Help Me Choose Plz!

[YipYipYa123]

went to buy a new cbr 250R and on the way there seen a 1994 suzuki gsx-r 750 in very nice condition ,many new parts restored ,

owned by a thai man ,who has proper green book for it and is willing to help transfer at DLT ,10,000km on a new engine ,restored or new fairings so it doesnt look old as old as it is

both bikes come in just under budget at 120,000 thb

would it be crazy to choose an old gsxr 750cc over a brand new CBR with warranty etc ?

[Skinlog]

if it will be my choose i will take CBR 250,only the reason it is new and will has warrenty for 3 years.with old one you don;t know how much extra will spend comming years,it is just how i think,not compairing motorbikes at all.just economical part

[wana]

if theyre both 120,000 i would get the cbr

it might be a hair dryer on wheels compared to a gsx-r 750 but absolutely EVERYTHING could be ready to break on GSXR thats nearly 19 years old

its had an engine rebuild ,but how about everything else ?

i dont know how hard or expensive it might be to get parts when these go wrong (and they will at some stage ) but at least with the cbr everybody and his dog

will have one and there should be spare parts all over the place + warranty coverage for the first few years

just out of interest if anyone knows ,how long does it take to get parts for an old gixxer in thailand ?

[Garry]

Go with the CBR, new & warranty. Don't buy someone else's problem.!

[ludditeman]

Way overpriced

the 750 should be 50-70k with book, 20-40k without

[KRS1]

dont even think twice about the gsxr, forget about it, get it out of your mind completely.

Eventhough the gsxr will run circles around the CBR 250, you'll hardly ever use all that power, but will definately pay for it in fuel regardless.

If you like to go out of town consider a secondhand Ninja 250.

[YipYipYa123]

1 yr old ninja would be a great toy if i could get one but i rarely see them on sale 2nd hand at reasonable prices

the ones i see either a few grand cheaper than a brand new one or theyve been damaged at that price range

[YipYipYa123]

1 yr old ninja would be a great toy if i could get one but i rarely see them on sale 2nd hand at reasonable prices

the ones i see either a few grand cheaper than a brand new one or theyve been damaged at that price range

[thaicbr]

new or rebuilt engine... really ..more like a 2nd hand one from Japan.. if your on a budget..then budget for the work involved in keeping the Suki running.. also bear in mind IT will NOT run properly on gasahol.

My vote is the Cbr250... 2nd hand you can find them for 85,000b up. Then spend about 25,000b on an exhaust, powercommander etc

That should give you about 26-27hp with the rev range up into the 10's

[KRS1]

1 yr old ninja would be a great toy if i could get one but i rarely see them on sale 2nd hand at reasonable prices

the ones i see either a few grand cheaper than a brand new one or theyve been damaged at that price range

I know where there are 3 all under 110k.

[chunkylover53]

You guys are all soo boring! Why would you buy a motorbike, if you really cared about a 3 year warranty and maybe having to pay in upkeep? Buy a washing machine - I think they even do 10 year warranties now.

Giggle with him on the price, but "if it was my choice", I would hop on the GSXR 750. They are beautiful, amazingly built, powerful machines, where as the CB'r' 250 is well....a bit of a Thai joke. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. If you want a bike for fun they the Suzuki, but if you're like a lot of the old farts on here and want to ride economical, 2 wheeled slowmobile - then buy the Honda.

[ttakata]

CBR or anything newer with fuel injection.

Why waste time and money on a ticking GSXR time bomb?

You'll have a hard time getting parts and finding someone to properly fix a GSXR.

Once I bought a 1979 Kawi Z1000 for $500.

I dumped $1200 into it at the Kawi dealer to rebuild the carbs and replace all the rubber seals.

It broke down the first week so I abandoned it on the side of the road and bought a new CBR600.

If a real US Kawi dealership can't service an old bike bike properly, I highly doubt some uneducated local can fix a GSXR.

It's fun to fix up a bike yourself if you know how, but unless you're rich, restoring anything is not a logical use of money.

I've restored an old Honda Z50 and CT70 for fun, but after so many hours and spending so much money, I will never restore a bike again.

[Timthai]

Add to the cost of the GSXR what you are likely to spend over the next two years in repairs and maintenance, and you can probably start building your justification to stretch the budget and buy an Er6F or N!

At least that's how my logic would work... I just need to give myself enough excuses why it makes sense to spend more!

[chunkylover53]

Why are you all presuming it is going to break down? I'm still on a 1989 Honda bike, that hasn't had many problems, in fact less than half the problems of my newer 2006 Monster.

Bring a real mechanic to look at the bike and get his opinion in private after the viewing (don't want anyone to lose face), and if see if it checks out.

The real question should be aimed at you - What do you want more? Reliablilty, economy, cheap Thai parts or speed, power, fun, and looks?

