04 suzuki rmz250

Jonathan_vr
I found an o4 rmz250 for sale at a great price, comes with helmet and boots too. But is it a good bike and is it reliable? The previous owner diddnt ride much and the bikes in the mechanic atm to sort out the timing ( owner messed it up trying to start it) Its in quite good condition every thing that should be there is there and all works. I believe its stock besides the pipe. Any help is apreciated. EDIT: how is the 02 yzf250?
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HenryA
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HenryA 12/12/2016 11:26pm
12/12/2016 11:26pm
^ What he said
chump6784
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chump6784 12/12/2016 11:30pm
12/12/2016 11:30pm
The 04 kxf/rmz 250's were one of the most unreliable bikes. As above, turn around and run
hbouldin1216 12/12/2016 11:32pm
12/12/2016 11:32pm
Run like hell, this is the first year model of a joint project between Kawi and Suzuki and thing was an absolute dog. Also, timing belt issues are a sure sign of lots of use or poor maintenance on the owner's part. Keep looking.

The Shop

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Jonathan_vr 12/12/2016 11:39pm
12/12/2016 11:39pm Edited Date/Time 12/12/2016 11:40pm
What about an 02 yzf250. Are those good bikes?
downard254
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downard254 12/13/2016 1:53am
12/13/2016 1:53am
Yup, same advice as to the above, but I'll add, "run FAST"
tiddlermx23
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tiddlermx23 12/13/2016 3:54am
12/13/2016 3:54am
For a 4-stroke 250f I wouldn't even look at anything below 2008 at the least and that's still sketchy. If it's cheap it's got a story behind it that you don't want any part of.
Gaybiker
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Gaybiker 12/13/2016 4:56am
12/13/2016 4:56am Edited Date/Time 3/6/2017 7:27am
I loved the bike.
Bodieg3
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Bodieg3 12/13/2016 5:09am
12/13/2016 5:09am
Somebody please explain to me how you can mess up the timing trying to start a bike ? I've only been riding 40yrs n this first time I've heard of this
mx836
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mx836 12/13/2016 5:10am
12/13/2016 5:10am
Mine was awesome. I was a 200 lbs expert on one and never had an issue with the valves. Thing pissed coolant every ride though. Handled great. Don't buy one.
Bramlett321
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Bramlett321 12/13/2016 5:26am
12/13/2016 5:26am
HenryA wrote:
^ What he said
^^ What Pierre said !!! You should make like a tree and "head out" lol !!!
JAFO92
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JAFO92 12/13/2016 5:27am
12/13/2016 5:27am
Im a Zook fan, but that Kawazuki has lots of issues. Id pass if I were you, its a rolling grenade waiting to pop.
rcannon
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rcannon 12/13/2016 5:49am
12/13/2016 5:49am Edited Date/Time 12/13/2016 5:51am
Bodieg3 wrote:
Somebody please explain to me how you can mess up the timing trying to start a bike ? I've only been riding 40yrs n this first...
Somebody please explain to me how you can mess up the timing trying to start a bike ? I've only been riding 40yrs n this first time I've heard of this
Probably you cannot unless it kicked back and the flywheel moved......Wait, on this specific bike, I dont believe it was uncommon to lose a timing chain, or timing chain tensioner. That could do it, too.

But it does prove a point about this specific bike. This 04 rmz/kxf bike forced owners to learn how a motorcycle worked. Often times things would break and an owner was left hoping they could fix it themselves.

If you did it yourself, it was maybe 1000.00 to rebuild. 2-2500. if a shop did it. Plus, it was guaranteed to break again.

Often times what they learned or what they figured out, was not very accurate


omalley
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omalley 12/13/2016 5:59am
12/13/2016 5:59am
Wasn't that the bike where you have to drain the coolant and pull the water pump just to get to the oil filter?
Sheriff245 12/13/2016 6:02am
12/13/2016 6:02am
omalley wrote:
Wasn't that the bike where you have to drain the coolant and pull the water pump just to get to the oil filter?
Just the cover, not the pump itself. The water pump and oil filter shared the same cover.
731chopper
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731chopper 12/13/2016 6:25am
12/13/2016 6:25am
I had this bike in 04-06 but I got a lemon. Mine was 100% reliable.

