Need advice on purchase!!!

[ppride14]

Hey everyone. I am new to the board, and am looking to get a gz250 as my first motorcycle. I have looked around and feel that the bike would suit my needs well for what I want. I found this ad on CL (listed below) and was wondering of y'all could help me understand what the damage may be to the bike? Thanks!

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/mcy/3753890184.html

[Rookie Rider]

Welcome to the forum. If you are handy and know how to work on this bike (which is pretty easy) and want to spend the money doing it then id say go for it. But keep in mind you can get an already running gz for about the same amount of money.

[jonathan180iq]

...IF this guy is being honest, that's a good deal. It won't cost anywhere $900 to have the head planed at a local machinist. That's insanity.
The big IF is that you don't know if the internals of the bottom end are good too. See if you can communicate with him and see if he will give a real world description of what happened. We have members on here who have rebuilt these things and others who are doing it right now, like Ovcil88.

A running bike can be had for $1000 or so. Just decide what you want to do and we can help you out as much as we can along the way.

[ppride14]

Thanks guys! I communicated with him, and he said that the valves were shot...that one was warped and both were rusted shut. What kinda damage does that sound like?

[jonathan180iq]

For one of the vales to have warped means it tried to separate from the guide and was hit by the piston and the motor was quickly shut down before any further damage could occur... or the bike ridiculously overheated and it warped from half melting or something...

I don't really know. The one valve being rusted closed means the bike wasn't driven for a looong time... I would keep searching. If this is your first bike, it's not something you can throw together in an afternoon and know that you have a reliable vehicle. Since it's your first, I would say get something reliable. It's safer for your life when the bike is mechanically sound.

This is something you could pick up as a project later on or something. But not something I would bank on for right now.

EDIT: If you're out in Cali, you'll have access to plenty of gray market bikes and lots of different options on bikes from China. The newer Chinese bikes are good vehicles for the price. Don't be scared away from looking at them.

[Water Warrior 2]

Look for a bike that is presently being ridden and is functional in all areas. Mechanical, electrical and with decent rubber. A running bike will be your best bet. Be prepared to spend some cash up front on a bike and save yourself a pile of cash and headaches on a basket case that will likely be a money pit and still never run for you.

[ppride14]

For one of the vales to have warped means it tried to separate from the guide and was hit by the piston and the motor was quickly shut down before any further damage could occur... or the bike ridiculously overheated and it warped from half melting or something...

I don't really know. The one valve being rusted closed means the bike wasn't driven for a looong time... I would keep searching. If this is your first bike, it's not something you can throw together in an afternoon and know that you have a reliable vehicle. Since it's your first, I would say get something reliable. It's safer for your life when the bike is mechanically sound.

This is something you could pick up as a project later on or something. But not something I would bank on for right now.

EDIT: If you're out in Cali, you'll have access to plenty of gray market bikes and lots of different options on bikes from China. The newer Chinese bikes are good vehicles for the price. Don't be scared away from looking at them.


Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm out in norcal...care to elaborate on the gray market bikes and Chinese bikes?

[5th_bike]

Chinese bikes are still of dismal quality. Just now a new member joined (Harald) and he had a chinese bike, it was a piece of crap.

PS meanwhile the craigslist post is gone.

[alantf]

I totally agree. In 2007 I bought a Lanvertti. The Chinese bought in the motors. This one had a Honda engine, and that was the only good thing about it. It had so many faults that, after a couple of months, the bike shop was so disgusted with it that he returned it to the importers, and got me my money back.

[ppride14]

Okay I will probably stay away from the Chinese bikes then and keep scouring CL. Speaking of which, I found a really nice '09 Suk S40 With 6k miles for $2200...I offered the guy $1700 and he said no less than $1950 at first, but just got back to me and said he would rather give it to me for $200 less and would do $1700 since I'm on a student budget lol. The bike looks MINT. is this worth jumping on?

[Water Warrior 2]

Okay I will probably stay away from the Chinese bikes then and keep scouring CL. Speaking of which, I found a really nice '09 Suk S40 With 6k miles for $2200...I offered the guy $1700 and he said no less than $1950 at first, but just got back to me and said he would rather give it to me for $200 less and would do $1700 since I'm on a student budget lol. The bike looks MINT. is this worth jumping on?
GO GET IT NOW. That is a good bike and a good price.

