Todays dilemma...CR 250

[Mgaffz]

Anyone on here know anything about honda cr 250's? I've fancied an offroader for a while used to ride crossers as a young lad, problem is i know someone selling one but it seems too cheap to me its a 1996 for 500 quid. It has a few battle scars but i would expect most bikes like this and of this age to be a little rough around the edges.

My main concerne is that there is no paper work for the bike, all the engine numbers are still there and he has told me he will happily write me up a reciept of the sale but im not sure a hand written reciept would cover me if it turned out to be stolen etc??

Cant really go into detail as i have only had a quick look at it tonight :

Bike starts straight away and runs fine when warm
Clutch lever is really bent and hard to pull (dunno if they normally hard)
Brake lever is snapped (just at the end)
Kick start is wobbly and seems loose through wear and tear
Rear brake is a little bent

apparently it all works fine just looks untidy

Anyone got any general input on this, im only interested as its so cheap however i know all about "when things seem too good to be true"

mick

[Holdup]

Can only think of you asking him to apply for a new V5 before you buy the bike. But i dont know about the other bits though sorry

[st220_mike]

I used to have a number of trials bikes a few years back, so have bought and sold a few off roaders.

Price seems about right for a 13 year old bike. Certainly wouldn't class it as too good to be true. The problems you describe sound about normal for an off roader.

A lot of off road bikes will never have been road reg'd, so not suprised it's missing a V5. It probably never had one. If the engine and frame numbers are still there that'd be good enough for me.

It's good he'd write you out of a receipt for the sale, but as for it covering you if it turns out to be stolen... well you'd lose the bike and your cash I'd have thought! However, if he seems like a decent bloke and the numbers are all there I'd probably go for it. :)

[Sosha]

Didn't think non-road-legal bikes had a v5?

[Mgaffz]

Cheers guys,

I did'nt think it would have a v5 i was just hoping it would have some sort of proof from a previous sale.

Im temped again now tho, i spoke to a friend who knows his bikes today and he said the same about the engine numbers he said you cant really do anymore than check the numbers and if all was ok just to go for it.

With regards to the price when he told me how much i could have it for i went staright on auto trader and egay to compare and for a 96 they were almost all more than 1k? My friend today said that 500 would be about right but i cant find one anywhere else for that sort of money?

cheers tho

mick

[Speedy]

BE AWARE.

Kick starters, so I've been told, can be quite expensive on the CR's.

I had a '96 CR125 that I made road legal, best thing to do if you're worried about the bikes' history, is make a note of the frame/engine numbers, go to your local Cop-shop and ask them to check it out.

[speedplay]

Didn't think non-road-legal bikes had a v5?

You can but you have to jump through loads of dvla hoops.
I have put a couple of enduros on the road and needed a vosa test on one of them where they check EVERYTHING!!
The last ktm I did was ok as I had the docs from ktm to say exactly what it was.

If your thinking of getting it road registered, dont bother if your only paying £500 for the bike.

The registering is about £100, then theres the insurance on the frame number...this will really sting as mine cost me 300 as it was "high risk" to insure on the frame number.
Then the vosa test another £45.
then the MOT and tax before they will issue a number plate...

Then once you have a reg plate, the insurance will give you the admin charge to change the details....


you get the idea?

[Mgaffz]

Lol yeah i get the idea, fortunately i would be buyin purely for weekend stupidity as theres a few tracks and wasteland areas where you can go not too far from where i live so i'll just be putting it in the van and going to one of those.

My current plan is to have another look at the bike tomorrow check all the numbers and see if im happy after, dont suppose you could point me to the whereabouts of said numbers???

cheers for all the help anyway most informative as usual :D

do you have a rough idea how much it would cost to replace kickstart? i think it would be the same job as a cr125 are we talking hundreds??

cheers

mick

[flymo]

I have an '89 CR250. Its an off road competition bike and as such doesnt normally have a V5. Mine has certainly never been on the road.

[Mgaffz]

Well i had a little go on it this mornin and it turns out the clutch is on its way out so i got it for 400 quid. Uprated ebc clutch kit is 70 quid and i'll just fit it meself. Need a haynes manual for it now ;)

mick

[BILLY]

Before fitting a new cluch give it an oil change!! it might be it has the wrong grade oil in it!! Try 10w 30 also lube the cable! I would also look into fitting a new piston and rings as it sounds like the previous owner hasn't looked after it! Also the kick start return spring could be the cause of it beeing wobblie! Or check the splines on the kick start aren't worn! A cheap fix would be take it off and cut the metal grove so it nips up tighter on the shaft!

[BILLY]

Didn't think non-road-legal bikes had a v5?

They don't but you can regester them with the DVLA as proof of ownership and then it will go onto the police data base so stolen bikes can be recovered!! And given back to the legal owner.

