How would you feel if you bought this bike? *Important Update*

Tbteam
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Location
Ormond Beach, FL US
11/14/2019 5:42pm Edited Date/Time 11/18/2019 9:17pm
1996 “McGrath replica”. Supposedly gone through and displayed for five years.




Looks ok in the crate when it arrives. Then you notice a hole drilled into the intake chamber of the piston with JB Weld weeping out of it.



So you contact the seller. He agrees to buy a used cylinder. Ok.

Then you decide you better take a good look at the bike. You find:

No air filter. Or filter cage.



No fuel tank strap.


Oops! Cracked piston.


No bearings in the top shock mount.


Wait! Forget about the shock bearings. The rear shock has a bit of a problem.


Complete tear down. Bad bearings. Missing seals.


Cracked and chipped gears.


Couldn’t save the shock pivot. So corroded and locked up, it was unusable.



Want more?

The DEP pipe is off the wrong bike.

No rim locks installed.

Power valve bolt threaded in half way.

No clamps holding on either side of the carb

No nut on front motor mount

Wrong front disk protector. Fell off.

No radiator mount bushings.

Spokes on both wheels are loose. Wheels aren’t trued.

Every bolt on the bike was finger tightened or just barely tighter. I removed most things without tools.

So far, I’m out about an additional three grand over the cost of the bike.

Ultimately, after refunding some importing fees, the seller has stopped replying to my messages. Lesson learned. I jumped way too fast on this one. Thank God for eBay and Rocky Mountain ATV.
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Forty
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7/27/2009
Location
Saint Paul, MN US
11/14/2019 5:48pm
That’s f’d up man. No offense but maybe a deeper dive into the conditions of the bike would’ve been a good idea. I hate that there are ass holes out there but there are ass holes out there.
sumdood
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San Clemente, CA US
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1333rd
11/14/2019 5:54pm
How would I feel ? I think I'd be so pissed I'd rat the dude out on this post.
snackfedbear
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Southern, CA US
11/14/2019 5:56pm
Damn bro. This is like one of those fucked up divorce stories that make you cringe when you hear how ol girl took dude to the cleaners. Cracked piston woulda made me lose my shit. Pretty amazing what some new plastics and graphics will do
7
Rob YZF250
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Essex GB
11/14/2019 6:00pm
Looked great in the first few pictures “ fresh looking bike “ with the graphics and plastics. Oh man... I feel for you. Shocked

The Shop

11/14/2019 6:02pm
Roll the bike in pig shit light it on fire and catapult it onto the roof of his house pissed is how I’d feel.
6
TheLsho
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B.C. CA
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664th
11/14/2019 6:04pm
It depends on the pre-tenses that he sold it to you under. Did he say it was in perfect working condition? What did you say about service records and who did the work, etc.?

In some places you can take him to court if he misrepresented himself or the item in a sale.
1
Tbteam
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2799
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8/16/2006
Location
Ormond Beach, FL US
11/14/2019 6:09pm
I accept some blame here. When I sell a bike, I’m pretty clear as to the condition and any possible issues, if any. I didn’t do my due diligence, so I got burned. I trust more than I should.
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JB 19
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Location
Marion, OH US
11/14/2019 6:12pm
Wow. He basically sold you a frame with some plastic hung on it. .....or maybe the frame is wrenched and you just don't know it yet.
Tbteam
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Location
Ormond Beach, FL US
11/14/2019 6:18pm
I forgot to add that I had to buy a new outer clutch as well. Found an NOS part in Ohio. I’ve spent more time shopping online this week than ever.
ShipLap
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Moab, UT US
11/14/2019 6:25pm
Ugh, is how I would feel. Sorry for you. On the bright side, you will have a pristine bike when it's completed.
3
sandman768
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3/21/2014
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY US
11/14/2019 6:26pm
Always...always... look for a clean unmolested or low hr example and do the build yourself....sorry about your purchase, some people will do anything To make Buck...
3
yak651
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Appleton, WI US
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168th
11/14/2019 6:34pm
How was it advertised? Was price too good to be true? If advertised as mint I would be pissed. If it’s someone that makes a living selling bikes I would warn others
2
Tbteam
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Ormond Beach, FL US
11/14/2019 6:47pm
yak651 wrote:
How was it advertised? Was price too good to be true? If advertised as mint I would be pissed. If it’s someone that makes a living...
How was it advertised? Was price too good to be true? If advertised as mint I would be pissed. If it’s someone that makes a living selling bikes I would warn others
The price was what you would expect to pay for a refurbished, pristine, ready to race or display, top level bike. I now have the pleasure of owning what very well could be the most expensive, relatively stock 1996 CR250 on the planet. 😂
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Tbteam
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Ormond Beach, FL US
11/14/2019 6:48pm
sandman768 wrote:
Always...always... look for a clean unmolested or low hr example and do the build yourself....sorry about your purchase, some people will do anything To make Buck...
True, and I follow that advice quite often.
Chance1216
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Federal Way, WA US
11/14/2019 6:49pm Edited Date/Time 11/14/2019 6:52pm
Turn off his water meter at the box and fill it with concrete. That's how mad I'd be. When the city has to take a backhoe and rip the box out and he gets handed the bill, he'll know how you felt
SEE ARE125
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Location
TN US
11/14/2019 6:58pm
Chance1216 wrote:
Turn off his water meter at the box and fill it with concrete. That's how mad I'd be. When the city has to take a backhoe...
Turn off his water meter at the box and fill it with concrete. That's how mad I'd be. When the city has to take a backhoe and rip the box out and he gets handed the bill, he'll know how you felt
Laughing Savage!
6
langhammx
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Santa Clarita, CA US
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323rd
11/14/2019 8:24pm
Chance1216 wrote:
Turn off his water meter at the box and fill it with concrete. That's how mad I'd be. When the city has to take a backhoe...
Turn off his water meter at the box and fill it with concrete. That's how mad I'd be. When the city has to take a backhoe and rip the box out and he gets handed the bill, he'll know how you felt
I like your style ! B
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2
brocster
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Aliso Viejo, CA US
11/14/2019 8:26pm
I’d cost him $3k, if not all at once, over time... he who laughs last, laughs the most!

