The legendary XR250r trail / off road bike. Mods and upgrades! 1996 XR 250

These are some of the best trail bikes ever made. Don't be afraid to buy one of the older XR250's.... as long as it hasn't been abused. Mods are easy and parts are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. Also one of the best off grid / hunting / survival bikes you can get! 70+ mpg, quiet, will climb a wall and still keep up with most traffic. Tall seat height of 37 inches makes this best suited for rides 5'11" or taller.

[@munoz20]

sick video and nice bike set up man love it. Would love to see more videos of the bike in action. cheers !

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Thank you very much brother! I plan to get out this week and will take the gopro with me! Cheers

[@ianmangham4570]

Those forks are sick 🤟🤠💯

[@bluesplayer59]

Had mine 12 Yr now . I added a chain guard which has extended chain life ten fold . Also a manual chain oil feed . After market exhaust . In line fuel filter and decided against a knr. The stock was better . Oh and a Brisk spark plug . 🎉

[@danb37]

I got a 99 and 00 xr250. The 99 has a new top end and is faster and faster than my neighbors new crf250f! So much usable rpm range. You can lug the motor in soft turns and it's smooth low end power. Nice fork upgrade

[@danb37]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2jGqnarh7WHa5Isi=-9uRMNPM9icEuKFZ

[@ianmangham4570]

I love the headlight, I have one myself

[@lisalacelle2394]

I got a 1995 xrl 40 tooth back going 42 now going to try the 20 weigh oil in forks first Thanks for the info 😊

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Thank you Lisa!

[@loll1974]

Fantastic bike

[@simonmears1726]

Love the xrs I put xl650 fork brace in my 400 went 20weight oil and increased the oil height much better less brake dive still plush but stiffer cheaper way to improve handling 😮

[@ianmangham4570]

Had the xl250s in 82 ,she was a thumper and pulled like a freight train

[@mrkrause7453]

You have to shorten the fork’s internal with a 2,5cm spacer the geometry is like oem

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Hello, you could certainly do that but I've found the handling to be excellent with this fok as-is.

[@ianmangham4570]

She is priceless, ya just can't get them in this condition, everyone chewed on them hard

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Yea, most were rode hard and put away wet for sure. I've seen some pretty clean ones on Craigs List recently..... and at pretty good prices. So, they are still available from time to time. This one was only run for a few months, crashed (the rider had a long recovery in the hospital) then just stored in a garage for over 25 years!

[@khmerghost]

Just got my first dirt bike Xr250 1998 I heard the stock carburetor is disliked by many, what is the best upgrade plug-and-play for the xr250 with the stock engine?

[@waynes.2983]

If you can get the carburetor from the last generation of XR250L it is an upgrade. The reason is because it has an accelerator pump. Slightly more complicated but better throttle response.

[@StansE250]

Was the front end Plug & Play …. Or, do you have Conversion part numbers, by chance ? Thank You, regardless

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Hello, the forks have the correct length of steerer tube, but you would need to measure the inside diameter of the headset and the outer diameter of the steerer tube and order the correct bearings. That's what I had to do. You also need to fabricate some stops for the clamps so the forks don't bash the gas tank. Cheers

[@andynelson7663]

I just got 99 xr250r and it’s in very good condition for 600 bucks, although the only thing wrong is front suspension is blown and I was searching on here what’s the best upgrade suspension for these bikes and your video popped up. So would a guy need the upper and lower triple clamps off the bike you get the front suspension off of? I was thinking about taking suspension off a crf250r with upper and lower clamps and see if that works, I’m guessing any suspension will work on the front of these bikes as long as you have the right upper and lower clamps. Great video and you got yourself a very clean bike 🤘🏽.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Hey thanks Andy, sounds like you got a great deal on one too! I've heard that the crf250 forks work well on these. You will definitely need the triple clamps too, but complete forks are pretty easy to come by on Ebay. I believe you'll need a new front wheel as well to be compatible with the new forks. The bike will handle soooo much better, definitely worth doing!

[@andynelson7663]

@@lifebehindbarz60 thanks for the reply man! Much appreciated for the advice! Have a rad day and cheers for being a Friday 🤘🏽🍻

[@StansE250]

Been obsessing over the 250 for quite a while. They are shockingly expensive for Clean ones on west coast. Like same money as CRF450s …. Anyway, my question: is there a ‘Holy Grail’ XR 250 & 400, so that I can narrow my search ? Thanks.

[@marcoariasjimenez8650]

77mm?

[@nvmcrider8475]

Any mods to the rear shock?

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Not that I'm aware of. The stock shock is a really good unit with a lot of adjustability.

[@snakehead5444]

Would you guys pay 2k for a slightly beat up looking running 1996 xr250l plated with 5k miles? Very tempted.

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Slightly beat up means different things to different people. If it's just new plastic and a seat cover then it may be worth it.

[@jerryberkel8421]

Couldnt you also have put a cr fork on it?

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Sure, they work well on these bikes too

[@lackohajdar7983]

hi! do you have a link for the front suspension parts? I have a 2001 xr 250r and I want to improve my front suspension. Thx

[@lifebehindbarz60]

sorry I do not

[@lackohajdar7983]

@@lifebehindbarz60 no worries,if I may ask you,how much did the complete front suspension cost?

[@lifebehindbarz60]

@@lackohajdar7983 right about $450 for the forks / wheel / brgs

[@shanepadden6553]

I have the same question. I have a 2002 and would love some advice on what I need to get to do this conversion.....

[@shanepadden6553]

​@@lifebehindbarz60 I'd love some advice or some links to see what you did here. I have an 02 and would like to do this conversion

[@MrAddison79]

huh? mine only gets 50 miles per gallon

[@lifebehindbarz60]

Hmm, mine got 60 mpg stock and dropping to a smaller sprocket on the rear really boosted my mpg. The fmf exhaust helped too....