N.B. - It seems like it because of the way that I have been writing, but I have no affiliation with the seller of the Suzuki. I just happen to think they are waaayyyyyy better bikes than the Thai 250

[thaicbr]

Why are you all presuming it is going to break down? I'm still on a 1989 Honda bike, that hasn't had many problems, in fact less than half the problems of my newer 2006 Monster.

Bring a real mechanic to look at the bike and get his opinion in private after the viewing (don't want anyone to lose face), and if see if it checks out.

The real question should be aimed at you - What do you want more? Reliablilty, economy, cheap Thai parts or speed, power, fun, and looks?

N.B. - It seems like it because of the way that I have been writing, but I have no affiliation with the seller of the Suzuki. I just happen to think they are waaayyyyyy better bikes than the Thai 250

Is your 1989 Honda bike here in Thailand, if yes has it been worked on by Thai mechanics?

Here in Thailand where do you FIND a REAL mechanic?

The Suzuki's are great bikes when serviced properly by trained mechanics and in a country were spares are in the local shop or specialist bike dealer.. Here in Thailand....money pit.

And also for about 50,000b more the OP could get a 2-3 year old Kawasaki which would be more economical and more reliable.

Also a reminder these old bikes do NOT like running on gasohol.

[mezcal]

I would chose neither to be honest. The CBR is a big yawn on wheels and like someone else already said, a 19yo GSXR is a ticking time bomb, regardless of how good it looks from the outside. It will be a nightmare finding parts and a mechanic who know what he's doing....trust me, I've been there. And the Suzuki is way overpriced.

If I really had to chose between the 2, I would go for the CBR, but looking in the mirror in the morning would get a whole lot harder.

[chunkylover53]

Why are you all presuming it is going to break down? I'm still on a 1989 Honda bike, that hasn't had many problems, in fact less than half the problems of my newer 2006 Monster.

Bring a real mechanic to look at the bike and get his opinion in private after the viewing (don't want anyone to lose face), and if see if it checks out.

The real question should be aimed at you - What do you want more? Reliablilty, economy, cheap Thai parts or speed, power, fun, and looks?

N.B. - It seems like it because of the way that I have been writing, but I have no affiliation with the seller of the Suzuki. I just happen to think they are waaayyyyyy better bikes than the Thai 250

Is your 1989 Honda bike here in Thailand, if yes has it been worked on by Thai mechanics?

Here in Thailand where do you FIND a REAL mechanic?

The Suzuki's are great bikes when serviced properly by trained mechanics and in a country were spares are in the local shop or specialist bike dealer.. Here in Thailand....money pit.

And also for about 50,000b more the OP could get a 2-3 year old Kawasaki which would be more economical and more reliable.

Also a reminder these old bikes do NOT like running on gasohol.

Okay, I think a Kawa Er6 would probably be the best choice, but given the two options and budget he is looking at...well...

The OP stated that the Suzuki had a new engine (10,000kms), which is a big bonus. He also said it looked like is had been well looked after and many new parts put on - how is that a ticking time bomb?

FINDING a REAL mechanic isn't that hard. Don't ask Somchai at the end of the soi, go to RedBaron, Dirtshop, Chicane, I don't know. There are hundreds of REAL mechanics here, it takes patience and time, just like everything else in Thailand.

If the OP is willing to care for a bike and maybe put money into servicing it in the long run, which one should he choose?

[chunkylover53]

Yes, my 1989 Honda Nc30 has been worked on by Thai mechanics....some good and some bad. It was a learning experience for me, taught me a lot about the Thai motorbike culture - Always get a firm quote and never ever ever use somchai down the local soi.

More recently I've found a group of great mechanics for my bike and I'm having a blast. No more money is going in and only pleasure is coming out!

[thaicbr]

Yes, my 1989 Honda Nc30 has been worked on by Thai mechanics....some good and some bad. It was a learning experience for me, taught me a lot about the Thai motorbike culture - Always get a firm quote and never ever ever use somchai down the local soi.

More recently I've found a group of great mechanics for my bike and I'm having a blast. No more money is going in and only pleasure is coming out!

Do you mind sharing details about your mechanics..You were lucky... via pm if you do not want to do on open forum..

Also Redbaron still require a prepayment for their mechanics to work on the bike.. and the other mechanics you mentioned..who trained them?

But i do get your point.. hopefully you get ours as well.. you stated " it was a learning experience" and " no more money is going in" so it sounds like it happened to you before you found your great mechanics.

That's what we were saying it's not like you can drop into your Suzuki dealer and get it serviced or pick up some spare parts.... it's hard keeping an older big bike on the road..

[Garry]

Kuhn Boy and his team at Chicane Motorcycles in Bangkok are a good crew. He works on plenty of Ducati's including mine when it was down there, other big bikes including Aprilia's etc. The guy is professional and also races his own Ducati. I would highly recommend him for any bike inspections, normal servicings or deeper level work..