Buying a bike.

[4AGE]

Hey guys,

Hopefully this hasn't been asked heaps.

So having a nose on trademe for a 250.

And some have kms around 45-60kms.

Is this alot?
Like whats this in sort of car kms? So i can understand a bit better.

I know not to read into mileage too much. But i dont want to buy something with the equivalent of 250kms.

Thanks fellas.

[FJRider]

Last time I looked ... 50,000 km's is ... and was ... 50,000 km's ... whatever vehicle you ride/drive ... :blink: :shutup: :yes: :innocent:

[Little Miss Trouble]

How well a bike has been maintained is much more important than the number of kms its done. In fact I'd be inclined to be more concerned about the condition of a older ie 20 year old inline four with less than 20,000km on the clock (likely to be an import that has been sitting in a shed somewhere for ages) than I would something like this (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/136255-Honda-vtr-250?p=1130022844#post1130022844) which at first glance looks rather tidy.

[4AGE]

So the mileage of these aren't too bad.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=351049278
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=363795252

[matdaymon]

As said above, overall condition is more important that km's
You don't want to buy a bike that's been sitting around idle for a few years but then you don't ideally want to buy something thats had its nuts thrashed off consistently and not been serviced appropriately.
You'd want to be looking at overall condition, checking for a service history, checking it doesn't smoke (if its a 4stroke), make funny engine noises, straight frame etc

[hayd3n]

checking inside fairings for repairs usually is a good indication its had a decent drop
+new paint jobs covering up damage etc
maybe superficial maybe not
repair welds on pegs clipons etc
check for oil leaks,
rattly cam chains
leaky carburetors
loose headers
take a friend who knows bike around to check em out with you

[hayd3n]

So the mileage of these aren't too bad.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=351049278
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=363795252

id get the Honda before the yami
Honda looks original yammi no so

[racefactory]

Km's mean absolutely fuck all for older 250 bikes. With these bikes it's all about condition.

In fact high mileage on these bikes is generally a good thing in my opinion. It's been used regularly and therefore a high chance it has had a lot of work and maintenance done on it to keep it reliable rather than a weekend thrash about that's been passed between owners on the original oil from Hamamatsu factory circa 1990 :s .

I've had many 90's small bikes, had one with 120,000km and it was the best one I've ever had. Had a low mileage sub 20,000km example with factory original fairings, totally stock and all that rubbish etc. Was great on the surface but way more of a headache in reality.

Basically with higher mileage, I've found generally all the teething problems to be already sorted like regulator/other electrical problems, fork oil/springs and seals changed, rear shock replaced/serviced, brake calipers stripped/replaced, brake rotors replaced etc etc. What you're left with is a solid bike that will go on forever.

Even if it's on original motor at 120,000km I haven't found it to be any less healthy at all and the motor can always be replaced hassle free if you somehow wear it out. MC22 and ZXR250 motors are cheap and easy to get. It's things like gummed up carbs and slightly sticking brake calipers that cause warped rotors and old original batteries causing all kinds of running problems on low mileage bikes that have barely been used their whole life that give you the REAL headaches later... these things will have all been inevitably addressed if the bike has seen a certain amount of use/mileage.

If you're not a total novice then high miles is how you can really get a good deal on a bike. Kms are so overrated. The reality is, if you buy a 250 with 'low mileage' eg. 20,000km then you are only just about to come up to the inevitable loose bolts falling out, electrical, carb and brake problems... not to mention head gasket and cam chain on some bikes. Buy one with high mileage but in good mechanical condition and you can not go wrong. Pretty shiny new plastics are only 600 bucks anyway...

If you guys think 80,000km is high... you should see some of the stuff in China- bikes with 300,000km on the clock are everywhere and cars with excess of 600,000km are driving around all the time just fine.

Good luck.

[4AGE]

Seen a few MC19's reasonably priced.

Got a few Q's. Do these still handle well and hold well through the corners, say compared to mc22, zxr? Considering they are a few years older.

