Pricing a used WR

Hi,

I am thinking of checking out this used 2008 WR250R at a local dealer. Is got 10,700 miles. That seems high on one hand and low on the other, for the year. It has a few scratches and is missing the stock mirrors. It has a FMF Q4 exhaust with stock header, Renthal bar, skid plate, Acerbis handguards, replacement turn signals. I dont see many in this price range, it seems a decent price, what do you think?

Thanks!

10,000 miles isn't bad at all for these bikes.  Recommended oil change intervals are every 3,000 miles and the first valve adjustment isn't suggested until 26,000 miles.

bigcanoe wrote:

I dont see many in this price range, it seems a decent price, what do you think?

I think you didn't tell us the price...  

wwguy wrote:

10,000 miles isn't bad at all for these bikes.  Recommended oil change intervals are every 3,000 miles and the first valve adjustment isn't suggested until 26,000 miles.

bigcanoe wrote:

I dont see many in this price range, it seems a decent price, what do you think?

I think you didn't tell us the price...  

DOHT! $3149...unknown what fees and extra charges get added, but thats the price listed.

Go buy it

That sounds like a great price to me.

For reference here are some other prices of similar bikes for sale:
http://www.bikefinds.com/yamaha-wr250r-for-sale

Nice, very helpful, thank you!

With doc fee (ugh), tax, title, it comes to $3537 out the door, no trade. Do you think I can do better? I dont mind making a silly offer but I want to have a final price in mind too. Thank you!

bigcanoe wrote:

With doc fee (ugh), tax, title, it comes to $3537 out the door, no trade.  Do you think I can do better? I dont mind making a silly offer but I want to have a final price in mind too.  Thank you!

Normally dealers have more leeway with the margin on used bikes than with new.  Based on that I would offer them $3000 OTD and see what they say.

Personally I think that is a great price if they don't budge if the bike is in decent shape and doesn't need a lot of repairs.  Used bikes like this can be a bit hit or miss when you get them from a dealer.  My ideal seller is some one who has owned the bike for a long time and has maintenance records for the bike - rare but you do find them.

I did buy a used bike from a friend not to long ago and I guess I thought other than the cosmetic condition that it would be in better shape than it was.  But as I dug into it there was some questionable maintenance practices that were showing up most likely from the prior owner and not necessarily him.  So I ended up going over the whole bike and put a bit more money into it than I had originally thought I would.  

I love the bike and am planning on keeping it for a long time.  If I had to do it over again I may have opted to pass and see if I could find one for sale from the original owner or just buy new.

BTW there was a 2009 WR250R with 7000 miles in Michigan for $2500. http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/2009-wr250r.1248825/

Thats good information and a good price reference! They seem to be few and far between for sale in that price range, I will see what I can do! Assuming I like it in person. I have scoured the photos for every detail I can find up front haha.

bigcanoe wrote:

Thats good information and a good price reference!  They seem to be few and far between for sale in that price range, I will see what I can do!  Assuming I like it in person.  I have scoured the photos for every detail I can find up front haha.

There are some things to check over when you look at the bike.

- Check the chain slider for wear.
- Open the airbox and check the air filter for cleanliness and see if it is OEM or an aftermarket
- Pull the air filter and look at the intake track for signs of dirt.
- If the flapper valve still in place or was it removed. If removed then check the TB to make sure there is a cap on the vacuum port for the flapper valve.
- Check the chain and sprockets for wear - especially the front sprocket. This is usually a pretty good indication of how well the owner took care of the bike.
- Check the spoke tension on the wheels (friend of mine purchased a WRR for a good deal only to find out the wheels were cracked).
- Ask if the Stator recall has been done.

There are other things but this is what comes to mind now.

Sometime I should sit down and make a check list of what to look at when buying a used motorcycle since often times I forget some of these.

I am sure others can add info to this.

The flapper is right under the seat correct? Im going on my lunch hour so I wont have complete access today. I did notice it seems to have an aftermarket front sprocket cover (metal). I will ask about recalls and service history too.

bigcanoe wrote:

The flapper is right under the seat correct?  Im going on my lunch hour so I wont have complete access today.  I did notice it seems to have an aftermarket front sprocket cover (metal).  I will ask about recalls and service history too.

My guess is the metal cover for the sprocket is the Sandman cover which is pretty nice.

The flapper valve is on the top of the airbox under the seat. Many removed this which normally requires you to cap off the vacuum fitting on the throttle body.

Both my bike and a friends bike had this mod. I did the mod myself and put the cap in place but a year later when I went to install an IMS 4.7 gallon tank I noticed the cap was dry rotted and about to fall off.

