help, buying ninja 250

[plum]

alrite guys, i decided on buying a ninja 250, i was wondering what would be a good price for it if it has about under 1000 miles on it? if you are selling a 250cc bike and live around the new jersey area (namely edison) please give me a holler because not too many people are offering them near me, thanks

i was also wondering if there were some stuff i should shy away from when loooking for a bike, thanks again

[speediva]

Look for rubber "pieces" under the tail... this indicates that burnouts were done on the bike. You might want to avoid the bike in that case. Also, check the chain for rust or "frozen" links. This indicates poor maintenance. Check the oil (most bikes have an oil window on the bottom of the bike, probably on the right side). If the oil looks cloudy (water in the system), VERY black (dirty), or seems to have metal pieces in it, the bike is probably in bad shape. Check the horn, lights (hi/lo), turn signals, brakes (make sure both brakes activate the light). Oh, and if the engine is warm when you go to look over the bike, ask to see it another time when it's not warm. It's a classic trick b/c the bike might be hard to start, so they start it and run it around to make sure it starts when you look at it. Check the title, make sure it's "clean" and not an "r-title" or rebuilt title. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it makes the bike MUCH less valuable because it was totaled (probably in an accident) and then rebuilt to "road-worthy standards". I can't think of anything else off the top of my head, but that should give you a good idea.

As for bikes for sale in your area, check http://www.cycletrader.com

[94marocam]

Originally Posted by plum

alrite guys, i decided on buying a ninja 250, i was wondering what would be a good price for it if it has about under 1000 miles on it? if you are selling a 250cc bike and live around the new jersey area (namely edison) please give me a holler because not too many people are offering them near me, thanks

i was also wondering if there were some stuff i should shy away from when loooking for a bike, thanks again

I got a 2003 Ninja 250 for sale... Im out in california though... id glady ship it .... askin 2500 for it... has like 5k miles though..... new registration and what not on it...... prolly can find a bit of a older bike for a better price though.l.. just thought id throw it out there... and as for startin with a 250.... its a good move... great bike...handles great.... i enjoyed it alot.... just bought a 95 zx6r smokin... butr trahnk to the 250 i can handle it

[plum]

http://adcache.cycletrader.com/5/1/4/72203014.htm i found that on cycletrader, it looks like a good deal what do you guys think? it seems a bit cheap, do you guys think their might be a reason for this? thanks

[speediva]

Originally Posted by plum

http://adcache.cycletrader.com/5/1/4/72203014.htm i found that on cycletrader, it looks like a good deal what do you guys think? it seems a bit cheap, do you guys think their might be a reason for this? thanks

If you're close enough, what's it hurt to look it over? At worst, you decide the bike isn't in the shape you had hoped, at best, you get a bike.

[plum]

if theres nothing big wrong with this bike is 2000-2200 a good price for it? thanks, and if the bike has been sitting in storage for a year or two will that also decrease the value of the bike? thanks

[speediva]

Well, I'd kinda "ask and wonder" why it was in storage... I'd DEFINATELY make sure the bike starts cold. The carbs really don't like sitting for that long.

You can check on bike prices on kbb.com to give you an idea of what the bike *should* be selling for under ideal conditions.