Places to Buy Motorcycles?

[schneic6]

So I've been in search of a Newgen 250 recently and was curious to know where you guys buy your bikes? Craigslist is the first one that pops into my mind of course, but there's got to be others. I feel like I'm constantly searching through the same postings lol

It's funny though, because I just bought a Pregen about 3 months ago and at that time the classifieds were filled with every kind of motorcycle imaginable. I didn't expect to fall in love with the 250, and had every intention to upgrade after a year or so. But with the relatively little highway riding I do and my small stature, I feel that a 250 is nearly perfect for me and I find myself really wanting a Newgen.... mainly because the Pregen styling is dated at best. Sounds a little silly, but I want a bike that I like the looks of as much as I like the feel and ability.

So - what are some other good places to search for motorcycles?

[csmith12]

Go to your local bike night and make some friends. Soooooo many bikes change hands by word of mouth and "local" group forums. Make a friend and most likely you will know of bikes for sale.

[schneic6]

That's a good idea, plus it sounds fun. Know of an Newgens for sale around Cincinnati Chris? Haha

But seriously, thanks for the input. I've met a couple people through the guy that sold me my bike but I could always reach out a bit more.

[csmith12]

Oh snap, you're in Cincinnati! I will keep my eyes and ears open for you. There are a few bike nights around Cincinnati but I am more fond of the AssfaultJunkies, as most of them ride track/race and gear up. Sure there are some shenanigans on Sunday rides and some of them ride a bit on the "too fast" side on the street, but they got your back when you need it. Real people, doing real things and not a bunch of posers. You got too many racers to count, a few AMA pro's, at least 5-7 track coaches and a few MSF coaches and a Isle of Man racer tossed in for good measure. lol If you wanna a wingman to a bike night, just let me know and I will be there. Wed. nights at Tusculum Grill on Kellogg Ave @ 7:30ish.

You might also want to look into MCRA out of St. Louis, their 250 following is HUGE!

[csmith12]

Hey Cory! A bit on the high side, but you should be able to talk them down a bit. Tell them a "Reactor" send you for a better price.

https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcy/5058817935.html

[schneic6]

I appreciate the help Chris! I have sent them a text and I'm waiting on a reply.

What would you consider to be a good price on one of these? I'm looking at one today that needs a windscreen and maybe a turn signal relay (supposedly. Electrical things don't bother me though, that's something I can handle well. ) and he's willing to drop to $1950. 2011 with 1500 miles or so. I'm a little hesitant but worst case scenario I just don't buy it and no harm is done. Who knows, maybe it'll be great.

[algs26]

CycleTrader?

[cadd]

That's pretty low mileage for a 2011. The only problem with that is that it may be sitting. The carbs could be gummed up.

When you test ride a low mileage bike that may have been sitting for a bit, check the throttle response. Make sure when you rev the bike (to 4k or 5k) and let go of the throttle, the rpms should drop back down pretty quickly. I've seen bikes that slowly drop in rpms.

But that's nothing a deep carburetor clean can't fix. Also shine a flashlight in the tank to check for rust. Check the bolts all over the bike to see if they are rusted. If they are, the bike may have been stored outdoors.

For a 250, I would aim for the $2500 mark. For a 300, I day $3800 (assuming the bikes are in excellent condition and have never been dropped).

Don't worry about mileage. I actually prefer a 8,000 mile (well maintained) bike vs a 1,000 mile bike (that has been sitting for years).

[csmith12]

Yea for the one I linked, just tell em your a soon to be junkie and you will get it for 2500.

No matter what yo get, I will help ya get it on the road.

[schneic6]

Ehh, after seeing the bike today I wasn't really too impressed with it. It had been plastidipped all white, which would have been fine... if the paint wasn't all different colors underneath it. It appeared as though more than the tires had seen way too much of the pavement, possibly more than once. Ran (seemingly) well, but it just gave me a bad feeling.

The other linked one is still a possibility but it seems that the seller isn't too flexible on price and I'd like to spend less than the $2900 that is being asked. I may have already contacted this seller though, so maybe she has the previous conversation in there. Can't really remember. But if I did contact her already, I probably offered around $2200 hoping for a counter offer in the area of $2500. Maybe that $2200 came across as an offensively low offer, who knows. In the end though, I think she could get her asking price of $2900 and I'm not ready to spend that much. Darn college.

I also looked into CycleTrader but it seems there's not too many listed around me? Weird, but they also seemed a bit on the high side (badumm tsss) of the price spectrum.

