Posts
18
Joined
9/29/2016
Location
San Ysidro, CA
US
Hi so i passed on a 2006 same model, because needed a new filter witch it is bad news for the bike, anyway i am looking at this one (pics below) everything is fine exept for the suspension fork it is leaking a bit but that can be fixed easily right?
He is asking for 2,300 btw should i get it? it has aprox 50 hrs on it, its the one with a regular gas tank, Hope u guys can help
Thanks!
He is asking for 2,300 btw should i get it? it has aprox 50 hrs on it, its the one with a regular gas tank, Hope u guys can help
Thanks!
50 hours on everything? If so it's time to check the valves and replace the piston/rings.
A leaky fork means new seals, bushings, and fluid. If the shock has 50 hours, good idea to service it as well. I'm gonna assume you're not the best mechanic, so you'll need to take the suspension to a shop for service.
Buy something cheap and a set of tools. Strip it down to a pile of parts and put it back together. That way you will never have any mechanical questions again. You will KNOW. Like when Bruce Jenner became Caitlin.
Buuut... might I recommend a 125 2 stroke they are a great beginner bike, a little slow but nothing a few modifications can't help. You're just always running a risk buying a used four stroke, I mean it's already a 7 year old bike. That being said you can definitely find some four stroke that are in great condition that are even old than an 09.
Ultimately up to you but the way I see it the money you save in rebuilds you could use to make it a screamer.
Edit: In terms of the 250f you're looking at it seems to be in pretty good condition, but the most important thing would be whats in the motor, so hard to say. As for the leaky forks it really depends on how long they've been leaking for and if it's been ridden with no fork oil or something like that, but either way you're definitely gonna be spending some money on that alone.
The Shop
Get a CRF230 or something.
Anyway, I know some people aren't being super helpful to you, we'd all love to have 7k to walk into a dealership, but for many people thats not even close to an option. I have bought second and third hand bikes my whole riding career. Some were clapped, some were dialed. In a lot of ways it can be hard to tell. For example, people are afraid of a bike that's been raced, but a serious racer with a bank account will probably take much better care of their bike than a broke hillbilly. So even if the racer rides way harder, the bike may be in a better state that Cletus's. You can develop an eye over time, I scope out the seller just as much as I scope out the bike. The best bike is one from an old guy with money who barely rode it, but those are unicorns. Still, I shoot for a slow rider who isn't broke. If the lawn looks good and the car is clean and not a mustang, that's a good start.
50 Hours is actually pretty low for a bike with 7 seasons on it. Bikes with less than 30 hours in this price range are almost nonexistent just by virtue of age, and many will be well into the hundreds of hours by now. You are correct that fork service is not too big of a deal, but the cost of service is all about your own abilities. If you take it to a dealer to get fixed, you'll be looking at hundreds of dollars. If you do it yourself, $40 for seals and $40 for fluids. My advice is to make friends who know what they're doing and learn as much as you can.
There's really not enough information here to say if this bike is the right one or not. If it was me, I'd be looking for bone stock and blue. I checked San Diego CL, none are really jumping out at me. This one might be worth a look, if the guy is honest about all the new stuff.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ant/mcy/5801821069.html
All that being said, if you can scrounge your way into the 3k price range, it really opens your options up and gets into the area where you can find some of those gently used examples. You're not going to get pristine at 2200, but if it's what you've gotta do to get riding, I get it and Ive been there. Two stroke is indeed a good option if you can find one. Unfortunately, in my area, everyone decided that 2-strokes were just the coolest, and now people want 3k for their 06 yz125.
Nothing wrong with a 7 year old bike if you have a set of metric tools, a service manual and some mechanical ability. From what I have seen most of these 250Fs are owned by teens and 20 somethings that abuse the bikes in every way, shape and form. They just don't do the maintenance on them for whatever their reason (lazy, broke, spent the money on Monster decals, etc). They seem to think if nothing is smoking or making noise then it does not need to be done. Buying any 250F is a decent risk. A 7 year old F bike is high risk. But, if you have tools and mechanical ability, you can go over everything and lower that risk to whatever level you want before you ride it. You could make it about good as new if you wanted.
Red flag was this kid said in another thread that he did not know how to change the air filter so he passed on the other bike.
Any used F bike should be stripped down and gone over. If you buy a used bike and just go ride it, you are gambling. If might blow up in 10 minutes, or it might last 5 years. It's up to the buyer to decide what they are willing to risk.
The Yamaha posted above also looks like a good bike for the money.
I gotta agree with quite a few of the others though, a 125 is probably a better place to start.
By the way, you for sure made the right move passing on the bike you posted in the other thread, both the Kawi you posted here and the Yamaha are WAY better options.
Pit Row
I would suggest looking for a younger bike with 20 hrs or less on it.
Fun bike, easy to maintain, cheaper to maintain, will do anything a 250F can do unless you are racing pro national or supercross races.
I'd have no issues buying a 10 year old 2 stroke as long as I can find parts. I'd never buy a used 250F any of any brand more than about 1 year old.
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