Thumper Club Forum
Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: manxie on January 05, 2018, 04:38:24 PM
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I suppose this is a silly question? I`m going to look at a 250rs on Monday, it`s been lying for over two years and I don`t know what condition its in. My question is, what value would you say is on these things now? Full resto ??? Minor tidy up??? Mint??? I believe the owner, who bought it new in 1980, is looking for offers around £850. For this sort of money I`m expecting something pretty good. Thoughts???
Cheers.
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Happy new Year yesir!
Clean, good running order, with no clattering cam in a worn head, or blue smoke. May be a little surface corrosion due to your "sea air", but no extensive pickled surfaces or big areas of flaky chrome. Odd scratch or rub on the paint, but mechanicaly sound. Don't forget a new set of tryes and tubes is probably £120 - £150, if you are going to use the wee beastie and it is still wearing 'original' ones! ::)
Slainte, Bill
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Well hello there fella, Happy New Year to you too!!
I`ve literally just been offered another two (one for spares) in Ramsey, one of which is taxed and on the road. No price yet but hopefully have a skeet at them tomorrow. Could be a better buy than the one owner bike in Douglas which has been of the road for years.
Cheers Bill, take care, hope you`re on the mend,
Steve.
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Bill's pretty much on the money imho.Not worth any more unless it's mint-sometimes a one owner vehicle can attract a premium.Don't forget there's very little chrome on these-the rims are alloy and they are of the era when the Japs started top use a lot of plastic.Mileage is another factor,the lower the better if poss.However one of mine had ,if i recall correctly very high (well over 50K) and still ran well. Regular oil changes are the order of the day but there's no renewable oil filter just a gauze which you have to access under the clutch cover.
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Just seen your further post Steve-good luck.You can't have too many of these great little bikes?Martin
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Hi Martin. Yeah, if the one in Ramsey includes the second for spares, and it`s at decent money, happy days. The fella`s not got back with the price yet? So are we looking between £1000 for a good one - £1500 for a minter?
Thanks, Steve.
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I reckon on £500-£750 for a good runner,less for high miles/showing its age...If you get a spares bike as well then it's worth paying extra.Yes,£1K tops for a nice one and £1500 for a low miles minter imho.Having said that i haven't really been looking for the last 6 months due to house moves,redundancies and other life crisies!
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Sound like it`s been tough mate.
The seller got back to me with details ..... the "spares" bike is £400
The runner is original paint, new rear shock, two new tyres, 15700 miles. Price .... £1250 ???
I`ll keep my options open and have a look at the one owner bike (which has been stood for years) on Monday. It`s cheaper but needs work. It may even still be all original with the twin pipes?? Dunno `til I look on Monday.
Cheers.
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Yes,2017 was a year like no other for me......
£400 is a hell of a lot for a "spares" bike.
My current RS has the original two into two exhaust system. I hankered after one in my early RS days!
My dream RS would be one with a 500 cc engine.........
£1250 sounds a little pricey for the other one.
I wouldn't worry too much if the one owner bike has been stood for two years-it depends how it's been stored and where it's kept.If it's in a back garden uncovered on the island it could be a little corroded-but if it's been stored in a well ventilated building then it may not be too bad.Watch out for a corroded but hidden swing arm. I reported earlier this year on an XBR i had bought with that hidden and highly dangerous problem on a bike with a brand new MOT!
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Nightmare!
Yeah, he can keep the spares bike, which is in bits!!
I wouldn`t mind, but I was offered this exact bike about 18mths ago, for £900 and can`t remember why I didn`t buy it?? I suppose when I see it tomorrow it`ll remind me??
Thanks for the info, I`ll keep you`s posted.
Cheers, Steve.
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What are the little CBX250`s like??
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/honda-cbx-250/152854225780?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
Well bug9@r me, an RS has just popped up on ebay ....
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1981-Honda-CB250-RSA/132458686674?hash=item1ed72728d2:g:6rkAAOSw-RFaT3Bu
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These CBX250's do pop up from time to time and i have been tempted to try one several times.They do seem to be comparatively rare.From my own research they were upspecced with a more complex engine which looked better on paper but only added weight and not much more performance-although i've never ridden one!
There is a fairly regular supply of affordable Rs's on Ebay.
