I have for sale a restored 1993 Kawasaki KX250 (2-Stroke). $5,250 - Location, Central NJ 08822.
I tore this bike down to the frame and replaced every single bearing, gasket, bolt, and wear item possible. The frame was repainted using ColorRite period correct matched paint, leveraging a 3-stage primer, paint, & clearcoat process. On re-assembly every bearing was replaced and mechanical part rebuilt. There is simply too much to list so instead of rambling them off I have provided an inventory of all the parts I replaced, which totals $2815 my cost. I am an engineer by trade and rebuilding bikes is just a fun hobby of mine, albeit I probably went a little overboard on this one. All the work is also documented in a binder, I have every receipt and invoice for the work outlined.
Some notables about this bike. First, this bike has a period correct vintage Ohlins rear shock. I just sent this shock to Ohlins for a complete rebuild at a cost of $548. This Ohlins shock is simply uber unobtainiam status. If I were to part the bike out, I would sell this rear shock alone for no less than 2K. The motor was rebuilt prior to the complete tear down and it has about 4 hours of run time on it. Stone cold the bike kicks over on the 1st to 2nd kick and it will idle all day long. I just repacked the muffler and it sounds breath taking, in my opinion nothing sounds as good a 2-stroke Kawi. This bike is fast! Rated at 53hp and only weighing 212lbs. 1st and 2nd gear is an absolute monster, power wheelies in 2nd gear with stock sprocket gearing, definitely not for the faint of heart or unexperienced rider.
I have all the stock plastics and a box of spare parts that come with the bike. The only piece that is not period correct on this bike is the seat cover, it should be baby blue with a pink logo. The seat itself is original and reproduction covers can be had for less than 50 bucks if desired. Like pretty much any dirt bike the header has its typical minor dents that do not affect performance. This bike is 100% ready to ride and is ready for the MX track, it simply needs nothing and runs like a top. No expense was spared, the bike and documentation speak for itself, hence the asking price of $5,250.
All that effort and that insanely high asking price you couldn’t slap a new pipe and replace the dingy bolts and ripping seat cover and Chinese levers ? Maybe vapor blasted the engine cases, etc. lol, I’d call it more restored after that.
Not To pile on but..Shift lever? Front axle nut? Hose clamps on carb boots? Pipe is hammered & laying on frame & coolant hoses, and everything mentioned above ….back to school son….or….. bike of the day!
What do you feel would be a fair asking price for this bike then ? I hear you on some of these comments. A new seat cover and levers would be nice, I will seriously consider that. As you can see, I have receipts for $2815 in parts that were absolutely necessary to make this bike safe to ride, thus the asking price is never going to be below 3k. If one found a trashed KX250 in a barn for 500 bucks they are going to have to spend the same 3-4K or maybe more to get it operational, or just buy mine. Thought being if you really wanted a decent 2-stroke that is 100% ready to ride, the price does not seem crazy to me.
I am happy to learn, just having fun with this bike. There were some comments I didn't 100% follow. Is there an issue with my front axle nut ? or are we simply not happy that its not a fresh anodized green aftermarket nut ? I honestly see no reason to go that route on this bike.
The levers ok, i haven't found any I like for a reasonable price, if you have suggestions I'm all ears. I do have a 2024 KX450 Brembo Front Master with Lever I tried to fit to this bike. I got it working but the feel was very squishy, I even compared it to an actual 2024 KX450 and it felt the same, not sure what the deal is so i swapped back to the original 93 Front master and it feel much more solid. If anyone has advice on that Front MC I would love to hear it.
I pressurized the pipe but my torch couldn't get hot enough to remove the dents, its not laying on the frame though, all the original mounts are in tact and line up perfectly with the pipe. The coolant hoses do flop around a bit, was not to concerned, I could zip tie them out of the way if you feel there is an actual issue here, again happy to learn.
I am not following the comment about the hose clamps on the carb boot, please elaborate for me.
The shift lever, its not fancy but its strait and clean and works, again this is an honest and well showing MX Track bike, not trying to bling it out.
Blasting the cases would be a nice touch but I simply don't have those tools or access to any. I feel there is a point at which you make a dirt bike to pretty it becomes a lost cause. One day on the track or trails and everything will be all scratched up. For 30 years old I think this bike looks really good, the pictures don't do it justice.
I am taking this bike to the Field Of Dreams MX Track in NJ this Sat the 24th if anyone wants to check out it.
