New Rider looking to purchase Yamaha WR 250

[Rusty99]

Hi Y'all,

I'm in the market to purchase a 2007 or newer Yamaha WR 250 as my first dirt bike. I need some help with what to look for when checking out a used dirt bike and also some pricing. I'm a total newbie to dirt bikes so any tips are appreciated.

I'm very picky about the maintenance of my truck and quad so I'm really in the market to buy a bike that has been looked after really really well. WR's are hard to come by in the used market so I need to be ready to make a quick decision. I looked at a 2007 WR 250 with 2400km tonight and it looked like it wasn't very well maintained. The guy was the 2nd owner for past 3yrs and has never oiled the chain or cleaned the oil filter. He wanted $4000 and I'm leary about the bike. I'd like to offer $3000 given it will need a new chain and probably sprockets. The right fork also appeared to be leaking. It also needs a new battery.


Anyways here's my basic list of things to inspect.

1. Airfilter cleanliness
2. Tightness of spokes
3. Leaks on forks
4. Tire lugs missing or loose
5. Chain oiled
6. Chain tightness (I'm not sure how tight it should be?)

Looking forward to your input

cheers

 

[takethebounce]

There is lots you can look at. I would look at the fork seals for leaks. A chain in bad shape could just be an old chain. I would look at the sprockets for wear. The brake rotors can help show true age and wear as well. They should be smoother on a lower hour bike. If they are heavily worn it can be an indicator of higher mileage.

$4000 sounds a little higher. $3000 and it sounds like you would still be adding new parts. Hard to find something maintained well for under $3500.

Don't be afraid to shop around. Look at prices in different areas. People will ask redonkulous amounts of money for junk.


sent from a top secret location

 

[john s]

Hi where about do you live there is a 2010 on kijiji Calgary for $5800

 

[dirtbiker77]

there is always good ways to tell if its beat to hell, im sure after 2400km he would have changed the valve shims a couple times or more so if there is a back up kick start it should have good compression. its not hard to tell if its weak or not. also look at tire wear, you can see that back tires wear faster but can tell if a tire is really burnt off more then the front. after all its a trail bike. fork seals happen so 2400 it needs them. they are cheap and about an hours work. $4000 is way high in my mind at best i say 3000 if it needs work. being 2007 all dirt bikes reduce price insainly. call a dealer and ask black book value and youll almost drop the phone. keep looking bud last thing you want is to rush in and get a bad taste in your mouth first bike.

 

[TheMuffinMan]

Never buy a used bike without letting it run for a good 10 minutes. A quick start and rev wont tell you anything as the problems will take some run time to show themselves. It's not uncommon to see guys unloading bikes with known seal issues...they'll change the oil right before you show up so you don't notice coolant mixing with oil (water pump seal shot), oil spewing out crankcase vent (piston rings shot)...stuff like that. Get it good and hot, then check the fluids, air box, vent hoses before you think about buying it.