion chamber with fuel by activitating the choke. 5 hard kicks is enough. Then turn on the ignition. The engine usually starts this way.

Good thing, I have not experienced any problem with my ignition system.

[leorider]

OT lang po .......................
san po ba pedeng bumili ng brand new xr/xlr250? at how much po?

plano ko pong bumili sana ng xr200, pero parang mas ok xr/xlr250. tenks!

[lars]

leorider,

Bro, walang shop dito sa Pinas na nagbebenta ng brand new na XR/XLR 250. Di ko rin alam ang presyo ng brand new.