Alternative XR250 Tornado spares list

• How to find spares outside Latin America
• Chain and Sprockets
• Tires
• Inner Tubes
• Shock (rear)
• Speedo
• Clutch Plates
• Clutch Cable
• Air Filters
• Oil Filters
• Brake Pads
• Headlight Bulb
• Wheel Bearings
• Steering Bearings
• Swingarm Bearings etc.
• Fork Seals
• Valve Shims

How to find spares for your XR250 Tornado outside Latin America.

If you’re like me and live in a country where the Tornado was not officially imported (like the USA), finding spares is more than a matter of calling up your local Honda dealer. You’ll look on eBay and find very little. If you can’t find the spare you’re looking for in the list I created below, here’s what to do instead:

1. Find the part number by clicking here to select your model year and then using the micro-fiche to locate the part number.
2. Enter the part number you found in the previous step into the search bar at www.partzilla.com and click “Go”.
3. Check that the www.partzilla.com search has in fact found the part you’re looking for by comparing your part # with the part numbers of the search results. NOTE: Often www.partzilla.com will return similar parts if it does not recognize the part number you entered. Don’t be fooled. Check closely.
4. If www.partzilla.com listed your part, you can order it new directly from them. They have reasonable prices. Alternatively, you can seek out the equivalent used part on eBay by entering the part number into eBay’s search field. If eBay does not have your part, try this:
   1. Click on the part in www.partzilla.com and take note of all the other USA sold Honda bikes listed that also use this part. For example, the speedo cable (44830-KY7-000) is also used on a Honda NX125 (1988,1989,1990) which was sold in the USA.
   2. In eBay’s search field, search for the other bike model and part name e.g. “NX 125 speedo cable” and you’ll get more results. ?
5. If www.partzilla.com did not list your part, try this:
   1. Look at the similar parts that www.partzilla.com listed (if any) and then make a note of those part numbers.
   2. Google and eBay search those part numbers and compare the images you get to the actual part on your Tornado. Sometimes the parts are exactly the same, even if they have a different part number. For example, the Tornado speedo drive assembly (44800-MCG-003) is exactly the same as the XR250R (44800-KCZ-003) speedo drive assembly (and $30 cheaper).
6. Finally, check to see that the XR250R equivalent part is the same. I’ve noticed that often parts from an XR250R, XL250, NX250, CRF230, CRF250L sometimes work.

I hope this helps you find the parts you need.

I’ve had good luck with a UK website called www.wemoto.com. The Tornado was released in Europe for a while, so this UK online parts retailer often stock parts. Shipping is relatively cheap and customer service has been good.

Alternative XR250 Tornado spares list

Chain and Sprockets

• Front sprocket: JT Sprocket Part #: JTF1321.13 (buy on eBay)
• Rear sprocket: JT Sprocket Part #: JTR245/2.38 (more sizes available) or JTR251 (fewer sizes availale). Buy them on eBay)
• Chain: Use a 520 chain with 104 links (buy on eBay). Don’t buy a heavy duty o-ring chain because it will suck your horsepower.

Alternative Tires

Here are the tires that I know of that work well for the Tornado. Beware of using a dirt bike rear tire that is anything other than 120/80-18 as it may be too big. Click here for more details on using a dirt bike rear tire on your Tornado. Click here for a great article on Adventure tires.

I’m going to use a simple 3 point scale of fantastic, OK and bad to represent each tire’s subjective performance on dirt, tar and sand/mud. The numbers next to each tire are their suggested (dirt/tar) usage percentage.

Metzler Sahara 3 (50/50): This tire comes standard with the bike and OK in the dirt. Fantastic on the road. Bad (even dangerous) in sand, loose stones and mud. If you plan to ride anywhere other than on tar or gravel road, forget this tire.

Chen Shin C858 (50/50): I love this rear tire for three reasons. 1) They are dirt cheap 2) they last 9500km (rear) and 3) they hook up really well for a 50/50 tire. My wife and I toured Latin America on these tires (never tried the fronts) and they were fantastic on tar and equally fantastic offroad. My wife rode a 3-day sand adventure using these tires and they even carried her through seemingly endless deep sand without complaining. For long-distance touring that includes tar, dirt and rocky single track, this tire is my goto rear tire. I’d pair it with the Pirelli MT21 front and be comfortable going pretty much anywhere.

Pirelli MT-21 (90/10): The Pirelli MT-21 is fantastic in the dirt and fantastic on the road. Fantastic in sand and mud. I cannot believe that such a dirt oriented tire can handle so well on the street too. This is my favorite front tire for my kind of long-distance dirt touring. My friend Toby (who runs a Honda Tornado rental business) swears by them too. The rear is great too. If you want to just set-and-forget, these are the tires that handle anything well.

Continental TKC80 (60/40): Fantastic in the dirt. Fantastic on the road. OK in sand, mud and deep gravel. I like these a lot, but prefer the Pirelli MT-21.

Shinko 804/805 (60/40): I’ve not tried these, but have heard good things.