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Sorry for the delay in my last reply Steve-i fell asleep watching 80's music programmes on BBC4!
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;D ;D ;D ;D No worries. Thanks for the info. Been offered a little Suzuki TU250?? I`m a little concerned about a 250 because although I`m only short @ 5`8, I`m a lard a$$, so not sure if a 250 would do the job? I`m far from a racer but travelling the mountain daily I`d like something that will do it at a steady 65 - 70?
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Mmmmmmmmmmm- i don't think the RS would be particularly suitable to run over the mountain and back daily-don't get me wrong they are light and would be ok but you'd have to thrash it a fair bit.
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Mmmmmmmmmmm- i don't think the RS would be particularly suitable to run over the mountain and back daily-don't get me wrong they are light and would be ok but you'd have to thrash it a fair bit.
;D ;D ;D
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I looked at a TU250 in Ramsey, in a garage forecourt for sale last time I was over sixteen months ago. It was rough as hell. The CBX250s are about 30bhp, but didn't sell well, as I think the learner law changed around the time they came out, so nobody wanted 250s. Same engine that is in the lovely little jap market only GB250, which reminds me, I must get into the shed sometime soon >:(
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How do you rate the TU Tim?
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Well, had a skeet at the 1st RS today.
Nice tidy bike. In original black paint (patina`d) 15k on the clock, new rear shocks, new o ring chain, serviced, two new tyres and sounded pretty sweet. The lid of the tool box and it`s contents were missing, 2 into 1 exhaust in good nick.
Got the other one to look at on Monday.
Waiting to hear about a TU250 Suzuki (don`t know much about them) or maybe another Skorpion.
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That RS sounds pretty good. I know nothing of TUs I'm afraid, just that they are sort of retro style, and one of the few models of that ilk, to be sold beyond Japan.
Xbally, I am real sorry you had such a shit year, and I hope things improve for you in 2018.
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Think of a TU250 as a GN250 with a new dress, same performance, slower than a honda but I like them a lot, they go for as little as £600 occasionally
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Cheers Rufus. I`m reading by fitting a 16T front sprocket is the way to go for better top speed? How do you find the GN? Would it haul my lard a$$ over the mountain ;)
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Thanks Manxie and Timbo for condolences..
The tool box lid cover falling off is a common fault.It's just a plastic joint that wears over time.You might get a good used one second hand.
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Mmmmmmmmmmm- i don't think the RS would be particularly suitable to run over the mountain and back daily-don't get me wrong they are light and would be ok but you'd have to thrash it a fair bit.
i think this would apply to a gn or tu 250 as well.. i had a 16t on the front and a 39 on the back and it was pretty quick but sometimes i had to hold it in fourth for longer to keep it boliing, i am never without one these days
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Aye Steve,
Having read through this thread and noted that a daily thrash through Mannin's cloak is being contemplated, then may I suggest these alternatives to the CB250RS?
CB250RS nice bike but you would wear it out pretty quickly on that run, whilst the wally YAHOO's in German and Japanese pseudo-rally, race and drifter models would take scant notice of you and put your life in peril coming over the top in the "Rush Hour"! :(
Honda VFR 750 or early 800, with less than 50K miles they can be had for £1,000 to £1,500. Reliable, go like the chrome shovel, fairing protection etc.
Honda CB500 twin (1993 - 2004), again with less than 50K they can be had for £750 - £1,500. Reliable, quick enough and can be fitted with all sorts of accessories, or stripped for a scratch round Jurby! ;) Simon (TC member) uses one as a tug for a chair and gives it dogs'.
Honda Bros 400, motors run great and last for 100K miles plus without needing split, handles well or even better if you install CBR600 front end, Fireblade rear shock and VFR750 rear wheel. Capable of 100mph coming over the top and down to Kate's, Creg, Brandish and Hillberry etc. Going up from your place 80 - 90mph possible on the less steep parts towards the Veranda and Brandywell. Getting a bit old, but good ones to be had for the £750 - £1,500 price range.
If it needs to be a single, then a Honda Dominator 650, XT600E, Suzuki DR650, MZSkorp Tour, XT660 would be alternatives. I would prefer the first 3 air-cooled motors for simplicity and lack of weight. All are bomb-proof, go at a canter, have cheap spares and there must be plenty on the Island laid up in barns etc.
