Please help me with my purchase

**Brennan** · 18th February 2015, 12:22

Hey guys / girls

I am thinking of travelling down south to purchase a new 1992 Honda CBR250RR http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=848261874 and was just after some advise to see if I would be making the right decision. It's currently going for $3800 and around 60,000ks. Apparently the bike has been dropped by the previous owner but the parts have been replaced. I have spoken to the mechanic that last did a service on the bike but unfortunately no compression test has been done. Of course it would be quite hard to tell without getting an AA inspection, but does this potentially look like a safe purchase? It looks like it is in really good nick but it is quite hard to organise the AA inspection being in a different part of the country, I was mostly worried about the compression in the engine not being right.

Any advise would be awesome

Many thanks, much appreciated

**Brennan** · 18th February 2015, 12:24

Also, just to add, the mechanic said he thought it "looked" in really good nic and couldn't see any problems with the bike.. but of course no compression test was done although it did pass a warrent very recently from http://www.qmotor.co.nz/

**James Deuce** · 18th February 2015, 12:58

It's a learner bike from 1992. It's not been dropped just by the previous owner. Just curious, what would you do if the compression wasn't up to spec?

I think you'll find the engine is the least of your worries. I'd be more concerned about the state of all of the chassis bearings (steering head, swingarm pivot, suspension linkages) and wheel bearings and ask when the last time the fork oil was changed. I'd expect the cush drive to be brittle and well beyond it's scheduled replacement, if it hasn't almost disappeared altogether. Selector forks in gearboxes especially 2nd gear are often bent in high mileage older small-capacity bikes, due to the reality of who rides them. When was the last time throttle cables (clutch too - not sure if CBR250s are cable or hydraulic clutches) were lubed, what state are the chain and sprockets, etc., etc. ?

How much do you have budgeted to spend on it after you've picked it up?

**haydes55** · 18th February 2015, 13:04

It's 23 years old, that's enough to buy a brand new gn250 without having to travel anywhere and it would have a warranty and you would know nothing is about to wear out.

60,000km of learner K's.... Thrashed, maintained by inexperienced teenagers who are too poor to pay for a proper service.

Sure it looks like a good bike.... But add cost of picking it up, cost of replacing the parts which are half worn out in a few months and who knows what else has happened to the bike in 23 years. Also, older bikes are harder to source parts for.

Do you really want a screaming little 250, or would you be happier on a gs500 from the mid 2000's for similar money with less K's in better nick?

**vifferman** · 18th February 2015, 13:06

Jim forgot to mention camchains in his otherwise extensive list. Honda camchains and camchain tensioners are notoriously crappy, and a very high revving bike like the CBR250RRRR (don't they rev to 27 million RPM?) is unlikely to have escaped this factory-installed feature).

**James Deuce** · 18th February 2015, 13:08

Originally Posted by vifferman

Jim forgot to mention camchains in his otherwise extensive list. Honda camchains and camchain tensioners are notoriously crappy, and a very high revving bike like the CBR250RRRR (don't they rev to 27 million RPM?) is unlikely to have escaped this factory-installed feature).

Oh yes, good point and the reg/rec voltage outputs need checking and there needs to be documentation about how many it's had.

**Murray** · 18th February 2015, 13:09

Buy this instead

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...post1130831869

**sil3nt** · 18th February 2015, 13:17

Originally Posted by Brennan

Hey guys / girls

I am thinking of travelling down south to purchase a new 1992 Honda CBR250RR http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=848261874 and was just after some advise to see if I would be making the right decision. It's currently going for $3800 and around 60,000ks. Apparently the bike has been dropped by the previous owner but the parts have been replaced. I have spoken to the mechanic that last did a service on the bike but unfortunately no compression test has been done. Of course it would be quite hard to tell without getting an AA inspection, but does this potentially look like a safe purchase? It looks like it is in really good nick but it is quite hard to organise the AA inspection being in a different part of the country, I was mostly worried about the compression in the engine not being right.

Any advise would be awesome

Many thanks, much appreciated

I would take the gamble. Pretty hard to kill the MC22. Good luck finding a leaner bike this old that hasn't been dropped. Pretty obvious this one has as it has aftermarket chinese fairings.

**Brennan** · 18th February 2015, 13:22

Originally Posted by Murray

Buy this instead

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...post1130831869

I was actually really tempted to buy that bike! Unfortunately I'm only on my learners and it's not LAMS approved. Unsure if I would get insured etc. amazing looking bike!

**Brennan** · 18th February 2015, 13:22

By the way, thank you for all of the replies, I'm taking everything onboard

**shafty** · 18th February 2015, 13:41

Haydes55 has said everything I would tell you

**The End** · 18th February 2015, 13:49

As has already been mentioned, buying a bike like this that is 23 years old is going to cost you more in the long run than its worth.

It may look pretty on the outside (clean fairings) but the inside has likely been thrashed many times by many (inexperienced) riders.

Save your money that you would undoubtedly spend keeping this bike running and buy a modern (ish) learner bike, get your full then buy something bigger and better. I've never understood why new/learner riders want the flashiest looking, highest revving, most abused bikes to learn on. Save that for your full license and go nuts on a bigger bike!

**speights_bud** · 18th February 2015, 14:04

Originally Posted by The End

It may look pretty on the outside (clean fairings) but the inside has likely been thrashed many times by many (inexperienced) riders.

Those fairings scream chinese replacements, I could be wrong, but I dont think they came out with monster energy decals....

**sil3nt** · 18th February 2015, 14:51

Originally Posted by haydes55

It's 23 years old, that's enough to buy a brand new gn250 without having to travel anywhere and it would have a warranty and you would know nothing is about to wear out.

Originally Posted by haydes55

60,000km of learner K's.... Thrashed, maintained by inexperienced teenagers who are too poor to pay for a proper service.

60,000 kms is hardly anything for these bikes. Thrashed? You mean ridden hard like they were designed to be?

Originally Posted by haydes55

Sure it looks like a good bike.... But add cost of picking it up, cost of replacing the parts which are half worn out in a few months and who knows what else has happened to the bike in 23 years. Also, older bikes are harder to source parts for.

What parts? Your talking shit.

Originally Posted by haydes55

Do you really want a screaming little 250, or would you be happier on a gs500 from the mid 2000's for similar money with less K's in better nick?

GS500 over an MC22

Originally Posted by The End

As has already been mentioned, buying a bike like this that is 23 years old is going to cost you more in the long run than its worth.

It may look pretty on the outside (clean fairings) but the inside has likely been thrashed many times by many (inexperienced) riders.

Again using this 'thrashed' argument. Do you all really nana your bikes around? These bikes are made to be 'thrashed'

Originally Posted by The End

Save your money that you would undoubtedly spend keeping this bike running and buy a modern (ish) learner bike, get your full then buy something bigger and better. I've never understood why new/learner riders want the flashiest looking, highest revving, most abused bikes to learn on. Save that for your full license and go nuts on a bigger bike!

Check the videos on this page. Stock standard MC22 with 60,000ks on it. Had its valve clearances checked (sometime between 40,000 and 60,000km) and all were in spec.
https://www.youtube.com/user/SportbikerNZ/videos

Over 2 years of being 'thrashed' around a race track including multiple crashes yet it is still running fine when apparently it should have shat itself already

.

Buy it while you still can.