Is a 2004 RMZ 250 a good buy?

[Kleincr250]

I was wondering what you all thought of an 2004 RMZ 250? Is it a good bike? What should I look for? And I don't do any racing or competition I just mainly ride with friends on small tracks and do a little trail riding. Just thought I'd ask your opinions?

[Mudd94]

2004-2006 is the joint venture between Kawi and Suzuki.  Suzuki made the engine, Kawi the frame, then they put their colors on them (so you don't even get the great handling of a Suzuki).  They were not good bikes.  They had all kinds of problems.  Some got sorted out in 2006, but still not very good.  So the '04 is the worst of the bunch.  

 

Personally (and I'm sure most would agree) I would avoid those years like the plague.  

 

That said, if you are very mechanically inclined, and can get a smoking deal on one, it might be worth it.  I haven't looked into it to closely, but I believe there are some easy mods that can be done that will alleviate the problems from the factory.  

 

IMO, I would look for 2007 or newer for the RMZ (or Kawi for that matter).

[Kleincr250]

Well I heard that If you put a water pump cover and an impeller they run great but I haven't seen this bike up close only pictures it looks decent just he's asking quite a bit $2000 I was gonna try and talk him down to 1500 or less. Would that be a good deal?

[leafsrule16]

No. There's a lot more problems then just that and even in good condition, they are prone to very, very fast wear. You need to rebuild them all of the time and honestly, they handle like crap. At $1500, you can't afford a good 250f and if you find one, you can't afford to run it. 

 

04-05 RMZ/KFX's are the worst of the worst as far as modern bikes come. Stay far away. 

[Qqqqqqqqqqqq]

PASS

[Hans Schmid]

PASS X2

[Phineas7]

Personally (and I'm sure most would agree) I would avoid those years like the plague.  

 

 

+1

A friend had one. An absolute money pit. And that was back when it was only a 2 or 3 year old bike.

[Fade]

PASS X3

[displaynamerequired]

2004-2006 is the joint venture between Kawi and Suzuki.  Suzuki made the engine, Kawi the frame, then they put their colors on them (so you don't even get the great handling of a Suzuki).  They were not good bikes.  They had all kinds of problems.  Some got sorted out in 2006, but still not very good.  So the '04 is the worst of the bunch.  

 

Personally (and I'm sure most would agree) I would avoid those years like the plague.  

 

That said, if you are very mechanically inclined, and can get a smoking deal on one, it might be worth it.  I haven't looked into it to closely, but I believe there are some easy mods that can be done that will alleviate the problems from the factory.  

 

IMO, I would look for 2007 or newer for the RMZ (or Kawi for that matter).

 

Pretty sure it was the other way around? Suzuki made the frame, Kawi engine. If you look at the 06-08 kawis they have the same engines basically and the Basic design characteristics fpr the engine were carried over into the newer 2009+ kawis.

 

 

 

 

EIther way, the 2004s are JUNK. Over heating problems like no other and very prone to breaking down. The 2005-2006s are not much better. 

[Mudd94]

Pretty sure it was the other way around? Suzuki made the frame, Kawi engine. If you look at the 06-08 kawis they have the same engines basically and the Basic design characteristics fpr the engine were carried over into the newer 2009+ kawis.

 

 

 

 

EIther way, the 2004s are JUNK. Over heating problems like no other and very prone to breaking down. The 2005-2006s are not much better. 

Not that it really matters, but here you go:

 

 

 

However, for those who (like me) who didn’t get a chance to ride the unripe version of the yellow mid-size thumper (AKA the KZ250F), as well as the assembled corporate honchos from Suzuki, the intro was definitely a big deal. With Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Honda all joining Yamaha in the 250 four-stroke ranks this year, all the manufacturers are extremely interested to find out where they stack up in the mix. That’s especially true for this bike. Because the engine was developed by Suzuki and the chassis comes from Kawasaki, and it all gets blended together via their development agreement, things can get even more competitive than normal. While at Glen Helen, Suzuki let us know that they’re already pretty far along in the development of their own aluminum-frame 450cc four-stroke, but this time it will be a solo project.