And will the single front disk provide adequate braking power, or will i find its limits quite quickly?

They seem like a quite a good option for a sport 250 without spending an arm and a leg.

Overpriced? Or about right?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=365255706

Thanks guys.

[DrunkenMistake]

Seems alright ae, have a look at it etc and see if they will let you test it out, and ignore the bullshit about $19 to fill the tank @$2.29 .. do the math, its a 15 L tank, Wouldnt recommend these bikes for nose to tail traffic commuting, as they over heat pretty quick and you will only get about 120km to a tank, get it out and open it up on the open road and youll be hitting 250km without a hassle to a tank. But they are the typical Honda Bulletproof bike, will start every time, although the CBR's have a thing with the cold, takes a bit of patience and alot of choke.

[DrunkenMistake]

Sorry for double post, the MC22 (CBR 250RR) and the MC19 (R) have fuck all difference, I think the MC19 puts out more torque? could be wrong but if your using your bike for daily commute then consider something like a hornet 250 or Vt250 or even... a GN250.. depends on how much you want to spend, keep in mind a decent helmet, jacket and gloves will set you back lets say $150 for a decent cheap helmet, $40 for some good leather gloves, and between $200 to $500 for a good quality jacket.
If you have a bit of money then I would also suggest boots or those hi ankle motorbike shoes, I think Astars does them, The good think about the Hornet 250 is when you get your full and want a bigger bike, the Hornet 600 is in the exact same frame, well the older hornets anyway (90's) im not sure about the newer ones.
Hope this helps you out somehow

[Hopeful Bastard]

I learned from my mistake.. Sit on a bike before ya buy... As much as I like my Bandit, Tis a bit small for my body size... Although, I do like the seating position. ALOT!

You may have already, But head into your local dealers and see if they have 250's sitting in their store. Have a sit on a few and find out what suits you.

[YellowDog]

I learned from my mistake.. Sit on a bike before ya buy... As much as I like my Bandit, Tis a bit small for my body size... Although, I do like the seating position. ALOT!

You may have already, But head into your local dealers and see if they have 250's sitting in their store. Have a sit on a few and find out what suits you.

Yep, window shopping is no substitute for getting your leg over and having a really good grope. One man's bitch usually turns out to be another man's babe.

[4AGE]

Sorry for all the Q's but i've found a couple of bikes on TM with completely blacked out screens.

Is this likely to cause any visability problems?

I guess what i'm asking is do you look through your screen that much. Spose it depends on your riing position due to height etc.

Sorry for the boobish questions.

[DrunkenMistake]

Nah man, you can be pushing your head against the fuel tank and still see over the screen, the screen is there to push wind over the riders head, so when accelerating you get your head low, and when breaking or about to enter a corner whatever it be, you sit up causing you to slow quicker due to the wind been pushing against you,
What is your highest price you want to go to?

[tigertim20]

Hey guys,

Hopefully this hasn't been asked heaps.

So having a nose on trademe for a 250.

And some have kms around 45-60kms.

Is this alot?
Like whats this in sort of car kms? So i can understand a bit better.

I know not to read into mileage too much. But i dont want to buy something with the equivalent of 250kms.

Thanks fellas.

this is going to depend on what bike exactly. The older VT's have a high fatality ate at around 50,000km, due to running the big end bearing. Ive seen and ridden myself, quite a few cbr 250s that have done well over 100,000km, and are still going strong, and pulling hard.

Best option is to give us some examples of the bikes you are looking at, and ask for advice on the specific bikes you are interested in. And remember, dont just take the first couple answers as gospel, every bike has its haters, even though it may be an awesome bike. good luck and happy hunting!

[tigertim20]

Sorry for all the Q's but i've found a couple of bikes on TM with completely blacked out screens.

Is this likely to cause any visability problems?

I guess what i'm asking is do you look through your screen that much. Spose it depends on your riing position due to height etc.

