Wanted - 33bhp bike

Hi all
My daughter has been well and truly let down today. She has been promised a
rebuilt restricted GS500 for £500
When she went to collect it today (at least a month after she was originally
told it would be ready) she has been told it is £600, and a shaggy dog story
as to why, too boring to explain!
She had the sense to walk away, but is extremely upset.
Does anyone know of something suitable, within easy reach of Chesterfield,
Derbyshire?

Thanks

 

Why fart about with restricted bikes? Just go out and look for a bike
that produces 33bhp or less 'naturally'.

Assuming you don't buy a dog, you won't lose money on resale because
everyone's looking for them.

Honda CB250 and CD250U, Suzuki GN250 and TU250, a clutch of 250cc dirt
bikes, Yamaha XT350, and a load of old 1970s/80s stuff, but they're
probably only for the brave and/or committed.

By the way, your daughter has shown commendable sense in walking away
from what sounds like a nasty experience.

 

I don't suppose there is a list anywhere of bikes that meet the power
requirements?

 

Google is your friend for this sort of search.

There won't be a definitive list but there'll be lots of hints.

 

Is this as much of a dog as it looks?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_500wt_1156

 

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101025085215AAbaivI

See answer 2, which gives such a list.

 

<snip url>

Worse, if anything. Avoid.

If you're looking at late 1970s/early 1980s 250s, then the Honda CB250
Super Dream is pretty much indestructible if cared for, but prices for
good'uns reflect that. I sold the one belonging to our eldest, after the
two years' 33bhp purdah was over, for £550, but it was a nice original
low-miler with useful extras.

The Honda CB250RS is a single and even better: light, low, fast,
economical, fun. £600 is SP for a nice one.

Yamaha's XS250 - stodgy, poor starting, avoid.

Suzuki four-stroke twins - dodgy electrics, most are knackered now.

Kawasaki's Z250 twin - lovely bike, but tend to be rattlers and smokers
now.

Honda 400 Four - rated at 37bhp but no way on God's earth does it make
that. 30bhp on a good day, at the back wheel. Prices for minters are so
high they're silly. Most of the crop of 1970s/80s 400cc twins are
similarly powerful (or not), but again, they're scarce in decent nick.

Two strokes - only for the brave. Except for MZ's 251/301 Saxon series.
Definitely an acquired taste, but really good practical bikes. Kickstart
only. I rode one around France for 10 days, back in the early 1990s,
chasing hot air balloons. Great fun. Japanese 1970s/80s 250 two-strokes
are silly money if in good roadworthy nick.

Later ones - the Honda CB250N and the CD250U share the same engine,
although the CB (confusingly) is single carb whereas the most staid CD
is twin carb. The CB's the better bike. Alloy wheels, twin clocks, 85mph
top whack, 70mpg. £550-600 for a nice one.

I've got a Suzuki GN250 as a commuter hack. Sort of mini-custom thing.
Gorgeous soft torquey single cylinder engine, and they rack up amazing
mileages. Very, very good on fuel, very low seat, basically a 125 with a
250cc engine in. Not the fastest - 80mph top whack but will cruise all
day at 60-65. £500 for a nice one.

The TU250 is the same thing in more 'classic roadster' trim. Same
engine, flat bars, no rev counter and (oddly) no side stand. Later bike
than the GN so a tad pricier.

 

Like an Armstrong?!

Maybe not then....

 

It was a GS500, she had a lucky escape - they really are shit and there
are far far better bikes out there, in fact almost every other bike
ever made is better. She could always look for an unrestricted bike and
get it 33bhp restricted, that opens up more avenues to explore.

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)

 

If she gets a VFR or CBR 400 I've got a set of restrictors in the shed
she's more than welcome to.

 

www.bikez.com gives the specs of most bikes.

 

http://www.therevcounter.com/motorb...cted-motorbike-list-less-than-33bhp-25kw.html

A few on the list are grey imports only - I had an SRX400 which was right on
the limit and thoroughly enjoyed it at the time.

 

If she wants to pop down my shed, I'm sure I can find something.

 

I have a vision of a sort of Tardis-stylee rip in the space-time
continuum.

 

You mentioned that before and having bought one last year I'd be interested
to know more. Any specific weak points or just a sort of general crapness on
all fronts?

 

He just has a phobia about them.
I have a very nice 03 reg one with only 3500 miles looking for a new home.
In general they are good reliable commuters but they can get scruffy rather
quickly if not garaged. Properly serviced with regular oil changes etc they
rarely give problems, neglected ones should be avoided.

There are a lot of restricted ones about, find a suitable piece of road and
open it wide in 5th gear (not 6th) - if it runs out of puff between 95 and
100 mph it is restricted. Now for the tricky bit - the "official" Suzuki
restrictor kit has modified carb slides which will cost you about £100 to
replace, aftermarket restrictors are just washers behind the carbs which can
be easily removed.

 

Everything. Outdated and and badly made seem to be the worst things
about them.

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)

 

I've snipped the rest of this bollocks because it's very clear that
over 7 years and 3500 miles you're not in any position to make a
judgement on how good any vehicle is.

If you were doing more than an average of 500 miles a year - a figure
which I was likely to do before stopping for a late lunch on a long
day's riding this summer - then I might take more notice of what you
have to say.

The GS500 is a pile of shit, every single one of them is a fucking
rust-bucket and they are not at all reliable. I've told the story here
before about the three engines in a week on Molly's old one and spent
far too lomg cutting off corroded fasteners to do work on them.

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)

 

Might do, however, it's not all about the 33bhp requirement.

To be honest, before I can answer thoroughly I'd need a jpeg of your
daughter in the first instance [1]

[1] It is Christmas after all
--
Donnie
"**** the world, it's time to fight back"

Lambretta Series 2 186cc "The Shitter"
Lambretta LD 175cc "The Chopper"
Honda CB500R "Look out, Donnie's about!"

 

Personally, I think she should fucking ignore the 33bhp shite anyway
and ride a normal bike - I can supply a genuine invoice for the fitting
of a restrictor kit if needed by an insurance company. I'd never dream
of letting one of my kids ride a restricted bike again after trying
Caz's NC30 - fucking thing was absolutely gutless and downright bloody
lethal.

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)