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Old November 26th, 2017, 11:36 PM   #1
Aldent
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Parts availability for older bikes, also forgive me for mentioning honda

I know this is a Kawasaki forum, but all of the other honda-related forums aren't nearly as active. And I like you guys and gals better.

a used (obviously) 1989 honda vtr 250 just became available near me; asking price is $1k.

I'm ok with it being older and slightly high mileage (but appropriate for its age). The only thing that does worry me is parts availability for something that's nearly 30 years old and only had a 3 year life-span in the US.

I'm not asking for places to buy parts, I'll look that up on my own; I want to know if that should be red flag for buying a bike in general.
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Old November 26th, 2017, 11:53 PM   #2
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Check out the various mail-order vendors and see what they have for your bike:

https://www.cheapcycleparts.com/oemp...rts?dropdown=t

https://www.bikebandit.com/1989-hond...-parts/s/m2920

https://www.revzilla.com/parts/1989-...50-interceptor

https://www.denniskirk.com/1989-honda-vtr250.mmy

Japanese bikes tend to have great quality and longevity, so it's more matter of mileage wear and tear than age. Years tend to affect soft parts like tyres, hoses and seals, which are easier to repair than internal hard-parts like pistons, rings and bearings. I just saw an ad for Ninja 250 with 200k-miles !!!
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Old November 27th, 2017, 02:19 AM   #3
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I know this is a Kawasaki forum, but all of the other honda-related forums aren't nearly as active. And I like you guys and gals better.

a used (obviously) 1989 honda vtr 250 just became available near me; asking price is $1k.

I'm ok with it being older and slightly high mileage (but appropriate for its age). The only thing that does worry me is parts availability for something that's nearly 30 years old and only had a 3 year life-span in the US.

I'm not asking for places to buy parts, I'll look that up on my own; I want to know if that should be red flag for buying a bike in general.
I've kept a 1982 Honda FT500 single alive since it's purchase in June of 2006. You'll find that online retailers will have basic parts like tires, brake pads, chain and sprockets, oil filters - basic stuff. If you buy it you'll get real friendly with eBay. I can guarantee that your local Honda dealer won't have much stuff. You can check retailers like partzilla.com and Cheap cycle parts.com to get an idea what might still be available. My FT500 was only made for two years so you want to find out how many years the Honda's basic engine format was manufatured. The longer the better.

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Old November 27th, 2017, 08:25 AM   #4
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I'm a fan of the VTR250, and would probably pick one up if I ran across the right one.

Honda is somewhat better than most when it comes to keeping replacement parts available, but because they weren't as popular as a Ninja 250, used parts will be harder to find.

I don't know of any inherent problems with the VTR, but that one has obviously been repainted for some reason. They did make a black version, but the wheels were never black. Just look it over for any signs of major damage.
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Old November 27th, 2017, 12:46 PM   #5
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After seeing what the online retailers have, or didn't have to offer, and having to rely on auction listings for the rest, I've decided to pass on the bike. I don't make much money and I have a gut feeling that at some point there will be an expensive repair that will put the bike out of commission for some time while I get funds available.

Thanks for the replys!
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Old November 27th, 2017, 01:36 PM   #6
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Shame it wasn't left in its classic factory paint job.
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Old November 27th, 2017, 02:15 PM   #7
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Shame it wasn't left in its classic factory paint job.
Paying only $100.00 for it he can afford to completely restore it (I think).

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Old November 27th, 2017, 02:20 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldent View Post
After seeing what the online retailers have, or didn't have to offer, and having to rely on auction listings for the rest, I've decided to pass on the bike. I don't make much money and I have a gut feeling that at some point there will be an expensive repair that will put the bike out of commission for some time while I get funds available.

Thanks for the replys!
Lesson learned from a lifetime of "male project syndrome:"

Every project costs twice as much, and takes three times as long, as you think it will.
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Old November 27th, 2017, 02:34 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldent View Post
After seeing what the online retailers have, or didn't have to offer, and having to rely on auction listings for the rest, I've decided to pass on the bike. I don't make much money and I have a gut feeling that at some point there will be an expensive repair that will put the bike out of commission for some time while I get funds available.

Thanks for the replys!
A PreGen (pre-2008) Ninja 250 is very similar and has a much better parts availability.

Might have to pay slightly more initially, but a solid one will run forever with basic maintenance.
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Old November 27th, 2017, 03:08 PM   #10
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A PreGen (pre-2008) Ninja 250 is very similar and has a much better parts availability.

Might have to pay slightly more initially, but a solid one will run forever with basic maintenance.
And look better to boot!