My apologies for complicating matters, but I am sure you know of some "collections" that need some "thinning", amongst your clients or fellow plumbers! ;) ;) ;)
My regards, Bill
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Hey Bill,
what a crackin write up and all very true! Maybe I should have kept my 750 quid Fazer for a thrashing over the top? As I say, I`m far from a racer but like going quick when I can or want too.
I`ll still have a look at the RS on Monday, purely because it`s a one owner bike and the right price. As it`s been said, if it`s been stored properly over the years, she still could be in good nick? I`ll have a skeet at the TU too ... just in case??
I loved my Skorpion Sport and the only reason I sold it was the riding position. By the time I`d left mine and got to Windy Corner, both my arms / hands had gone to sleep, not clever when the Creg is just down the road :o There is a Skorp Traveller for sale which I like the look off, but I don`t want to waste the sellers time looking at it, so I`m trying to negotiate a rough figure before I go to view. I`d definately like to own it.
Sadly, I don`t have any clients these days, been working for the government too long. Plenty of mates with collections but they`re not parting with any. One fella I know has put 16 bikes in the Motor Museum (for storage) oh, I mean "display" ;D but he sells NOTHING!!
Something will turn up, I want to buy locally if I can to save £250 shipping here from the UK, then having to get it through the test.
Thank you ALL for your advice, greatly appreciated and all makes perfect sense. I`ll keep you`s posted.
Cheers, Steve.
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I can vouch for the VFR750 and 800i.Both are great and very cheap bikes for what they are. The 800i (not the VTEC model -which i haven't ridden)is a particular bargain and a fair bit sportier than the earlier 750.It would really fly around the mountain circuit but that may very well not be what you want .While the RS has its charms it is nothing,nothing like a VFR!
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Thanks fellas.
I`m still looking. I like the VFR`s but tend to opt for naked bikes if I can. One of the best bikes I ever owner was a 1200 Bandit. Didn`t handle great but went like stink and did everything you`d want.
We`ll see? I need a bike in my life I can use....not like the two piles of ..... in my garage :o ;) ;) ;) ;)
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I like the CB250RS but when I see some of the prices being asked for them I cant see myself owning one.Moving on to CB500s and VFRs.My CB500 was a good bike,scruffy but it ran like a sewing machine.Economical,easy to work on,I probably should have kept it.VFR750s,I have owned two of them.One was an early normal swing arm job,the other one of the last 750s before the 800.Very good bike,well made,will do an enormous mileage.Some work such as valve clearances is fiddly but doable.If you do look at them try and get one with a stainless exhaust or at least downpipes,they do rot.£1500 would buy a nice 750,Im often tempted to try another one.
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Thanks for the info Dave ;)
Cheers, Steve.
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Yes, I know, its supposed to be THE Thumper Club, but we don't care. We are all out of the same mold I reckon. If you want a cheap all rounder for little money, then a CB500 is a superb, do everything bike. I bought a wreck, far too dear a few years ago for £750, which if I'd done my research, would have bought a half decent one! They are great bikes, but won't give you the great grin of a single pulling its guts out over the mountain, if that's what you are after. Dommie, best bike I've ever owned 😀
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a rs
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a rs
a rs with xl 500 motor fireblade front end.thunderace swingarm
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Tommy ......................... THAT IT BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Went to look at the one owner RS. Been is storage 15yrs ..... in a damp, rotten old wooden shed. Needless to say, the poor little bike is not in a good way, but all original and 20k on the clock. He is selling it on behalf of his 80yr old father but sadly want far to much money for it in the condition it`s in. I did throw him an offer but he`s pretty sure his father wont accept it. Shame to see such an honest little bike rusting away >:( :( :(
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1200 Bandit is a great bike Steve,had to sell mine as it was a tad too heavy as i got older but much better than my 600 which i found gutless...
Loving the RS500 which,correct me if i am wrong,but i think has appeared on here before.I would love one but i think i might need an electric starter my my dodgy knees.
Shame about the rotting RS,worth making an offer though as you have done-good luck.
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Tommy, please bring this up in April. I might even buy you a pint! 😀
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ha will be up in April for sure but i,m hoping to have a xbr special done by then ;)
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That RS 500 is well nice! Might even swap my MZ for it... :D