Author Topic: How much would you pay for this? (Read 2079 times)

Juvecu · « **on:** April 05, 2011, 10:22:41 »

Been looking around for a bike for trail riding with the local TRF group. Been watching this Yamaha TTR 250 Raid on Ebay. The bike seems in very good condition and there are a ton of extras. I'd appreciate if someone that has a better knowledge of bike prices and trail machines could have a read through that and tell me what a fair price for the lot would be. If you can specify what you think the bike alone is worth and how much the extras are worth that'd be great.

Any educated guesses?

jilljoy · « **Reply #1 on:** April 05, 2011, 18:49:13 »

it doesn't say how old it is,my mate had one of these last winter,he only kept it for 2 months as it was as flat as a fart,really underpowered,I would advise going for a yamaha wr or 250 KTM

Piglumps · « **Reply #2 on:** April 05, 2011, 19:19:16 »

Probably up to about Â£1k - but then again I'm not educated!

strop · « **Reply #3 on:** April 05, 2011, 20:28:19 »

I too had a ttr 250 and didn't keep it long as it was gutless on the road and had poor weight to power off road,id advice giving it a miss,but why should anyone listen to me? 2 strokes are nice but really depends what you want.

Oldie · « **Reply #4 on:** April 05, 2011, 20:50:21 »

I reckon that it will go for Â£1275.Road legal bikes always have a premium and this one looks cleanish. A young bloke will buy it and think that it goes like stink, well they all do when you're 17, don't they (can't remember :limp: )

Juvecu · « **Reply #5 on:** April 05, 2011, 20:59:13 »

What I want is a good starter bike for trail riding, this means it needs to be road legal. I'm on a very tight budget so I have to find something that's priced low and reliable. It doesn't need mad performance and I really don't want something much bigger than 250, I'd go lower to say 175 even. It should either be a 4 stroke or a 2 stroke that mixes the oil in from a separate tank (oil & fuel separate.) It would be good if I could get both feet down flat, I can do that on a Wee with a Vee seat on (20mm higher) so I guess it's not a problem on most bikes. One with a wider seat would be a bonus, I hate feeling like I'm sitting over a pole. I shouldn't need to do any real work on it to get it through a MOT or to ride it. I'm only 12 stone so I could probably get away with a lively 125 two stroke for a start. This old TTR250 seems to fit the bill if the price doesn't rise much (which it might because of the extras), but I'll look into any suggestions with an open mind.

ps. I've done a fair bit of reading up on the TTR250, there are a few cheap mods that will liven it up for no/minimal cash outlay.

Oldie · « **Reply #6 on:** April 05, 2011, 21:28:54 »

I wouldn't worry about the seat as you should be on the pegs most of the time. Lighter bikes can be useful if you're new to the game although breathless. A TS 185 would be good, but personally, I would go for a Djebel,

Juvecu · « **Reply #7 on:** April 06, 2011, 21:52:28 »

I ended up not bidding on it, it went for Â£976 in the end, I think this was a good deal for whoever won. I looked at the newer TTR250, I do like this little bike, it has good potential for improvement with minor cash outlay (and I can do it all myself.) I also looked at the DRZ400 (E model) and they look very attractive, though I'm not sure if an engine that big is a good idea for a starter bike. I'd wager there are plenty of other good options out there too and will take some time looking into them.

Any suggestions are welcome, I'd appreciate if you can motivate them

Road legal is an absolute requirement.

temporaryescapee · « **Reply #8 on:** April 08, 2011, 21:40:21 »

I do a bit of trail riding - green laning and long distance trials. I've not ridden the TTR but I wouldn't worry too much about the power. I have an XR400 and my riding pal has a KLX300 - both have proved good bikes over 8000km. I am 16st so need a bit of power - I love the XR400, but actually if anything it has too much for off road when it gets really sticky. [I don't profess to be a riding legend!!]