[Rookie Rider]

Grab that bike !!

[jonathan180iq]

You should get that GZ.

But I will elaborate on the gray market and Chinese bikes, since everyone is hating on them ;)

It really depends who your importer is and who the manufacturer was. There are a couple of really top-notch bike manufacturers over there, and their quality standards have increased greatly in just the last couple of years.

Zongshen is a big one. Their stuff is pretty good quality.
http://images03.olx.com/ui/2/49/64/20864564_1.jpg
250

they also make a 600cc bike called the Cyclone:
http://cimimotor.00freehost.com/zongshen-cyclone.jpg

Lifan is also one of the bigger companies. They even make cars:
http://images4.fyimoto.com/4142013-7/2007-Lifan-Motorcycle--KILLEEN-25021520-1.jpg
http://allworldcars.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lifan-320-mini-7.jpg

CF Moto was a big deal but they tried to grow too fast and the market wasn't there. I actually a CfMoto v5 and loved that bike.
http://i48.tinypic.com/2eehabm.jpg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, for gray market bikes, these are bikes that are technically not imported into the US but they are available in Canada and are commonly back-doored into the system and are made legal through different methods. They include bikes that are very common in either Canada, Mexico, or Japan, but rare to us:

Like the Kawasaki Ninja ZZR 250:
http://members.shaw.ca/rcfirth/ZZR_250.jpg

The Aprilia 250... 2-stroke.... fast as lightning...
http://www.corgifan.com/blogger/aprilia250.jpg

Just name a couple... If there is a particular japanese bike that you REALLY wanted to ride, this would be the way to do it. And doing it in California is easier than anywhere else.

[northsidegz]

Okay I will probably stay away from the Chinese bikes then and keep scouring CL. Speaking of which, I found a really nice '09 Suk S40 With 6k miles for $2200...I offered the guy $1700 and he said no less than $1950 at first, but just got back to me and said he would rather give it to me for $200 less and would do $1700 since I'm on a student budget lol. The bike looks MINT. is this worth jumping on?

That seems like a really really good deal on a current (i.e. 2009) starter bike. I'd go for it ASAP.

[Water Warrior 2]

Just a couple comments. As mentioned we folks in the GWN get the Baby Ninja 250. It is quite popular and a decent bike to enter the sport bike group. There is also a Ninja 300 available now but I'm not sure the price of entry is worthwhile.

As for the S-40, they are a popular bike with quite a following of their own. The belt drive is a nice feature and mostly trouble free. Just a couple days ago there was a 2009 S-40 on the local CL for $3200 with only 2500 miles on it. It would have been worth $4000 on a trade in but the owner was not looking to upgrade. A day later the bike was listed for $4200 at the dealer who offered the trade in value on a bigger/newer bike. I guess dealers will jump on a good deal whenever possible.
The S-40 itself is only 60 pounds heavier than a GZ with a lot more power in reserve for the hills and twisties.

[ppride14]

Thanks for the advice. I am about 6'1 200 lbs. Would I be too big for the s40?

[blaine]

Thanks for the advice. I am about 6'1 200 lbs. Would I be too big for the s40?
No you will be fine on the S40.Another bike about the same weight with tons of power is the Vulcan 500.
:cool: :)

[Water Warrior 2]

Just missed a stunning ride on CL. 1985 Suzuki Intruder 750 for $2,200. Looked like it just rolled out of the showroom. A bit over 4,000 km on the bike. I could have re-sold it at a profit in a heartbeat. Ya snooze ya loose.

[ppride14]

The guy still has the bike... and I'm really close to jumping on it! Turns out it's an '08 with 5500 on it...but even at $1700 I am wondering if I should grab it on my college student budget.

[northsidegz]

I really don't know what you're waiting for. LOL. ;) In all seriousness, in MN anyway, you'd almost never find that kind of deal. That year and model (engine size). In MN you could find a 2008 250cc bike (like a CFMoto, or Cruze and maybe on occasion a GZ or a Rebel) for under $2,000. But not an S40.

Seems to me your choice is either this or an older bike (if you want this type of engine size). Which you can find older bikes in great condition under $2K. You can find great older bikes for around $1K to $1,200 in MN. Just gotta search around and be patient and eventually one pops up.

....but I have no experience with buying a bike in California.

