When your looking at bikes that are 10-15 years old, almost all of them will have had major engine work. Unless you find the diamond in the rough that has been sitting in grannies garage for the last 12 years. Don't worry about work on two-stroke engines, it's both simple and normal over time. If the bottom end was taken apart, make sure new new main bearings and oil seals where put in. If you do get this bike with 0 hours on it, take your time breaking it in, because thouse first few hours really matter. Or...what I would do is go to your local Zuk dealer and buy a Z400. If you put that $2000 down and finance the rest you will bay under $70 a month. I'll tell you right now that you will spend more then that a month keeping a 15 yr old bike running and in good shape. The four strokes have all the conforts and the motor are bullet proof. If you don't like getting your hands greasy and just want to ride and have fun...get a Z...... Riding is so much more fun when you don't have to worry about breaking down!!!!! I just got back into riding last year after 15 years, and I'll tell you I wish I had not spent the money on my LT first, because my Z would rock right now with the $3000 I put into buying and fixing the LT over the last year. If you go for the LT250R....they are a lot of fun....just old....good luck
Ouh yea....find out when he had the top end redone how much over the bore is....such as 10+ or 20+, because you can only bore the top end so many time before it need to be resleeved. Each bore ussually goes in +10 increments.

 

I'd love to get a new Z. I just bought my son a new LT80, and would love to go that way for me also. I just don't want the payment, even a small one. I guess my hope is that with a new motor, my recurring maintenance expenses will be minimized. This is a real nice web site. I've gotten some excellent info. Thanks again for the feedback.

 

Way to go....your boy should come first! When you say new motor...remember that a new top end only means that it has been bored and a new piston has been added. Don' get me wrong this is a good thing...but I would check if the piston had blown or not. If it broke apart the cases should have been split and cleaned. All to often the piston blows and instead of doing it right and splitting the cases to clea out the debri, the top end is just cleaned up and 20 hours later the main bearings are burned out or the lower motor is shreaded because of a bunch of metal floating around. just make sure you know what has been done to that motor and why....ask a lot of questions...to many people are afraid they will look dumb for asking questions....I think it is the other way around....don't ask and you will pay. Read this site aout the LT's there is a ton of info!!!!! Good luck.....

 

Just as an update.. I went ahead and bought that '88 LT250R. It is in my opinion, a pretty clean bike. The rear shock looks like it will need some work, but otherwise everything was straight and solid. Newer plastic, new fmf pipe and silencer, and I received the right answers on the engine work... The guy wouldn't budge from $2,000, but in comparing what these are going for in this condition, in California, I'm pretty stoked with the deal.

So I am now the proud owner of my first 2-stroke. Haven't had a chance to really ride it yet, except for the few minutes when checking it out. I need to freshen up the fluids, but I'll be breaking it in and riding with my kid soon.

Thanks again for the feedback. It really helped to know the right questions and what to look for.