That dude sold you a pig with lipstick on and knew it!
3
1
yz25
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521
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Location
Trussville, AL US
11/14/2019 8:46pm
Tbteam wrote:
1996 “McGrath replica”. Supposedly gone through and displayed for five years. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/11/14/384939/s1200_EF334F05_2EA3_4452_838D_4B11CAEB1D2E.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/11/14/384940/s1200_B5952A4E_7511_4333_9EC6_F6A3E04540B6.jpg[/img] Looks ok in the crate when it arrives. Then you notice a hole...
1996 “McGrath replica”. Supposedly gone through and displayed for five years.




Looks ok in the crate when it arrives. Then you notice a hole drilled into the intake chamber of the piston with JB Weld weeping out of it.



So you contact the seller. He agrees to buy a used cylinder. Ok.

Then you decide you better take a good look at the bike. You find:

No air filter. Or filter cage.



No fuel tank strap.


Oops! Cracked piston.


No bearings in the top shock mount.


Wait! Forget about the shock bearings. The rear shock has a bit of a problem.


Complete tear down. Bad bearings. Missing seals.


Cracked and chipped gears.


Couldn’t save the shock pivot. So corroded and locked up, it was unusable.



Want more?

The DEP pipe is off the wrong bike.

No rim locks installed.

Power valve bolt threaded in half way.

No clamps holding on either side of the carb

No nut on front motor mount

Wrong front disk protector. Fell off.

No radiator mount bushings.

Spokes on both wheels are loose. Wheels aren’t trued.

Every bolt on the bike was finger tightened or just barely tighter. I removed most things without tools.

So far, I’m out about an additional three grand over the cost of the bike.

Ultimately, after refunding some importing fees, the seller has stopped replying to my messages. Lesson learned. I jumped way too fast on this one. Thank God for eBay and Rocky Mountain ATV.
Look at it this way. After it is all said than done. It will be the way you want it and you won’t have to second guess the internals of buying a used bike. Not to mention you will build up some RMATV bucks. Lol.
Too late to be kicking yourself in the butt. Money is already spent. It’s a build project and enjoy. People get hosed buying a brand new bike paying a lot more. It happens to all of us.
Have fun man!
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3
langhammx
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11/14/2019 8:49pm
brocster wrote:
I’d cost him $3k, if not all at once, over time... he who laughs last, laughs the most! That dude sold you a pig with lipstick...
I’d cost him $3k, if not all at once, over time... he who laughs last, laughs the most!

