coral167

Member
Aug 6, 2010
4
0
Just startin out to ride and lookin for a bike,
5 10'' 160lbs
fairly agressive
riding trail woods open fields no racing
some experience on quads nothing crazy

found a yz250f in really good condition near where i live for $1000, for sale by some guy moving to florida in 2 weeks and has to get rid of it....
is the bike really high maintenance, if so what needs to be done?
and can i ride this as a first bike?
Thanks for the help and advise,
Tom
 

plynn41

Member
Jun 8, 2009
107
1
coral167 said:
is the bike really high maintenance, if so what needs to be done?
and can i ride this as a first bike?
Thanks for the help and advise,
Tom

Yes and yes. It's high maintenance, and the maintenance isn't cheap. Keeping the valve train in spec on a 4-stroke is what makes them more expensive than 2-strokes, and the high revving 250f will go through valve train parts quicker than any other dirt bike on the market. If you aren't racing and revving the bejebies out of it, the valve train will last a lot longer. There's a good chance the valve train on the bike you can purchase for $1000 may need a rebuild, and that will cost a lot, depending on whether you can do the work yourself or not.

Yes, I believe it would be a good bike for a beginner with your specs (as you described yourself). It will be quick and powerful, but the power delivery is forgiving and you ought to be able to control it as you learn. Like ANY bike, you can definitely hurt yourself if you're an idiot.
 

coral167

Member
Aug 6, 2010
4
0
thanks for the feedback, so in tour personal opinion is this bike worth going for? and if not do you think you can point me toward a good bike to to purchase
 

plynn41

Member
Jun 8, 2009
107
1
No one can say whether it's worth $1K or not with out investigating the shape of the engine. It might be a steal, it might cost a lot of money to bring it up to spec. Impossible for us to say here. I would get someone you trust to look at it before I'd part with my money. If the engine runs, but it needs a new valve job, you'd be wise to go ahead and spend the money rather than trying to ride it when the valves are out of spec. A dropped valve will cause catastrophic engine damage, which can cost you more than what you are paying for the bike.

For me, I prefer 2-strokes.. :nod:
 

robwbright

Member
Apr 8, 2005
2,283
0
My 03 250F was a steal at $1000 - I've ridden it since last October with no engine issues whatsoever (after getting the carb jetted properly it has run without hiccup). The owner told me it had an all new top end, valve train, etc. . . and it did.

Then again, I'm a "C" rider and I'm not up against the rev limiter very much. An "A" rider will be adjusting/replacing valves on a 250f much more often.

I bought another 03 250f for a buddy for $900 and that one had issues that took about 8-10 hours of work to fix. Out of pocket cost for parts on the motor work was less than $100, though - and I can do most of my own work, so no labor charges - just time.

If the valve train is worn out, you'll have hundreds of dollars (possibly $1000 or more) in parts in the bike to get it right - and then you're looking at having $1500-3000 in an older bike.

As noted above, get someone who knows what they're looking for to have a look. It would even be a good idea to pull the head cover and at least measure the valve clearances.


You might want to also consider a 125 2 stroke (which are selling VERY cheap nowadays) or a KTM 200 (not as cheap, but very nice bikes and they have a lot more torque than a 125).
 

TN94z

Member
Oct 13, 2010
20
0
So where does the big expense come from? Is it just the labor? If you do the work on the bike yourself, is it really that expensive? There shouldn't be much to adjusting valves. And unless you drop a valve, I just can't see having to spend that mind of money.

I'm just asking because I'm thinking about getting one in the spring
 

jb_dallas

Member
Feb 17, 2009
498
0
Personally, I would not buy a YZ250F for trail riding. The YZ is a motocross bike, made for a motocross track. Aside from the small annoying things, like no kickstand, no light, a small gas tank which limits your range, you have the big issue...gearing. The YZ will be too tall in first (which can cause overheating chugging around) and the rest of the gears will be too closely spaced to be an ideal trail bike. I know because I owned a YZ400F that I tried to "trailize"...I could never get past the gearing, so I sold it and bought a WR426 and Im much happier with it. WR = Wide Range. With that being said, I know a guy that rides a KTM 250 SX (supercross) bike on the trail, but he is also a B class rider that has the skill to compensate for the gearing, not a beginner.
 

_JOE_

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2007
4,697
3
Like jb said, it's a track bike. You can ride it in the trails but there's better trail bikes. Trail bikes are generally lower maintenance.

The expensive part of a 250f valvetrain rebuild is the valve seats. You need to have them done absolutely perfectly. This usually requires a very expensive peice of equipment therefore it is pricey to have done....around two or three hundred. You can also just buy a new OEM head ready to load your new valves and such into for a few bucks more. Grand total with new valves, springs, seals, head, piston and gaskets should be around a grand. The price can, and usually does, go up from there. You've still got a cam chain, cam bearings, cam chain tensioner and lower end that could need attention.
 

_JOE_

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2007
4,697
3
Usually around 100 hours of run time, but there's a TON of variables and a few methods of destroying the valves quicker. Bigger engines tend to turn lower rpm's and have more surface area around the bore so yes, they last a bit longer. They'll still eat themselves in a hurry if you let a little dirt in. Racers on the rev limiter will need to service them much sooner.
 

GoldDrum

Member
Aug 5, 2009
75
0
But at your size and experience a 450 would probably be more bike than you should start off with. For your type of riding and build you may want to look more at a XR250. It is a 4 stroke trail bike that requires little maintainence. For the most part, change the oil and ride. I had a XR400 for a couple of years and rode it pretty hard and never had to do anything else.
 

jb_dallas

Member
Feb 17, 2009
498
0
I second the XR suggestion. A good friend of mine just bought my XR400. They are excellent trail bikes, especially for a beginner. The XRs are absolutely bulletproof and low maintenance. A properly maintained XR will run hundreds of hours without a rebuild. Down the road, if you get bored with the XR, sell it and upgrade...but there is no need to start trail riding on a high maintenance 250F.
 

motoplat

Member
Sep 16, 2020
2
1
I own a 2004 YZ250F and I hate it as a trail bike. It is a motocross bike and is, even with it's age, a good motocross bike for novice, vet, intermediate rider. The 5 valve head is problematic because very few mechanics are familiar with that configuration and they do not understand how to set the engine up properly. The center intake valve is unique and is at a different angle than the other 4 valves which causes different wear pattern. The valves are Ti and specially coated. Usually the casual owner runs pump gas which causes accelerated depletion of the valve stem coating. Once the coating is worn off the valves are shot and the head needs a rebuild.
I like the XR 400 or 600 for trails. Many people (KTM owners) call them overweight and such, but those bikes have served trail riders well for decades and have won numerous woods and cross country races in the right hands.
 
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