Honda Xr200 And Xr250
HONDA XR200 AND XR250
CYCLE WORLD TEST:
Honda’s XR line is a success story against the odds. When most factories figured the sun had set on the day of the four-stroke Single dirt bike, Honda introduced the XR line, a full range of 500, 250, 185 and 80cc models. They had modern chassis, improved since those first XRs with single rear shocks. The larger versions, the 500 and 250, had four-valve heads, dual exhaust pipes and the XRs quickly bcame popular.
One exception was the XR250. It was basically a 250 engine in the 500 frame, meaning it wasn't as powerful as the 500, nor as nimble as the XR200 which grew out of the 185.
The XR250 disappeared from the 1983 line-up, replaced by the XR350, while the XR200 just sort of sat there, no real changes.
Now we know why:
The XR250 returns, and with it comes a new XR200. They share a frame, which is at the same time smaller than the old 250 or the new 350, and newer/better than the old 200. They have the radial four-valve head first seen on the 500 and 350, and they look like miniatures of the first-cabin bigger bikes . . . which is exactly what they are.
This is an interesting engine family. The 250 is remarkably light, 68 pounds compared with 89 pounds for the earlier version. The 200, meanwhile, weighs 67 pounds, a 7-pound gain on the older 200, which was based on Honda’s 125 Single. The new engines share a 56.5mm stroke, while the bores are 75 and 67mm. Both engines are oversquare, so they can be revved and there’s room in the combustion chamber for usefully large valves, letting the engine breathe and produce power at the high revs permitted by the short stroke.
The smaller engine uses the same system of four rocker arms and four subrockers, and the dual intakes and exhaust ports, and the compound carburetion of the larger examples of the family.
Naturally, the carb sizes are tailored for the displacement. The 200 has an 18 and a 20mm Keihin, the 250 gets a 22 > and a 24mm. As on the larger XRs the smaller carb works at all engine speeds, the larger (right) carburetor is connected to the left by linkage that lets it start opening beyond one-third throttle of the primary carb. Both reach wide open throttle at the same time. The smaller carburetor gives good low-speed engine response, the secondary provides enough gas and air for good engine power at high revs. The result is good power at all engine speeds and exceptional gas mileage. Other differences in the heads are the larger combustion chamber of the 250 and larger valves; the 250 has 2mm larger intake valves, 1.5mm larger exhaust valves.
Two grown-up bikes for the lightweight classes.
A long cam rides across the top of the head in bearings at each end and in the head casting in the middle. The 250’s cam has 5 degrees more duration than the 200. Additionally, the 250 has a claimed bhp of 27.7 at 9700 rpm, the 200 has 23.5 bhp at 10,500 rpm. Torque is 16.64 lb.-ft. at 8000 rpm on the 250, 13.74 lb.-ft. at 8500 rpm for the 200.
Both engines have full-circle crankshafts and six-speed transmissions. Internal gear ratios are shared but the primary gear ratios are different. The 250 has slightly higher primary gearing, one tooth difference on the clutch hub and primary-drive gear. The multi-plate wet clutch and clutch hubs are also different: the 250 has a larger basket and clutch plates. Both engines have five friction plates and six steel plates. Shifting hasn’t been a good point on the later 350 and 500 engines—both sometimes reject a shift from neutral to low. The 200 and 250 have a new shift drum, with taller lobes around the first-gear detent and a stiffer detent spring, which eliminates missed shifts into low gear.
Looking at the 200 and 250 chassis, everything is new and different. Most parts are shared: the frame, seat, gas tank, number plates, wheels, tires, rear hub, swing arm, brake pedal, handlebar, hand levers,throttle, fenders, skid plate and shift lever. The full-cradle frame is triangulated well at stress points, the seat runs up the back of the 2.6 gallon gas tank, the shift and brake pedals have folding tips, and a good tool bag is mounted to the rear fender.
Both have linkage-operated singleshock rear suspension. The KYB shock has four rebound damping settings, adjusted by a knurled knob on the bottom of the shock, just above the clevis. There are 12 compression damping positions, changed by turning a knob on the end of the remote reservoir. Spring preload is adjusted by rotating a ring at the top of the shock spring. The 250 uses a slightly stiffer spring. The swing arm is boxed steel, the Pro-Lever links are forged aluminum, and pivot points have grease fitting for easy servicing.
Front suspension differs; the 250 has forks with 38mm stanchions, the 200 has 36mm stanchions. Both are made by KYB. Travel is 10 inches. Adjustments can be made by changing oil weight, oil volume, and adding air pressure. The 250 also has a disc front brake, the same as used on the 350 and 500. The 200 has a drum brake. Both have the same rear drum and brake.
All the good stuff seen on the larger XRs is included here, for instance the straight-pull spokes, snail axle adjusters, and folding footpegs with aggressive tops. The lever ends have rear-set balls, plastic handguards are standard equipment and all the riders liked the bend of the bars. (They also like Honda’s grips, which are so popular with owners of older dirt Hondas and rival brands that our local dealers can’t keep them in stock.)