Link to above quote:

 

http://motocross.transworld.net/1000020567/features/first-impression-2004-suzuki-rm-z250/'>http://motocross.transworld.net/1000020567/features/first-impression-2004-suzuki-rm-z250/

 

Another link:

 

http://www.dirtrider.com/features/141_0307_2004_suzuki_rm_z250/

Edited April 22, 2014 by Mudd94

[Kleincr250]

He's had it since it was new never had problems with it, he's had the valves adjusted every 3 years or something like that, and says he'll cut me a deal at $1550

[leafsrule16]

1. Don't believe everything a seller tells you 

2. If it's that old, being the bike that it is and he's never had problems that strongly increases your chances that you're going to. The bike is 10 years old, the worst of the worst and cheap. 3 years for valve adjustments is horrible maintenance BTW, it should be done every couple of rides. 

 

 

We've all told you what you're getting into so when you buy this $1500 bike and realize that in a few months of riding time, it's going to need $3000+ of parts don't come crying. I repeat, stay far, far away. I mean, if it's really what you want we can't talk you out of it but I'm hoping we all talked some sense into you so I don't have to read the sad story of how you're out $1500 and have no bike to ride anymore. 

 

The 04 RMZ/KFX was a bike released despite a ton of engineering problems simply to have a bike to compete with everyone else and fill the gap while they engineered a better one. They overheated off the showroom floor and were slow in 04. The engines were also garbage and horribly designed (you have to split the cases just to clean the oil screen I think?) and that was 10 years ago. Now with 10 years of wear and tear, you REALLY don't want one. I wouldn't have taken a new one in 04 for free and I sure as hell wouldn't be buying 95% of any 10 year old 250f but especially not the worst of the worst. 

 

You can't afford a 250f and if you find one, it's going to need more then it's value in parts very shortly. Start looking for 125's because a much better one can be had in your price range and you'll be able to afford to fix it. It doesn't make sense to totally rebuild a motor of a 10 year old 250f when they're only worth $1500 in the first place and basically then you sell them for $500 as a parts bike. Not worth it IMO or in anyone else with a brain's opinion. 

Edited April 23, 2014 by leafsrule16

[Kleincr250]

I've took all your guys advice I'm going to pass on that bike. I'd rather have a bike that's gonna last me

[Andrew13]

The people on this forum give great advice. Good job for taking their advice.

 

Have you ever thought about running a 2 stroke?

[MXRider72]

If you have a $1500 budget you should be looking for a decent 125. It will better serve you and not break the bank.

As a rule of thumb, I won't buy any used 4 stroke MX bike unless I personally know the guy who owns it and he got it new. While the 4 stroke bikes are great they are very expensive to buy new and expensive to maintain.

[leafsrule16]

4 strokes are fine if your buying real new or have a good budget to repair but lots of people buy them thinking they'll be fine buying a $1500 bike only to find out that they're not. You see it all the time, that's why there's so many rolling frames and blown ones for sale on kijiji. 

 

Your in 2 stroke category budget wise, like it or not. I wouldn't complain, $1500 will get you a real nice 125 in good shape and it will be lighter, much cheaper to fix and when you go to sell it, you'll get most of your money back. 250 2 strokes are great trail bikes too if you're looking for something a bit more powerful but honestly, unless you have a budget triple that you're not going to find a decent 250f that will "last a long time". 

[jrice2012]

Was the holocaust a good idea?

But seriously, stay away from an 04-06 rmz. The 07 had really bad transmissions. (Know this from experience). If you're set on an rmz I would look for an 08 - up.

[Shoopman303]

My friend just got one. The guy was wanting $1700, my friend test rode it and the bottom end goes out. He got the bike for $600

[leafsrule16]

My friend just got one. The guy was wanting $1700, my friend test rode it and the bottom end goes out. He got the bike for $600

 

Yup and it's going to cost more then $1000 to fix, maybe even more then $2000 to fix depending on what also went out when the bottom end let go so he really got f-ed there. The only positive is he will know exactly what the motor is like. The negative? He will have an 04 RMZ250.

[MXRider72]

Could always part it out.

Edited April 25, 2014 by MXRider72