What is a good first road bike?

[ForcedFalcon]

An FZR250 is far too old for serious consideration. If you can't afford a decent bike then buy a push bike until you can afford something good, otherwise all the money you're going to spend on maintenance could be put toward buying good bike to start off with.

If you buy a 20 year old pile of shit and spend the entire value of the bike on fixing it, then you're still left with a 20 year old pile of shit that's worth fuck all. I've made that mistake far too many times before.

Bike parts aren't that expensive are they? I'd be doing all the work myself to save money as well. Are old bikes really that bad? Because i had a 1980's corolla that never missed a beat even at 400 thousand K's lol.

Then again I've never owned a bike apart from my old 1969 DT175 and that thing was strong as hell.

[unstuck]

Plenty of 20yr and older bikes going strong, depends a lot on the type of clowns that have owned them in the past. My bike is 30yrs old next year, and still going strong, and I have spent fuck all on it.

[imdying]

Bike parts aren't that expensive are they?

No, they are not, and there is less off them. However, if you are used to cars, and the fact that basically every item under the engine bay is replicated cheaply by the Chinese and easy to get from BNT/Repco/etc, then you may be in for a small shock... it's not so much that they are pricey, it's just that if you're from a car world where things are extremely cheap these days, you might find it odd at first. I can do you a Corolla clutch for less than $100, you won't find that with your 250 I suspect.

[ForcedFalcon]

No, they are not, and there is less off them. However, if you are used to cars, and the fact that basically every item under the engine bay is replicated cheaply by the Chinese and easy to get from BNT/Repco/etc, then you may be in for a small shock... it's not so much that they are pricey, it's just that if you're from a car world where things are extremely cheap these days, you might find it odd at first. I can do you a Corolla clutch for less than $100, you won't find that with your 250 I suspect.

I was trying to make the point that my old rolla never had any problems what so ever. I've spent thousands on my turbo falcon and even more on my Skyline, Turbo cars aren't exactly cheap especially when your $2500 turbo decides to explode itself..Either way everything costs money it doesnt bother me having to maintain it. I just wanted to know if any of the bikes had serious problems that i should stay clear, of like the first of the fuel injected Nissan cars used to hand grenade them self.

[Fast Eddie]

An FZR250 is far too old for serious consideration.

If you buy a 20 year old pile of shit and spend the entire value of the bike on fixing it, then you're still left with a 20 year old pile of shit that's worth fuck all. I've made that mistake far too many times before.

haha what! how old is your SRAD bro.. haha, she ain't no spring chicken!

its rubbish, if you like bikes and will maintain something definitely keep the inline 4cyl screamers alive!

the new 250's are shit.. single or twin, extremely wet and limp wristed.

I'd be spending my 2,500 or less on an old 4cyl screamer and then spend the other 2,500/3k rebuilding/restoring it lol.

jeezus, keep the old bikes alive! keep the 2ts alive too, keep the classics alive. If everyone just bought new stuff cause old stuff requires a bit of maintenance then we would miss out on a lot of cool bikes from yesteryear.

THEY DON'T MAKE EM LIKE THEY USE TO!

if your buying a bike with the main priority of ensuring it holds its resale value or some other fairy excuse then... you're doing it wrong. Back to a car for you!

if you want a fun toy.. you can't beat the old 250 4cyl screamers or the 2 strokers what a hoot they are!

[imdying]

I just wanted to know if any of the bikes had serious problems that i should stay clear, of like the first of the fuel injected Nissan cars used to hand grenade them self.

No common problems, they are typically Japanese, look after them and they keep going. 250s are generally owned by new riders, young people without a lot of money or experience. It's quite possible you'll get one that's been 20,000km without an oil change, so as always buy on condition and ask to receipts for servicing, even if that's just oil and filters... receipts have dates, and between that and car jam you can do the math. FWIW the (non standard) crank in my RGV250 is about $3500, so if that fails I'll probably weep a little.

[ForcedFalcon]

haha what! how old is your SRAD bro.. haha, she ain't no spring chicken!

its rubbish, if you like bikes and will maintain something definitely keep the inline 4cyl screamers alive!

the new 250's are shit.. single or twin, extremely wet and limp wristed.

I'd be spending my 2,500 or less on an old 4cyl screamer and then spend the other 2,500/3k rebuilding/restoring it lol.

jeezus, keep the old bikes alive! keep the 2ts alive too, keep the classics alive. If everyone just bought new stuff cause old stuff requires a bit of maintenance then we would miss out on a lot of cool bikes from yesteryear.

THEY DON'T MAKE EM LIKE THEY USE TO!

if your buying a bike with the main priority of ensuring it holds its resale value or some other fairy excuse then... you're doing it wrong. Back to a car for you!

if you want a fun toy.. you can't beat the old 250 4cyl screamers or the 2 strokers what a hoot they are!

I'm not worried about the price i can sell it for really, I just need something cheap on gas to get to work and back on but not some old shitbox that is going to bore the hell outa me.

The way i see it is if you don't treat your gear right it wont do the same for you so i always service my cars and keep them clean etc.
But as long as its going to be fun and reliable with a bit of TLC then that's exactly what I'm after.

[SMOKEU]

haha what! how old is your SRAD bro.. haha, she ain't no spring chicken!

Yeah, and it's completely fucked beyond the point where it's worth fixing.

