Cheap Honda XR250 Dirt Bike. Is It worth Saving? 

First ride on the Quadzilla Banshee video coming Sunday! Please SUBSCRIBE and LIKE the video if you enjoyed. It really helps me out a lot! Check out my Instagram: 2_vintage_ Thank you for all the support!

Don’t you dare part it out! The whole reason we are here is to see guys like you bring these back from the dead!

Who "WELDS" the sprocket to the countershaft? Un-f*cking believable!

The answer is YES! These are always worth saving. Always measure in fun not dollars.

Xr s are so good. Iam doing rebuild series on a 600$ xr400 and those machines are so well build just like the older xr 250 or xr 600. Good luck joe good videos.

I had a '87 XR 350R, monster torque!! Kept that bike for like 15 years and loved every minute of it. Sold it when I got married, I should have kept the damned bike!! Lol

These are pretty cool bikes. My vote is rebuild if it's not too far gone. If all the bearings clean up and are smooth still, output shaft, bore the cylinder, oversize piston and replace that bent valve and find another CDI trigger and it should be golden. It clearly was not put together correctly, and not timed or jumped time because the tensioner bolt was never installed.

I vote for a rebuild. Get a manual, take everything apart, compare each part to the specs and replace if necessary.

Can't trust people anymore!! I hope you fix it for cheap and the people that sold it to you see you riding it and enjoying it!!

Enjoyed the vid even if u knew what it was going to look like half way through. Always enjoy teardowns to see how on each engine. I'd say this is prime example of a part out bike

Cool to see a bike motor striped right down like that. Much respect to your mechanic knowledge and ability. 💪

Excellent engines! I have rebuilt five , RFVC engines , this year. Every one of them had sat for YEARS, and actually started after carburetor work.

I did enjoy the teardown. It's really your choice about what to do with it but I do enjoy all of the video content on your channel. Especially when you get one as bad as this one and then either repair it or swap engines to make a good bike. Whatever happens, I'll be watching. Thanks again for your time and effort. Enjoy your weekend.

That XR250 is fixable!!!!!!! I totally blew up my 2006 Yamaha XT225 and shattered the side piston skirts and tore the cylider up with deep gashes a few years back. I bought an OEM Piston from Yamaha for about 100 bucks. Then I sent the new piston along with the Cylinder off to Millennium Technologies LLC 1404 Pilgrim Road Plymouth WI 53073. They charged me about 350 bucks and Nickosealed my cylinder good as new. They perfectly matched the cylinder to the piston. I am so happy that my XT225 literally was given given a fresh start for around the 400-500 range. I would do it again without hesitation and if that XR250 were mine thats what I would do.

Cool another old school bike ready to be saved by the master of reserection.love the channel thank you for the tips and bring back memories of the bikes from back in the day .

I have two of these there great trail bikes will never let you down love the videos from Australia 👍

been waiting for you to make one of these. I have a 93 xr250L. looking forward to this series!

That engine has been stripped after it locked up.... then put back together ish and you got it..... u got blagged fella.. just rebuild it and give them the two finger salute....keep up the hard work. From Sheffield uk

Why replace the cylinder, just have it bored out, and then just need to get the correct sized piston to match the bore size

I have bought them held together with bailing wire before, and that's a rough one there. Thanks 2 Vintage

Still have and now my son rides my 1991 XR250L. No tank rust and in great shape.

I had a 87 xr 250 that was mint really wish I still had the bike they are great bikes! Great video keep up the good work

I traded a friend a 55 gallon drum of old breakers for a 96 xr600 that was laying in his yard for a few years. I can’t wait to get started on that project but I gotta get the ds80 that I just picked up for my daughter first. I’m loving learning all the two stroke stuff but this was great to see a xr being tore down.

You don't need a new cylinder just take it to a local machine shop and have the cylinder bored oversized. Just make sure it's not cracked from where the piston skirt kicked to one side when it made contact with the valve. If the cylinder wall has deep grooves just go with like a .75 so the grooves clean up when the cylinder is bored and honed. Or you could have the machine shop check the cylinder with a dial bore gauge and have them tell you what size you need. That's the way we usually do it cause it's way cheaper than buying a whole new cylinder but some machine shops don't have a boring bar small enough for small engine stuff.

Oh Wow I have never seen so many pieces of metal in an engine box ouff there will be a lot of work to put it back in top shape, but you always get your projects done not let go of your good work man. I can't wait to see the rest and see you the rider 🤩💯👌

Another great video, love the faultfinding, thank you👍

Great find. I redirected an 86 from the dead. Rebuilt entire engine. These things are really good bikes probably the best engine Honda ever made.

Really interesting to watch the detective work tearing down the motor. If it was mine I would be already deciding the parts of value to be sold on.

