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New Member Honda VT250 cruiser signing up

Discussion in 'New Members Say Gday' started by CafeMeanderthal, Oct 29, 2021.

  1. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    Hi guys, just signed up, saying how do.
    I ride a 2001 Honda Magna VT250C cruiser and am curious about getting a second lighter/faster bike for cheap and gradually doing it up. Unfortunately, I am in no way, shape or form mechanically talented. I've been thinking about a Honda Spada or Yamaha SRX250, but I think it's probably a bad idea. Anyone with horror stories of doing up old bikes, feel free to discourage me. Otherwise, just here to say hi. Anyone curious about the VT250C (Magna)... it's a beautiful bike. Looks great in blue. Needs to be in second gear before you can think about going up hills (it's about 27 horsepower) but looks, sounds and feels great and starts first time, every time. Can recommend if you're thinking about a light cruiser.
     
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  2. Murdo

    Murdo The Good Doctor Staff Member Contributing Member Ride and Events Crew

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    Welcome. If your looking for a project and don't have a lot of skills then look for a 1990's single cylinder bike.
     
  3. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    Yeah? Ok. Like what, specifically? Something Japanese obviously.
     
  4. 2valve

    2valve Well-Known Member

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    :welcome:.
    As for doing up an old bike , pick a one that you really like or want though. This way when the spare part's bill keep's rising , and it will and the time your going to spend on the phone and on the web looking for part's , the thought of finishing the bike and getting on the road will be well worth it.
    I'd hate to work out how much time i spent on the above chasing part's !.
    As for horror stories , well , hate to say that that most of us on this forum has been there at one stage and some of are still having nightmare's.
    As to pick a bike , i prefer the old air cooled bike's myself , to me they just look right , but some part's may be hard to find though , but the guy's here are alway's super helpful to help out.
    As for being mechanically challenged , i'm afraid this is just another thing you have to learn. A good workshop manual is alway's a good thing or better yet having a computer with a huge monitor with the workshop manual and part's fiche loaded up is the way to go. If your going to pull thing's apart , take picture's and i mean heap's of them for future reference's.
    As long as you have a garage / lock up to work in , this way you can take your time and i'f you have trouble you can cover the bike over and ask for help / guidance and everything will be where you left it.
    If your looking for a neat SRX 250 , i know where one is , well was still in his shed last time he rang me.
    Please don't mention chopping the bike / frame up and modifying it on any bike , if you keep the bike in pretty well stock trim , the value of the bike will be worth a lot more in the future.
    Well that's my 2 cent's worth.
     
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  5. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    Ok, having all sorts of trouble replying to this thread. Happy to meet you all, thanks for the replies. :)
     
  6. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    And you've successfully turned me off the idea of doing up an old bike, so thanks for that! :)
     
  7. jmw76

    jmw76 Well-Known Member

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    A Spada would be great for you.

    They are certainly not earth shatteringly quick but a fun little machine to ride.
    I would suggest that whatever you get, use it as a learning exercise to refine your mechanical knowledge/skills.
    There are a few people on here with Spadas and they can be found for a reasonable price if you hunt around.
    They are starting to get a bit rare as they were only ever produced over about a 12 month period (in 1988/89).
    They are now an older bike, so expect that some things will need attention.
    There is a surprisingly reasonable amount of parts that you can get hold of cheaply out of Asia.

    I purchased mine with a little accident damage, so I had some cosmetic work to fix up. Being a naked bike, you do not have many expensive fairings to worry about. My bike purchase was about $200 and it came with a box of spares (original parts that the previous owner had swapped out for aftermarket bits). This was a real bonus as many of the aftermarket bits got banged up in the accident. I striped the motor down for a little bit of a rebuild (I believe it kept running while lying on the road, which buggered a big end bearing). The required parts out of china (Aliexpress/eBay) came in at around $150. Lots of my time, a clean up and a bit of fresh paint here are there and I ended up with a gem of a little bike. Being over 30 years old, you can easily put it on club plates in just about any state/territory.

    https://www.2fiftycc.com/index.php?showcase/1989-honda-spada.258/

    Here is what it was like when I purchased it. It was essentially complete but a bit battered and run down.

    spada-blue.jpg


    Don't get put off by the work involved in this sort of project. Take your time, ask lots of questions and learn a heap along the way. When your done, you will have a very pleasant little motorcycle to ride around on.

    The Spada was a very popular little bike in its day. That coupled with the low production numbers is likely to set them up as a future classic, that can only appreciate in value.


    Good luck.

    Peter.
     
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    Last edited: Oct 31, 2021
  8. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    Thanks Peter, there's a Spada for sale near me but it's been through the wringer, plus it's the "other" Spada model that had a different headlight setup, with plastic cowelling around it, and I don't like it as much. I'll wait for a good one that doesn't need so much work. Love the rumble of a V-twin, and the Spada's claimed 40hp sounds like more fun than the bikes I've ridden in the past.
     