$2500 is my self-imposed limit since I don't really *need* to buy a bike right now, and I really would be thrilled if I got a deal cheaper than that. Lots of bikes around Lexington for about $2k but still deciding whether I want to make that drive just to check one out. In the mean time though, mine is just fine. So I'll wait to see what I can sell it for and I guess I'll be patient and just wait for a good deal to come along.

While I'd feel bad if I made this into a "Help me find a bike" thread, if anyone else has a bike for sale or knows someone selling theirs, I'd love to hear more.

I really appreciate all the help I've gotten! This really is a great community of riders.

["A"]

Just keep the pre-gen, it's a better bike anyway.

[csmith12]

Do a search on this site for my "how to" for google alerts. Then go on about your normal day. When google finds a 250 for sale in your area, you will get an email with a list of links.

[schneic6]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Do a search on this site for my "how to" for google alerts. Then go on about your normal day. When google finds a 250 for sale in your area, you will get an email with a list of links.

Wow, didn't known Google could do that. That's awesome!

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by "A"

Just keep the pre-gen, it's a better bike anyway.

Interesting point... Why replace your pre-gen?

[schneic6]

Originally Posted by dcj13

Interesting point... Why replace your pre-gen?

Well to be honest one reason is because it's, in my opinion, a pretty ugly bike. I just feel like if I'm going to ride something regularly, I want to like the way it looks. Sort of silly, but I didn't mind the looks when I bought it because I thought I'd only have it for about a year. Now that I'm thinking I want to hang on to a 250 though, I want a bike that actually looks good.

The other reason is that I got a pretty good deal on it and see an opportunity to make a profit. Not much, but some at least. The PO was just trying to sell it fast before someone selling his 'dream bike' (GSXR 750 I think?) slipped away, so he took a pretty low price for it. I figure if I can sell it and make some money on it, now is the time since, being a 99, it's already not worth a whole lot. If I can make some money off of it, sooner would be better. I don't know how good of a rationale that really is, since the flipside to that is the bike is old enough that it's probably at the point where it's nearly done depreciating.

Still, the goal is to make a net profit on the Pregen while also upgrading to a bike that I enjoy the styling of.

Now I'm curious though, how big of a difference is there in Newgen vs. Pregen? I didn't notice all that much when I was test riding the one today, but that was just around a park for a couple minutes.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by schneic6

Now I'm curious though, how big of a difference is there in Newgen vs. Pregen? I didn't notice all that much when I was test riding the one today, but that was just around a park for a couple minutes.

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10111

["A"]

IMO, owning a 250cc motorcycle is all about being cheap, doing the most out of the least.
Pre-gen may have outdated looks, but while riding the bike, you are not likely to see how the bike looks, so there is not whole lot of need to have the bike look good.

Performance wise, pre-gen outperform the post-gen while weighing less:


If you are looking to replace a 250 because you riding skills have improved from entry level moto, 250cc is likely to be small for a replacement moto.
If you are still worried about cost of replacement parts when you dump your ride, pre-gen parts are likely to cost less and more readily available since it was produced for longer period.

I ride the piss out of my pre-gen that cost me below $1k to purchase.
No mods, other than a $20 post-gen rear shock purchase from eBay, larger profile ratio rear tire to allow lower engine rpm at higher speeds.. both raises the rear end slightly and make quicker steering and more fork dive when braking, but I don't use the brake much, it's a 250.
When it comes time to replace the fork seals, I may splurge to get a set of better fork springs and change the weight/level of fork oil to allow less dive during braking. For now I don't see a tremendous need for that to be done.
My pre-gen still out accelerate most if not all 4-wheel vehicle from a standstill, no need to outpace larger displacement 2-wheel vehicle but definitely satisfying when you do it on an older looking bike when the other rider realizes that you are riding a 250.

I currently have 7 bikes in my garage, pre-gen is the one I ride the most and hardest in any weather, it gets washed in the rain, it requires the least attention/cost from an operating/maintenance perspective.
If I ever need a replacement for a 250 moto, it will likely be another pre-gen for under $1k.

[ForceofWill]

Originally Posted by "A"

IMO...

Riding is a hobby for most people. He's already stated the reason he wants to upgrade and there's nothing wrong with it. You should enjoy what you ride otherwise what's the point. I don't think he's arguing that the pre-gen is less capable in any way.

As for the differences, the aftermarket support for the new gens is huge. Tire selection used to be better but I think it's evened out.


If you find a good deal and it makes you happy, I say make the switch.

[cbinker]

another thing to consider is when is the time to buy. Before summer is probably better for the seller and end of summer is better for the buyer.