Never raced! I promise!

[inotocracy]

Ever come across those sales on craigslist where the bike has numbers, and motocross parts and the owner claims its never been raced? Lately I've been emailing the sellers for fun asking why they have numbers and sponsor stickers if they have never been in a race. Rarely do I receive a reply, and if they do reply its usually with a smart ass comment or them telling me to screw off.

Still a tad new to this sport, but if a bike has been raced does that lower its value since its been ridden hard? Is that why they lie about an obviously raced bike?

 

[BSWIFT]

Depends on the rider and the maintenance. My bike has been raced by me, 4-5 times. I'm a spode so I would consider it raced hard. I run numbers but just so I don't have blank white plates. The extra stuff is just the way I like the bike setup. It really comes down to maintenance. Clean oil, clean air filter, overall well cared for. It's a dirtbike, it has scratches and dings. If it doesn't, probably hasn't been riden much.

 

[mkelly04]

I think having an ex racers bike is a good thing.

The vast majority of guys that I know that race are very anal about bike maintenance.

Most of the weekend warriors that I know really dont know how to properly maintain their bikes.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Not anal on maintenance. By the time a racer gets pretty good, he knows what it takes to finish a race, proper maintenance. Guys that own mx bikes and do not race, are good for running it till it breaks. Good luck with that!

 

[jackflack44]

lol i know what ya mean

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

If the guy is sketchy about if is raced or not, what else is sketchy on? Chances are good, if he does race, he finishes pretty far back, in c class.

 

[inotocracy]

That makes a lot of sense! If thats the case then why do people lie about it being raced or not?

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Hiding inadequate maintenance! Its right in the manual.

 

[_JOE_]

Most people associate racing with beating the sh*t out of a bike. When you're talking about a bike designed for racing, it's not a bad thing. Like everybody else is saying, racers tend to maintain thier bikes well. The more serious they are about it the more serious they are about maintenance, usually. A guy who is trying to win a series isn't gonna throw it away to lack of maintenance. These bikes usually see maybe 1 or 2 practice days a week and a race day. If they only race 1 class that's not many hours accumulated in a week. Some guy riding around the fields by his house will probly wear parts out faster than the racer. The casual rider tends to be more lax on maintenance and usually doesn't keep track of the hours on the bike as well. Additionally, fast racers usually get some kind of help from a local dealer or shop, so they get parts cheaper which makes it easier to keep the bike fresh.

 

[Chili]

I always laugh when the first question anyone asks me about a bike we are selling is "has it been raced?" Tell them yes and they are no longer interested, they'd rather buy a farm bike that the kid hasn't raced OR changed the oil and filters in since he got it versus one that has been maintained to the utmost degree.

 

[mideastrider]

I'm with Chili he's spot on. I prefer a used race bike over a "farm bike" any day.

 

[holeshot]

99 % of dirt bikes have been raced. If you go on a "casual" trail ride with a group of riders, it always turns into a race at some point - it's just human nature. If the riders are fast, then you get a fast little race going on (with subsequent bike thrashing).

If you line up at an "official" race, and the gate drops on the +50 beginner class, chances are that you'll need a Sundial to keep lap times and the bikes won't be thrashed that much.

I'd stay away from a national caliber rider's race bike, but any other bike is just gut feel.

People don't buy dirt bikes to go hunting mushrooms with - they buy 'em because they want to go fast (on or off the track). Is practicing racing?

Never raced......ha. :coocoo:

 

[Rich Rohrich]

I sure would like to meet these "racers" that take such good care of their bikes. I guess I've been travelling in the wrong circles all these years. :)

 

[oldguy]

I sure would like to meet these "racers" that take such good care of their bikes. I guess I've been travelling in the wrong circles all these years. :)

I agree to a point
I know that of the top 5 A riders in our area I wouldn't touch a used bike from them because they are trashed.
The next tier of riders (Spider fits in here but of course I try to do all the maintanence) seem to have better bikes later in the season because they don't get as much support and therefore take a bit better care of them.
The final tier is a crapshoot on what they do to keep the bikes up.

That said whenever I wanted to sell a bike as a whole item I usually had it sold first day at the track to another racer because they knew I did the simple stuff and either Rich or Eric Gorr did the stuff I am afraid to touch.

I honestly would never send Spider onto a track if I had any question a part was questionable- The racer is a different point I know he is not all there :nener:

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

"Raced" is such a broad term.

What exactly does that mean?

A serious racer could be practicing at the track twice a week and then riding motos on the weekends. The bike could get 20 minutes of ride time on race day and several hours during practice. If you just rode the practice, and skipped the actual races, would the bike fare any better?