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Wandell
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Wandell 12/13/2016 6:27am
12/13/2016 6:27am
Yep, the first RMZ/KX250f's were horrible. The YZ250f has long had a reputation as the most reliable four stroke 250. But, buying any used 250 four stroke is sketchy. If you can't afford to rebuild a top end, you should probably pass.
Jonathan_vr 12/13/2016 6:47am
12/13/2016 6:47am
Thanx for all the responces, if i were to get it examined by a mechanic would he be able to tell if its about to go any time soon? There must be some signs. The bikes about $700 which is really the only reason im interested. Im going to meet the seller at the mechanic in a few days where i can get a detailed look at the bike (check for anything leaking, how the engine sounds, loose things etc). I would much rather get a newer bike but it seems ill be paying more than double for anything around 07-08 and my budgets tight as i still need to buy the safety gear which ill get all new. Is it worth the gamble even at that price or is it still a no go? The guy pretty much lives in the middle of nowhere so nobody really drives out to see it which is why ye says the price is what it is.
Iridereallyslow 12/13/2016 6:57am
12/13/2016 6:57am
omalley wrote:
Wasn't that the bike where you have to drain the coolant and pull the water pump just to get to the oil filter?
Sheriff245 wrote:
Just the cover, not the pump itself. The water pump and oil filter shared the same cover.
There were a few aftermarket covers that let you replace the oil filter without going through the hassle. I had a pro circuit cover on mine. I will say it did ride decent, for a 250f of that era, but as MX836 said, it would piss coolant literally every ride....oversize radiators, larger spring radiator cap, none of that mattered.

Jonathan_vr, if you are on a tight budget, then even more reason to stay away from this bike. You'd more than likely spend your money and then only get a few rides before you were left with rolling scrap weight. It will cost you more than what you bought the bike for to repair it when it blows. Tight budget = 2-stroke in my opinion.
HenryA
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HenryA 12/13/2016 7:01am
12/13/2016 7:01am Edited Date/Time 12/13/2016 7:02am
Jonathan_vr wrote:
Thanx for all the responces, if i were to get it examined by a mechanic would he be able to tell if its about to go...
Thanx for all the responces, if i were to get it examined by a mechanic would he be able to tell if its about to go any time soon? There must be some signs. The bikes about $700 which is really the only reason im interested. Im going to meet the seller at the mechanic in a few days where i can get a detailed look at the bike (check for anything leaking, how the engine sounds, loose things etc). I would much rather get a newer bike but it seems ill be paying more than double for anything around 07-08 and my budgets tight as i still need to buy the safety gear which ill get all new. Is it worth the gamble even at that price or is it still a no go? The guy pretty much lives in the middle of nowhere so nobody really drives out to see it which is why ye says the price is what it is.
Get a 125 (or even 250 2-stroke) if you're on a tight budget. An old 250f is a money pit.
Paw Paw 271
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Paw Paw 271 12/13/2016 7:36am
12/13/2016 7:36am
Those early Suzuki and Kawa 250 f's used the same parts and had real big over heating issues and a poor head design. The rest of the engine was good.

Paw Paw
MX Guy
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MX Guy 12/13/2016 8:51am
12/13/2016 8:51am Edited Date/Time 12/13/2016 8:51am
With $700 you could probably find a 125 that will run twice as good and for twice as long.
LumpDog841
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LumpDog841 12/13/2016 9:14am
12/13/2016 9:14am
It doesn't matter if the bike is brand new out of the crate. Those bikes sucked for multiple reasons, with a big reason being the reliability. I had a brand new one that I smoked the valves after one race at a sand track. Run far away. You would be much better off finding a 125.
rcannon
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rcannon 12/13/2016 9:57am
12/13/2016 9:57am Edited Date/Time 12/13/2016 10:03am
Jonathan_vr wrote:
Thanx for all the responces, if i were to get it examined by a mechanic would he be able to tell if its about to go...
Thanx for all the responces, if i were to get it examined by a mechanic would he be able to tell if its about to go any time soon? There must be some signs. The bikes about $700 which is really the only reason im interested. Im going to meet the seller at the mechanic in a few days where i can get a detailed look at the bike (check for anything leaking, how the engine sounds, loose things etc). I would much rather get a newer bike but it seems ill be paying more than double for anything around 07-08 and my budgets tight as i still need to buy the safety gear which ill get all new. Is it worth the gamble even at that price or is it still a no go? The guy pretty much lives in the middle of nowhere so nobody really drives out to see it which is why ye says the price is what it is.
Dont do something stupid...Owning this bike is stupid.