[ppride14]

I missed out on it lol. But there's another I would like some advice on...its an '01 gz250 with only 2400 miles on it. However, the guy said it is 49 state compliant and I live in the great state of California....meaning he couldn't register it in CA and neither will I. Anyone know a loophole in the system? I can get the bike for $650 which is a smoking deal because that thing is CLEAN. But, no sense if I can't ride it!

[mrlmd1]

Look around for another S40, (or even an S50). You'll be happier with a slightly bigger bike and won't outgrow it so soon.

[jonathan180iq]

I missed out on it lol. But there's another I would like some advice on...its an '01 gz250 with only 2400 miles on it. However, the guy said it is 49 state compliant and I live in the great state of California....meaning he couldn't register it in CA and neither will I. Anyone know a loophole in the system? I can get the bike for $650 which is a smoking deal because that thing is CLEAN. But, no sense if I can't ride it!

You have any relatives just over the state line? Register the bike to them, with a different state plate and keep insurance on it?

I don't know man... California sucks about that kind of stuff.

[ppride14]

Look around for another S40, (or even an S50). You'll be happier with a slightly bigger bike and won't outgrow it so soon.

I would tend to agree with you. However, I also don't plan on very much (if any) highway mileage. Therefore, the 250 is probably enough bike for me to star plus I like the better mpg. Does anyone know where the CA emissions sticker is on the GZ250? The guy seems to think someone took the sticker off. If so do any of you know where or if I can order a new sticker ?

[jonathan180iq]

The California bikes have a charcoal canister on the drivers side leg, near the side covers. I believe they also may have a TPS.... but that could be the Euro bike I am thinking of.

There is also a serial code number on your carb. You can take that number and cross reference the service manual that we have available here on the site to determine which carb you are working with. There were only 2 different kinds, IIRC, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

[mrlmd1]

Mpg is not an issue. According to the Suzuki website the S40 gets 63 mpg and I can tell you my S50 gets about 50-55 mpg conservatively ridden.
An S40 would really suit you better because of your size and is still a "starter" bike if you wish to regard it that way, and is a single cylinder, easy to work on like the GZ, and just as reliable. Keep looking.
Here's a listing from my local CL down in Tallahassee FL for example.
http://tallahassee.craigslist.org/mcy/3788554491.html

[ppride14]

So it seems that the bike wouldn't register here because it was missing the emissions sticker (why someone would take it off Idk). Do any of you know if and where you can get a replacement emissions sticker for the bike? It's an 01. Or if someone has access and can get a CA approved one I would be more than happy to pay for it and then some...stupid DMV wouldn't register the bike without an emissions sticker.

[jonathan180iq]

I'm assuming the owner is the one who told you this?

You can get a new emissions sticker by taking the bike in somewhere and having an emissions test done on it. But it probably doesn't have one because it failed emissions in CA. You can't just slap another sticker on there. It's illegal.

[ppride14]

I'm assuming the owner is the one who told you this?

You can get a new emissions sticker by taking the bike in somewhere and having an emissions test done on it. But it probably doesn't have one because it failed emissions in CA. You can't just slap another sticker on there. It's illegal.

There aren't any emissions tests on motorcycles. California is just ridiculous in that they have MINOR differences (like a charcoal canister) on the CA approved bikes and if it doesn't have those things and is only federally approved it won't register here till it has 7500 miles. I was just wondering if one could have the bike inspected and changed over to be CA approved so I could register it.

[jonathan180iq]

I'm assuming the owner is the one who told you this?

You can get a new emissions sticker by taking the bike in somewhere and having an emissions test done on it. But it probably doesn't have one because it failed emissions in CA. You can't just slap another sticker on there. It's illegal.

There aren't any emissions tests on motorcycles. California is just ridiculous in that they have MINOR differences (like a charcoal canister) on the CA approved bikes and if it doesn't have those things and is only federally approved it won't register here till it has 7500 miles. I was just wondering if one could have the bike inspected and changed over to be CA approved so I could register it.

That's weird. We don't have emissions testing where I am but in the urban areas south of me (Atlanta) to my knowledge, bikes get emissions testing just like cars do before registration...

I guess I'm just a little ignorant on the process for Cali.
Maybe someone will chime in here and set you straight. It's a great price for the bike and I hope it all works out for you.