Hi, im after an RS250 and have been offered this one
. The trouble is that it belonged to the late Jim Stock (slingshot racing) as his new personal toy but for obvious reasons i cant ask him for details on the bike.

The bike has a scrutineering sticker from the 1999 Australian GP on the frame and has got WP forks in Pramach yokes, spondon twin sided swingarm, mavic wheels, so lots of nice bits but then its got standard shock and aftermarket disks so clearly its been built up from parts buy Jim. The bike went up for sale on ebay for around 11k which is ridiculous but its been offered to me for around half this price and although its clearly unfinished needing fairing stays, intake rubbers and a mudguard (obviously rs wont fit here) from what i can see i have ridden it at an airfield. It has no spares with it but does come with a fresh motor.














As ive never owned an RS before I just wondered what peoples thoughts were on this bike and what i should be looking out for?

Cheers, Andy.

If you've been offered it for 'half that' you would be a fool not to buy it.

If it wouldn't involve divorce and the removal of my testicles, i'd buy it.

If you can find out the engine and cylinder markings, people here might be able to distinguish if it is factory standard or A / B kitted etc.

A photo of the carbs might also help.

Other than that you've seen a fresh motor be started and ridden it, so you should be aware of any of the normal mechanical issues you should be looking out for.

Be prepared for a diet of pistons and rings, and start looking for spares - a crank, heads and cylinders would be worth having. Also consider where you will be sourcing race fuel from (I'm assuming it comes with carbs set up for race fuel, and some jets for setting it up)?

Get yourself the manual for setting up the power valves too. If it is like my old RS, then it's rod activated and a real finicky bastard to set up.

You should be ripping the seller's arm off!
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Andy.
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Seems like a good price, i got fleeced when i bought mine but i couldnt find one anywhere at the time.

Depends what you want one for, trackdays, parades?

Youve been a member in here longer than me so there is probably nothing i can add except if you are doing track days then although not essential, its much easier to convert to unleaded as the hassle (and cost) of getting Avgas is a PITA. If this is what you do then spare cylinder heads will be needed so you can revert to either.

Get some pisons and rings as suggested and try to get some detail or evidence that it has a fresh engine... how does the seller know its got a fresh engine?

Dont know the nuances of the NX5 but plenty here do.

Thats my 2p for what its worth

Andy wrote:You should be ripping the seller's arm off!

Yes, right up to the shoulder.
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Proud Father of , 05 ktm 400exc supermoto 2018 honda crf rx supermoto

greggo wrote:If you've been offered it for 'half that' you would be a fool not to buy it.

If it wouldn't involve divorce and the removal of my testicles, i'd buy it.

If you can find out the engine and cylinder markings, people here might be able to distinguish if it is factory standard or A / B kitted etc.

A photo of the carbs might also help.

Other than that you've seen a fresh motor be started and ridden it, so you should be aware of any of the normal mechanical issues you should be looking out for.

Be prepared for a diet of pistons and rings, and start looking for spares - a crank, heads and cylinders would be worth having. Also consider where you will be sourcing race fuel from (I'm assuming it comes with carbs set up for race fuel, and some jets for setting it up)?

Get yourself the manual for setting up the power valves too. If it is like my old RS, then it's rod activated and a real finicky bastard to set up.

No spares at all with the bike, I will post a pic of the carbs tomorrow and engine was done at FW developments (not that this means anything to you Greggo)

Yes it is just for trackdays really Simmo.

When I bought my first RS, I spent half a day with the seller being shown how to strip it and put it back together. That time was invaluable. I would recommend taking the barrels off to see how it’s running and have a quick check around. The first place to show problems will generally be across the oil holes where they sit on the exhaust bridge. Also run your fingers around the edges of the ports checking for chips in the chrome, as stone damage is a possibility. I’ve had it a few times. Don’t worry too much if you see small pock marks in the chrome. It can happen after a re-plate. I’ve never lost chrome on them and besides, they hold oil, so that’s good!

You can’t just pick up parts if the bike is running a specific fuel. The heads will have been volumed for pump, race or avgas. It would be worth knowing what you have. If you’re lucky, they may be marked. You also really need a power valve checker to set up the exhaust valves, and has been mentioned, a manual is a must.