If it were offered to me, free of charge, Id refuse it unless I could part it out. If it were given to me under a condition where I had to keep it running, it would be cost prohibitive to do so if I ride it.

Right now, you are not in a bad spot. You have at least 700.00 saved towards something that has a chance at running. When you buy this bike, you'll no longer have your 700 and will need to have at least 1000.00 in reserve for its first blow up. Thats if you do the work yourself.

This bike really has no chance of that happening. Mine blew up twice and I just ride around. Never got it close to a race. Even in 100% stock form. I never saved enough money for an exhaust as I was busy buyign replacement valve, cams, heads, radiators, and such.

If you google top ten worst mx bikes of all time, its on everyones list.
.http://www.pulpmx.com/stories/look-back-old-moto-mags/gps-classic-steel….

Many of the bikes on the list were better than this kxf/rmz thing. Bad suspension or poor handling can be overlooked if the budget is tight, but reliability is not something you can work with when funds are limited.

If this is the only bike you can afford, you just cant ride, right now. There were many different fixes for the bike, but by the time you got near those, your looking at more like 3000.00, all in.
.

moscrop940
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moscrop940 12/13/2016 10:53am
12/13/2016 10:53am
Jonathan_vr wrote:
Thanx for all the responces, if i were to get it examined by a mechanic would he be able to tell if its about to go...
Thanx for all the responces, if i were to get it examined by a mechanic would he be able to tell if its about to go any time soon? There must be some signs. The bikes about $700 which is really the only reason im interested. Im going to meet the seller at the mechanic in a few days where i can get a detailed look at the bike (check for anything leaking, how the engine sounds, loose things etc). I would much rather get a newer bike but it seems ill be paying more than double for anything around 07-08 and my budgets tight as i still need to buy the safety gear which ill get all new. Is it worth the gamble even at that price or is it still a no go? The guy pretty much lives in the middle of nowhere so nobody really drives out to see it which is why ye says the price is what it is.
Dude why are you asking for everyone's advice, and saying you appreciate it, if you aren't going to listen to 99% of the people telling you to turn and run?

The price of the bike doesn't matter when you are going to have atleast 2K+ in expenses to fix it!

My brother had 4 at the same time when they came out, and there were many times we MISSED RACES because we couldn't keep ANY of them running.

I don't give a shit if the bike was free, the maintence costs are going to be triple what they would be on a 2-stroke....you need to look at the long term
holverson34
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holverson34 12/13/2016 11:42am
12/13/2016 11:42am
That bike will make you hate riding. It's no fun when you worry every day you ride if it's going to be the day your bike will blow up.
Teej317
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Teej317 12/13/2016 11:58am
12/13/2016 11:58am
I had an '04 Kawi 250f that lasted me eight years! I kept up on the general maintenance and had a mechanic regularly keep up on the internals. Easily had over 150 hrs on it.
Bodieg3
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Bodieg3 12/13/2016 12:27pm
12/13/2016 12:27pm
Jonathan_vr wrote:
Thanx for all the responces, if i were to get it examined by a mechanic would he be able to tell if its about to go...
Thanx for all the responces, if i were to get it examined by a mechanic would he be able to tell if its about to go any time soon? There must be some signs. The bikes about $700 which is really the only reason im interested. Im going to meet the seller at the mechanic in a few days where i can get a detailed look at the bike (check for anything leaking, how the engine sounds, loose things etc). I would much rather get a newer bike but it seems ill be paying more than double for anything around 07-08 and my budgets tight as i still need to buy the safety gear which ill get all new. Is it worth the gamble even at that price or is it still a no go? The guy pretty much lives in the middle of nowhere so nobody really drives out to see it which is why ye says the price is what it is.
No the mechanic can't tell you if it's going to go soon . If he says he can he's a flat out liar n most likely buddies with seller . Go ahead and ignore everybody n get you some boots n helmet cause that's what your paying $700 for they better be nice

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