[Fast Eddie]

I just need something cheap on gas to get to work and back on but not some old shitbox that is going to bore the hell outa me.

well the old thump of a 250 single cyl, or even the twins.. gets mighty boring and the commuter theme and style of the bikes always shows itself no matter how hard they try and make it seem like a sport bike.. these modern 250s are just city commuters (I think)

the scream of a 4cyl at 19,000rpm bring a bit of a smile as u click through the gears and tuck in behind the screen/fairings and tear through the hills..

Yeah, and it's completely fucked beyond the point where it's worth fixing.

haha! bet its not.. maybe if you have to pay a shop or someone to do it for you..

But hey if your scrapping it I'll be happy to take it off your hands..

[EJK]

You know, I heard busa is a pretty good learners bike. They can cruise at 100kph no problem

[ForcedFalcon]

You know, I heard busa is a pretty good learners bike. They can cruise at 100kph no problem

If you could find me a hayabusa for $3000 or less then i'd give it a damn good crack to ride the beast, Dont think you'd ever find one that cheap though

[ducatilover]

Yeah, and it's completely fucked beyond the point where it's worth fixing.

What's wrong with it and how much do you want for it Anything can be fixed, look at how munted my ZX6 was, it's nice and straight/rideable now (and faster)


If you're good at spinning spanners, keep a 4 cyl 250 alive
The 3LN3 FZR was the best or the FZRs and they're underrated as hell and reasonably cheap
Personally it'd be a CBR250RR MC22 for me at the $3k range, you can still get everything that'll explode for bugger all (they don't make MC19 pistons anymore AFAIK and it takes a wee bit of work to get the MC22 ones in)

I'd happily own a 4cyl 250 currently, you can beat the fuck out of them and not get in trouble.

[SMOKEU]

What's wrong with it and how much do you want for it Anything can be fixed, look at how munted my ZX6 was, it's nice and straight/rideable now (and faster)

Major fuel leak (got a new seal on the way), runs very rough up the point it's barely rideable, overheats severely (yes, I've replaced the coolant and radiator cap), chews through headlight bulbs at an alarming rate, battery goes flat after a few days, often doesn't want to start when hot, carby heater snapped inside carby....

I've had plenty of old cars and bikes over the years and when something fucks out I usually say "OK, if I fix this then I have a reliable vehicle". A couple of months later, something else goes wrong and I say, "I might as well fix this, because then I don't have to do it again", but then something else fucks out and the cycle continues. I'm not playing that game again as I have often spent more than the vehicle is worth on repairs and at the end of the day I'm still left with an unreliable piece of shit that owes me thousands of $ in repairs. In the 11 months I've had the bike I've only done 3,000km on it because it spends more time off the roads than in a good running order.

I've lost my trust in that bike completely and I'm not going to be a sucker and continue pouring more and more money into it as I've learned my lesson many times in the past. Know to quit while you're ahead. I want a bike to ride, not something that needs continuous repairs.

[ducatilover]

Major fuel leak (got a new seal on the way), runs very rough up the point it's barely rideable, overheats severely (yes, I've replaced the coolant and radiator cap), chews through headlight bulbs at an alarming rate, battery goes flat after a few days, often doesn't want to start when hot, carby heater snapped inside carby....

I've had plenty of old cars and bikes over the years and when something fucks out I usually say "OK, if I fix this then I have a reliable vehicle". A couple of months later, something else goes wrong and I say, "I might as well fix this, because then I don't have to do it again", but then something else fucks out and the cycle continues. I'm not playing that game again as I have often spent more than the vehicle is worth on repairs and at the end of the day I'm still left with an unreliable piece of shit that owes me thousands of $ in repairs. In the 11 months I've had the bike I've only done 3,000km on it because it spends more time off the roads than in a good running order.

I've lost my trust in that bike completely and I'm not going to be a sucker and continue pouring more and more money into it as I've learned my lesson many times in the past. Know to quit while you're ahead. I want a bike to ride, not something that needs continuous repairs.

If you weren't in the wrong island I'd come buy it off you

Have you checked you reg/rec? Could be overcharging, that'll fuck headlights and battery
Overheating, if it bubbles when warming up/warm with the rad cap off, you've got a dud headgasket, if it shoots jets of water out it's a cracked head or liner
If none, thermostat, water pump, rod out the rad, hardwire cooling fan
We know what the fuel leak is, it's not a hard one to fix, that gasket is the same as the TLS.
Don't need a carb heater, and how the hell did it snap?
Hard to start hot, if it's cranking over and not starting, I'd start by checking the plugs, it's probably fuck-rich.

So yeah, send it up, I'll sort 'er out

[SMOKEU]

If you weren't in the wrong island I'd come buy it off you

Have you checked you reg/rec? Could be overcharging, that'll fuck headlights and battery
Overheating, if it bubbles when warming up/warm with the rad cap off, you've got a dud headgasket, if it shoots jets of water out it's a cracked head or liner
If none, thermostat, water pump, rod out the rad, hardwire cooling fan
We know what the fuel leak is, it's not a hard one to fix, that gasket is the same as the TLS.
Don't need a carb heater, and how the hell did it snap?
Hard to start hot, if it's cranking over and not starting, I'd start by checking the plugs, it's probably fuck-rich.

So yeah, send it up, I'll sort 'er out

It's not overcharging as the battery voltage while the engine is running is well within safe limits. The hard to start when hot issue is a very well known SRAD issue, and it's not the plugs. I was having a look at the carbs and the heater on one of them is snapped right at the carby level so needs to be drilled out to remove it. The plugs actually looked quite nice when I took them out, but I cleaned them and checked the gap on them anyway.