1990 Honda XR 250

• Honda revised the ‘90 XR 250 by installing cartridge forks and a badly needed rear disc brake.

  Power: The ‘90 XR 250 produced smooth electric feeling power that chugged strongly from the low-end and powered through until the engine valves floated at high RPM’s. It did not have any weird power surges or quirks. Do not expect snappy 2-stroke performance.

  Suspension: The new cartridge style forks certainly did not hurt the somewhat revised ‘90 Honda XR 250 suspension characteristics. The plush forks and rear suspension absorbed small and medium hits extremely smoothly. When the bike was pushed, the suspension revealed its limits by bottoming out easily. Stiffer springs helped the problem.

  Handling: The XR 250 turned well and was a comfy bike at speed until the too soft suspension protested. The bike was a handful at high speed until stiffer suspension springs were installed.

  Reliability: The XR 250 was as reliable as a steel ball. Change the oil often and clean the air filter often and the XR 250 will run for a long, long, time.

  Odds & Ends: The disc brake was a welcome addition, finally. The XR was an outstanding trail/play bike that could be easily modified to be somewhat competitive in enduro races. It is an outstanding tight, slippery trail and woods machine. Except for new decals, the XR 250 did not change until 1996.