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  9. jmw76

    jmw76 Well-Known Member

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    Hmmm. I am not familiar with a "different" Spada. I believe they are all the same, but someone might correct me. I suspect the cowling might be an aftermarket addition.

    The Spadas go pretty well, but do not expect the performance of a bigger bike. They are just a 250. They do not have the get up and go of the screaming 4 cylinder 250s, but have a little more bottom end and a slightly more upright riding position which suits city commuting and a bit of touring.
     
  10. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    It looks like this:
     
  11. jmw76

    jmw76 Well-Known Member

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    Well, it is a spada but the front light and instrument cluster is not original. The bike generally doesn't look that bad. It might be a good base to start with. Changing it back to the original classic look should not be too difficult. Start by asking the seller if he has all the original parts.
     
  12. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    No, I mean this is a YouTube video of that model. The one for sale locally is black but has exactly the same front headlight cowel and squarish black instrument panel, so I don't think it's aftermarket, it's probably an actual lesser-known model variant. I don't like it as much anyway, that front section looks a bit too much like the CB125 bikes at the rider training schools. Plus the local one has all sorts of problems (doesn't start, key has been lost, missing plastics, been in an accident, etc) that I don't really want to take on board, especially as I'm just kind of new to the whole business. Anyway, thanks for your advice, I'll keep an eye out for a good one later down the track. Cheers!
     
  13. 2valve

    2valve Well-Known Member

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    That wasn't my attention to put you off , just being very honest , as what i mentioned will happen. But the joy to bring back another un-loved / abused bike that the original owner didn't appreciate is well worth the cost and the time , especially a model that you really wanted.

    For me , it was the early model Yamaha SRX 250 , air cooled / single cylinder / very light and the road test's magazine's from back in the day's gave it a good review.

    As mentioned above , keeping the bike original when possible , there value is a lot higher insurance wise.

    To be honest , chasing part's is really good fun most of the time , and the upside you can get to know other owner's of that particular model and learn more about your bike at the same time. You then can help other owner's down the line , just how this forum work's , to help each other.

    I'f your chasing / looking for a certain 250cc built bike from the 1980's i have a few bike magazine's that has most 250cc bike's listed / road test's on them , i'll scan the page and post it for you if i have it.
     
  14. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    Thanks man, that's a great offer. I was looking at a 1984 SRX250 because of the cool front fairing, but it looks like it's sold, and I'm really after something with more grunt than what I've already got. My Magna is 27hp, the Suzuki NZ250 I had before was 33hp, and a Spada is supposed to be 40hp, with the V-twin engine I like, so that's probably what I'll look for. It needs to be fairly hassle-free though, so the cheap one that's for sale locally is probably not for me at this stage. Alternatively I've seen a bigger bike I like, the early 80s Kawasaki KZ400, but they're fairly rare and might be a hassle. Anyway, it's fun to look around.
     
  15. kiffsta

    kiffsta Senior Member

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    I bought one on Saturday as a non runner , hopefully will have it running tomorrow then I will sort out the seat cover


    E5D6B327-3377-4C0C-A2D8-F8AD0E7B5FBC.jpeg
     
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  16. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    Beautiful! The first thing I did was get an LED light bar installed under the headlight and attached to the high beam switch, because the stock headlight isn't a world-beater. Looks like you're missing a mirror. I got a good aftermarket replacement off eBay for $35-ish for the 2 set. If you need tyres, Dunlop make their D404 model in the right sizes, so you can get matching fronts and rears. When you get it started you'll enjoy the sound, I'm thinking of taking the baffles out to make it throatier, but it's fine the way it is. Good luck with it. It's a great bike.
     
  17. CafeMeanderthal

    CafeMeanderthal Member

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    Hmm, on second look, the local bike's front end looks different, which may mean a CB model headlight assembly has been added after an accident. It's certainly had a checkers history by the looks of it. Anyway, you're probably right, the bike in the video must have been modified, which also means the local bike could easily be returned to normal specs, if I really wanted to stuff around with it... Which I don't, haha!
     
  18. Andych

    Andych Moderator Staff Member Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    The bike in the Video has definitely been modified... the instruments are aftermarket digital add ons... the headlight looks like it has come off some later model Transformers styled bike.
    The Spada is a great bikee... as is the VTR250... not quite as sexy with its ladder type frame but almost the same engine as the Spada... BUT.. it seems they are becoming sought after and the pricing can be a little crazy. Must be plenty of young guys wanting a Ducati Monster look-a-like.
     
  19. jmw76

    jmw76 Well-Known Member

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    I believe that there were only about 18,000 Spadas that were ever built for worldwide distribution.
    So not that many in the overall scheme of things.
     
  20. kiffsta

    kiffsta Senior Member

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    It runs :)
     
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