Dunlop 606 (80/20): I have these on my KLR650 and absolutely love the rear. Fantastic in the dirt. OK on the road. Fantastic in sand and mud. They don’t last quite as long as the Pirelli. I would buy these again without hesitation.

Maxxis Desert IT (90/10): I’m running this rear tire on my Tornado currently, and it is the most aggressive tire I’ve used. It may not even be street legal in some countries. I bought it for a 3-day (mostly) deep sand trip. It is fantastic everywhere else other than tar – which it handles adequately. I’m commuting on it now and it is squaring off a little on the tar. I expect to get 7000km out of it, which is pretty damn incredible. Buy the 110/100-18 as the 120/100 won’t fit. I love this tire!

Inner Tubes

Rear: 4.0 – 4.5 – 18″
Front: 2.75 – 3.0 – 21″

Shock (rear)

• The original is the same as 2003 – 2008 HONDA CRF230F – 52400-KPS-901ZA
• Here’s a CRF230F heavy duty spring for your shock.
• If you have the money, just replace the Honda shock with an aftermarket CRF230F one: Fox Podium RC2 ($700) or Hagon ($400)

Speedo

• Speedo Cable: 44830-KY7-000 (same part on Honda NX125 1988,1989,1990 models).
• Speedo Drive Assembly: 44800-KCZ-003 from 96-04-XR250 and 08-09-CRF230 fits too and is cheaper.

Clutch Discs/Plates

Mine lasted 26000 km before they started slipping.
Clutch discs and plates from a Honda XR250R (1996-2004) will fit.

Air Filters

• I found a replacement air filter on AliExpress here.

Clutch Cable

The clutch cable is 117cm or 46 inches long. I bought a generic one off eBay for US$10 but the cable housing was too long, so I had to cut the ball off one end, insert the new cable into the original Honda cable housing and buy a screw on ball end (for the engine side of the cable) from a bicycle shop. If anyone knows of a replacement Honda clutch cable from another Honda machine that fits the Tornado, please write to me.

Oil Filters

• Use HF113 or KN113.
• Oil filters for a Honda XR400, XR250, XR600, TRX 250, 300EX or 400EX are all the same as the Tornado oil filter.
• Avoid the Bajaj 3-wheeler oil filter which looks the same as the Tornado filter – it will seize your engine because its fine paper material will restrict your engine’s oil flow.
• I bought a cheap pack of 5 oil filters here.

Brake Pads

The front brake pads are Honda part 45105-KAS-415. However, part 45105-MY6-415 is identical and I currently have these in my Tornado.

Headlight Bulb

• Replace the awful stock bulb with a H4 12V 60/55W Halogen Bulb, which is a lot brighter and will not draw too much current on the bike.

Wheel Bearings

I’ve tried the Pivot Works bearing kit, but they lasted me less than 4000km. Absolute crap. Stay away from Pivot Works. Go to a dedicated industrial bearing store and ask for the following sealed bearings with seals on both sides:

• Front Wheel Bearings: 2 x 6202U (15mm x 35mm x 11mm? – same as XR250R)
• Rear Wheel Bearing RHS: 1 x 6303U?(17mm x 47mm x 14mm? – same as XR250R)
• Rear Wheel Bearing LHS: 1 x 6203U?(17mm x 40mm x 12mm – same as XR250R)

Failing that, buy them from Honda. The Honda ones are great as long as you get the double sealed ones.

They never come with enough grease inside them, so open each bearing by removing the dust covers on each side (using a pen knife blade) and stuff the bearings full of water resistant marine grease. Now your bearings should last 25000km.

Steering Stem Bearings

• Same as XR250R – I bought the All Balls Steering Stem Bearing Kit from Rocky Mountain ATV.
• If you’re buying from a bearing shop, ask them for two taper roller bearings with codes BSSH902 or 22-1021. The specs are 26x47x15mm. You’ll have to buy the seals separately or reuse the old ones.

Unless you have a bearing race removal tool, get them installed by a mechanic with a tool for removing the bearing races. They are a bitch to get out without the tool. I ended up using a Dremel tool to cut the old races. It was messy. ?

Swingarm Bearings, Pivot Bolt and Spacer

When I replaced my swingarm bearings (at approx 25000km and 10 years after the bike was manufactured), the Swingarm Pivot Spacer that the bearings rotate against was worn to hell because the bearings had never been greased by the previous owner and has rusted apart. They came out in a pile of rusty dust! The bolt and spacer needed replacing, but those parts did not show up on parts catalogs in the USA. I discovered that the following parts from a 2004 CRF230F are identical.

• Swingarm Bearings: 91070-KPE-901
• Swingarm Pivot Bolt: 52101-KPS-900
• Swingarm Pivot Spacer: 52141-KPS-900

Fork Seals

• Same as XR250R

Valve Shims

The Tornado uses 7.48mm valve shims. These are the same shims found in the 2019 Honda CB500F (and CBR600 and VFR750) and many other Honda motocycles and all thicknesses can be easily sourced online using a parts fiche for the 2019 Honda CB500F here (part #14)