Meet Elle Foofoo
 

PFA

https://scontent-ord5-1.xx.fbcdn.net...sA&oe=655735F5

Elle Foofoo is my 1983 Honda XL250R. I've had her for two years and last weekend I broke her. I'm planning to rebuild the motor but in the meantime I was thinking about swapping in a temporary motor. Looking mainly at air-cooled 250 to 300cc motors.

Does anybody know what Chinese motors might be a direct fit or have a link to some kind of compatibility chart? I don't mind making brackets but I want to avoid any frame modifications.

The 250 RFVC engine probably wont share any similar mounting points with the common china singles which will drop in to honda frames ranging from 125-200cc.


So to put it simply unless you can confirm the 2 main engine mounts share the same dimensions there's not a lot on offer I am aware of.


Plenty of room in the frame but it might have to be modified to go chonda swap.

Thanks. This is the last year before the RFVC motor in the XL. I think this gen ran from 81 to 83.

Well its the 2 exhaust port 250cc...


The Xl185 and XR200 had the 163FML 165FML engine case stamping which is basically the platform all the current china clone singles adopted and developed.


If you can measure the 2 main engine mounts at the back of the case near the drive sprocket and they conform to the XL185/XR200 standard then any Chonda should in theory fit with some added bracketry

I'd have to think that, due to the two different crankcase designs, it would require a lot of fab work to swap in a newer style engine, either Honda or Chinese. The engine mounting points appear to be vastly different, in my opinion.


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/2622/hGqtFz.jpg

I chuckle every time I see those. What supervisor approved that exhaust design.

Yeah it's the old clamshell design. The good thing is that the bikes uses the motor as a stressed member so if the swingarm pivot is in the right place I think it wouldn't be too hard to make a new front and top mounts.

Most of the Chonda engines have nice diagrams with all the dimensions. I tried looking for the same for the XL250 motor with no luck. I guess I'll pull it out and do some measuring.

So many engine choices. Is there a preferred motor that I should look into?

With the single down tube a twin port or side port exhaust will work but not a centered single port.

from what little I've seen on you tube an xl500 engine fits in an xl 250 frame...bolt in.


Any other engine would appear to require some significant and perhaps irreversible frame modification...


Can it be done? Sure.


Would I personally do it? probably not.