Dream Quad...Might Come True!

crazy4wdracer

New Member
Nov 7, 2008
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Cabot, PA
Well I found a 1986 Suzuki LT250R on craigslist today for $300. He said there is most everything to build the quad. No pics. I emailed him and hopefully he still has it. I've got the money and now I'm hoping to have a sweet quad to play around on the motocross track with.

Anyone know what some of the problems are with the 86 Quadracers?
 
i know there the hardest bikes ta find parts(aftermarket)for an there swingarm break pretty easily...my papa had one wen i was bout 10 an i member him always bitchin an complaining about those 2 things...
 
He just got back to me and said it needs a gas tank, carb, and plastics...I found gas tanks and carbs on ebay. I can get new plastic from Maier but it isn't cheap. I couldn't find any used plastic.
 
the plastic from all years of the quadracer will fit so it shouldn't be too hard to find some. Good luck with the racer
 
I'm going to try to look at it tomorrow or Saturday if he can show it then. I hope so, cuz I'm dying to start workin on it this weekend. I'm tryin to get my RM80 to sell to fund the project.
 
86 is junk!! unless its 87-92 with power valve, plan on rebuilding the motor 2-3 times a year, they have problems with the thrust washer on the wrist pin letting go and locking up the lower end, talk to cochise(sp?) on here, he is knowlegeable on them and will point you in the right direction

and the none power valve motors are SLOW!! piped and jetted 90 with a 85-86 motor, ran side by side with my piped and jetted blaster
 
First off, the #1 resource on the net for Quadracers is QuadracerHQ. That's where I would go for advice. But, having owned five Quadracers, I can give you some advice.

The 1985-86 engines have a hybrid reed valve/piston port intake setup. Make sure the bottom of the intake port has a serious chamfer on it, or the piston skirt catches the port and shatters the skirt. This can also happen with excessive piston to cylinder clearance. You'll know this has happened when your engine starts filling your airbox with pre-mix. This happens when cranking pressure from the engine flows backwards through your carb.

The little screws that retain the reed block and reed stops like to loosen up. If you're really unlucky you'll loose a screw into your lower-end. Best case scenario, you have a set of loose reeds that make starting your quad next thing to impossible. To get to the reeds and fix the problem with blue Loctite, you have to pull your cylinder off. Convenient, huh?

Make no mistake, all Quadracers have the thrust washers on each side of the wristpin, and they do have a habit of coming apart and destroying everything in their path. I've never experienced this, but I've heard too many horror stories for it not to be true. There are billet washers available from Doctor Q on quadracerhq.

The 1985-86 LT250R's were only a five-speed. The 1987-92 were six-speed with a power-valve. I don't think any of the LT250R's were slow, some are definitely out-of-tune though (nice way of saying trashed). The 1985-86 swingarms have an eccentric chain adjustment, like a Honda, which is a major plus compared to the four-bolt chain adjuster found on all the later year Quadracers, unfortunately they're weak and I personally have dealt with two broken swingers.

Any year plastic will fit and usually someone on quadracerhq is selling some. The stock carb is a Mikuni TM flatslide carb, 34mm I believe. However, a common upgrade is a 34mm Keihin PJ (stock Honda 250R carb), which are plentiful on eBay and usually sell for cheap, they fit the stock rubber carb boots, and are usually in the ballpark jetting-wise. The downside to the early Quadracers are the frames tend to crack, the swingarms tend to crack, and they seem to have always been owned by people who rigged them and ran them to death. I sold one to a friend of mine who had nothing but bad luck with the quad. I actually felt bad enough for him that I traded him a 1992 Honda TRX250X even up, just to bail him out of the Quadracer.

One of my Quadracers was an '85 LT250R that ran like a 250cc sewing machine. It started on the first kick, made good power, and held together well. To get it to that point, I rewired the whole quad and rebuilt the engine. As much satisfaction as I got out of finally having that machine all dialed-in, I sold it...quickly...before something went wrong. I just don't trust the old Quadracer's ability to stay together, but for $300 you might be alright.
 
UR LUCKY DAY!!! we have decent white plastics in the garage and a gas tank!! 75 bucks + shipping and they are urs!! we had a 86 lt250r and the horror stories bout the thrust washers is very true!! catastrophic failure!!!trashed the bottom end..cracked the case because of piston peices wedged between crank and case...total fail!!! but they do run no doubt..it was pipped and jetted..i would say my bb ported stroked blaster would own it though..the ergonimocs cant only be rivaled bt a trx 250r....so comfortable and stable..i had a laeger swinger and a arms but the frame was modded for the arms.300 u cant beat it if it runs..
 
buddy has one and a lt500 had nothing but problems with them crank issues on zilla is what ive heard before. i know his 250r was running like crap and they both need tlc the hoooole time they run
 
I just got an email and the guy already sold it.X( Thanks for the info guys and I'm going to keep looking for a TRX or LT 250R that I can pick up at a reasonable price. From what you guys are saying it might have been a money pit anyways. I'm definitely going to keep my eyes open as these are the quads I've always wanted! Thanks for the help guys!I:II:I
 
2007 Lonestar 250R for $6,500 in Evansville, Indiana. Expensive, but it's a 2007 build with title, so you could probably get a bank to loan you the money (even in this crap economy).