I have a first production year yamaha warrior 350, and your videos helped me fix it, so I can race it, thanks. But south dakota winter is setting in so ran it one last time before I park it.

Having just uploaded the start of my XR resto you tube has shown me yours....happy dayz

Big work enjoying the process, Awesome!

I would love to have an old Honda XR250. Things last forever when taken care of. Send a shipper with that bike to California and put $2,500 on it and I will send the shipper back to you with a full complete with Pink Slip 1992 Suzuki RM250, a 1984 Suzuki RM250, a 1985 Yamaha YZ250 and a 1987 Honda CR250.

xr s are so good!!! I have two, from the years 1994 and 1986, really good machines! good videos bro.

I love your video's, keep them coming.

Hey joe, I think a cool project would be an ag bike- in Australia we have them, they are meant for farms and have a lot of features that other bikes don’t, plus I’m guessing they would be extremely rare and valuable where you are, here in Australia tw200s go for big money because they aren’t made here.

I’ve owned a ton of these old XRs, here in NC I’m known as the XR guy haha. I’m parting out a few of these XR250r’s right now (two of which are 1987 models) if there’s some specific parts you might need/cannot find I could look into shipping some things out 👍🏼

I love your videos I'm working on restoring a 08 kx250f going to bring it back to full glory way too much invested but will be better than new when done

Love the videos never missed one

I have been a professional auto mechanic for 40 years. I am also an amateur drag racer and have built a few race cars and engines. And, I am also a motorcycle enthusiast, both street and dirt. I have motorcycles to thank for getting me into mechanical things. I got my first dirt bike at age 8. It was a Bultaco Lobito 100. It needed work. As best I remember it was just a top end. I had already been working on bicycles, and knew how to use tools, and had even started a collection. But I knew nothing about engines. Luckily the local farm mechanic, whose son had just gotten married and moved out, took an interest in me and my enthusiasm for mechanical things. He fixed the bike for me, while at the same time showing me what he was doing and how a 2 stroke engine works. Things just went from there. I learned to both ride (I crashed a lot to begin with, no serious injuries) and wrench. It kinda sucks when someone you know sells you something without disclosing what they know about it. They obviously knew there was serious internal damage. With the valve being bent, I suspect the valves and piston had a few collisions. It looked like there were curved gouges in the top of what was left of the piston. What I don't understand is what happened to the piston. I would not have been surprised to see the top of it broken, but how did the skirt get destroyed like that? Not just a chunk missing, but completely destroyed all the way around. I don't know why they put that blue goop on there, it seems like they would have known trying to seal that cover was pointless.

Was wedging itself in the jug. Crazy deal dude. Heard of it but I've never seen one come in like that. Have fun great motor, If you fix that up you got something. Great vid.

Love watching your channel keep making awesome content

Awesome man!! 👍👍 great work!

As the video progressed it became more interesting! Ride Red Amigos.

I am a fan of XRs but this is done part this out to get some of the investment back ,love the videos joe.

I commend u for even trying to work on this thing. U are a brave man joe!

I'dd be searching for a blown engine to get parts of. It's always better for the value of the bike to keep the engine serial #s matching. Those air cooled XRs were bulletproof as long as they were maintained properly. Much less maintenance issues than the new water cooled motocross bikes. I've owned and maintained several from the XR75 to the XR600 and they are great trail bikes. I'd restore it as close to stock as possible for any collectors.

I lol'ed when you was talking about the piston hitting the valve because it might be out of time but is had the rocker off of it and wasnt pushing the alve down anyway...🤣🤣🤣

I owned a 83 xr 400 loved that bike it was so comfy like wheeling a arm chair good power tough engineering 👍

I wish I lived in your area. You get good stuff so cheap. A running XR250 here in western PA is like 2000-2500

Well you definitely have a project on your hands now lol. They are fun bikes hopefully you can find the parts you need cheap.

Kind of expected the carnage. Great job.

Nice, tall XR 250. Love the XR models. Have fun... great bike Had a 1989 XR 250 sitting around and my dads neighbor had us rebuild it and he bought it, gave me 2k cash.

I mean, yeah, I'd save it. Can probably get that cylinder bored out 30-60 thou, slap a larger piston in and be good to go.

Hooked on your videos. Great work

Hi Joe it's definitely been opened up then put back together again as there is not enough metal to make a whole piston skert.

yup the lower bolt to the tensioner is caught between the clutch basket and the crank gear

That is funny. I got an ‘86 xr250 for $700, all parts were on it and all it needed was fresh gas and a carb clean. It is now my only dirt bike.

I feel your pain. I had an 87 XL250 and the engine turned out to be a mess. Seemed like everyone and their brother was inside that engine. Everything was stripped out. The valve dropped into the cylinder and the list just went on.