Sorry for the boobish questions.

dont apologise for asking questions, youre doing the right thingg by being informed. Unless you are 5 ft tall, you wont be looking through the screen fuck all. only time I really use the screen for veiwing is at the track. Ok, and most of the wy up the east coast past cheviot, but I digress..
Based on the three bikes youve shown, I wouldnt take the yammy, and the MC19 is a tad overpriced. as mentioned earlier, overall condition is a big bonus, as is ORIGINAL condition.
drunkenmisake is actually selling a cbr250 MC19 on here, its a bike I know very well, because ive done a few oil changes and maintenance on it for him, its an extremely tidy, completely original little bike, with a genuine 11000km on it. hes probably a little flexible on price too since hes already gone and bought a new bike already!!

Also, shop further afield as well, it only costs a couple hundred bucks to get a bike shipped from one end of the country to the other, and you can arrange to have it taken in for a mechanical onspection, or ask on Kwibiker for someone to go and look at it for you if its too far away to view. I can think of three poeple off the top of my head who have done exactly that in the last 12 months when buying a new bike, and no bad experiences.

[4AGE]

Yeah drunkenmistake pm'd me about his bike.

Looking into typical learner sports bikes.

mc19 mc22

zxr250

fzr250

And im about 6 foot. So that doesn't sound like a problem.

With a MC19, is the single front disk more than adequate for braking power?

[DrunkenMistake]

I had the MC19 with the single disc, and I now have a VFR 400 NC30 with double front disc, being a bigger bike is gonna be different, but I wouldnt say there is all that much of a difference, I also had a chance to ride a MC22 and couldn't feel much of a difference between the two,

Some people on here, infact anywhere can be dicks and take the piss out of people for asking small questions, but dont let that shy you away, if you have any question just fire it off and ignore the knobs,
Shit my first question when I got my first bike to the previous owner was "how do i start it" I was trying to turn the key to get it to turn over.

(I also contacted Bike Tranz and they quoted $480 from here to Auck City, so would be cheaper to get it from here to you.)

[4AGE]

Thats cool.

I've got some people looking at the car next week.

[DrunkenMistake]

Like I said, if your interested just yell out, I dont think its gonna sell in the next 5 days, thats when the auction ends, the rego runs out in 2 weeks so on the verge of it running out it will be put on hold, but you have my number I PM'd it to you so if you are interested or what not I can make some kind of arrangement for you,
Id like to see this bike go to someone looking for their first bike, because its a real treat.

[tigertim20]

Like I said, if your interested just yell out, I dont think its gonna sell in the next 5 days, thats when the auction ends, the rego runs out in 2 weeks so on the verge of it running out it will be put on hold, but you have my number I PM'd it to you so if you are interested or what not I can make some kind of arrangement for you,
Id like to see this bike go to someone looking for their first bike, because its a real treat.

Id be buying it for wifey if I had the coin to spare:yes:

[DrunkenMistake]

Id be buying it for wifey if I had the coin to spare:yes:

Yeahh I know, Ashame you dont, Id much rather see it on a daily basis haha, Misses rekons her father might buy it for her, (not the step dad, the homo) shes gonna chin wag with him tomorrow night.

[4AGE]

Went and checked out a MC19 tonight.

I seem to fit okay on it. I was worried about being a bit tall.

Its missing the airduct bits that fit between the fairing and actual bike if looking down from the top at the tank. And also missing the bits that fit under the ducts. Sorta the next bit down that cover the wires and what not underneath.

Is this a major issue?

Will these be hard to find? I can't seem to find much on TM.

[4AGE]

After a little bit more research.

It looks like there isnt another bit under the airduct.

SO to rephrase. It is missing the left hand airduct.

[DrunkenMistake]

You mean in the actual nose cone? the little grill/plastic cover?

237395
inside of one of those two holes?
TM link if you have one, could help you out that way

[4AGE]

Its missing the piece in the yellow circle on the left hand side.

Its not meant to have a piece in the green circle aye?

