Throwback Thursday: 1988 Honda NX250  The little Adventure Bike never got the appreciation it deserved, until now.

The Honda NX250 is a small Adventure Motorcycle you can actually buy in the U.S.

In 1988 the idea of an Adventure Motorcycle hadn’t really caught hold yet in the U.S., but Honda took a chance and released its NX line of Dual-Purpose Motorcycles in 125cc, 250cc and 650cc sizes. The bikes were built for both on-road and off-road riding, with a street bias. All were equipped with “Adventure Bike” features like a small windscreen, skid plate, luggage rack and low front fender.

When they first appeared, no one really seemed to understand what the bikes were about. Many Americans passed them off as just heavy dirt bikes. Unfortunately, they were not strong sellers and Honda pulled the bikes from U.S. shores after only a few years.

Sometimes you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone and the NX250 was a real gem that was not fully appreciated. The NX250 stood out from its NX125 and NX250 siblings, because it offered sophisticated technology for the time. Honda gave the NX250 a uniquely designed water-cooled DOHC engine, while the NX125 and NX650 received SOHC air-cooled engines that were borrowed from their XR dirt bikes.

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The little 250cc engine produced a respectable 26 HP @ 8,500 rpm (not bad considering a 2013 Honda CBR250R sport bike with fuel injection makes only 23.7 HP). Honda also gave the bike a 6-speed transmission to help it stretch its legs on the highway. Another convenient feature was the use of an electric starter instead of a kick-start.

With a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds and top speed of 87 mph, performance was impressive for a 250cc motorcycle (comparable to a modern day Kawasaki KLR650). On the highway, the low front fender kept wind resistance down, but the bike was most comfortable when speeds did not exceed 65 mph. Gas mileage was reported to be in the 65-80 mpg range allowing the bike to travel long distances between fill-ups, even with it’s relatively small 2.4 gallon (9 liter) tank.

The NX had a dry weight of only 260 lbs. (118 kg) and small 19″ front and 16″ rear wheels, which gave it nimble handling. With a low seat height of just 32″ (820 mm), the bike inspired confidence off-road and was easy to pick up when you dropped it. While the bike was not intended for aggressive off-road riding, it was capable of handling most trails at a casual pace. Suspension travel was 8.7″ (221 mm) inches up front and 7.9″ (201 mm) in the rear.

Specs Comparison

Adventure Bike Models HP Torque

(lb.-ft.) Dry Weight

(lbs.) Top Speed

(mph) Seat Height

(in.) Price

(US $) Honda CRF250L 20.0 14.2 314** 84 34.7 $4,699 Yamaha XT250 17.5 13.7 277 76 31.9 $5,190 M1nsk TRX 300i 26.0 16.6* 342 86 31.3* $4.4k-$4.8k* Honda NX250 (Used) 26.0 17.4 260 87 32.0 $1.5K-$3k CCM GP450 40.0 31.6 287 90 35.0 $13,160 Kawasaki KLR650 37.0 33.4 386 95 35.0 $6,499

* Numbers based on the Zongshen RX3





Today, NX250’s make great city bikes because of their compact size and quick handling. They have good acceleration up to 65 mph and are capable of traveling on the highway at slower speeds. Many examples can be found online of Adventure Riders using the NX250 as an economical and reliable long-distance Adventure Touring Bike. Female and shorter male riders will appreciate the low seat height and light weight. NX250’s are also a smart choice for anyone looking for their first Adventure Bike on a budget, especially if you want to learn off-road riding skills.

Now that the Adventure Motorcycle craze has taken hold in the U.S., the little NX250 is starting to get some of the appreciation it deserves. They are fast becoming collector bikes, but you can still find them at reasonable prices. Considering the popularity of small displacement motorcycles is increasing in the U.S., we expect prices to continue to climb.

We recently came across a clean example of a 1988 Honda NX250 for sale in the Los Angeles area for only $2,200. The bike had only 1,000 miles on the odometer.