Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126556
Power is delivered to the rear wheel through a six -speed transmission and 530 chain. To keep maintenance down, ignition is capacitor discharge. Like we said before, the mill is a delight. Power down low is excellent for the displacement involved, and it produces a pretty good amount of top end to boot. We never got into a situation the bike couldn't pull us out of. First or second gear - usually second and just a modicum of rpm and the bike could not be stopped. Trials machinery notwithstanding, the XR250R is the tractor of the 250cc class. First gear is a tad on the low side, but all the other ratios and their spacing are right on the money. The transmission shifted smoothly under most conditions, but trying to perform a quick upshift under a load was a down· right bear. Clutch pull is the lightest we've come across, so light it makes you want to use the clutch all the time. The wheels feature more of the '82 updates. Honda claims the new aluminum rims are both stronger and lighter than last year's items, and they feature new rim locks. The rear wheel is quick-disconnect, and chain adjustment is performed with snail cam adjusters on the rear of the box aluminum swingarm. IRC tires came with our test bike. We didn't get a chance to test them under a wide variety of surfaces and came away with no real impression one way or another, save to say the rear knobs were getting both rounder and smaller at a rapid rate. Up front the XR250R features a double leading shoe brake. To say it worked well would be a gross understatement, but some caution should be exercised until you get used to it. Ask the tester who grabbed his normal dose of front brake lever on a steep downhill and almost had himself and the Honda cartwheeling onto their respective noses. Another note: a double leading shoe front brake does not work going backwards. Remember that when you unload the machine off a truckl Rear brake is nice and compact and performs nicely when adjusted properly. But some sponginess can be felt through the cable actuation. Both the rear brake pedal and the shift lever were well located, and both were of the folding variety. Bars and their related pans fit and work just fine. Riding position was quite comfy, as was the well· padded seat. The gas tank holds 2.4 gallons, and the shape is short so the seat comes well forward for easy weighting of the front end. lnstrumentation consists of a speedometer and a re5ettable by-] Oths trip meter. Both are easy to read, and the speedometer goes to 90 mph, or about five mph higher than Honda's CBX. In keeping with the bike's good manners, starting is generally very easy. A compression release is activated when the lever is pulled out, and kicking it through is very easy. Our machine was a regular first-kick starter, except when we dropped it, or after we washed it. The latter may have been a fluke, since the bike went through a six hour ride in pouring rain, snow, sleet and hail with little reluctance about firing right off. A tool pouch is rpounted on a rack right behind the rear seat. The con· tents, however, were a little sparse. The one tool that was in there, however, was a dandy multi-purpose wrench suitable for 12, 17 and 24mm nuts as well as spark plugs and spokes. As we said at the outset, this is one fun motorcycle. It took us where we wanted to go in comfort and with a minimum of effort. There were no hassles or glaring deficiencies. And fun, to our way of thinking, is what motorcycling is all about. • CN 00 m ~ NEW? A.T.e. 250 R PRO KIT "Bolt On "-Power" Kftlndud.. 11 Fin A8d... Had Pro H~PIpe StgS PonInglOf Yow Cyl_1 Pow.. Canl_ Other Parts Available For PriCe .73.50 '104.50 ".00 $39.50 ."9.50 34MM Carb Kit (Kit Inelucl..: Throttle. flit.. Cab". Carb. Orlpal KIT PRICES $432.00 ·KIt e'-o inel"" frH hilt. I-v, T-.hlrt. end .... AIIV 011. ATC250R P.u High Pipe Whh "'__ k A _ ......r _ ••ator Hendlebllra Front Number Plete Foldl- Foot P_ ... -.0 .. Tenk Oe",11 Air Box .114.00 ."4.50 _ '14.50 50 . .10.00 .tO~ ...,.50... PIMM apecIfy ahlrt . . when ordering. "'" -cotoIolI- _.0: ... - _ - _......... - - _... _ _ . - - - - -....._ _ A - _ . . . . . . _. _ -... _ ....... _. • High pertormenee Shock w/8pflng "-1\8 ""longer IIhett _ I $211.1I0 ... P \\." • Aluminum 8w1....... 1.8Mm p ExtrueIon31nchnlonger - -kml.lO t1.00b_"'" n __ DG PERFORMA:-.l(;E SPE(;L\LTIES. 12:lO LaLoma Cifel... Ot'pl C:"\\". Anahl'im. CA 9280li. (71~lli30·5~71 85