If you ride the lanes responsibly your are going to end up short shifting most of the time anyway. I'd have a look at an XR250 as well as the TTR. I've got another mate with a Beta Alp (think its a 200) which is also pretty good (better for more technical stuff). On some of the trials we ride 350 miles in 20 hours and it does that fine.

Good luck.

Juvecu · « **Reply #9 on:** April 09, 2011, 09:55:07 »

I added the XR250 to the list of bikes to research before deciding what to buy. I've done some more reading and I'm convinced that I should not get anything much bigger than a 250 and something as light as possible. I'll also go for a 4 stroke. As you say, having too much power for the skill level is going to make things difficult. Thanks for the reponse

Juvecu · « **Reply #10 on:** April 09, 2011, 11:14:23 »

Been looking at a 1993 Kawasaki KLX 250. It's a 4 stroke single and in very good condition for ~Â£1200. Anyone have an opinion on these or own one? Is there anything specific I should look for at the viewing other than the normal stuff?

strop · « **Reply #11 on:** April 09, 2011, 18:53:02 »

juvecu do you still plough your way up and down the m40? if you do and your interested I could meet you at the services at Oxford(wheatley) jcn8 (a ?)and let you have some old Trail Bike Monthly magazines,there are full of interesting stuff,bike reviews,legal lane riding etc.
I seem to remember you don't like the place but its easy,asda is just round the corner for cheap petrol as well.

Juvecu · « **Reply #12 on:** April 09, 2011, 19:40:27 »

Going to go view the KLX250 tomorrow morning, hopefully it looks as good in the metal and plastic as it looks on the pics I've seen.

Yes, I still go down the M40 every weekday so I can make a detour on the way home for the mags, thanks for the generous offer. I can bring them back to you after I'm done with them as I don't really have space to keep them and I seldom read something more than once.

Juvecu · « **Reply #13 on:** April 10, 2011, 17:26:49 »

So I went to view the bike today, the ride down was nicer than the bike. Was struggling to start, dying when you ride and close the throttle, instruments cluster not working, bolts missing to hold panels and seat in place, looked like a piece of the rear frame was cut off for some reason, some stuff was cable tied on instead of fixed with bolts and the rear wheel was running out of alignment. Reason the rear wheel was out of alignment is because it wasn't on the same adjustment marks both sides, waaaaaay out and it passed MOT like that? It looked so good in the pictures because the plastics are in good condition and the frame had been repainted. I think it all could be fixed up for about Â£100, but she wasn't giving on the price and I had doubts about how sound the engine would be if everything else was that neglected. Next time I'll pick something closer, that was a bit too far for a viewing, but the weather was great

strop · « **Reply #14 on:** April 10, 2011, 18:19:30 »

what sort of time could you be at the services,evening probably easier but dependant on time maybe the morning,ta

Juvecu · « **Reply #15 on:** April 10, 2011, 18:31:50 »

I'll PM you

kafue · « **Reply #16 on:** April 11, 2011, 09:25:31 »

Don't be put off the engine size of the DRZ400. I had one if these and they are the very good for off roading. I started off roading on a 250 and always regreted that I did not get the DRZ 400 sooner.

You do not see many DRZ's for sale as people tend to keep them.

Juvecu · « **Reply #17 on:** April 11, 2011, 09:55:19 »

Funny you should mention the DRZ400, it was initially my first choice, but I've decided against it because it's heavy and might be too powerful for my skill level.

How tall are you and how much do you weigh? My main concern is weight and secondly I don't want an overpowered bike that wants to 'kill' me each time I open the throttle too much.

chippie · « **Reply #18 on:** April 11, 2011, 10:32:33 »

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Honda-XR250-Elect ... 290wt_1141 If you could push to this or get a deal this would be my choice its a Honda with electric start so residual value will be good.

Juvecu · « **Reply #19 on:** April 11, 2011, 10:51:37 »

Looks tidy, probably a bargain even at that price, too bad it's so damn far away from me. After the KLX250 viewing I don't want to take any chances on buying something I haven't seen.