Author Topic: RD 250 (Read 2993 times)

redfox1 · « **on:** 01 July 2016, 03:46:46 pm »

Help me out here chaps.Simple question- I've got a hankering to own an RD 250 again,30 years after last riding one.-Worth it,or would it just be waste of money?

BBROWN1664 · « **Reply #1 on:** 01 July 2016, 03:53:09 pm »

Depends how much time you like spending in the garage with oil on your hands if you want to ride it, or how much time you want to spend polishing it.

All old bikes need TLC but 2 -strokes regularly need fixing and fettling. Looking on the stuff for sale on fleabay, you can get the RD350 for similar money if not less. FS1e's seem to be down on price at the moment so if it was just the smell of 2T I was after I might consider one of them. That reminds me, I must get my sons TZR125 running again soon

Red Ceri · « **Reply #2 on:** 01 July 2016, 04:26:23 pm »

Air Cooled or LC, air cooled 250s much cheaper than 400s and the same for LCs with the 350s, prices have gone a little mad recently for air cooled though, pop over to the Aircooled RD club site for more on these http://www.aircooledrdclub.com/

pilninggas · « **Reply #3 on:** 01 July 2016, 04:30:52 pm »

I've got a 250Gamma; it's flawed but still brilliant. I go out on it maybe once a month. I'd love an LC and regret selling my YPVS a decade and a half ago (for peanuts).

Two strokes, are fragile, but not as bad as people think. Buy it, enjoy it, watch it appreciate - what's not to love?

joebloggs · « **Reply #4 on:** 01 July 2016, 04:58:55 pm »

I remember the first time I opened up my LC 125, blew me away, thought it couldn't get better than this. Think if I was to ride one today I'd be in for a big disappointment

Get one but do remember that everything else has moved on.

Now how can I get my hands on a GT380......

dazza · « **Reply #5 on:** 01 July 2016, 05:42:37 pm »

Funny you should say that Joebloggs.
Just bought in at my two pals bike Shop along with an XT500, both in absolutely mint restored condition.
The RG500 belongs to Shakey Byrne and is immaculate aswell.

slappy · « **Reply #6 on:** 01 July 2016, 07:07:31 pm »

Woould love an old two stroke again, my first bikes were all two stokes, fs1e, rd250, gt380, and kh250. Bought two rd250s 20 years ago, built one decent out of them both then sold it because I wanted a 400/4.
Keep looking on ebay and the like but the prices asked do not reflect the condition in too many cases.

redfox1 · « **Reply #7 on:** 01 July 2016, 07:30:31 pm »

Quote from: slappy on 01 July 2016, 07:07:31 pm

Woould love an old two stroke again, my first bikes were all two stokes, fs1e, rd250, gt380, and kh250. Bought two rd250s 20 years ago, built one decent out of them both then sold it because I wanted a 400/4.
Keep looking on ebay and the like but the prices asked do not reflect the condition in too many cases.

I know Ebay's a bitch-spotted a1977 bike recently which was purporting to be a '76 to match the paperwork! I'm looking for a RD 250 D,which seem to go for slightly less than the later models,but they're still gonna be min.£3000 for a sound un'-but up to now everyone here seems to have a soft spot for the old two-strokes-simpler times eh?

slappy · « **Reply #8 on:** 01 July 2016, 08:15:19 pm »

Would like a nice 1973 rd250, one of the first ones in blue and 5 speed box, failing that a yds7 in gold, I can but only dream.

YamFazFan · « **Reply #9 on:** 01 July 2016, 08:34:42 pm »

When you look at the GT380 and the RG500 in Dazza's pics, it's hard to believe that they are only 10 or so years apart. Bike development and design moved on at such a pace in the 80's

joebloggs · « **Reply #10 on:** 01 July 2016, 09:12:11 pm »

Production based racing forced development, ended up being the death of pure racing machines at privateer level.

For me the GT was the best looking engine of the era, OK the rest of the bike was pants but the ram air head was focin sexy

celticdog · « **Reply #11 on:** 01 July 2016, 11:11:27 pm »

Quote from: BBROWN1664 on 01 July 2016, 03:53:09 pm

Depends how much time you like spending in the garage with oil on your hands if you want to ride it, or how much time you want to spend polishing it.

All old bikes need TLC but 2 -strokes regularly need fixing and fettling. Looking on the stuff for sale on fleabay, you can get the RD350 for similar money if not less. FS1e's seem to be down on price at the moment so if it was just the smell of 2T I was after I might consider one of them. That reminds me, I must get my sons TZR125 running again soon

Hell yes TZR! YVPS exhaust, 2T heaven

redfox1 · « **Reply #12 on:** 02 July 2016, 01:01:11 am »

Is it misty-eyed nostalgia, or are two- strokes perceived on another level- are RD's (&GT's etc) looked upon as some long-lost nirvana of motorcycling, or are we just trying to kid ourselves?

darrsi · « **Reply #13 on:** 02 July 2016, 07:33:02 am »

Quote from: redfox1 on 02 July 2016, 01:01:11 am

Is it misty-eyed nostalgia, or are two- strokes perceived on another level- are RD's (&GT's etc) looked upon as some long-lost nirvana of motorcycling, or are we just trying to kid ourselves?

Used to go on my mates 350RD quite often, there's certainly a bit of nostalgia there, but from memory they were quite rapid too with a huge grin factor.

Chances are, if you're buying one these days in working condition then the previous owners would've given a lot of TLC to it, hence the whole reason it's still about now.

redfox1 · « **Reply #14 on:** 02 July 2016, 08:16:15 am »

Quote from: Red Ceri on 01 July 2016, 04:26:23 pm

Air Cooled or LC, air cooled 250s much cheaper than 400s and the same for LCs with the 350s, prices have gone a little mad recently for air cooled though, pop over to the Aircooled RD club site for more on these http://www.aircooledrdclub.com/

Thanks for the link,mate!

blackcabbie · « **Reply #15 on:** 02 July 2016, 08:45:24 am »

I've got one of these.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

darrsi · « **Reply #16 on:** 02 July 2016, 09:04:53 am »

Quote from: blackcabbie on 02 July 2016, 08:45:24 am

I've got one of these.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

The graveyard really gives it that special oomph.

blackcabbie · « **Reply #17 on:** 02 July 2016, 09:13:12 am »

Well it is a coffin tank model in its natural habitat

Sent from my HUAWEI GRA-L09 using Tapatalk 2

darrsi · « **Reply #18 on:** 02 July 2016, 09:20:24 am »

Quote from: blackcabbie on 02 July 2016, 09:13:12 am

Well it is a coffin tank model

Sent from my HUAWEI GRA-L09 using Tapatalk 2

Totally correct.

joebloggs · « **Reply #19 on:** 02 July 2016, 10:08:58 am »

One of the lad's in our town had one of these body kits on a GT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1979-Kawasaki-KH400-Ian-Dyson-Classic-Vintage-Rare-Stunning-Beautiful-Condition-/131237516208?hash=item1e8e5d93b0:g:ND0AAOSw-dBTvTHt

slappy · « **Reply #20 on:** 02 July 2016, 11:07:55 am »

Quote from: blackcabbie on 02 July 2016, 08:45:24 am

I've got one of these.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Very nice, I'm not jealous , really I am not!
I think we al look back at these bikes with rose tinted glasses, the disk brakes didn't work in the wet, neither did the nylon tyres, first week I had my rd250 took it back to the shop I had got it from and swapped over the metal plug caps for ngk ones because they kept arcing making it misfire, got them for nothing as I worked there for six months when I quit school.
But I would still have another one now if I could, remind me of being 17 again and not giving a toss about anything.