What to look for in a second hand bike

[alexmat]

Hey, im going to get a second hand CBR 250 RR. It looks good from the outside, but it's my first racing bike so i don't know what to look for when buying it because i don't want it to break down the first week of riding.

Oh and is there a way to determine the CC of a bike just by looking at it. (if it doesn't have the sticker that says the CC

[jrandom]

Hey, im going to get a second hand CBR 250 RR. It looks good from the outside, but it's my first racing bike so i don't know what to look for when buying it because i don't want it to break down the first week of riding.

Er, well, I doubt that advising you to rip it to pieces and examine it personally would be the best idea so I won't say that. When you say 'racing bike', does that mean you're buying it for the track, or does it mean that you're a clueless numpty (no offense! ) who calls anything with a fairing a 'racing bike'? Oh well, hanging around here will enlighten you in no time. Welcome to the asylum and try not to crash too much.

If you really are worried about your prospective bike, pay for an independant Honda shop monkey to give it the once over. It might help if you posted details of any particular things that are making you suspicous (funny rattling noises? clouds of smoke?)

Oh and is there a way to determine the CC of a bike just by looking at it. (if it doesn't have the sticker that says the CC

At this point I'm starting to suspect that the R1 in your profile is more of a 'favourite' than a 'main' bike.

Look on the engine cover, the displacement is usually stamped somewhere.

[750Y]

Usual stuff Alex,
service history...(probably asking too much with a 250 tho as it'll probably have been used & abused).
fork seals not leaking (dirty rings on legs)
good compression (get it tested)
lift rear & spin chain looking for rises & falls which indicates tight/streched spots which equals new chain & spriockets ($200+??).
no play in steering head(bearings)(shake the bars to check for tightness)
check for major damage. check for smoke (from exhaust).
check under for oil leaks. listen for strange noises, check state of oil(stick your finger in). check front disc rotor for minimum thickness & scoring.
just give it a thorough visual. take a mate that knows bikes, good luck. ride it & open it right up to make sure it's sweet & what you want.(be safe tho)

[Two Smoker]

Hey, im going to get a second hand CBR 250 RR. It looks good from the outside, but it's my first racing bike so i don't know what to look for when buying it because i don't want it to break down the first week of riding.

Oh and is there a way to determine the CC of a bike just by looking at it. (if it doesn't have the sticker that says the CC

The CBR 400 is alot bigger than a CBR250, if its a CBR250RR then it will have a gull swing arm. easiest way to tell if its a 400 or a 250 is by looking at the tacho. if it goes to 20000rpm its a 250, if it goes to 16000rpm its a 400

If you are buying a race bike you need a RG150 to start in the SS150 class, or a 400cc bike to race in the F3 class. SS150 is the cheapest, but F3 is the most fun

if you want to know whether you are getting a lemon or not take it to a bike shop, pay about $50 and they will do compression test etc....

Hope that helps

Two SMoker

[FROSTY:Me]

with the above posts.One thing those lil 250 fours seem to suffer from is low compression due to badly adjusted tappets so it may not be a cause to panic if its giving a low compression reading

[moko]

And dont forget to check out all the paperwork,ask the seller for all the receipts he`s got to back up what he says about the bike,apart from anything else it cuts down on the chance of buying a stolen bike.Dont know about N.Z. but there`s a database here of all bikes that insurance companies have paid out for to repair or have been stolen,you can get a bike`s history for a few pounds.As the law here says that if you`ve got a stolen bike no matter how innocent you personally are then it gets given back to the person it was stolen from and you`ll get the Spanish Inquisition.Most bikers here keep service records,receipts for tyres e.t.c. as they`re a good sign of a concientious owner when it comes to selling time.better to go for something a bit tatty with full service history than something a polishing freak has kept nice and shiny while being mechanically ignorant and not changewing the oil because "it goes alright".Anything with engine or frame numbers tampered with walk away from,in the U.k. they`ll be on the registration document so check they match as well.Sounds like hassle?Well not as much hassle as being susected of bike theft and having the bike you just paid for returned to its owner by the Police.

[alexmat]

Thanks guys, i guess my first choice would be to visually inspect everything. Oh and im not getting my bike for a track, just for road use and some fun. Also im going to get if off a dealer, so i don't know if there will be any reciepts.

[alexmat]

Oh and also, what about supercharging and fuel injections, is it possible on a 250 to make it go faster? or what else can be done to improve preformance? Im don't know much about bikes, thats why all the questions trying to learn thou

[Posh Tourer :P]

Oh and also, what about supercharging and fuel injections, is it possible on a 250 to make it go faster? or what else can be done to improve preformance? Im don't know much about bikes, thats why all the questions trying to learn thou

What is your current bike and experience?
I wouldnt recommend upping the performance of a 250 as opposed to getting a bigger bike, and I also wouldnt recommend upping the performance af a CBR250RR until you've had a bit of experience on bikes.

[marty]

Oh and also, what about supercharging and fuel injections, is it possible on a 250 to make it go faster? or what else can be done to improve preformance? Im don't know much about bikes, thats why all the questions trying to learn thou

how fast were you planning on going? if 215 is fast enough maybe you should come for a ride on the aprilia.......if you want faster you'll have to bigger dude

[Two Smoker]

You obviously dont have much experience with bikes, but thts ok trust me if you can ride the CBR250RR to its limits straight away, i think you are from another planet...... Doesnt 0-100 in 5.9 seconds or the 1/4 in 14 seconds suit you???? with motorbikes it isnt about the acceleration or the speed (although it is a good part of it) its about cornering, you dont want to be bothering with how fast you can go in a straight line..... thats boring as hell..... (unless you you have a 1000cc+ bike that can do 300+kmh and hit 100 in under 3 seconds) you want to be concentrating on getting your knee down, because that shows that you can push the bike to its limits (on a sports bike that is) as you can see me doing in my Avatar....

Dont bother doing up the CBR250RR, but if you did just a filter and exhaust and get the exhaust rejetted.... But if you really want to do a bike up, ungraded suspension and nice tyres (that could set you back a few grand), the latter modifications will see the times around puke dropping, where the former mods wont....

But if i was you, try riding before thinking modifications, you will be surprised how hard it is to push a bike to its limits........

CBR250RR you will look at about 4500-6500 at a dealer.....