OK all you gear heads, I had a 88 250R in the past but I sold her (duuuhhh stupid of me). Now I am starting a new one from the ground up. I need to know if there was any difference in the frames from 1986 to 1989 besides the swing arm length. Dune and I remember that his seat seemed to sit lower than mine did, or at least it felt that way.I prefer the way my 88 felt compared to his 86 or 87 whatever it is(sorry Tom). If anyone knows of any parts for sale please let me know because I need ALL of them. The only thing I have left from mine is the stock carb.

Ed,
A-arm Geometry is different between the 2 generations. Pretty much the same other than that. Check Ebay for parts. You can even find frames with titles sometimes. Good luck.

I agree if you don't already have the parts don't build from the ground up. I had majority of the parts and it still didn't come out much cheaper. It was a fun project but a lot of work.

Actually the frames are considerably different. Two different generations: 86-87 Gen 1,,,,,,,,,,,88-89 Gen 2.

They are different in the rear motor mount & /swingarm mount as well. The 86-87 had one large bolt that mounted the engine and the swingarm. While the 89 & 88 had an engine that didnt mount between the swingarm. This is from memory as I havent had an 86-87 in over 5 years. The seating position is d efinitely different as well. I feel like Im sitting on top of the 88-9, and I feel like im sitting in the 86-7.

This is what I remember being different, but there are probably other differences as well, check with frame builders, and they could probably firm it up for you. Good luck.

The differences in the frames are the swingarm mounts and the engine mounts. Frames are almost identical other than that. You can put any year engine into any year frame.
The swingarms on 88-89 are 1" shorter and are aluminum; 86-87 are steel.
The A-arms on 88-89 were reconfigured to be 1" forward of the 86-87, but they also lose camber adjustment.
All years in stock trim have same wheel base.
Any year plactic will fit any year frame provided you have the proper mounts. Seat heights were identical each year.
If you want to go with an aftermarket frame, I'd like to suggest an Arens due to their durability. Be prepared to wait up to one year.

does the '89 have better travel up front? or is it the same?

Also the frames on the 88-89 are an inch or two shorter then the 86-87 frames.

LETS SEE SOME PICS DALLAS! BRING IT!

Also the front motor mounts on the '86 frames are much 'Beefier'. The seat pans mount differently to the seat latch area.
If your interested someone just e-mailed me about selling a rolling chassis for around $1k. Only prob is he is in Canada but said he would ship. Send me an e-mail and I can forward the info.

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Also the frames on the 88-89 are an inch or two shorter then the 86-87 frames.

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Sorry, they're the same length. People keep getting this wrong due to the reconfiguration of the swingarm/a-arms. The 88-89 chassis is reconfigured to basically move the weight of the quad back 1" to help with turning.

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does the '89 have better travel up front? or is it the same?

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All 250R Fourtrax in stock trim have the same wheel travel front and rear.

If you really want a lot of great info on the Honda R, check out http://pub20.ezboard.com/bhondatrx250r