RG150 Buyer's Guide

[car]

Apart from personal objectivity, what should I be looking out for if, for instance, I was going to cast an eye over an RG150 tonight? What's the going rate? Anything in particular I should be looking out for?

[rphenix]

Well I sold a roadworthy 98 RG150 in good nic for a grand but then I paid that for it a couple of years before so I wasnt complaining

They arent worth much but for a road worthy bike its not gonna get any cheaper even with age & K's...

Dont be too suprised by the amount of smoke from an RG even well tuned they tend to smoke a fair bit esp on colder mornings About the only thing I might be worried about is has it been raced previously and if so what condition is the motor and gearbox gonna be in...

The good thing about the RG's is parts seem easy enough to come by, infact I got an entire bike (minus gearbox) to use as parts when I had mine.

[breakaway]

Temp Gauge.

Fucken thing doesn't work and then you get a nasty surprise when your engine seizes mid corner

Other than that It's a great bike. Check the usual:

- Signs of drops
- Check for warps in the brake rotor ( this can be VERY expensive to fix )
- Ask when the last rebuild was done, ask for evidence ( particularly if it's 20,000k+ )

RG150s make great race bikes also It's a VERY fun bike to ride around town. Smokes like nothing though.

[car]

Dont be too suprised by the amount of smoke from an RG even well tuned they tend to smoke a fair bit esp on colder mornings About the only thing I might be worried about is has it been raced previously and if so what condition is the motor and gearbox gonna be in...

Yeah, this one has, according to the seller. 64k on the clock, the plastics were in decent nick but the frame had been flashed over with silver paint. An attempt to hide rust by the looks. Engine sounded okay, has had a crank seal replaced and various others. Temp gauge didn't move the whole ride out. Took a decent length ride on it and everything else was in working order. Stuttered a bit above 8k for the first five minutes but then it was fine, took it right the way up to redline in all but top, where it ran out of puff at about 10k. Brakes strong, suspension soft and springy but no knocks. Bit of oil on the drain plug but not drilled for lockwire, which made me wonder why the guy had admitted that it might have been raced. Seller sounded genuine enough -- been left with the bike to sell by a mate who's pissed off to Aus, who helpfully told him that it was worth $2,000. I don't think it is, not to me certainly.

Nice ride out, though, and I'd forgotten what a confidence-inspiring little bike those RG150s are.

Thanks for the replies; you too, ajturbo.

[90s]

$2000 for a 64k RG - ees 'aving a larf

Look through TM and here - RGs go between 1.5 and 2.5k, av about 2k for a decent one.
RGs with that many Ks should have had at least 1, maybe 2 rebuilds. Many '98s you find about have mid-20ks on the clock.
Temp guage DOES work, but bike runs very cold over here as huge radiator on small bike and was built for Malaysia. You'll see about 1/4 on the temp gauge when it is hot. This is why many poeple block of part of the radiator on RGs with some sort of cover.

I sold one about a year ago, and prior to that had looked into quite a few. As fast starter bikes they've all got scrapes, but as long as the cyclinder is OK they are pretty hardy.

[Jase W]

Im also looking at an RG to buy for streetstock. this one has about 35000-odd on the clock, been in storage for a little while but still runs fairly smoothly. Owner told me he had replaced the powervalves twice before and reckoned they were getting noisy again (did hear i kind of faint fast-paced ticking noise at idle). Fork seals need replacing. Couldnt ride it as the front tire was flat from storage, but I think for a grand its prolly a decent buy...

[The Pastor]

rg150s have increased in value over the last 2 years.

[car]

Well, it didn't sell on TradeMe, despite much jawjaw from various prospective buyers. And now I have a fixed-price offer that's right at what I pegged its max value to me: $1,500. Seller seemed genuine enough, bike was tatty but rode okay. Argh. 64K, though. And yet, ding-a-ding-ding-ding.

[quallman1234]

Well, it didn't sell on TradeMe, despite much jawjaw from various prospective buyers. And now I have a fixed-price offer that's right at what I pegged its max value to me: $1,500. Seller seemed genuine enough, bike was tatty but rode okay. Argh. 64K, though. And yet, ding-a-ding-ding-ding.

Wait a month you can get alot better than that for 1500

[90s]

So ... did ya get it?

[car]

So ... did ya get it?

No. I've decided to wait a little before I respond. I have a habit of doing stuff like this without thinking it through. I'm the guy that keeps TradeMe scalpers in business. Instead of jumping, I decided to wait a little. Boring, I know. But there'll be more RG150s if this one goes before I get round to it. I do appreciate the feedback though, cheers.

[Eurodave]

Hey there
Just out of interest, I make fibreglass or carbon solo seat cowls for the RG150
Have a look at my 'Eurodave' website too....