A 99 bike will have power jet carbs. They move the power further up the rev range, so you’ll have to rev it a little harder a to see full power. Personally, I don’t think you’ll go far wrong revving to 12000-12500 and you’ll only be losing 5hp anyway. You can make that up easily by braking less and carrying more corner speed

The best advice I can give you is to strip the bike every time you use it. You can have the barrels off, pistons out and all back together in a couple of hours. You’d be stupid not to put the time in.

Finally, the swing arm. As you know, it’s a Spondon item. You’ll get no help from them. Everything is hand made and was apparently made to the spec of the original buyer, so if you need anything for it, be prepared to have it made. You really could do with a few sprockets with the bike, otherwise that could be something else you have to have made. There’s nothing on there which is standard NX5.

Keep us posted

Regards

Mark
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If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.

pics above best i can of the carbs.

The problem i have with buying this bike are as Mark has pointed out that i cant ask any questions about the bike set up wise or parts wise as hes not with us anymore and thats a big disadvantage. The other thing is again as pointed out getting bits to fit like spare sprockets and wheels for wets is going to be a headache so any advice on how to go about this is greatly appreciated.

Pass on the seller's details then... it'll soon be snapped up if you don't want it!

Seriously, although the 500's came with spares, they came with no info, and there was only something like 34 of those ever made so finding anyone who now knows anything of worth about them was never going to be easy. They are also two of only two ever built by Bakker. You can't get much more exclusive than that. However, they're up and running, set up on the button, so I really can't see your logic.

Personally, and no disrespect meant, but I don't think you're ready for GP bike ownership if you're put off by a fab'bed swingarm and no spares, when you can still get a lot of it direct from Honda.
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Andy.
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Looks like a standard airbox set up to me. It is unusual for a bike like this to come with absolutely nothing. Are there any jets?? You’ll need a few of those for sure.

Wheels, yes. That could be an issue. If you’re lucky, they may be NXA, but don’t think they will be to be honest because the swingarm pre-dates the NXA model by a couple of years. I've already asked Spondon about wheels. Guess where that got me..

All that aside, if the price is right for you, buy it and sort the details out later.

Like Andy said, there is nothing you can't learn or figure out.

You've ridden it at an airfield, one sniff in the tank (or the exhaust when it was running) will tell you if it was pump or race fuel.

A few weekends disassembling and measuring everything will yield enough information to know all you need to know. You also mention who built the engine, so a call to them will answer a lot too.

Jets are cheap. Lots of new spare still available from Honda, Sprockets are easy, you can buy alloy blanks and drop them with your existing sprocket at any half decent engineer and they can machine a match.

Won't be hard to find a front guard that can be made to fit. It's only fibreglass.

In all seriousness, If I wasn't on the cusp of buying a house, I'd buy it and get my mate in Amsterdam to collect it. Arrange shipping and get it another aussie scrutineering sticker or two.

GP machines in worse condition trade for more.

So....what are you waiting for?

I would not be too worried about not having any spares. I got three boxes of spares with my RS. 99% of them were fit for nothing but the bucket!
Some jets /needles would be nice but they are easy to get a hold off.
When I bought my RS I was promised set up data etc. Funnily enough that never appeared. The sum total of info I received for my RS was that it run on Avgas. When I asked if it was actually set up for Avgas I got no reply...
At the end of the day, it is 14 year old race bike and it will show. There will have been things done/bodged on that bike that will make you cry!
Anyway, enough of the boring stuff and do as I did. Buy it, spend a fortune on it and worry about the finer details if / when you actually start riding the bike.

P.S.
Re: Spare parts. After you have spent a fortune on your RS you will have plenty of spare parts left over...

P.P.S. I'm not trying to put you off or sound like a smart a** but those Spondon swingarms look gash in my opinion.

Buy it quick or I will!!!

You have been warned..lol

At that offered price, just buy it and then figure all the other details later.......How many spares, Fuel type, head volumes, how to strip and check the engine, etc are not the immediate questions to ask if your really serious about buying your first RS. Or if you are just playing with the idea and want reasons not to buy, those will be some of the points you ponder too much. Then the opportunity may be lost. By the way, that swingarm is sweet!
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Rich
MC21 Track Bike / RS250 NF5 'Spencer', NX5 'Cadalora' & NXA 'Aoyama' / RS500 / Two Brothers Racing RC30

yes buy it,you can gets spares easy enough,although not really cheap,but then its a proper race bike you wont regret buying an rs,they are fantastic things to ride
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