On my buddy's bike the bike showed signs of ingesting dirt into the intake and basically he got to the point where it would no longer start and needed a new top end. During that process he noticed that there was no cap on the vacuum fitting which would allow unfiltered air into the intake. His bike also came with a K&N filter and personally I don't care for these since they do not seem to seal and filter as well as the stock filter. They may be ok for street riding but I would not use one if I am going to be off pavement with a lot of dust (just my opinion).

Im back, and a little disappointed.  Its rougher than I expected.  I dunno why I expected nicer but its scuffed, some marked plastics, some scuffs on the hand guards, rubbed spots on the frame.  Thats all acceptable if the price is right, but there is one thing that worries me.  There were two tapped off plugs, not cut just covered with electrical tape.  One was up front on the left side.  The other was under the seat.  There is also something missing under the seat.  There is a plastic bracket with a round hole with nothing in it under there.  Otherwise, mechanically it seemed ok.  The sprockets and tires were good.  Brake pads ok.  Here are some pictures, what do you think could have been removed?

The hole in the plastic under the seat is used for the flapper valve actuation.  On a stock bike there is a vacuum module that sits in that opening and opens and closes the flapper valve based on a signal from the ECU.  The vacuum harness has a solenoid in it that open and closes and I believe that connector under the seat is what goes to that harness.  Most of us have deleted the flapper valve so the only thing you need to make sure is that there is a cap over the vacuum port on the throttle body.. or at least that it is still there.

The other connector up by the fuel tank I think goes to the AIS system.  If he has a FMF muffler on the bike there is a good chance the prior owner removed the AIS from the bike so what you are seeing is the plug that would plug into the AIS.  That is I think that is what is happening there.  

Also with the FMF muffler he would have had to disconnect the EXUP motor from the stock pipe when he installed the FMF.  So you may see some actuator cables up near the front of the RH side of the swing arm.  Or the PO could have removed the EXUP stepper motor and used either an emulator or some resistors to keep the bike from setting the check engine light.

Off the top of my head I don't see anything too concerning there other than the Aluminum rear sprocket.  

Best buy a steel replacement if you are planning to do a lot of rides.  I would go with a 46 to 48 tooth sprocket myself - it looks like he has a 43 on it now which makes me wonder if he was running a 12 tooth front C/S sprocket. Better check out that chain slider to make sure the chain didn't eat through that and is now munching on the swingarm itself.





The bike has the appropriate number of Honor Badges (scuffs).

Oh thats good information. It does have an FMF Q4 exhaust. Will any of these mods hurt at state inspection time? Do all these mods require a tune? Or is it possible the ECU is stock? It started right up and reved with no popping, no CELs visible.

I guess I am trying to make a calculated guess on long term issues. I dont know much about FI bikes.

bigcanoe wrote:

Oh thats good information.  It does have an FMF Q4 exhaust.  Will any of these mods hurt at state inspection time?  Do all these mods require a tune?  Or is it possible the ECU is stock?  It started right up and reved with no popping, no CELs visible.

I guess I am trying to make a calculated guess on long term issues.  I dont know much about FI bikes.

If the AIS was there it would probably pop.

It may have a tuner on it but I don't know.  I have an open airbox and modified stock exhaust (catalytic converter is removed) and have run the FMF programmer and a Power Commander V as well.  I am currently running it without either of those and I am very happy with the performance.  Some will say you need the programmer but I think it is more of a want than a need.

Not sure about your State Inspection - here in GA they pretty much just make sure the bike is street legal based on the VIN - no emission testing is required.

I googled it, there is no exaust/emissions for bikes in NC. Not sure why I didnt remember that :)

Im thinking I can use this to my advantage on price since it has been modified and is a little worn around the edges!

bigcanoe wrote:

I googled it, there is no exaust/emissions for bikes in NC.  Not sure why I didnt remember that :)

Im thinking I can use this to my advantage on price since it has been modified and is a little worn around the edges!

Make sure you look at the chain slider - I edited my previous post to include pictures.

If the chain is eating into the swing arm that can be a costly repair. You need to look at both the top and bottom portion of the swing arm. The slider is easy to replace and not too expensive but many people don't check it.

Will do. I noticed the top chain guard is gone. Do these pictures help? Its about 30 minutes back out there, maybe I can ask them to send me a picture of the slider specifically. I cant thank you enough for your help!

Ok time to start to Google "WR250R Chain Slider wear" and inform yourself about the bike before buying.

The chain slider sits between the swing arm and the chain at the LH front of the swing arm.

I see, its kind of a long U shaped piece of plastic right? Is there anything I could have them snap a picture of? Maybe top and bottom of the slider area?

Is a 40$ chainslider really stopping you from buying this nike?

Or do you just want to know to push the price down? Go buy it already

Lol no, just being paranoid :)

I saw this bikes CL ad while I've been looking. Did you get it?

Nope, I passed on it. And since it didnt sell yet they raised the price to $3800! Strange...in retrospect I kind of wish I had made them an offer.