1988 Honda 250R vs Cannondale - Reliability?

Message

cannondale27 · #31 Post by **cannondale27** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:03 pm

http://www.moddedraptor.com/community/part...nshee-sale.html

Dachshund · #32 Post by **Dachshund** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 1:54 pm

I know I said to go ahead and get one but.........................

If your gonna be giving up the Dale for an R, I personally wouldn't do it. You'll definitely be wanting the Dale back IMO. The things that are better IMO are the ergo's for MX being low, light and an awesome flier(properly set up with all aftermarket suspension). You will definitely miss the Dale power curve.

If you can find somebody that will let you ride theirs for a few hours in the dunes, that would give you a real good idea of the big differences.

Every motor is going to be pipey to some degree and you need to know what kind of riding your going to be doing to know what kind of motor to build. ie A high rev drag motor will completely suck for MX. The best all around motor is going to be a big CC PV.

2mike18 · #33 Post by **2mike18** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:09 pm

I ran a highly modded banshee mx for 4 years and loved it only complaint I ever had with my shee was the wheel spin made the corners difficult. but if I had a striaght away or long sweeping corner to drift forget about catching it. I always felt kinda bad for the guy behind me that thing threw roost anytime ya got on it. I dont care what kind of 2stroke ya ride its a lot of work ( clutching, gearing, being on the pipe). personally not sure I could ever go back to a 2stroke after my yfz and dale have spoiled me so greatly

thedeatons · #34 Post by **thedeatons** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:14 pm

Our group had all Banshees before I got into this, and they sold them all for Dales. After all their horror stories I could not go to one of those.

I would like to know whether ESR has a pump gas big bore kit.

I agree I need to ride one for a while. Maybe I can find one this weekend to swap with for a while.

I grew up with super-reliable 4-stroke 3 wheelers, then moved to Japanese sportbikes, so I have always had ultra reliable engines around. The Dale is so high strung I find myself in the engine much more than I would like. So now the question is what do I want to sacrifice.

Here's the way I see it so far:

Dale:
Good
linear constant power
pump gas
suspension
chassis components
finished project as it sits

Bad
must remove entire engine to do anything noteworthy (requiring 4-5 hours total time)
lots of components to care for: battery, flywheel, decomp, timing chain, etc...
opening the engine typically costs more than $200 (because stuff happens)

250R
Good
superlight
simple all around, nearly non-existent electrical system
rebuildable top end in the frame
Honda parts available everywhere
Maier plastics in 10+ colors!
typical rebuilds are looking like less than $200

Bad
dated design
would need to be a finished product to compete with my Glamis
may be down on power comparitively, leaving some dunes unsurmountable... LOL
many stock parts may be questionable durability-wise

In Question
reliability of big bore kits
pump gas potential
250R ergos compared to Dale

thedeatons · #35 Post by **thedeatons** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:28 pm

Pump gas potential?

http://www.atvsource.com/articles/product_...billet_head.htm

http://www.atvsource.com/articles/product_..._x_cylinder.htm

I like this one:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/rvs/861788711.html

desertbound · #36 Post by **desertbound** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:06 pm

IMO ESR or Duncan are the only way to go motor wise. ESR makes a really trick centermount exhaust system. The guys at ESR are awesome and specialize in the 250R. Give them a call and they will answer all your questions.

thedeatons · #37 Post by **thedeatons** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:10 pm

svahle · #38 Post by **svahle** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:45 pm

Its my understanding that LA Sleeve makes most all of the big bore cylinders (ESR, CT, etc.). There are likely a few exceptions, but not many. The difference is in the factory porting. To create the best power some custom porting is a must but isn't that the case with all ATV motors? As for pump gas on a big bore, I know there are guys that do it using different domes or spacer plates. But C27 is right, to run pump gas you must lower compression and sacrafice power. You'll only want to run the center mount pipe if you are okay with NOT running an air box (can't do both). One very important thing to remember which was stated earlier is that the big bore Rs are fuel hungry. The 350pv I talked about earlier was only good for about 2 hours of hard riding with a desert tank. My 310R was good for 2+ hours of hard riding on a stock tank.

Deatons, do some research over at trx250r.net. That is the website equivalent of cannondaleriders for the R.

thedeatons · #39 Post by **thedeatons** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:56 am

I tried that site, unavailable forums right now. Thanks for the info, I was also concerned about fuel consumption but forgot to mention it.

MX Quad Dad · #40 Post by **MX Quad Dad** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 12:32 am

QUOTE (cannondale27 @ Oct 21 2008, 07:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My Banshee had a single air striker carb on it. Very easy to tune. Actually had some lowend power also. Original crank lasted 1 year. I bought a brandnew one (cheap)had it trued and welded and ran that combo for 5 years. 1 ring job. Only issue I had with Banshee was I constantly grooved out the clutch basket (Hinson) once I MXed it the frame cracked. Banshees are awesome in the whoops because of thier longer length. I have awesome valving specs for rear shock. Fronts will need replacing. No need to go wide.

My son at 130 pounds (with race gear) raced a Banshee for several years. He passed many R's on the inside of very tight corners. We also ran a single Air Striker with a Bo's banshee manifold and T-5 tommeys It had more low end than our 260R I beleive it was ported by CT and had a low end pipe on it. He was getting a lot of holeshots the last year he ran it, even aginst built Raptors and 440EXs. and it still has enough top end to out run the Moto which we are running stock rear sprocket and a 14 front.

We made the mistake of running the stock crank in the Shee, which came apart on a down hill double. wasn't much left to reuse except the trany. He ran the R for the last couple races and hated it.

We couldn't find a good clutch basket either