I can be out on a play ride and cover the same terrain at the same speed as I would if I were riding an enduro. During an enduro, if I am actually time keeping (and not late and trying to catch up) there will be stretches where I am just putting along or even coming to stop to kill time.

Riding at the track is a new thing for me and so far I am sure that the bike has suffered less abuse at the track than one one of my typical trail rides. My body has been suffering more at the track, but the bike hasn't. The dirt is softer and the bike doesn't cartwheel nearly as many times as when I loop it climbing a steep hill.

Most of the competitive events I have been in avoided the long, smooth high speed roads in favor of technically challenging stuff. When I get on a trail ride, however, we might hit a power line road where I am tempted to hold the throttle wide open for an extended period, or until better sense prevails.

On the flip side, I know people who "race" and don't maintain their bikes. They run it until it breaks and then buy another one.

Raced or not the real question is how well it has been maintained and if worn/damaged parts have been replaced as needed.

I am also very suspicious about the claims of "oil changed after every ride".

Rod

 

[Chili]

I am also very suspicious about the claims of "oil changed after every ride".

Rod

Our 2 strokes were changed after every ride, the 4 stroke is between 2-3 hours on the hour meter.

 

[_JOE_]

Our 2 strokes were changed after every ride, the 4 stroke is between 2-3 hours on the hour meter.

Does it actually need changed when you do it? I trust a good oil for 4 or 5 hours. I ran Pro honda hp4 in mine from new until I did the top end, now I am running Rotella T. I changed the hp4 every 4-5 hours and it looked clear. The internals(-the piston skirts) looked new. The Rotella came out clear after 3 hours, so I'm gonna start going 4 and call it a schedule. :nod: I guess we'll see how it looks when I go to re-ring. :cool:

 

[Rich Rohrich]

That said whenever I wanted to sell a bike as a whole item I usually had it sold first day at the track to another racer

Dave - You and Chili are the notable exceptions to my rather cynical view.

It's always enjoyable helping you guys because I know how serious you guys take your maintenance.

The funny thing is I know you end up spending less than the guys who ignore the maintenance till it breaks, and I know you get more for your bikes used, and deservedly so.

I think you guys are the exception rather than the rule. ;)

I think the trick is to buy a used bike from a guy like me, who spends more time working on the bike than riding it. :whoa:

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Does it actually need changed when you do it? I trust a good oil for 4 or 5 hours.

Unless you are testing oil all the time, and comparing them to virgin samples there is no way to know for sure. Erring on the conservative side with oil is incredibly cheap insurance.

 

[Chili]

Does it actually need changed when you do it? I trust a good oil for 4 or 5 hours.

Unless you are testing oil all the time, and comparing them to virgin samples there is no way to know for sure. Erring on the conservative side with oil is incredibly cheap insurance.

That's pretty much sums it up for me Joe, the oil still looks good when it comes out but I have no idea if that equates to everything is good and it just didn't discolor. The cost factor of changing it at 2.5 hours versus 4 hours is so insignificant and it makes me feel better. At 2.5 hour intervals my son's bike which just rolled 64 hours this weekend would have seen 25 oil changes at 2.5 hours per, or 16 at 4 hours per. So let's round off to 10 extra oil changes in a season and a half that's about $35 total for the peace of mind.

Another thought is your Honda has separate oil where we are using the same oil for the entire engine/gearbox, which makes me a bit more nervous about contamination from clutch debris.

 

[oldguy]

Another thought is your Honda has separate oil where we are using the same oil for the entire engine/gearbox, which makes me a bit more nervous about contamination from clutch debris.

Running Yamaha 4 strokes :nod: :nod:

We actually do it every time we pack up from the track- sometimes 45 minutes (depending which bike he pounded) all the way up to 3 hours

I am no way wealthy and figure I would rather opt for cheap insurance then a new engine

 

[sparkysakitas]

ok what about a bike raced for a shop???
my rmz falls into that category it was raced by a mid b low a rider for season and a half+ maintained by suzuki shop

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Anyone who buys a used RMZ250 that was raced needs to have their head examined.

 

[inotocracy]

Anyone who buys a used RMZ250 that was raced needs to have their head examined.

Elaborate good sir.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Elaborate good sir.

Do a quick search here or on any forum on earth. It's been regularly documented that the RMZ250 has proven to be the most unreliable design to come out of Japan in an incredibly long time. The stresses that come from racing only exacerbate this problem.

Even good maintenance can't overcome a poor design or manufacturing.