The Honda XR250R and XR250L are

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

and

dual-sport A dual-sport motorcycle is a type of street-legal motorcycle that is designed for both on and off-road use. The terms ''all-road,'' ''on/off road,'' and ''dual-purpose'' are also used for this class of motorcycles. Dual-sports are equipped with ...

motorcycles made by

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

from 1979 through 2004, as part of the

Honda XR series The Honda XR series is a range of four-stroke off-road motorcycles that were designed in Japan but assembled all over the world. Some of the XR series came in two versions: R and L. The R version bikes were enduro machines designed for off-road ...

. They have

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

four-valve

single-cylinder engine A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is a piston engine with one cylinder. This engine is often used for motorcycles, motor scooters, go-karts, all-terrain vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, portable tools and garden machinery ...

s. In 1981, the XR250 was updated with a single rear shock. In 1984, the bike was introduced with Honda's Radial Four Valve Combustion Chamber (RFVC). It has a claimed dry weight, and a 36-inch seat height (96–04). Honda said the engine produces 19.6 peak hp and 14-15 lb feet of torque. The 1996–2004 versions of the XR250R had 10.6 inches of suspension travel front and rear and 41mm front cartridge forks. The tire size was 80/100-21 front and 100/100-18 rear. It had 13–48 tooth gearing and a stock top speed of around 66 mph at 8000 rpm. The XR250L was a heavier, street-legal version which was introduced in 1991 and should not be confused with the older XL250R. Starting in 1981, the XR250 had a 21-inch front wheel. 1979 and 1980 versions had a 23 inch front wheel (3.00 x 23 tire size). Unlike the CRF230F, which effectively replaced the XR200R in Honda's lineup as an air-cooled off-road motorcycle, the XR250R has no air cooled successor until potentially the CRF250F in 2019. That said the ‘F’ shares little more with the XR than it being a great starter play bike, 4 valve head, and an air cooled low maintenance bike. They are a different thing all together with the ‘F’ fuel injected, limited to 9.8” of travel, lower seat height by 2”, electric start, and a 5-speed transmission. The ‘F’ in stock form is a very good modern engine. The ‘R’ power plant feels dated and is lower performing in comparison. The engines in both the XR250R and XR250L are identical. In the United States the L has a 3 mm smaller header pipe and a different

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

to satisfy emissions regulations, though both carburetors have a 30 mm bore. The engine has a four-valve head with splayed

rocker arm In the context of an internal combustion engine, a rocker arm is a valvetrain component that typically transfers the motion of a pushrod to the corresponding intake/exhaust valve. Rocker arms in automobiles are typically made from stamped steel ...

s to actuate the valves. Unusual for a single-cylinder engine, it has a two-into-one header pipe. Throughout its production, the R version is kickstart only, has a six-speed

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission *** ...

with

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

final drive A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...

, and has

stator ignition The stator is the stationary part of a rotary system, found in electric generators, electric motors, sirens, mud motors or biological rotors. Energy flows through a stator to or from the rotating component of the system. In an electric mo ...

. For the pre-1996 models, the

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...

travel was front and rear. The XR250R is the enduro (competition) model; however, the L version is electric start, (except for the USA market XR250L, which never had electric start and which was discontinued after the 1996 model year), with pillion pegs, softer suspension and lower seat height. The changes between 1996 and 2004 consisted of decal updates, the mechanical parts being identical. The XR250R was discontinued after 2004. In Australia a XR250Y was released with upside-down forks and electric start in 05-06. The 1991 Honda XR250L is the most demand of the entire XR series with more than 814,00 units being sold.

References

External links

* XR250 Off-road motorcycles Dual-sport motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1979 Single-cylinder motorcycles {{motorcycle-stub