[kgb666999]

I'm very, very, very new at motocross. My brother has a ttr-125 and I wanna join him for some rides...

I will take a look at a CRF150F this weekend, but if you could provide me some info or any tips it will be very appreciated...

Bikes I'm looking at :

#1 CRF150F-2003, regular maintenance have been made, but need a front tire (how much for that?). Owner = 18 years old boy and he has used it mainly to go to work

pictures:





#2 CRF150F-2005, not sure if the regular maintenance have been done, but I know the chain is rusty (do I need a new one? if so how much?). Owner = 25 years old girl, bought new 3 years ago, ran it the first summer but only 4-5 times last summer and 2 times this summer

picture:



Each of them are asking the same price, about $2000 so I think those are really good deal (is it true?)

What should I ask to the owners?

I'll try only one of them (they are far from my place, so I have to deceide which one I want more...), any test I should do?

Should I take the bike for an inspection by a pro? (how much will it cost)

Any other advice?

Thanks a lot guys !!

[nedirtbikr]

Considering there's no way to really look at / hear the bike, the following is my opinion (strictly OPINION):

Keep in mind, the 150F is a great bike, but it's not a "motocrosser." 150F's are designed as beginner, fun, trail bikes. They are not racers in any sense of the word. If you're looking for an easy bike to work on, fun to ride and able to do mild jumps/speed, the 150 will be a fine bike.

From the pictures it looks like both are in pretty good shape (at least on the outside.) If you can only pick one before you see it, I'd say go for the '05 from 25 year old girl. My reasons:
- It's two years newer
- Most girls are not as hard on stuff as guys
- Chain might be able to be salvaged, but chains/sprockets are cheap (replace all at the same time)
- Tires can be bought for anywhere from $30 on up. Depends on what you want the tire to do. I'd say you'd have no problem finding a decent tire to start with (since you're new to the sport) for under $50.

- I'd check the oil....should have a dipstick. If it's really black, that might be an indication the oil is old.
- Check the wear on the case right around where the boots would rub. If there is a lot of "rubbing" indications, the bike may have more time on it than their saying.
- Check the amount and depth of scratches in the plastics...another indicator of more use than stated.

[kgb666999]

Thanx a lot for the comments

Yes I just wanna have fun in trails I do not plan to do any race at all, so I guess that will be a good choice... Since the only bike I tried was my brother's TTR-125, can you tell me if to CRF150F is comparable to that bike just to give me an idea?

Will the 230F be a better fit?

How can I salvage the chain exactly? And should I get the bike to a pro shop to inspect it and maybe work on the chain or I'll be able to work on it myself?

Since I feel this is a pretty good deal, I wanna do this quick so I plan to try the bike on friday night, and if it looks good I'll make an offer on it and probably go home with my new toy (I need to borrow a char and a trailer and to drive about 2 hours so that's why I'm looking for more information)

Thanks again !

[acjjkamp]

i'll agree with NE, 2005 bike

a rusty chain is no big deal. more than likely it was washed and not lubed afterwards.
just as long as it wasnt sitting outside for the last 3 years.


150 vs 230?

depends on how tall and heavy you are.

the 230 sits about 2-3 inches taller in the saddle.
the larger wheels on the 230 make it a little more stable in the ruts and more difficult areas of the trails.

good luck

[nedirtbikr]

Will the 230F be a better fit?
- Depends on your size, but if you can fit on the 150, the 230 isn't much different in seat heighth (a couple inches) however, there is a quite a bit of difference in power. The 230 is not a racer either. As a matter of fact, the 230 and 150 frames are the same. The 230 just has a little more oomph and weight. I'd recommend a 230 over a 150 for sure, but either bikes are nice...especially for your intended use.

How can I salvage the chain exactly?
- Depends on the severity of the rust. You could potentially save it with WD40 or some other rust remover/inhibitor and a nylon brush. Clean well with Simple Green or Dawn dishwashing liquid. Oil appropriately with any quality chain oil. Just using the bike will probably knock off a lot of the rust. I'd try cleaning it up before looking at replacement. Since you're just beginning, it'll probably be fine.

Should I get the bike to a pro shop to inspect it and maybe work on the chain or I'll be able to work on it myself?
- Taking it to a shop is up to you. If you have the cash and would feel better about it, do it. If not, the 150s and 230s are EASY to work on. Get an owners manual (should have come with the bike) and a shop manual (Clymers manual - about $40.) That'll be money well spent.

Good luck! Keep us posted on how it goes.

[kgb666999]

I'm 6' and 195 lbs so I know for sure that a 230F will be a better fit, but I didn't find any good deal yet and since the 150-2005 at 2000$ is a good deal then I'll probably go with it. Furthermore, the only bike I tried was a ttr-125 and it was ok for what I was doing so I guess a 150F will do the job as well. I may get tired of that bike in the next years... if so I may get a bigger one, who knows

The only concern I have now is that I'll have to het a tune-up (carb adjustment and so on) on the bike since I'm pretty sure it has never been done. I juste called a dealer and they are charging way to much so I may try to do some stuff by myself (even if I'm really not a mechanic guy...). I don't have that much money to throught on the bike (house will come soon!!)

[acjjkamp]

the 150 is fun, but you will get tired of it real quick, as well as bottoming out the suspension.

if you can find a 230, that would be your best bet.
if not, then the 150 for a year tops, 'til you find that it's too small and slow

i ride my kids 150 and the 230, but just around camp to do stupid things that i dont want to do on my X.

the 230 is a lot better (for our size)

the tune up, and power up kit for the carb is easy and worth it. there is some info here that will walk you thru that.

[nedirtbikr]

I'm 6' and 195 lbs so I know for sure that a 230F will be a better fit, but I didn't find any good deal yet and since the 150-2005 at 2000$ is a good deal then I'll probably go with it. Furthermore, the only bike I tried was a ttr-125 and it was ok for what I was doing so I guess a 150F will do the job as well. I may get tired of that bike in the next years... if so I may get a bigger one, who knows

Well....looks like you have your mind made up. That's fine. Just for comparison, I sold my '04 CRF230 (which, BTW, was in excellent condition) for $2100 a year ago. Keep your eye out...the right buy will come along.

No matter what, again, best of luck on whatever you get!

[kgb666999]

I finally purchased the bike !!

the 2005 one

[nedirtbikr]

I finally purchased the bike !!

the 2005 one

Ummmm...you do know that PICTURES are required! Damn noobs!

Congrats!

Before any "real" riding:
- Change the oil (no matter how good it looks.) The bike doesn't really have an oil filter, but it does have a process to where oil impurities are seperated by a centrifugal (spelling?) force action. That's something you'll want to do once a year. Since it's an '05 not ridden much, you'll probablly be okay until next year on this one. RotellaT 15W40 at Walmart is a good oil. About $8/gallon. Lots of people use it.
- Change/clean airfilter
- Verify chain slack is correct
- Check brakes/brake pads (don't want metal on metal)

Other things you should do as soon as reasonably possible.
- Service fork fluid (very easy)
- Service suspension linkage

Again, congrats...you'll love it!

[munchieu]

If the bike has a rusty chain, I will go to the next bike. If you can't do simple maintenance to the chain just think about how the rest of the bike might be neglected.
Take a look at the air filter, bet cha its all plugged up.

[kgb666999]

to nedirtbikr: pic is already in the first post

I've been to a honda dealer this week and I had a complete tune on the bike. They said that the bike is in really good condition even if the girl that had it before me have not made that much tune-up on it... She didn't ride the bike that much so maybe that's why

Tomorrow will my first ride on my new bike, I can't wait !