Don’t let it beat you a rebore and piston jolly good clean inside the engine and a new gear shaft or you could always weld a sprocket back on good luck

I’ll bet the fact that the tensioner bolt was out allowed the tensioner to move letting the chain get loose and jumped time.

The most reliable bikes ever built the Honda xr line was hands down the best bikes it this poor bike has seen better days that’s for sure but definitely worth fixing the xr250r was a mean bike.

There's a lot of metal in there.. you should get a parts washer an do it that way you can get into the bearings with the parts washer brush it'll work good for you! I use straight diesel fuel in my washer

Could make a great long term project, get replacement parts when you can, when they are working they are a good bike, good luck,👍👍👍👍👍

Those xr’s have some real go juice!

Sweet!! I’ve got the xr500 flavor. Great machines!

You've reached the point where you would benefit from a set of quality v blocks and a magnetic dial gauge stand and a dial gauge. You can do many more things with them than check the run out of your con rod big end's bearings.

Damn thats a new one on me too. Seen bout everything else with them, but yeah, thats frkn nuts! Thats a keeper!😅

I picked up a XR 250 a couple years ago for $200 , its all in parts with a blown motor . but I will rebuild it in the future ....Im riding my XR 400 these days which i love riding ....

Just a rebore and piston kit, gaskets, valve and should be ok 👌

Great find

I always enjoy watching and learning from your videos. Please if any way possible rebuilding that motor would make great content. I for one would extremely grateful if you did rebuild it rather than part it out.

I've owned several xrs they are great bikes and dammed near impossible to kill

I've never seen a drive sprocket welded to the shaft good luck very interesting project to watch.

The good thing about air cooled Hondas. They don't take much to get going again

Man saying that poor bike was abused is an understatement. Hopefully it doesn’t become a money pit.

I remember when you had the old BMW and jeep, I lost your channel and recognized the house in the background of the video

Nickname it chunks or chunky after you rebuild it. That's if you do. And it sucks that the guy was a subscriber and most likely knew it was clapped out. Because all the bolt's where all loose. Sorry you got a bad one this time my dude. Can't wait for the next one.

Broski I have 96 model I love it they r bombproof mate honestly

with the low budget stuff you buy, this was inevitable one day you could buy a scab. thing i want to know is where the guy had invested $500 in it already??? surely that must have been his purchase price as absolutely zero has been done from what i can see since it grenades itself

Joe. Nice guy to be up front with you. 😡. He knew what he was doing. What goes around comes around buddy. Do what’s best Joe. We will still watch! 👍👍 Kind of a dirt ball!

Thaaaammmm. It will lots of part but a joy to rebuild

Al bakers xr's only.you can get any oem part you need for an xr.i also have a brand new head light assembly for a xr 650,I replaced mine with a jns led unit.im sure it will fit your 250.

Gotta love the Hondas👍🏻💯

To be honest, im surprised you dont have an engine stand or an ATV/motorcycl hydraulic jack. You get a LOOOT done with what you have bro, awesome! Be safe :)

Just have that cylinder bored 20-40 over and slap a wiseco 10:25.1 piston in it and it will run good and still be super reliable.

Take out all the parts in the case and check the case for damage. If it is ok and the gears are ok, I would either replace the cylinder or send it to some place like Powerseal.

I also have an xr250 and they are very nice bikes!

That was a crazy teardown

Great video

looks pretty good, Did you happen to find metal chunks inside? lol

you know you wanna fix it dude XD !!!!!! one of my fav bikes too , twin baja headlamps are the beez,,,,,

god he saw you coming, shafted to the extreme mate😨

always save all the vintage bikes you can if they are mostly all there fixable runnable those are known for the second gear losing a tooth or two and stopping the motor dead in its tracks also could be a shift fork or the shift shaft wasnt put back in right

Those bikes are great fun, reliable thumpers I have a 2002 and a old 200r also ,dint part er out fix and ride forwver!!

Wow! What a bad deal you got on that one!! Total Explosion!😆

I wrote you on Instagram other day. I'm working on the same build. Mine is 1990 Honda xr250r. When I got mine piston & rings was stuck. Previous owner let it sit outside for long time. I order a big bore kit for it make it 280.. eBay has tons of parts for it

Great video bro, I am looking over to buying a Honda xr250 but a little more new, a 92, or a Suzuki dr250 92, I'm thinking of the xr but the price is a little higher, so I am not really convinced, but again, in terms of quality and force of the bike I'm Tilting over the xr. If anyone has an opinion I am open to listen. Also the Dr is not the one appearing on Google or safari. It's anduro one, like a 350 but 250. That's another problem, I didn't find any other bike like that, So in the terms of spare parts I lean to the other side.

From the looks of the side cove & the piston it looks like the engine was held wide open till it locked up. crazy

Any XR is worth saving spend some money and a bit of time will be worth the effort 👍👍👍

That is absolutely crazy