Riding a bike you can’t get parts for

Wouldn't not riding it also just make it a display piece?

One way its a guaranteed display piece.
The other way it may possibly become a display piece at some point in time, after enjoying it by using it like intended.

The older industry people say get a 2nd bike .  My practice bike has the mod cylinder & mod parts on it.  It shifts perfectly yet & never  comes out of gear . It’s a rock solid bike 

ALL of us vintage guys SO know the feeling! 
I absolutely love riding the vintage bikes that I have or have owned! Sometimes the anxiety of riding a bike knowing you might have THE last part for it in existence can mess up the fun of riding the bike, as you mention! A buddy crushed the stock pipe on his mint 1983 Honda CR250 last summer…as far as I know he is still trying to replace that stock pipe!

Sometimes ya just gotta ride & have fun knowing that NOTHING in life is promised, & ya just gotta enjoy it while ya can! 🤪 👍❗️
 

New 250f,s snap the rod & blow the piston into the head. Rare I think but sometimes it goes down . And takes out the main shafts & cases.  And people ride new bikes yet.  Almost new used bikes are out there .  There’s a guy in a near by town that has a bunch of new CR,s in the crate not for sale tho. I,ve seen like new 91 yz125, 96 rm125,s etc. 

I used to feel that way. I eventually got over it.

I had to accept the fact that I like riding old air-cooled two strokes. If you ride them, they will break eventually. Part of the game. Sometimes you’ll have to wait a year or two to find the right part.

So yeah, a 2nd bike is a great idea. My Maico and YZ465 compliment eachother well.

Assuming your RM250 is post 1995, you will have healthy parts availability for another few decades. I wouldn’t sweat it.

Agree with Motorick5052, sourcing parts and keeping the old sleds together is part of the challenge. The real solution is looking for another bike. My guess is if you had a complete second bike, you would have spares on  hand which allows you to stay in the game while you source the needed spares. Stay on top of available new spares that you might be able to snag at a great discount. It can be done but does take an effort. Good Luck!

Good indication that it might be time for new bike.

That's nothing try owning a rare 2 stroke sport bike from the mid 90's. That was sold only in Japan and only 500 units made.  That's a 1 year only model. 

Because of that it's why I have spare center cases and spare cylinders and top ends for it. Acquired over the years. Which when I go to sell it will only help. I still ride it semi often. 

Get a YZ250. There will be parts available for virtually any model year since 2002 - engine parts back to '99 - for a long, long time. Even if they stopped production today, you'd have factory parts available until 2045. 😎

Hey remember On The Pipe Racing ?  He’s from Wi.  I think the buisness is shutdown .  He had a lot of hard to find parts transmissions , etc.  2 weekends ago his son was racing 450a,25,30a he’s fast.  I was looking for him to talk about what’s left for parts etc. it was soo packed I never found him . I,m sure there’s RM 250 guys with parts etc out there .   I hv a crap ton of 04 cr125 some parts are for 02-07 .   Secrets for getting power out of them . What brake upgrades to use 

Speaking of sleds vintage snowmobiles are Super Hot .   A king kat sold for a 100k .   There finding parts for 70,s machines. Some crf parts work on cr,s like swingarms.  I use a 2014 rear crf disk on a 04. It’s a lot of fun owning a older bike.  My mod 04 hangs with new mod yz,s that surprised a lot of people. And looking to lead 10-50 ft on the start . 

The small block Chevy of the moto world.

Like this one? 🤔

2005 still going strong! YZ 250’s are the “ball-peen hammer”of moto! Ha! 🤪 👍❗️

I have an 06 RM250 that I absolutely love!  Best bike I own, and I have a decent little collection.  What I started doing is hoarding parts that I find.  I have essentially everything to rebuild the bike with the exception of a spare set of cases and a transmission.  I am looking for a full transmission, just in case I need one.  Just keep riding the bike.  As someone stated earlier, just buy an extra just in case. You can sometimes find them blown up and you can stock pile the parts that are still usable.

Sometimes I feel a little guilty riding my KTM 200 for the same reason, but its such a bad ass bike that by the time I’m up to speed I’m enjoying it too much to ever think about regretting it. Ride it into the ground until no more parts are left and then turn it into a show piece. Nobody cares if it runs when it’s sitting in the corner of the living room!

