I was scrolling through Facebook Marketplace one night, a cold Kraken & Coke in hand (dangerous, I know), just idly 'seeing what's out there' (again, very dangerous, I know!), and lo and behold came across this little charmer being sold by a guy up near Washington DC: 

This is a 1989 Honda VTR 250, a little sport bike only made for three years from 1988 thru 1990 ("huh - a limited production run, eh...?"  (sip)...

The Interwebs tell us that the 1989 Honda VTR 250 was a "249cc liquid-cooled, 90-degree V-twin sport bike producing roughly 26–39 horsepower at 12,300–13,500 RPM ("Fourteen THOUSAND RPM's?!?") (sip)...

known for its nimble handling, 6-speed transmission, and 367 lb weight." Also known as the "Baby Interceptor," the Honda VTR 250 also "features a 16-inch front wheel, unique inboard front disc brake, and a 3.4-gallon fuel tank". 

My research revealed that there were three models of this bike, and each year came with a different paint scheme, but having lived in Miami in a previous life during the 1980's, this model with its Caribbean blue and magenta coloration really appealed to me.

"Hmmmm...(sip)...gosh, I have a garage full of classic motorcycles, but I don't have a sport bike..." (sip). "Hmmmmmmm............."

...and that little Kraken-inspired voice in my head whispered softly to me (" do it...DOOOO  IT!!")...maybe you know what I mean...

The next morning, I called the guy up and checked it out. He said it didn't run, but it had all the plastics that came with it, and for a few hundred bucks it could be mine! 

So we made arrangements, I plugged in the GPS and drove up through D.C. traffic (not as bad as Detroit, but slightly worse than Miami) and out to the coast where he had it stashed. I don't have any pics of it in situ, as it were, but the above picture shows her  still on the truck after I made it safely back home.

I jumped in with triage immediately, even before I got her off the truck. I popped off her right side cover and was very happily surprised to be greeted by this:

VERY nice!  The bike didn't have a key when I got it, so I wasn't sure if she would turn over, but after seeing this I was pretty sure she would.

There was a lot of cool stuff about this bike - here's the front brake, enclosed within the front wheel! That's pretty unusual...pretty tricky to FIX, but cool nonetheless....

One of the things that really prompted me to get this bike was the mileage - it's kind of hard to see here, but if you squint, you'll see it only has 5, 368 miles on it! It's new! 

The engine was pretty ugly, so skipping forward a bit (a lot, actually), I dropped it and repainted it; it came out pretty nicely. From this...

...to this...

The carbs were pretty neat - I'd never worked on a sport bike before, so wasn't prepared for their strange configuration.

The air filter was Huge...!  This lays over the carbs, btw...

Yes, there was a lot to marvel at in this little bike. But I got a new key for it (and if you need a new key for whatever bike you're working on, there's a guy on eBay that I use - highly recommended!), and again, Long Story Short I got her running!  

IT'S ALIVE!!!

I still had some tweaking to do - carbs, clutch, etc - but the day came I finally took her out on the road and MAN...! This thing is an absolute BLAST to ride! It's kind of small - I'm 6'1" and a svelte 240 lbs - but the throttle response is great, it handles superbly, and this is one I'm not selling! I call it "The Grin Maker".

I took these pics right after I got her back from her maiden voyage; here she is all dressed up in her finery. An absolutely gem of a machine!

I really like her colors, too. Having lived in Miami for a bit in the Eighties,  you can almost hear the theme from Miami Vice...although I have to keep telling my biker friends "It's not PINK, it's MAGENTA...!" Lol...!