Complete noob asking for guidance in purchasing bike

This will be my first Motorcycle. I'm pretty set on a wr250r or x, unless someone gives good reason why not.

Looking at used bikes.
I have a many handicaps that prevent me to know what I'm doing here. Here is a list
- low mileage to high mileage, moreover how many miles can one expect to get out out of an engine?
-Stock or with FMF programmer, if I have issues finding the right "fuel map" can I revert back to stock?
-I can't ride yet, so I can't test drive. I'll have seller run through the gears, what else should I look for?
- any changes from 2008-present that are worth noting?

That's a start, I hope to read some follow ups to this and post up more bike or owner specific questions.

Thank you
-R

Find the cheapest, low mileage, stock bike you can afford, then you can do what you want to do with it, if you are not able to ride take some one with you that can, and knows about the bike your looking at. thats the easiest rules to go by, cheer`s good luck.

What is low mileage?

Low mileage to me would be anything under 10k, but everyone has there own value on that.

smallybells wrote:

I have a many handicaps that prevent me to know what I'm doing here. Here is a list
- low mileage to high mileage, moreover how many miles can one expect to get out out of an engine?
-Stock or with FMF programmer, if I have issues finding the right "fuel map" can I revert back to stock?
-I can't ride yet, so I can't test drive. I'll have seller run through the gears, what else should I look for?
- any changes from 2008-present that are worth noting?

I've read of quite a few WRR owners still riding their bikes after 30K to 40K miles. I know of at least one that has over 50K miles on his. Personally I wouldn't have any problems buying a well cared for used bike with 10K to 20K miles. IMHO it's generally not the mileage so much to be concerned about as much as it is how the bike was ridden and maintained. Also bear in mind that the owner's manual calls for 3000 mile oil change intervals and 26000 mile valve adjustments... so 10K to 20K miles isn't a lot.

There's no need for an aftermarket EFI programmer unless you've modified the intake or exhaust airflow. Personally I prefer the stock setup because I enjoy the EXUP performance while trail riding and I like a quiet exhaust system. But if I was going to install aftermarket exhaust (and remove stock EXUP and AIS) I'd go with the more expensive Power Commander V programmer. It has some mapping capabilities that FMF programmer does not have. Yes you can always revert to stock by removing the aftermarket programmer and reinstalling the stock components.

Look for the same characteristics of any well cared for bike. Clean bike, clean fresh fluids, maintenance history, and a seller who seems like he's cared for the bike regularly. Specific to the WRR look for the chain wearing through the plastic slider into the front bottom end of the swingarm. Improper chain tension and spring selection for rider weight contribute to this on some bikes and it often goes unnoticed until the chain has worn into the swingarm metal. On a used bike I'd probably also want to have a peek under the plastic chain slider in this area just in case it was worn previously and a new slider was installed over the damage.

Other than color variations in plastics and forks these bikes are pretty much identical for all model years. There were a few fuel pump problems on the 2008 bikes, but not all 2008 owners have had problems. 2009 and later they went to a different fuel pump. There was a recall on the stator for all model years last summer, so you should ask if that has been performed yet.

Hope this helps!

Great advice and insight, thank you. There are about 10 bikes within a 4 hr drive from me now.
One, a 2008 says "never rode much stayed in storage for years, 5 k miles". So, was not maintained..., any comments on bikes unattended for years would be useful. This bike also had fmf header and muffler, will the stock ECU compensate for that or will it snort and gas itself out under certain conditions?

I have airbox mods, and header + pipe and no programmer, and lige it with the CO adjusted, and setting the TPS correct. You can always buy a programmer of you feel you need it.

I wouldnt hesitate if the bike was put away fairly clean/maintained.

If you've never ridden a bike do not worry about modifications yet. Finding a specific bike in good shape for a good deal is hard enough.  Take it stock or properly modded but then forget about mods and learn to ride.

If you end up with a stock bike, leave it that way and focus on riding skills for now.

Starting from scratch you'll be spending enough on gear anyway. If you get the bug to tinker with bike start with chassis mods like handguards, tail racks etc. so you don't have down time messing with power mods.

Good luck.


PS. Wear bright clothing when riding slab.

For me the things I look at are...(and please don't flame me it's just what I take into consideration when buying something from someone I don't know)...How well organized is the house, how clean are the cars, what does the house / yard look like, if those things don't appear maintained you probably can count on the bike not being cared for either. Does the name on the title match the name on his license. When I have sold my bikes I would not let the others ride them. I would take them for a ride, but until they owned it (cash in hand and title signed over) I would not let the person ride my bike. also look for rounded bolts (wrong wrench used or pliers used) Also check for leaks around the drain plug bolt, you don't want a stripped one. Ask about how they broke the bike in, ask how old the tires are (the tires actually have a tire month / year code stamped on them) if he really took care of the bike he should be able to tell you about all of that, and tell you about his maintenance schedule. Ask for any extras, ask for any original parts that he took off. Service Manual?? I do agree with one of the other posters when he said, buy as close to stock as you can find. I prefer the same thing, Farkles are OK, but doing engine mods I prefer to have in stock condition. I hope this helps, It's how I have sold my bikes and has worked well for me.

Thanks for all the comments. To be clear, by removing muffler you gain high end power and response?
You give up low end torque, mileage, and gain noise?

Of the twelve bikes I've been trying to get out and see (4 hour away) 3 are left. Im seeing Muffler setups from 300-800$ If I choose to do it after. One other bike available that is not a wr250r but a wr250x. How much is a alternate set of dirt rims to go on it?

I bought an X and it came with a set of Warp 9 wheels and knobbies in addition to the supermoto wheels/tires. I believe Warp 9 runs about $1200 new. While the R and X are very similar, the X has a larger front brake so you either need to compensate for that when swapping wheels or buy wheels that are made to mount to an X (like the Warp 9 wheels).

The knobbies came installed on the bike but after one ride I swapped to the supermoto wheels and have been riding those for the last few months. For learning to ride, I'm glad I went with the supermotos.

Disclaimer: There may be other ways to do it, but I didn't research it because mine came with both.