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Hey guys
Buying a bike soon, was looking at sumoto but I really don't know at this point. Anyone know the deal with this place? legit? I'm not going to get it and a week later the motor is going to fall out? What should I look for when/if I go to have a look at this place.
http://www.sumoto.com.au/
sumoto is shit dont even bother looking there. your best luck for a 250rr is getting lucky from a private seller who actually took care of there bike, i sold my 250rr just over a month ago for 2.5k and not one thing was wrong with it as i needed quick cash.
perfect advice here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wez_R
when I first went to look for a bike a few years back, I stopped by sumoto and they wanted I think 8-9k for an 89-91 model and if you wanted the 'cool tiger' kit for an extra 2k...
whereas you could find a 96cbr250rr from a private seller with 09-10 kit for around 6k.
Is it just the price that is shit or is the bike itself ****ed up?
the price
and on every cbr250 the clock was been put back every one of them bikes has done over 100k easy and they put the clocks back when all imported from jap
I dont like the fact most of the bikes they sell are Tyga kitted - prob means they buy them trashed from overseas and fix them here... a search on Google will tell you a lot about their reputation as a dealership as well...
Also they don't have the bikes in stock for immediate delivery. That's what turned me away. Once you made a purchase then they would import it meaning you can't try before you buy.
every cbr250 is made to be thrashed and has been thrashed my battery went flat when i went on a long ride because i was just cruising then i called up a place and there like you have to thrash them now and then to keep them going
Mate there's been some good information thus far..
Sumoto seem to have very tidy bikes, however they charge ridiculous money for them.
FACT- 90% of all 250cc bikes have been in some form of accident, they're learner bikes and people learn hard on bikes. This means some of these import bikes with all new fairings and things may have been in decent accidents.
It's hard to find any cbrs that haven't had new paint and things due to the age and the high crash rate so it really is a luck of the draw situation. Sumoto and other places will buy containers of wrecked bikes and just take the good parts off each to make one bike.
I think you're safer finding an honest seller who's owned their bike for a decent period of time.
The other thing is when you buy from Sumoto or similar and pay 9k for a 15year old 250 you are paying what they costed new. It's like being hit with the depreciation you'd normally get when you buy a new bike or car and yet you don't get the piece of mind as a trade off as they're still an old bike... You will pay 9k for one but if you want to sell it tomorrow you'll not get more than 6 for it...
Don't waste massive money on your first bike, chances are you'll put it down.. Hopefully softly.
Buy a cheap bike, you can get a good 250 for 2-3k these days.
250s are generally overpriced though as they've had such a strong demand due to being the only choice for many years for a learner getting into biking. Many early 90s 250s were pulling more money than a a late 90s 600...
Save your money to splurge when you're ready to move up to a 600 class bike. Money spent on a 250 will likely be wasted.
Definitely don't spend 9k, especially if financing it - you'll be paying it off forever and you'll be sick of it and ready to move up in a year but wont be able to afford the jump.
tbh I don't know what too do now, I wanted to get one from sumotos because it has everything i want and it feels safer getting it from there than from some guys house since I know very little on bikes. But on the other hand after seeing all the bad feedback from this place its putting me at a crossroads. I'm more learning towards paying the extra just for that scene of security, I would only be on it for a year till I get off the LAM, and into my 2007 R6 it wouldn't blow up in that time would it?
I started on a '91 CBR250RR, great bike for learning on. Tonnes of power to keep you interested and great handling but they are a small bike so if you're tall like i am (6'3") you'll look like a gorilla riding a bmx bike. Since moved up to an '08 Yamaha R6 which is a cruise missle with wheels but deffinatly not a learner bike.
2 most important things about riding are attitude and wear the right gear. Have an attitude of confidence but also level headedness. I've never crashed *knocks on wood* but the times i've nearly come off were when i was distracted so always concentrate and expect drivers to do stupid shit. Also wearing the right gear will save your life if you come off. Dont skimp and as a minimum wear boots that cover your ankles completely, kevlar jeans, good quality leather or textile jacket, good quality leather gloves with protection on the knuckles and obviously a properly fitted helmet. I see people wearing shorts and a t-shirt no gloves just a helmet and if they come off its years of skingrafts and rehab to get back to where they are now.
Remember its taken however many years you are old to make your body what it is, the road can undo that in a second.
Dont mean to put the mockers on you riding just want people to be safe and look after themselves, your best protection aside from gear is your attitude.
Dealerships such as Sumoto buy run down bikes or possibly even wrecked bikes from overseas and bring them in, as has been described earlier in this thread. They then spend a bit of money with a quick coat of paint, or the Tyga kit, and sell them for stupid amounts of money, all to bring in first riders who are usually the younger blokes in, because they look great!
Whats under the fairings, who knows, how straight is the chassis? who knows...
Man my advice to oyu is if you are willing to spend more to have security, go and look at the new Honda CBR125's or the Kwaka Ninja 250's... they would be going for that figure ballpark second hand... they look reat, are a newer machine, and will maintain their resale now much much better than te CBR's.