[Mgaffz]

Cheers for that BILLY

When you pull the clutch lever and knock it into gear it does away with the lever still pulled in but once going it does'nt slip???

i tried adjusting the cable but it did'nt work :(

I think the engine has had a recent freshen up as all the gaskets seem new, it starts nee bother straight away and seems to run fine once warm just hope i can sort the clutch problem out.

cheers

mick

[BILLY]

most 2 stroke cluches dragg when cold warm it up and try it!! It sounds like you have either not enough oil in the gear box or the wrong grade! always use a top grade fully synthetic oil! Also depending on how often you ride change it every 4 to 5 outings!

[Mgaffz]

BILLY you're awesome i hope your not just getting my hopes up! i'll try it mate and post an update on monday night. Is it hard to change the oil on a CR? i take it theres just a sump plug as with most motors?

mick

[BILLY]

Not too sure on the sump plugs!! most have only one but mine a 4stroke has 2!! if you have a look on here http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/ there's loads of info on every motocross bike you can think of! there's a section for honda 2stroke! if you can find just ask a question you'll get loads of replies

Glad to help Billy

[Sosha]

most 2 stroke cluches dragg when cold warm it up and try it!! ...

89 CBR400 also drags when cold, Fine once warm.

(stuffs bump starts though)

[Mgaffz]

This might sound stupid but when you say 10w 30 oil do i jut put synthetic engine oil in for the clutch and earbox or does it have to be special oil?? will i be able to get it from halfrauds?

cheers

mick

[BILLY]

yes you might be able to get it from halfords! But you might be better getting it from a motor cycle shop! As long as it is a good grade of oil and not cheap stuff you won't go far wrong! I've always used rockoil in my bikes and never had a problem with it.

Hope you get it sorted and go out and enjoy the world of motocross:cool:

Billy

[yorkie_chris]

Make sure you run decent premix oil too, I always ran mine on silkolene comp 2 and never had any problems.

[Mgaffz]

Sorry for my absolute 2 stroke ignorance but when people talk about pre mix is this just the 2 stroke oil that i mix with the petrol i have been mixing 100ml of 2 stroke to 5L of petrol?

Also i changed the gearbox/clutch oil today with a 10w 40 grade oil and it made no difference clutch was still dragging long after the engine was hot :(

I'll be honest and say that i had no idea how fast the bike would be i know they're quick off the mark and i used to ride dtr125's and RM125's but this thing is just ballistic it frightened the sh*t out of me i was using it in a damp peat covered field and it was trying to throw me off the back through 1st 2nd 3rd and sometimes 4th simply rediculous i was starting to worry about getting hurt haha

mick

[yorkie_chris]

Yes "premix" is the mixture of oil and petrol. Like I say, don't use the cheap-$hit 2 stroke oil for this. They are race bikes, use the good stuff.

Re. the clutch drag are you sure the oil isn't overfilled? I'd be tempted to give something like a 10w30 a try and see what happens.

Re. the performance, the 500 I had was bonkers. Way too much. I swapped it for a ported 250 and it was slower (not much...) but more frantic. I've got an itch for another 500, with road wheels.

[Mgaffz]

I could'nt even contemplate the madness of a 500 after tonight!!!!

Could someone just try and clear this up for me now (still waiting for haynes manual to be delivered to find out meself) I have been told to try so many different oils for the clutch i no longer know where im at with it. A bloke in my street tonight who works in newcastles biggest bike shop says i should try automatic transmission fluid, another biker friend told me to just use any normal engine oil but NOT to use fully synthetic.

I'll try a 10w 30 oil asap as its been suggested twice in this thread but can you use fully synthetic (no disrespect BILLY you obviously know your moto x stuff tis just to clarify)

Does anyone know how much oil i should be putting in?

thanks for all t the help as usual im way out of my depth with all this rediculous carry on :???:

mick

[yorkie_chris]

Yes you can use fully synth so long as it is a bike one, i.e JASO MA spec so it's tested with wet clutches.

I've used ATF in trials bikes with no troubles.

[Mgaffz]

Cheers Yorkie Chris, road bikes, motocross bikes, trials bikes.....is there anything you have'nt done?? you must have healthy memory to be able to remember so much info, i cant remember where i was last week lol

cheers

mick

[yorkie_chris]

There's plenty I haven't done. I just spent a lot of my youth doing illegal things with bikes. Fun times, though not necessarily a good idea.

[Mgaffz]

Im going to check tomorrow for deffinate but its looking like the clutch problem is likely to be due to a badly worn clutch basket :(

mick

[BILLY]

If the oil hasn't cured it then try 10w 30 as it is thinner! Also befor you put your oil in take the clutch side casing off and make sure it's not the clutch activator that's the problem! it could be worn and not disengauging the clutch properly! to be honest if your clutch is dragging it's not normally a sign of it beeing worn out! they usually slip and the bike will be revving it's tits off!

ps I used to have a YZ250 smoker it scared the **** out of me! so i sold it and bought a KXF250 a lot more user friendly:D

[Mgaffz]

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/mgaffz/PICT0620.jpg

I'll try to get some thinner oil tomorrow and see what happens i'll get there in the end :cool:

cheers mick