Looking for a bike, what years to avoid....

[FLAJIM]

Hello All. I am looking to get a used GZ250 for my wife to learn on and for me to ride around town. Can you tell what model years to avoid.... what model years to look for ???? Really don't know too much about the line. Thanks in advance for all replies

Be Safe JIM

[blaine]

Hello All. I am looking to get a used GZ250 for my wife to learn on and for me to ride around town. Can you tell what model years to avoid.... what model years to look for ???? Really don't know too much about the line. Thanks in advance for all replies

Be Safe JIM
Welcome to the forum.The G.Z. is basically the same for all years.The combustion chamber was modified in 04 for better efficiency.Beside that no changes.
:) :cool:

[geezer]

a perfect bike for her, how tall is she? the bikes low wieght and seat hight are awesome for short riders

[FLAJIM]

She is 5'2", this is the bike she used at the MSF school to learn on. Now she would like to ride it for awhile before moving up (if ever) to a larger bike. Thanks for the advice, Be Safe JIM

[Water Warrior 2]

5' 2" will make it a near perfect fit. Lynda is 5'3" and she was always comfortable on the bike.

[alanmcorcoran]

Because this is essentially a "starter" bike, (although some of us keep 'em) there tends to be a lot of churn. You will probably be able to pick up a relatively new one, relatively cheaply. I'd recommend you start out looking for one no older than a '07 and with less than 5K. Although it's not hard to find even older models with super low mileage, it generally means they have not been ridden regularly and you may run into some issues associated with disuse. Also, the 250 is a relatively low powered bike and it works pretty hard to maintain highway speeds. I'd stay away from high mileage engines - I don't get the sense my GZ is going to be able to put up the same odometer numbers as my larger displacement bikes (this is just speculation on my part, but it the GZ has to kill itself to achieve speeds that my Strat does while yawning...)

Bikes older than '07 are probably going to need new tires, and are more likely to require a higher level of TLC if they haven't been maintained properly. A lot of people buy them new and sell them six months later at a pretty steep discount to get a bigger bike. Good luck.

[DAN]

Don't worry too much about the year, but more about the condition. Every thing is relative cost verses year verses condition. Look for a bike under 5000 miles and newer than 06 if you want super clean, although I bought an 02 with 3000 miles that was perfect for $1000 (winter prices) this year, it did need a fuel flush and carb clean from sitting 6 months in a garage. Look at the tires for tread and side wall cracking, check the fuel and vacuum lines for stiffness. Look under the seat and tank for cleanliness and as an indicator of condition. If over 10,000 miles check the chain and sprockets. Look at the old oil for color and do an oil change when you get your bike as this is the most important thing to do for engine longevity. Of course with all bikes you should look for damage as in being dropped or bent. Check function an all systems, brakes, lights, turn signals. Brand new black 09's are available from internet dealers for $2500 assembled plus shipping, so this has a tendency to set a price curve on used GZ's. Newer pristine with accessories (luggage rack/seat back, windshield, saddle bags) seem to be $2500 - $2000, basic newer about $1800, 05, 6 and 7's $1500/1600 plus extra for accessories, 04 and older much depends on condition, but there are some real bargains out there in the older garage queens. Don't forget to pick you favorite color; (besides black) red, dark blue, bright blue, green, teal, silver and maybe others were available over the years. --Dan--

[Joel K-Man]

I got a 2000 GZ that had 3900 miles on it. It sat for a couple of years so I had to do a good bit to it. If you are a do it yourself person, you can whip it into shape pretty cheaply. I have about $900 or so in it, including some things it didn't really need ( windshield, accent lighting, ect ) . The only thing I didn't do myself were the tires and brakes. Those are my LIFE and I left them to the pros.

[DAN]

PS: The prices I posted were referance only , but seem to be acurate for fall/winter purchased this past year. Spring Summer will be a couple hundred higher and if you live in Califonia you may see slightly higher pricing for all bikes. For some reason the west coast seems to have higher prices for everything. --Dan--

[FLAJIM]

I really appreciate all the replies. I first stated looking at the Honda Rebel 250, but both the wife and I like the look of the GZ250 better. I am going to hit, ebay and craigslist and hopefully get one soon. Really do not want to go thru a dealer. Here in Florida and I am guessing all over, they really add in a lot of fees. I can go to DMV myself and save the $$$.

Be Safe JIM

[alanmcorcoran]

Most of the fees dealers add in are not related to the DMV. On new bikes it is customary to charge for shipping (from japan, if it's a japanese make) (usually about $500ish!) and assembly (sometimes this is waived.) If a bike is in short supply, or sales are brisk, there can be other less common fees applied (safety check, "documentation", etc.) These are complete bullshit.

Then there is license(registration/plates/whatever) and taxes. Very real. I don't know the Florida practices wih regard to plates and registration, but in CA, they fill out the paperwork and the registration and plates are mailed to you. You just ride around with a temp pirce of paper for a few weeks.

If you want to buy a new bike and avoid ALL of the fees, and get a pretty good discount to boot, look at bikes from the previous year (or, sometimes two years!) In recent times, many dealers got overstocked, many have gone under, and there are new bikes (sometimes, in some places) that are actually two years old. You can generally get these "out the door" (that means total price net of all fees, taxes, everything) for 15-20% below list. Unfortunately, the GZ is not likely to be available under those circumstances due to it's low cost and relative popularity.

I bought my '07 Strat (list price about $16,500) in early '09 for $12K out the door. If you backed out the taxes, assembly and shipping fees, this was about equivalent to about $10K. Still comes with the same warranty. Made up (a little) for the complete hosing I took when I bought my GZ.

[FLAJIM]

Yes I fully understand about, shipping, prep, setup..... but down here dealerships are adding to new and USED bikes, doc fees, computer fees, adm fees. I just bought a new Ultra and the dealer wanted almost 800 in "paperwork" fees over the cost of the sales tax and plate fee. If I buy from a private seller, I pay him the cost of the bike only, than go to DMV and pay the tax and plates without and "service" costs..... I am not cheep but I really hate getting hosed for BS. One local dealer has a 2007 for sale, he wants 2200 for the bike and besides tax and plate, he want 275 doc fee and 175 computer fee. I questioned it, he told me doc fee is him going to and picking up the plate. Computer fee is a great one, it is a fee now charged to make sure the bike isn't stolen ??? and the title is good........ well isn't that what DMV does ????? Oh my rule is New = Dealership, used = private...... been doing it with my cars, trucks and bikes for years and haven't gotten burned yet.

Thanks for all the replies. Be Safe JIM

[Water Warrior 2]

A $175 computer fee !!!! :fu: For that money he should throw in the computer and a new helmet.

[alanmcorcoran]

A lot depends on the scarcity of the particular bike, but the fees aside from shipping taxes and registration can sometimes be negotiated away. Again, if you can, look for "new" bikes that are having a birthday at the dealership. I paid no fees at all on my '09 KLR (bought in '10) and also got a pretty good discount off list.

That said, I've seen some pretty good deals on here for very lightly used GZ's from private parties.

[BillInGA]

Remember that all these extraneous fees are just methods of bumping up the total revenue on the sale. The only fees that the dealer doesn't have control over are the tax, tag and title. Beyond that, everything else is negotiable. Rather than get caught up and distracted by their "fee game", I look for the "out the door" price. Make an offer - if it's too low for the them, they'll tell you so. If it's too much for you, don't be afraid to walk away.

Of course, if it's a popular item the dealer may not budge, expecting to be able the get the price he wants tomorrow or the next day. But the longer something sits in inventory, the more he'll want to get it gone.