Manufacturers are selling new bikes to suit this market, the CBR will be a thing of the past in 5 years...
if i could go back and choose my bike again i would most probably pick a ninja 250
If you can afford to buy new id highly reccomend it but dont spend crazy money as there is every chance you'll crash it and it'll be heartbraking if you drop a huge sum of money. Ninja 250 is a good bet, reliable name and a comfortable seating position for a road bike mean you'll have fun but wont get tired out like you do on the supersports. I know on my R6 for instance my back starts aching after an hour or so due to that position.
Hyosung is good if you're a taller person as they are a full size bike with a 250 engine in them and the 2010 has just got EFI wheras the earlier bikes were carby also they've been around for a while so any of the little niggles will have been ironed out by now.
I find the 125s just lacking too much in power and also the very thin tyres dont really inspire confidence but each to their own. Maybe have a look at something like the cb250r or whatever it is Honda just released for a combination of the bigger 250 engine and a bigger bike but i havnt ridden one so you might have to find that out for yourself.
If you feel confident enough to jump up to a 400 the cb400 is a brilliant bike. Not the classic supersport look but i guarentee you wont get tired and sore once your arms have got used to being used so much more then with a car. Nice upright seating position, powerful but predictable and faultless handling that you wont get sick of. It might not make you want to get the knee out like a sports bike will but you shouldnt be doing that as a learner anyway. I did an intermediate course on one and honestly if i wasnt so set on an R6 id have snapped one up in an instant.
Ride a few bikes and see what suits you. Guarentee you'll love riding a whole lot more if you're on a bike that fits you then if you buy because you like the look.
edit: Staying on topic, dont bother with Sumoto as said, they charge far too much for what you can get much cheaper elsewhere. I sold my 250rr about 3 years ago for $4800 just as the laws changed to allow learners to ride up to some 600s here in VIC. Look for, with any bike, proof of regular servicing and look at things like handlebar ends and pegs for signs of damage which may indicated its been dropped. All the best searching!
Thanx for all the help guys, i'v decided to have a friend look for a bike with me. He knows alot more than i will ever know so i think its a better bet. **** sumoto
Yeah great move if you have someone you can take along who knows a bit about bikes, take the stress off you a lot. Let us know how you go mate.
Hey mate, there is Honda CBR 250RR forums in Australia. I forgot the URL but google it. There are articles and post about Sumoto there. The whole community there is against them as Sumoto are shifty people. I have read that they actually sell LEMONS there. I have read tons of stories about people buying bikes from them and they just fall apart.
They have also monopolised the Tyga Kits. Apparently the only way to buy the kit now is through Sumoto. Have a read through that forum and maybe post in there as well. The guys there are really helpful. There is even an IRC channel for them.
I will reccomend an RVF400 to anyone who is looking for a sports bike as a learner. They are Honda solid, quick, better value than any CBR250 and when you need to step up to your larger capacity bikes, you arent making as large a jump in power.
Search for a bike on gumtree and ebay - some bargains around at the moment
RVF400 is a bit more pricey though and less of them around but I like the bike. It rear wheels look great on one side. :D
provisionals are still restricted from what i was toldQuote:
Originally Posted by >Ice<
I just sold my cbr250rr on saturday, definately dont go sumoto or any dealer for that matter bikesales has plenty to haggle with.
Also get one quick before it heats up and prices rise as every Tom, Dick and Habib is gonna be looking for a 250 for summer!
My god those 250 prices are nearly as crazy as house prices. A lot of those CBR250's, ZX250's and FZR250's are twenty years old - older than the people buying them! Honda, Kawasaki etc stopped producing those things over ten years ago and those 250's which are being imported now would have sat in warehouses for years and years. It's good that they're fundamentally well built - they cost nearly as much as the larger (600/750/900cc) bikes to manufacture and costs were saved in the suspension and brakes. But if they've sat around for years and years seals can dry out and perish over time, oil can sludge up, incorrect radiator coolant can corrode the water galleries so it can be a bit of a risk buying those old 250's. As they would have been traded in, were worth next to nothing (japanese roadworthy laws and the three year old rule) and more a thing to be recycled into beer cans and park benches rather than resold and ridden again not much care would have been taken to prepare them for storage.
If I suddenly found myself 18 years old again I'd get a one year old Ninja 250. They're cheapish to buy, more modern looking, you can get some bits to jazz them up a bit and they can corner fairly well. Save the big bucks for the next bike!
Buy an aussie delivered tri colour....
There is a new CBR250 on its way.. Wont be like the old version though, more like the CBR125.
Close this Thread sumoto don't deserved to be spoken about there so SH#T. haha
sumoto have heaps of bad reviews yet a few good ones. on their site they say they have like a 100 or 1000 bikes in store, but when you visit they only have like 10 or so....just like previous replies have said, you might as well buy a bike from a private seller. cbrs are usually wound back from 100,000kms anyway. its a 20 year old what do you expect. but sumoto advertise the bikes as 1996+ models. they put on australian compliance date instead of the date it was actually made. we all know cbrs stopped making in 1995-6. these days cbrs go for 3-4k, if you want to pay 9k for a bike. you ought to buy a cbr1000 or r6.
if your going to spend alot on a old cbr you may aswell wait for the new ones to come out