Don't buy a cheap bike...

[andym]

... and especially not from a so called friend that hasn't even tested the bloody thing.

I bought my intruder for £250 and was told that the spokes on the back wheel needed tightened. Since I wasn't allowed to do any work till I parted with the cash. Since paying for it I've had to buy/repair/replace:
Rear wheel
Rear hub
Rear tyre
Rear brake shoes
Rear braking arm
Rear bearings
Full Exhaust system
Starter motor
HT leads/plugs
Battery
Front brake pads.

Oh and the parts for a full service

Stuff still to buy:
Fork seals
Front pegs (or rubbers if they can be replaced)
Rear wheel arch or mudguard (whatever that is called because the back light has snapped off at some point and has been badly riveted on)
Front wheel arch or mudguard because that has been snapped at one side
Front tyre
various screws, nuts and bolts.

So far my £250 bike has cost me almost £1000 and I've done less than 1500 miles on it.

OK I'm done whinging now.

[MarJay]

I think that is down to a problem with your expectations and standards as opposed to your mate deceiving you.

A bike for £250 is always going to be shit, he just told you the bare minimum it might need for an MOT. The fact that the other stuff needed replacing is more down to what you find acceptable, from reading in between the lines...
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[ollieholt]

As said above, £250 isn't going to get you a perfect machine!

Lesson learned though eh? have a proper look about there are decent bikes for £500-600 out there.

Like buying a used phone for cheap or a laptop, probably knackered.
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< This? Well this is just a day brightner.

[N cee thirty]

lol suppose that phrase buy cheap buy twise is true,or in your case buy 4 times
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[MarJay]

Re-reading your original post, it seems that your expectations were really high.

So the rear light was badly rivetted on? Jeez, were you SERIOUSLY expecting a concourse bike for £250?

You remind me of a forum member a few years back who bought a car off of another forum member for peanuts and then whinged at them on the forum when it broke down. They couldn't reasonably have expected the failure to occur but it did and he blamed them.

Its not worth losing a friend over. If you weren't happy with the state of the bike then you should have stuck it on ebay. Sounds like you'd have got more than £250 for it on there. Sounds to me like you got a great deal, and you don't really understand the cost of motoring these days. If you buy an expensive vehicle you pay a lot of money for some peace of mind. If you buy a cheap vehicle you pay a lot to have it repaired when it goes wrong, unless you're very very very lucky.

Incidentally, did a garage tell you that all of the parts above needed replacing? I've never heard of a hub needing to be replaced before...
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[MarJay]

Has been waiting for BlueX5 to post this:

https://tf2chan.net/dis/src/129385307265.jpg
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[pits]

[andym]

Fair enough points.... I think

I realise that there is a lot of stuff that needs replaced quite regular, and for the amount of miles I do a day (about 56), then it really is quite a saving considering that it would cost me close to £300 per month just to go to work, as opposed to about £60 (neither taking into consideration tax, insurance etc).

My point was that I was told the back wheel needed repairing (or replacing), and the list is growing.

Anyway plain and simple no matter how wet I get on the way home, no matter how cold my hands get (or the rest of me for that matter), no matter how icy or snowy the roads get, no matter how much the back wheel twitches etc etc.... when I get home I still have a big grin on my face.

[hellbound]

a field....can of petrol...match
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May you always see the road rising up to meet you and your enemies defeated in the mirror behind.

[Blau Zedong]

[Moo.]

I bought my CB250N for the grand sum of £250 has only left me stranded when the CDI frazzled.. but thats common with these apparently has a nice protective layer of dirt all over it
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A2 Passed 18/6/10

[hellbound]

[Rogerborg]

I refer the honourable gentleman to this valuable life lesson from the documentary Animal House.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[chris-red]

My first bike cost £250 and was perfect didn't want for nothing in the first year I had her.


Also I feel this is needed

https://ohsoang.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/wambulance.jpg
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[MinhDinh]

I may be starting a job that is 10 miles away as opposed to my current 1 mile.

I am also thinking of a commuter bike as opposed to the B1h to save on fuel, but also stop adding miles to the B1h for a better resale value and to basically keep it clean as possible.

Looking at what was on offer for 400-500 quid, it wasn't so good, but if you go for 700-1000, there is a big jump in quality.
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Hit the G spot.