Learner Bike ?????

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 24 May 2004 21:12:39 +1000
Will Sutton <willsutton54 RemoveThis @yahoo.com> wrote:
 > MAKE/MODEL: Honda VT250
 > YEAR: 1983
 > ODOMETER: 31,134kms
 > PRICE: $1,000.00
 >
 > Mates daughter had decided that she wants to ride a bike and has
 > asked me my opinion on this but not been a great expert in bikes
 > ( I ride them but thats about it ) I will ask here.
 >
 > FWIW 31,134 klms on a bike 21 years old seems odd to me

They were known as a handgrenade when new, but if it's got to 31k then
the tensioner's been replaced so that should be OK.

I think it's more important to know what it's done recently than the
total mileage. If it's been sitting in a shed for 5 years there will
almost certainly be problems - seals, rustrings, etc. If it's been
ridden say 15km once a week then it should be OK.

Zebee<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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"Will Sutton" <willsutton54 RemoveThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2he3l5Fbko3hU1@uni-berlin.de...
 > MAKE/MODEL: Honda VT250
 > YEAR: 1983
 > ODOMETER: 31,134kms
 > PRICE: $1,000.00
 >
 > Mates daughter had decided that she wants to ride a bike and has
 > asked me my opinion on this but not been a great expert in bikes
 > ( I ride them but thats about it ) I will ask here.
 >
 > FWIW 31,134 klms on a bike 21 years old seems odd to me
 >
 > If I could get a couple of serious replies amongst the normal crap
 > it will be appreciated
 >
 >
 > Will
If its to be used as a learner bike, be really careful with the front brake,
if its the model with the inboard ventilated disc (as mine was), its deadly
in the wet. Be really careful if its been raining. That front wheel will
lock up without a problem especially in untrained hands. Other than that, I
thought the bike was really quite comfortable to ride.

But... Maybe you should be looking for something a bit newer. Maybe a Honda
CB250, its a fairly good learner bike, or anything of a similar ilk... How
tall is the learner to be??? A Road and Trail bike can be pretty good to
learn on as well. Wide handlebars, make for easy manoeuvering, and if the
bike falls over, its light to pick back up, and nothing major should have
broken off (depending on the severity of the fall of course.)

Just my opinion...

Quokka<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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"Will Sutton" <willsutton54.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2he3l5Fbko3hU1@uni-berlin.de...
 > MAKE/MODEL: Honda VT250
 > YEAR: 1983
 > ODOMETER: 31,134kms
 > PRICE: $1,000.00
 >
 > Mates daughter had decided that she wants to ride a bike and has
 > asked me my opinion on this but not been a great expert in bikes
 > ( I ride them but thats about it ) I will ask here.
 >
 > FWIW 31,134 klms on a bike 21 years old seems odd to me

plenty like that , people buy em to learn and dont ride anywhere
then they get put in the corner of the shed ah one day i'll ride again and
then 5 years blows by

 >
 > If I could get a couple of serious replies amongst the normal crap
 > it will be appreciated

tree fiddy and a kikindanutz

IIRC they had camchain issues ???

go check it out and buy on condition , usual things consumables
like chain and sprockets , tyres how old are they ?
noises ? RUN
brakes
rego ?

 >
 >
 > Will
 >
 >
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Will Sutton wrote:
 > MAKE/MODEL: Honda VT250
 > YEAR: 1983
 > ODOMETER: 31,134kms
 > PRICE: $1,000.00
 >
 > Mates daughter had decided that she wants to ride a bike and has
 > asked me my opinion on this but not been a great expert in bikes
 > ( I ride them but thats about it ) I will ask here.
 >
 > FWIW 31,134 klms on a bike 21 years old seems odd to me
 >
 > If I could get a couple of serious replies amongst the normal crap
 > it will be appreciated
 >
 >
 > Will

Sounds awright. Check the usual things. Brakes, tyres, chains sprockets, how
long has it been sitting idle for? Brake discs, do they show more use than
31k should? Oil colour, radiator etc. Just give it a good going over, give
it a run, see how it sounds and rides. Steering head bearings .. blah blah,
all the usual things.

Cam
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I would agree with that .. VT's were nothign special back in its day,
you should be able to find something possibly a little more up todate
and reliable for not much more... The V series back in 83 was a
nightmare, the VF400/500/750s all sucked, not sure about the 250
though..

 >FWIW 31,134 klms on a bike 21 years old seems odd to me<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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Will the F11 D was a renown hand grenade . The cams didn't have
full circle bearings which wore out very quickly + the usual
Honda cam chain woes.
I believe the Integras , Spadas etc are a much better deal .
Cheap it may be to buy but good used second-hand engines would be
few and far between .
IF you can get parts for the top end you could easily chuck a
heap of money at it and still end up with a bummer.
The front end problem I found was the 16 inch front wheel which
was very skittish in the wet or gravel , the disk worked ok but
was a pain to assemble as it was enclosed, which could also lead
to neglect ( out of sight out of mind ).
The engine revved harder than it should ( cos they are so frail)
but for its age it went OK.
All in all ,maybe a CB 250 or summin similar would be a better
deal.

Just my $0,02 worth
Dave P

"Will Sutton" wrote in message
 > MAKE/MODEL: Honda VT250
 > YEAR: 1983

 > FWIW 31,134 klms on a bike 21 years old seems odd to me
 >
 > If I could get a couple of serious replies amongst the normal
crap
 > it will be appreciated



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 >> Stay informed about: Learner Bike ????? 

Thanks for all the replies, I have emailed them on
 >> Stay informed about: Learner Bike ????? 

Maybe you should throw in another few thousand for her? if it was my
daughter id rather her be riding a reliable bike. Something in 250's thats
up to 5 years old would not set u back that much and when she gets her
blacks she can sell it on at a reasonable price if she hasnt smashed it.
"sirprice" <sirprice19.RemoveThis@hotpop.com> wrote in message
news:40b300a8@duster.adelaide.on.net...
 > Will the F11 D was a renown hand grenade . The cams didn't have
 > full circle bearings which wore out very quickly + the usual
 > Honda cam chain woes.
 > I believe the Integras , Spadas etc are a much better deal .
 > Cheap it may be to buy but good used second-hand engines would be
 > few and far between .
 > IF you can get parts for the top end you could easily chuck a
 > heap of money at it and still end up with a bummer.
 > The front end problem I found was the 16 inch front wheel which
 > was very skittish in the wet or gravel , the disk worked ok but
 > was a pain to assemble as it was enclosed, which could also lead
 > to neglect ( out of sight out of mind ).
 > The engine revved harder than it should ( cos they are so frail)
 > but for its age it went OK.
 > All in all ,maybe a CB 250 or summin similar would be a better
 > deal.
 >
 > Just my $0,02 worth
 > Dave P
 >
 > "Will Sutton" wrote in message
  > > MAKE/MODEL: Honda VT250
  > > YEAR: 1983
 >
  > > FWIW 31,134 klms on a bike 21 years old seems odd to me
  > >
  > > If I could get a couple of serious replies amongst the normal
 > crap
  > > it will be appreciated
 >
 >
 >
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