Hornet 250 advice

Wopp

Hi,

Im upgrading to a Honda hornet 250 and im currently looking at a second hand model that has good mileage for the year ~25000

It starts up grand first time and seems to be clean enough. It does have a re-painted tank and a few light scuff marks on both sides but no obvious major repairs.

What should I look out for/check before buying to make sure it'll be a nice clean bike to ride for years?

Cheers for any help/advice!

TheUsual

I don't know much about Honda Hornets to be honest. I like my Kawasaki's.

But it's the same as buying a new car really. Tyres, brakes, suspension, steering and wheels are not wrecked - no wobbles or vibrations when to drive in a straight line. When you brake you should not feel a pulsing through the handlebars - otherwise the brake discs are warped and need replacing.

Electrics are not a big deal as you can buy a new battery yourself (every 2 or 3 years is good). And you can fix bulbs and wiring yourself with the right manual for the bike.

When you start the bike, put your hand on the engine to make sure it's cold, a warm bike is easier to start and hides problems. Also see if the exhaust is not smoky when you start it up and that it's legal for the road. A replacement exhaust can cost a lot for it to be road legal and the insurance companies ask for this to be legal.

If you smell fuel when you stop then you may have a leaky fuel tank - not cheap to replace either.

Wopp

Cheers for the reply, wouldnt have thought of checking for wobble or give when braking!

If you saw a bike with light scratches on the side of the engine casing and repainted tank would that worry you? They are only light and there doesnt seem to be anything bent or out of place...

TheUsual

Wopp wrote: »

If you saw a bike with light scratches on the side of the engine casing and repainted tank would that worry you? They are only light and there doesnt seem to be anything bent or out of place...

No it just means the bike has been down the road once or twice at slow speed I would think. I bought my last bike knowing it had been crashed - the owner told me and the tank was a bit scratched too, nothing serious.

As long as the tank repaint job is done well it should be fine and maybe check for a petrol smell from the tank when you stop as that could be a leaky tank or damaged rubber fuel hoses.

You can get replacement engine covers if you want to get rid of the scraches.

bladespin

Check the head light gets brighter as you rev it, shows the alternator's in good shape. They're usually learner bikes, look for the usual : clutch biting point, rubber chaon, service history or at least some sign of maintenance etc.

Alkers

Check the downpipes for rust and corrosion, can be bad on the older models. Tyres are expensive too so try pick one up with new enough rubber.
Great website here: http://www.hondahornet.org.uk/messageboard/viewforum.php?f=9

Wopp

Cheers for the help!! Like most people its always a worry buying second hand! Also that hornet website is great for information, cheers Simona1986:)

yamahaman

Hi i myself am going to see a hornet 250 to buy,, guy has repainted tank... problem? he also sez it sometimes dusnt start in the morning... shud this stop me? . . its an old bike like,, and i can get it for €1000 so i dont mind a few repairs.... wud love an opinion from a hornet owner about starting in the mornings

KamiKazi

Most likely a dodgy battery after the recent weather.

For a grand I'd go for it.

yamahaman

thanks for the quick feedback KamiKazi . . . any advice of wat to look out for wen i'm lookin at this thing i dont wanna get shafted lol a bit of maintenance is fine but if i get down the road and am ****ed like.. i will be stuck with a hand painted lump o **** lol, i'm not a wealthy man . . . and i ****in love my lil yamaha ybr 125... need more power though,, but my bike is 08 and beautiful... will have to sell her if get this.... dont want to end up worse off XD

KamiKazi

If you're around Dublin I could have a look at it with ya some evening, or get someone else if you're down the country

Alkers

yamahaman wrote: »

Hi i myself am going to see a hornet 250 to buy,, guy has repainted tank... problem? he also sez it sometimes dusnt start in the morning... shud this stop me? . . its an old bike like,, and i can get it for €1000 so i dont mind a few repairs.... wud love an opinion from a hornet owner about starting in the mornings

I wouldn't mind a painted tank at all, has probably been dropped at some stage, just check to see the frame is straight etc. The battery on them is very small, having the ignition on for 3minutes without being started will mean it needs to be push started, also if it doesn't start on the first couple of goes with the electric starter the battery will be dead and you'll have to bump it.
Mine starts first time on the button 99% of the time, only on a very cold morning it won't start then I bump it if it doesn't start in the first minute as the more flat the battery gets the harder it gets to bump it.
€1000 is a very cheap price, what mileage is on it?
Read back up the thread, most of it is covered.

yamahaman

thanks kamiKazi.... mite take u up on that offer as it is being sold in dublin.... will prob go see it on satrday . . . thanks aswell to simon,

HellsAngel

Simona1986 wrote: »

Check the downpipes for rust and corrosion, can be bad on the older models. Tyres are expensive too so try pick one up with new enough rubber.
Great website here: http://www.hondahornet.org.uk/messageboard/viewforum.php?f=9

Yeah check the pipes, can be expensive to replace/repiar. Great bike the Hornet though, looks and rider wise.

yamahaman

thanks . . legends XD was gutted though. .. i found a much better one for same price. . .a 03 in perfect condition . . but it was sold after one day~! so bak to this one agen, so dificult to get to dublin from the middle of nowhere haha, hard to buy this one now after seeing the other one was sooo perfect haha