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Front axle nut is not even the correct one so the axle is probably wrong too, shift lever is way the hell low and mounted wrong, carb clamps are wrong, pipe dented and seat cover. It’ll be damn hard to get 3k for this bike with the market right now, it’s maybe a 2k bike if your lucky. Doesn’t matter what you have receipts for.
Hmm, I think i have the correct front axle but perhaps I installed the nut in the wrong direction ? I have the same one in the pic but I threaded the nut on with the nut being on the outside. Right now the front wheel is really smooth, it's all aligned and working as it should.
Honestly you guys are rough, I think you are being a little to nit picky about the type of clamp used to hold on the carb, what's on their now is going to hold. People also have different preferences for how low or high they mount their gear shifter.
This is what my axle and nut look like.
I remounted the shift lever for you, its more parallel now.
Also, it turns out that the radiators hoses are not touching the header nor the frame.
I appreciate the comments, you guys are brutal though but I don't mind.
To make it worth 5+k it’s gotta present and basically glow on the screen. It has to be a 9-9.5/10 where yours is somewhere in a 6-7.5 depending on taste and scale.
It seems you’re learning though and you’ll learn as you go what sells, what needs to be perfect, what’s passable and not.
Got it, I think a new repro seat cover, perhaps some new bars and levers will really help bump up the curb appeal.
The hardware store clamps would keep me up at night! 😆
There is no money in restoring old dirt bikes to mint condition- I’ve done it several times. To do it right you will spend a fortune and don’t expect to get anything close to what you put onto it.
Really it’s the small details that matter (hose clamps, bolts, nut, lever, etc) that make all the difference..
And the coolant hose clamps, plus fix the gas line- has one clamp and one zip tie..
For the price you’re trying to enter into those are the expectations for a bike like that.
Otherwise rebuilt or not as is, it’s somewhere in the 22-35 range in my area atleast
That’s $1,000 bike. I was asking $5,500 for a fully built 95 KX250 with a TMR motor, 21 KX450 Showa forks and shock just done by Enzo. Had 1hr on the rebuild. Could not sell it so I starting racing it.
Now thats closer to a $5500 dollar bike.
I don't know anybody who rides with the shifter lever below the foot peg, some people prefer it level, some people prefer it above the foot peg!
I'd rotate it another spline.
Used market is rough right now. Fix all the things the other members mentioned and it might help with the sale. I'm in the middle of a frame off rebuild on a 1996 KX 125 and I've already totaled $4,000 in receipts and still have about a grand or two to go. I split cases and had them vapor blasted, rebuilt the bottom with all oem bearings, sent the cylinder and head off to Tom Morgan, etc. It's a very tough pill to swallow, but I know if I am lucky, I will be able to get $3500 at most out of it. I built it to ride so I'll probably end up keeping it or part it out when I am done with the few races I want to do on it. Your best bet would be to keep and ride or part it out. If it were me, I'd ride and enjoy it unless you are willing to part with it at $2500
Did you get the frame grip tape from Pryme MX?
Took the bike to the track and it did great ! Went long on a few doubles and table tops and the suspension took it like it should. I was having issues with the shift lever though. The more parallel I had it, the harder it was to upshift, almost like it was hitting something. I adjust it down a tad and it got better. My junk Chinese brake lever exploded, so I just ordered some NOS OEM style SunLines in black. I also ordered a black steel EMGO shift lever, hoping that will feel better. Only blew one spark plug and that was my fault, I was idling in line for well over 10 minutes and the plug got fouled; swapped it out real fast and was back on the track in minutes.
The grip tape I got on eBay from the brand Pryme, It fits well, sticks well, and gets the job done, happy with it so far.
My only complaint from the track is that even with new MX34's, FYI, the rear is a 110, I feel like the back tire was dancing around more than I expected. I was having some slight confidence issues getting solid traction in the turns, could be me though, I am rusty for sure. Last the front brake line really likes to pop out of the rubber holder at the bottom of the fork. I'm gonna have to zip tie that or something, it just bounces out after the first jump.
If the market is soft like everyone is saying, than I think I will just hold onto this bike and race it. I put too much time and energy into fixing it not to enjoy it.
If that motor isn’t vapor blasted, I won’t touch it for less than $1k. Spend some time finding correct part numbers. A service manual would do you well.
Pit Row
I'd suggest you rename as rebuilt versus restored.
Looks like others have given some good feeback and you're taking it well and improving your KX ... good stuff!
Well your not going to like this but the bike sold for very close to asking price. I guess the zip tie was not an issue
Still consider selling it? If so, what price now?
Going to keep it now. Thanks
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