Need your opinions on a '05 RM250

[VoodooStar]

Hi Guys,

Found a '05 RM250 locally, ad states that the bike sat in the guy's dad's garage & has low hours. Any thoughts on what I should do to bring it up to par for a novice dirt rider. I'm trying to factor in the worst case scenario costs. I don't wanna surprise myself with an engine blowout the moment it gets into my garage, lol

Thx for any & all feedback.

EDIT: I'd linked to original posting which was replaced with another, marked up 22% after my post . So not linking out of respect to seller(small world eh).

Edited May 10, 2017 by VoodooStar

[ohiodrz400sm]

With a 12 year old MX bike, condition is everything, hell for any used bike. The engine isn't your only concern, all the chassis, suspension bearings and components are every bit as important. Unfortunately, these are also the most neglected items as well.

[VoodooStar]

Well, thx. Not what I was wanting to hear, lol. You gave me the absolute worst case ?. You think $500-600 & a little sweat equity would be good enough to get started on something that old?

[ohiodrz400sm]

Well, thx. Not what I was wanting to hear, lol. You gave me the absolute worst case ?. You think $500-600 & a little sweat equity would be good enough to get started on something that old?

How mechanical inclined are you?
You can find clapped out bikes in that range is you look around long enough. They sell quickly. If you can do the work and are willing to invest an additional 1000-2000 dollars, you can build a better than new 2 stroke.

[VoodooStar]

Checking out some vids, I think I can handle a top & bottom end rebuild. Revalving I don't think I can. You are right though, in that price range, I'd have to dump some money to make it good. I'm looking sub 2k bikes cause anything preowned, newer or not could be a hit or miss. Btw, what is a clapped out bike?

[OLHILLBILLY]

These old MX bikes are the epitome of simplicity. You may have to put a little $$ into it to get it up to par, but then it's good to go for several years. Do a compression check to see if it even needs a top end, and if it does, it's an afternoon job in your garage (do them in my dining room). Bottom end rebuilds are the most complicated (and least often needed) of anything on them, given the need to split the cases and deal with the transmission and all. But still doable in your garage (and my dining room). Swing arm and linkage bearings are a given on any used bike IMO. I've done them on pretty much every dirt bike I've had, got the bearing kits and had to take them to the local shop to have them pressed (I don't have a press in my dining room unfortunately). Few $$ up front, then keep them greased and they'll last indefinitely. Suspension is one of the most over worried things in dirt bikedom. I put Race Tech Gold Valves in both my fork and shock on the YZ (once again, in my dining room), and once you've done it, you can set back, shake your head, and smile at your new found cult status. You need the basic seal driver and hand tools, and the big ticket item being a metric micrometer (that will measure 1/10 mm increments, I got a Mitutoyo for around $85) to measure shim thicknesses. Also need a set of Veneer calipers to measure diameters, but most already have those laying around from household projects. Bought the Gold Valves ($169 per set for fork and shock), used the included code for RT's recommended shim stack build, set them up accordingly, had the local shop charge my shock to 175 PSI, now have butter plush woods suspension on my YZ250.

I gave $1500 for my YZ, put another $1000-$1200 in it (some of it for bling items and things like a set of brand new 2003 WR450 wheels from eBay, because I wanted them), and have rode it for 3 years now, trouble free. ?

Edited May 12, 2017 by OLHILLBILLY

[VoodooStar]

OLHILLBILLY, thx for the detailed response. Seriously, this gives me a good idea of what I can expect. A few of the items you listed, like the swingarm & linkage bearings, I didn't even think about. I've been a little reluctant to snag up seemingly good deals on CL past few days - (2000 CR250 $1800 & 2001 YZ250 $1700), thinking that they might not be the best value for money. But the more I read, on these forums & elsewhere, I've realized that a little TLC will get me an almost brand spanking new bike. Let's see what deals show up on my local CL.

[drumiv]

If I'm not mistaken, the '05 RM250 is listed as one of the top 10 best used dirt bikes. I'd pick it over any of the others you listed. Sure you'll need to give it some love, but worth it.

[VoodooStar]

Your are right drumiv - that was one of the reasons I added the RM250's to my list. Here's one of the links which helped me narrow my picks - http://dirtbikemagazine.com/the-10-best-used-2-strokes/