Faults:

I bought the 32 year old motorcycle at a dealership in San Diego, California.

Nothing went wrong during my ownership.

I had problems starting it in the beginning, until I found a technique that worked; no twist of the throttle, no choke, followed by up to 3 kicks. If it had not started by the 3 kicks, I would do the same up to 3 times, but this time with 1/2 - 3/4 of full throttle. Should it be necessary, go back to no throttle again, and continue as above...

Anyway, it mostly started on 1st or 2nd kick when cold. I used the same procedure when the engine was warm, inspired by the procedure mentioned in an XL250R review from an issue of Cycle World from 1984, 1985 or 1986 (think it was probably 1985).

General Comments:

The bike was very easy to handle, the engine felt strong from low RPM, and was a joy to own.

It did not give me any problems. During my almost 3000 miles it never stopped or caused problems. Unfortunately I sold it when moving out of the country.

Faults:

Fork seals leaked.

Exhaust muffler baffle rotted out. easy fix by welding in an ATC 250r baffle.

High/lo head light switch not working. Hi beam only.

Trip-meter gear is striped.

General Comments:

Always liked this red motorcycle. Fit and finish were very good, and it is made to a higher level than other Japanese bikes during its time.

The exhaust sound is healthy and much deeper than most other 250cc motorcycles.

The 6 speed transmission is very good, and the .94 top gear is just about right for flat highway work.

While going through the gears, you really need to hold on. My bike has a very power surge about 3/4 up the rpm band. The power really kicks in.