That dude sold you a pig with lipstick on and knew it!
Agreed
I’m pretty good at getting even. Lol

5
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Harv379
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UT US
Fantasy
1959th
11/14/2019 9:27pm
I would say I would feel similar to how I felt when I bought a brand new 2007 kx250f, a batch of the first models out of production had problems with transmission shaft bearings grenading. Kawasaki honored the repairs during a certain time frame, but it was later in the year when I bought the bike, and with winter, I didn't get to really ride it until the next spring which is when it grenaded, and at that point it was out of the covered time period so they wouldn't help and the dealer were jerks about it saying it was from racing and being a fast rider. The upside is - I learned how to repair four strokes, split cases, and I still have the bike and it's one of my favorites. I didn't have to spend a lot of money really, luckily a piece from the bearing locked the transmission up before it did anything to the crank/piston/top end. I bought a bearing, and new bottom end cases. Somehow Kawasaki's are still my favorite brand Smile Good luck with the build, hopefully you'll have a stronger bond to it and will enjoy it even more once it's finished.
jeffro503
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27442
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7/22/2007
Location
St Helens, OR US
11/14/2019 9:45pm Edited Date/Time 11/14/2019 10:06pm
TBteam........Honestly i'd be pissed as hell. Totally uncalled for from a seller. You simply can't sell a bike " ready to run and restored " with the shit you just found. Unless the seller is to stupid to think he couldn't possibly go to court over it.

Fwiw..... that asshole should not only pay for all the missing , damaged and broken parts.....but for the time and patience it took to find it all. I hope you squeeze this guy , because he deserves it!
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2
TooOld4WFO
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Fresno, CA US
Fantasy
1610th
11/14/2019 10:03pm Edited Date/Time 11/14/2019 10:08pm
Wow. I completely understand your pain.
You bought it so you wouldn’t have to restore it. So you paid a price based on that being your intention.
I imagine you weren’t looking for a restore project as you could have bought such to begin with.

You have an incredible collection from what little can be seen. Thankfully you know your way around these.

I understand your pain since I purchased (2) CR 250 s a 92 and another 95 last year. Both I failed to do my own due diligence and certainly over paid.
The 92 was laughable for what I paid and what was an issue with it. I saw a short video where the seller started it easily enough and ran it. As long as he delivered it to me I would pay his price. That was just plain silly since I felt tied in to pay his price despite what I ultimately saw wrong with it. A fool and his money.
I started the restore on this bike and still have a long way to go.

You did members here a solid on posting your misery for all of us to read. Thank you. It reinforces overlooking the small things just because the whole looks great can be costly.

Amazing someone would sell that at a premium restore price and have so many basic issues wrong with it. None of those would be considered a minor memory lapse.

Edit- You're not replacing the entire pivot just the bearing right? I found it not terribly difficult to remove the old race on one bearing of the 95 I just fully restored. Dremel and dental bits.
109
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Murrieta, CA US
11/14/2019 10:21pm
yak651 wrote:
How was it advertised? Was price too good to be true? If advertised as mint I would be pissed. If it’s someone that makes a living...
How was it advertised? Was price too good to be true? If advertised as mint I would be pissed. If it’s someone that makes a living selling bikes I would warn others
Tbteam wrote:
The price was what you would expect to pay for a refurbished, pristine, ready to race or display, top level bike. I now have the pleasure...
The price was what you would expect to pay for a refurbished, pristine, ready to race or display, top level bike. I now have the pleasure of owning what very well could be the most expensive, relatively stock 1996 CR250 on the planet. 😂
$10,000 ??

That’s what it would cost to restore one to a high standard that is also “ready to race”.

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1
ledger
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TN US
11/14/2019 11:04pm
I had a girlfriend for a short time that reminds me of this bike. She was pretty, but that's about all.
mmcmx
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Perafita, Catalunya PE
11/14/2019 11:24pm
Something similar hapened to me with a couple Montesa Cappra I bought. I didn't know some people restore "just for show". Now I know.
11/14/2019 11:29pm
Tbf if the bike was fully restored and ready to race it would be a serious chunk of money.. 8-10k’s worth.
Who doesn’t do their homework on a purchase before handing over that type of cash?? 800-1000 maybe, but not 8-10k?!

I’d bet it was advertised ‘cheap’ for what it appeared to be and so you jumped in quick. Only to find it’s not what you were expecting. Still not great that you were sold it like that, but I bet you weren’t sold it to the value of what you thought you were getting.
12
BobbyM
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Location
AZ US
11/14/2019 11:42pm
The only thing that makes this ripoff palatable is the fact that TBteam is a billionaire and probably shoulda purchased the actual McGrath race machine in the 1st place. 😉
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2
GODZILLA
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FR
11/15/2019 12:07am
Rob YZF250 wrote:
Looked great in the first few pictures “ fresh looking bike “ with the graphics and plastics. Oh man... I feel for you. Shocked
Perfect for what it's meant to be: a showbike on display in your living-room.
1
fullfloater
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CA US
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14th
11/15/2019 12:29am
Lucky you didn't take it for a rip on a sand track before having a look at things Wink
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