That sucks but is a reality for all of us. I’m sort of getting that for my ‘99. Fortunately there’s quite a few newer parts that will sort of work. Also, looking at getting a 92 rm, but I know that one’s gonna be tough. Pretty sure quite a few RMX parts will cross over.

I got a couple early 2000s RMs in the garage.

I think that some of the transmission stuff is getting hard to find but other than that it seems like most stuff is out there.  

Mine don't see much seat time though.

I've come to peace with this regarding my 98 RM 125.  If stuff can't be replaced I might gut internals to lighten it up and just display in the living room.

I bought a 98 new I Loved that bike .  I saw a low hr one on fb recently. 

Excellent answer. 

Amen Rick! I feel it!

Did you ever see a Gaylon Bennett from Arkansas at vintage races?  He had an elsinore original 250, he also rn it across Bonneville salt flats amd has a Guinness record!!

Olderr guy, rode all Cr 500's, I guess he had 5 or so last I saw him with tonss of spares.

I was looking for a waterpump impeller for a 1985 CR 500, those things are like that CR pipe! Unfindable for any price!....

Now with 3d printing. . . .who knows what a person could make..

I gave that bike to my buddy. . . .

Regerts about that..

Pisto

With all old cars and bikes, you have to decide what to do with them. Some bikes or cars will go up in value dramatically, others do not and are not worth babying. If it's a run-of-the-mill bike, use it the way it was intended and retire it when the time to repair it comes and is completely uneconomical. 

I have 3 "collector's" bikes and 4 cars. How do I avoid breaking things? I don't, except for the 2 that are getting a little unobtanium. They get ridden, but not in anger.

A few years ago, I got proactive and started buying up components, plastics, and wear items for the bikes, as well as the cars. Spare cylinders, crank, gears, clutch, CDIs and harnesses , etc. All are readily available from eBay and forums. Everything electrical can be replaced. Everything suspension-wise is still available. The hard-to-get parts are things like clamps, swingarm, cases, cylinder, gear/shaft sets, water pump, and certain clutch components. 

Start stockpiling if you want to keep it running or sell it soon and buy a bike that has and will have plenty available for a long time (pre-2005 YZ250 for the steel frame fix).

There should be a 20+ yr old bike challenge.  A top 5 finish of 20+ on the gate in any vet class.  Or a top 10 in the 125 class with 20+ riders.  25k cash and full sponsorship.  The aftermarket co.s Love herring about older bikes being raced. Probably because they sell a ton of parts to us . Haha .  50+ riders only qualify.  

I keep my '98 YZ250 at my cabin and use it for the turn track and in the woods etc. It's not too hard to get parts for, overall,  but there are a few things that have become very tough. So yes, it does cross my mind. I don't put a ton of hours on it. It only has probably total 50hrs on it, since new.. So I guess it's not too bad. But if it were my main bike, then I would be a bit worried. For a main bike to ride and know there are a ton of parts for, I would look at an 06+ YZ250 though. Can't go wrong with 1 of those.

Against you and that wicked girl motor on that 125?  Hahaha..joking man.

Id love to see it. . . .

Pisto

In Australia they run a “Period 20” MX class. 
Unlike the other classes like “Pre 78”.

The goal posts move each year. Simply the bike must be 20years old. So the current gen of YZ250s now qualify. 

(Unfortunately, unlike the Historic Road Race scene, they don’t allow “carry over” models - bikes made after the cutoff date that are identical. So you need an actual 2005 model this year)

I like the 50yo + idea. 
Usually the oldest vet class is 40+ in Australia. I qualify for 60+. Unfortunately. 

Some of the best times I have ever had were at Texas Vintage Race Club / TVRC events over the years! 
There are SO many great guys involved with that series and their bikes are BEYOND amazing! 
There are bikes at those events that would make you SWEAR you rode in a DeLorean at 88mph because how else are you seeing those bikes BRAND NEW! 😝

There is a good chance I may have crossed paths with him? I remember several guys with incredible Elsinore’s & he coulda been one of them! 
I am happy & proud to say that I got to see the incredible collection of the Vital legend his-own-self Newman many years ago! He was one hell of a contributor, collector, restorer & genuinely damn nice guy! TVRC put on really great events too! 👍❗️

I'm sure there are a lot of aftermarket clone companies that duplicated the molds and can manufacture almost anything from that era.

Like Vintage Roost.com