Looking into a bike, opinions wanted.

csdwarf

Member
Apr 19, 2010
177
0
Hey guys, I'm just getting into dirt biking, I can ride on around a field and do pretty well, right now I'm riding my friends old 1988 KDX 200 and its a bit old and i'm looking for a bike.

Im looking into a 1996 kx 125, my friends do woods riding and said they have been starting to get into riding at the pit ( little local motocross track there)

anyway, there is a 1996 kx 125 for sale on craigslist for 350$, it is supposedly good condition except it needs a new piston.

I called the guy and felt it out, he threw the piston away so i wont be able to see it, he claims it didn't have a hole in it and it was "gummed up and the rings were sticky"

He said the cylinder is good and it just needs top end kit and top end bearing, at that point were looking at about 80$ to get the bike up and running.

is this to much of a gamble? what are common problems with these bikes? how are they ect, anything I need to know?

I priced out if worse come to worse case how much it would cost.

Bike - 350
Top end bearing - 10
Piston kit - 75
Full engine gasket kit-55
cranks bearings and seals - 45

That works out to under 550$. but thats assuming the bike is in good condition except the engine.

any opinions wanted

Thanks guys!
 

mideastrider

~SPONSOR~
Jul 8, 2006
827
1
Unless you just have your heart set on a fix'er upper project I would move on to something running.
And $200 in parts is not worse case scenario. Thats best case scenario.
Worst case would be the parts you listed plus a cylinder re-plate and a rod kit. Get all that together and fire her up. Then you will know what gears are gone in the tranny and how bad the clutch is slipping.
Being $350 on craigslist I'm sure the wheel bearings,swingarm bearings and linkage bearings, oh yeah and forks and shock are all like new.
Not to discourage you but thats just a few of the things that can be or will be wrong.
 

_JOE_

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2007
4,697
3
I've been doing alot of bike shopping this winter. Bought an rm125 for my brother and a kx100 for my wife. Both bikes looked decent and ran great. The rm needs tires and some rear wheel bearings. The suspension is due for a service. Other than that it's in good shape for an 01. He gave 1400 for it. Motor is fresh and clutch is good. The kx is an 02. It has fresh top and bottom end but but thats about the extent of the good. I gave 800 for it and had to respoke the wheels, new wheel bearings, chain/sprockets, cables, lots of hardware, tires, brake rotor and it would still need a good suspension service to make it track worthy. We looked at several bikes from 500-1500 dollars. They ranged from scrap metal to rebuildable. The bikes at the lower end of the price range generally needed more money in just parts than the more expensive bikes cost. Never assume all a bike needs is a top end, or chain and sprockets, or tires.....most people don't know how to maintain a race bike and run them until they're completely clapped out. Those are the "cheap" bikes. When I'm looking at MX bikes I prefer to find one that was a race bike, owned and maintained by a guy with a nice clean garage full of tools/supplies and other bikes/quads. I can usually tell when I pull up to a house whether or not I'd buy a bike there. If the seller seems clueless or thier house/vehicles look beat, RUN AWAY!!!!
 

csdwarf

Member
Apr 19, 2010
177
0
mideastrider said:
Unless you just have your heart set on a fix'er upper project I would move on to something running.
And $200 in parts is not worse case scenario. Thats best case scenario.
Worst case would be the parts you listed plus a cylinder re-plate and a rod kit. Get all that together and fire her up. Then you will know what gears are gone in the tranny and how bad the clutch is slipping.
Being $350 on craigslist I'm sure the wheel bearings,swingarm bearings and linkage bearings, oh yeah and forks and shock are all like new.
Not to discourage you but thats just a few of the things that can be or will be wrong.

Well I have inside micrometers ect and I will be able to tell if the cylinder is in good shape , but I guess I didn't factor in the bottom rod bearing, I doubt those are super expensive, Ive replaced them on bikes in the past, pressing the crank apart ect inst that bad of a job.


but I deffinitnly understand what your saying and will take it into full consideration.

and again - I said 200$ IF the rest of the bike is in good conditions....meaning sprockets chains, bearings breaks ect are all decent.
 

csdwarf

Member
Apr 19, 2010
177
0
_JOE_ said:
I've been doing alot of bike shopping this winter. Bought an rm125 for my brother and a kx100 for my wife. Both bikes looked decent and ran great. The rm needs tires and some rear wheel bearings. The suspension is due for a service. Other than that it's in good shape for an 01. He gave 1400 for it. Motor is fresh and clutch is good. The kx is an 02. It has fresh top and bottom end but but thats about the extent of the good. I gave 800 for it and had to respoke the wheels, new wheel bearings, chain/sprockets, cables, lots of hardware, tires, brake rotor and it would still need a good suspension service to make it track worthy. We looked at several bikes from 500-1500 dollars. They ranged from scrap metal to rebuildable. The bikes at the lower end of the price range generally needed more money in just parts than the more expensive bikes cost. Never assume all a bike needs is a top end, or chain and sprockets, or tires.....most people don't know how to maintain a race bike and run them until they're completely clapped out. Those are the "cheap" bikes. When I'm looking at MX bikes I prefer to find one that was a race bike, owned and maintained by a guy with a nice clean garage full of tools/supplies and other bikes/quads. I can usually tell when I pull up to a house whether or not I'd buy a bike there. If the seller seems clueless or thier house/vehicles look beat, RUN AWAY!!!!

Yeah I understand what your saying, but so far Im just going off a phonecall with the guy.

He said the bike is in excellent shape besides the engine, and I have to assume its at least alright shape. Tires are decent its looks decent, clean... basically if he is saying it is excellent shape, i would be surprised if I showed up and it was one of the bikes that looked "beat"

one thing I did find weird thought, he said he has the cylinder looked at and honed and it is fine?

I know in the world of snowmobiling the nikicil coatings don't get honed...first thing i thought was this guys crazy, but then I googled it and I say it posted a few other places.
 

csdwarf

Member
Apr 19, 2010
177
0
I'm looking for something cheap, so you don't think this 350$ bike is a good option when trying to get into it cheap, what is a good bike that fits that criteria? woods trails and some pit riding is what ill be doing, and probably expanding off that.


thanks again guys! still surfing the classifieds.
 
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