New here, Bike help please? (Jap imports)

[Reido]

Hi, i've been lurking around here for a while now. Im looking at getting Honda VTR250 as my first bike.
My dad is being pretty protective about the whole deal which is understandable.
Any way, the bike im looking at getting is the 2004 model, 15,000km. My dad was Ok with this until he found out it was a jap import. (Hes in the car industry).

so i was wondering if jap imports are all that bad? whats your opinion?

[FROSTY:Me]

eR um ALL jap bikes are jap imports.-Ok not quite all but all are imports cept maybee the Brittan
But I guess you mean its been owned in japan before here.

In the bike you are interested in there will be half of SSA difference between a jappa and NZ new

[Radar]

Its quite likely that the odometer has been wound back. I have seen Bandits and Spadas 15 - 18 years old, just imported, with only 8,000 km - yeah, right. Having said that, many Jap imports are still good bikes, even if the odometer is not true. Just have a mechanical check before you buy. A 2004 VTR should be fine.

[MIXONE]

How much are you paying?I'll be looking for one soon for my son.

[Reido]

Thanks guys,
Umm Frosty i dont quite understand this

In the bike you are interested in there will be half of SSA difference between a jappa and NZ new

anyone want to clarify, =]

and the guy wants $5500 for it

[bounce]

guessing SSA = sweet stuff all

good luck with the vtr. good bikes. get a loud can for it they sound wicked.

[McJim]

I got a 2003 used VTR250 from Japan was a great piece of metal. Only had it for a year and then sold it on (got my full licence and a Ducati).

It's generally harder to disguise a bike that's been rolled bowled and arseholed than it is to disguise a lemon of a car.

A 2004 VTR 250 will serve you well.

[JimO]

my brother has just bought a 88/89 spada with 5000ks on the clock it looks pretty kosher but who knows

[JMemonic]

Hi, i've been lurking around here for a while now. Im looking at getting Honda VTR250 as my first bike.
My dad is being pretty protective about the whole deal which is understandable.
Any way, the bike im looking at getting is the 2004 model, 15,000km. My dad was Ok with this until he found out it was a jap import. (Hes in the car industry).

so i was wondering if jap imports are all that bad? whats your opinion?

What Frosty said ...

Think about it this way perhaps the previous owner used it as a commuter bike if they rode it just to and from work seven days a week its about 72 Km's per day, than again perhaps they just took it out for a blast on weekends once every couple of months.

Get it looked over by a mechanic, it wont cost a huge amount and will alleviate any worries you dad might have, I would have thought your dad would understand not all second hand vehicles coming out of Japan would be tampered with, its generally the dishonest few (dealers strangely) who request the speedo's be wound back that have caused the perception that they are all bad vehicles.

[No FX]

Looking at the over-all condition of the bike is the best way to judge whether the km's look genuine.

If it looks like its all immaculate and original then the k's are probably true, if it looks like its had a hard life and has heaps of wear and tear then maybe it has been wound back.

At the end of the day its the mechanical/cosmetic condition of a bike/car that is important. I would rather buy a bike that looks/sounds/rides brilliant and is in good mechanical condition with higher k's, than a bike with a low odometer reading that doesn't seem like it's been looked after.

Good luck with finding the right bike!

[homer]

What Frosty said ...

Think about it this way perhaps the previous owner used it as a commuter bike if they rode it just to and from work seven days a week its about 72 Km's per day, than again perhaps they just took it out for a blast on weekends once every couple of months.

Get it looked over by a mechanic, it wont cost a huge amount and will alleviate any worries you dad might have, I would have thought your dad would understand not all second hand vehicles coming out of Japan would be tampered with, its generally the dishonest few (dealers strangely) who request the speedo's be wound back that have caused the perception that they are all bad vehicles.

If its been owned in japan before here .
Its not the fact that they may be tampered with ....
Its the fact that since it was brand new it may have never been serviced .
What happens if you dont service a vehicle?

[homer]

The mechanical check is worth every cent you ll pay for it

[bucket boy]

Alot of them come in as written of wrecks that they fix up vin them sell them as good clean bikes they say nothing on papers about being wrecks

[FJRider]

15,000 km's ain't bad in any language, the down side is it would be mostly city riding. Its a first bike...Look after it, and it will look after you.

[koba]

Bike models can vary from amrket to market so a jap import may be a different spec to what is available locally.
It may also have different parts, for example Jap Import SV 650's have different cab setup.
Probably not that likley on a VTR250 tho...