The XRs have a moderate (in terms of current practice and available wheel travel) seat height of 35 inches. The bars, levers and foot controls are placed in nat-> ural positions and the bikes are very narrow in the mid-section. These bikes are medium-sized. It’s easy for normal size riders to reach the kick lever and the small engines are easy to kick through. Both have automatic compression releases also controlled by a cam off the kick shaft, the 250 also has a manual compression release.
Both engines require several kicks before they come to life. They warm slowly and require use of the choke for several minutes. A gear-driven counterbalancer reduces the vibration normally present on four-stroke Singles. The clutch pull is light on both and the throttles turn harder than a bike with a single carburetor, but not as hard as the XR350 or 500. Power characteristics are similar: the engines wind easily and produce power across the rev range. The higher the revs, the more power. The 200 has power on a par with past 200XRs, the 250 has considerably more. And because it is only a few pounds heavier than the 200, and in the same chassis, it quickly became favored by most riders.
Winding the bikes (especially the 250) through the gears under full power, proves these bikes are not dogs. Acceleration is brisk and quick. Comparable two-stroke enduro bikes will outrun them in a straight line on hard ground, but not by much. If the ground is muddy or slippery, the XRs normally win because they put the power to the ground so well.
Shifting is a little notchy for the first hundred miles or so, then smooths out. Gear ratios are perfect; no lags or jumps between gears. Low gear is more than low enough but still useable for slippery side slopes. Second gear will take both bikes over really steep hills as the engines putt happily at low revs. Top speed, a little over 60 mph on both, is enough for the 200, disppointing for a 250. We changed carburetor jetting on the 250 and improved the figure quite a bit. American Honda had done some experimenting with the 250 and furnished the specs:
Primary Carburetor (standard jetting) Main jet ............................108 Pilot jet .............................45 Needle clip position ................... #2 Air screw setting ............... 1 3/4 turns Primary Carburetor (new specs) Main jet ............................102 Pilot jet .............................50 Needle clip position ......... #1 (top groove) Air screw setting ............... 2 turns out Secondary Carburetor (standard) Main jet ............................105 Needle clip position ................... #2 Secondary Carburetor (new specs) Main jet ............................108 Needle clip position ......... #1 (top groove)
Jets may or may not become available for the 200 and 250. If not, it’s not a big problem. A 48 pilot is available for the 350 and will make an acceptable substitute for the 50. Simply switching the main jets; the secondary main jet to the primary carb and primary main to the secondary carb works fine. Changing the needle clips only requires a little time. The end result is well worth the effort; the 250’s top speed jumped to 75 mph, and power increased every place. The simple change makes the 250 exciting to ride. Lifting the front wheel over logs and such is easy at trail speeds.
Both are fun woods bikes. Steering is precise, the handling is agile without being so quick that only an expert can enjoy it. They never knife or slide the front tire, the rear never slips off the trail, they just track and turn and maneuver through the trickiest trail condition with no special effort on the part of the rider. If you do manage to get off the trail or get stuck on a log, the light weight of the bikes means you won’t have to recruit help to get under way again. Nothing rubs the rider's legs while on the footpegs, the seat and tank are slim and out of the way. The handlebars are a nice shape that suited all our riders, sitting or standing, and all of the control levers, hand and foot, are easy to use and find.
On paper the suspension travel doesn’t look impressive; about 10 inches front and rear. In actual use, there is enough travel and the rider can touch the ground without stretching. But most important, the suspension works well. We didn’t adjust anything up front and only the spring preload at the back. Single shock rear suspensions are very sensitive to rear shock spring preload. If the rear of the 200 or 250 sacks more than 4 inches, the handling will suffer. And both XRs sack quickly when new, especially the 250. We readjusted the 250 after the first 20 miles and again after 50 miles. The measurement should be made with the rear shock fully extended (on a stand with the rear wheel off the floor) and then with the rider aboard, fully dressed in riding gear. The difference between the measurement should be 4 inches, no more or less. If allowed to sack more than 4 inches, the back of the bike will kick to the side and and feel stiff. More preload makes the overall ride softer. It’s not double talk, really. When sacked, the shock gets into the stiffer mid-range damping and causes a harsh ride. Adjusted properly, the softer damping at the top of the stroke is used.
These bikes are well balanced and not tiring to ride long distances. The only hitch is starting; both require several kicks. We fixed the 250 by removing the automatic compression release cable. It’ll start first kick without it. We didn’t take the cable off the 200 because it doesn’t have a manual release. It would probably start better without the automatic release but then if flooded due to a fall, it would be impossible to clean out. With the manual release of the 250, cleaning a flooded engine is easy.
Except for these minor complaints, we couldn’t find fault with the XRs. They’ll run from dawn to dusk, wide open or anything in between, without complaint or mechanical problems. Neither used or leaked oil. The stock IRC six-ply tires work well and last a long time, the brakes are nicely balanced and stop the bikes smoothly and controllably, wet or dry. The 2.6 gallon gas tanks are slim and give a range of 100 miles plus. Both are competitive woods enduro bikes, fully capable of winning in the right hands. And they are exceptional trail bikes. Junior or mom will love them as pit or play bikes and dad won’t have to spend all weekend keeping them running. E3
HONDA XR200 AND XR250
$1825