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad330/metalseanhead/164970392_full.jpg

[DrunkenMistake]

Uhk the Green circle there isnt anything there, the yellow one covers the fuses and connectors, they get wet but not as wet with it on, you probably wont be able to source a good one without months of trawling.

[DrunkenMistake]

Checked out the listing, You can not fill the tank for $19, do the math 15L tank at $2.29

[4AGE]

Man yours is looking attractive.

So did honda otago import it with 3000kms on it?

Has it been around the clock?

[DrunkenMistake]

Those were my exact questions, (also I have added an auction at 3,500 start no reserve, once there is a bid then thats it, but I PM'd you saying I would hold it if you dropped a deposit, If you get back to me about that then I dont mind at all...)
I have had millions of opinions, from people who are bike fanatics, gurus, and general bike junkies and all of them agree there is no way in hell its been around the clock,
the guy I brought it from happend to my my mums ex from back in high school and according to her hes as straight as an arrow, so its possible it was wound back in nip land, but I doubt it, Iv cleaned the carbs etc and they were clean as, there are no signs of high km, the bike was flawless when I got it, and still is, with the exception of the odd 0.25mm chip from stones.

[vtec]

I feel I should address some comments that have been made in this thread. Firstly, the similarities differences between mc19 and mc22. They are vast. The suspension geometry which is very important is great on the 22 and bad on the 19. The 22 has much better braking with the twin front discs as opposed to the single. The two bikes have completely different frames, the riding position is very different. The 22 is a proper raceworthy sportsbike the 19 is not. I have owned mc22's for years and raced them on pukekohe, taupo, manfeild and hampton downs and won my first racing series on one. The 19... well I fixed up one for a mate and dropped it the day after we stuck new fairings on it, doh. They do not handle the same. Acceleration will be similar, but I found that my mc22's could not be beaten by any fourstroke 250, and I always ran them completely stock standard with 91 octane. If you have the extra money get the better bike. In my humble opinion.

Also, the mileage thing. I disagree with my good friend Racefactory. Low mileage high age bikes will give you minor problems that are easily fixed. High mileage bikes could start to get fatal problems like worn cams, worn rings, worn valve seats. But the reason why you only see CBR250's is that they are the ones that have passed the test of time. Believe it or not, there were cbr250 equivalents from all the other 3 big Jap brands. The FZR250, ZXR250, GSXR250, none of them were anywhere near as reliable. ZXR being the best of the rest. The reason you don't see them anymore is that they are mostly all dead from fatal ailments. High mileage for the other three types would be 50,000. For a CBR250RR high mileage would be 70,000, but I've had a smashed up one that I bought for parts that had been round the clock, over 100,000kms and it ran awesome. Sold the engine to a dude who used it for racing and it kicked arse from what he told me. But still, as Racefactory pointed out, if it has not had it's oil changes the engine could have been damaged. You can usually tell by listening to them run and taking them for a test ride. Seriously it's that easy.

Don't settle for less than mc22 unless you are just getting a commuter. Also, tyres are as important as anything else on a bike. You can not go hard on shit tyres without crashing.

[ducatilover]

VTEC is right, I have ridden the 19 and 22 back to back on the same road, the 22 was a massively fun bike, I'd own one at the drop of a hat. The 19 was a neat litte thing nonetheless, but, brakes and suspension were sub-par compared to the 22. The 22 is also more confidence inspiring, if I recall correct this is geometry and tire size? Doesn't the 22 run a more normal size tire?
Either way both a good bikes, but, you seem to pay a small margin these days for an MC22 over the MC19, but, Drunkenmistakes 19 looks to be a pearler.

[DrunkenMistake]

For the price I have it at, its a steal, and I have full set of battle axes, spend my money on my tyres.
Blah blah blah
blah blah
-insert info and huge response here-
.. Lol cant really be bothered just finished a huge ass day at work ;]

[ducatilover]

They work well on a CBR and it's only $3500 innit?

[DrunkenMistake]

Yeah, its immaculate ae, Its probably taken me a year to admit that haha