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Old November 27th, 2017, 03:16 PM   #11
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You'll also get disc-brake in front with Ninja 250.
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Old November 27th, 2017, 03:20 PM   #12
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It took a bit of time for me to research this, but it does have a disk brake in front; it's just "inboard". All of the stuff over it is for ducting, but I'll admit that I initially thought it was a drum brake, too.
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Old November 27th, 2017, 03:30 PM   #13
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It took a bit of time for me to research this, but it does have a disk brake in front; it's just "inboard". All of the stuff over it is for ducting, but I'll admit that I initially thought it was a drum brake, too.
Yeah, leave it to Honda - weird engineering. I think the rear brake is drum. Not a bad looking ride really.

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Old November 27th, 2017, 03:45 PM   #14
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I think it looks better all-black than that '80s paint schemes.
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Old November 27th, 2017, 03:48 PM   #15
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I think it looks better all-black than that '80s paint schemes.
Agreed.

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Old November 27th, 2017, 03:56 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aldent View Post
It took a bit of time for me to research this, but it does have a disk brake in front; it's just "inboard". All of the stuff over it is for ducting, but I'll admit that I initially thought it was a drum brake, too.
The in-board disc was a pretty complicated design, and it was still pretty weak apparently.

In 1990 (the last year of the VTR250 in the U.S.) they went to a conventional front brake set-up.
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Old November 27th, 2017, 05:00 PM   #17
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Yeah, leave it to Honda - weird engineering. I think the rear brake is drum. Not a bad looking ride really.
Rear drums are my favorite. I love the way the rear drum on my H2 works instantly when it's raining.
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Old November 27th, 2017, 06:02 PM   #18
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Rear drums are my favorite. I love the way the rear drum on my H2 works instantly when it's raining.
I agree. I had a Suzuki GS750 with discs front and rear. They were awful in the wet. So, I grafted a Suzuki GT750 "water buffalo" rear wheel onto the GS750 and laced-up some Yamaha 650 aluminum rims to the wheels. I could actually stop during a rainstorm.

Actually no one on this site would object to Fontana four leading shoe drum brakes. They probably worked better than discs.


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Old November 28th, 2017, 11:46 AM   #19
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Yeah, leave it to Honda - weird engineering. I think the rear brake is drum. Not a bad looking ride really.

Bill
Yes, Honda-weird is definitely a thing. But when it works it works great.

My VFR800 has the weird but wonderful gear-driven camshafts (the sound is wonderful and it's such a durable and accurate method of camshaft control). And the VFR800 has the equally weird Aluminum Powder-Metal Composite cylinder liners that just refuse to wear out or deform or manifest any of the other age-related problems that other cylinder liner materials often have. And the VFR800 has the beautiful and convenient single-sided swingarm.

I'll concede that the weirdness of the VFR800's Linked Braking System definitely falls into the Love/Hate category. Pure performance oriented riders (racers, track-day rats, and serious road racers) all hate the linked brakes. But everyone else loves them.
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Old November 28th, 2017, 02:48 PM   #20
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Yes, Honda-weird is definitely a thing. But when it works it works great.

My VFR800 has the weird but wonderful gear-driven camshafts (the sound is wonderful and it's such a durable and accurate method of camshaft control). And the VFR800 has the equally weird Aluminum Powder-Metal Composite cylinder liners that just refuse to wear out or deform or manifest any of the other age-related problems that other cylinder liner materials often have. And the VFR800 has the beautiful and convenient single-sided swingarm.

I'll concede that the weirdness of the VFR800's Linked Braking System definitely falls into the Love/Hate category. Pure performance oriented riders (racers, track-day rats, and serious road racers) all hate the linked brakes. But everyone else loves them.
Yeah, I remember Honda even experimented with oval (rather than round) pistons. You should see the Rube Goldberg starter mechanism on the Honda FT500 single. It gives owners fits until you figure out how to properly maintain it. Then there's the single/dual overhead cam craziness which works surprisingly well.

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Old November 28th, 2017, 08:26 PM   #21
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Honda were always innovators.. had the guts, the engineering and financial resources to heavily invest in the marketplace. And were always willing to take chances.

Incredible multi cylinder race bikes of the 50-60's (Google the RC166), groundbreaking CB750, NR750 (the oval piston, 32 valve V4) , 6 cylinder CBX, V-tech valve system .... they are currently working on a self balancing system https://www.cycleworld.com/honda-sel...ist-technology

I've often wondered what stayed under lock and key in their R&D department....you know there was/is more.
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Old November 28th, 2017, 08:34 PM   #22
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Honda were always innovators.. had the guts, the engineering staff, financial resources to heavily invest in the marketplace. And were always willing to take chances.

Incredible multi cylinder race bikes of the 50-60's (Google the RC166), groundbreaking CB750, NR750 (oval piston) , 6 cylinder CBX, V-tech valve system ....I believe they are currently working on a self balancing system https://www.cycleworld.com/honda-sel...ist-technology

I've often wondered what stayed under lock and key in their R&D department....you know there was more.
Honda won the last two Indy 500s. It's hard to believe they could compete with the venerable Offenhauser and Ford 4 cam V-8s. They are still goofy.

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