My Dirt Bike Restoration Gallery

Crf230-2005... Some Do's and Don'ts of Buying a Dirt Bike

Buying a Dirt Bike?

Don't be in a rush.
Do, Pay attention to the details.

First I paid a couple hundred MORE than I usually have been able to get a 230f for when waiting patiently for the right deal to come up.
I hadn't had a bike project for about 3 weeks and I was going stir crazy watching Netflix and cruising my ebay " tools wish list " while staring out the window listening for the rumble of.a UPS truck
I needed a project.
I needed a tool. Any tool!

I was so impressed by the owner popping wheelies and zooming like a bat out of hell across his property that I couldn't wait to get it on the truck. Get it home. Get started. Create my own vision.
Mistake. Big Mistake.

I could see it was a filthy pig and it was gonna take some major clean up - The plastics were pretty banged up - and the graphics were torn here and there... I did some quick calculations in my head and thought I could squeeze a tiny profit out of this one. But so impressed was I by the power of this bike that I missed to many items in my 're-sale' calculations.

Yeah. I'ma flipper.
Blood, Sweat and Beers.

I assumed since it had the Pro Circuit pipe on it that it had been uncorked and RE-jetted... wrong again.
As I found out after digging into the carb, it still had the stock jets in it... so there went another 20 bucks (with ridiculous shipping charge) for new jets.

I've had about 10 crf230's in the last 2 years and I learn something with each one. Thank goodness - cause this 230 Buy is like a boat.
It's a hole in the garage that I keep throwing money into.

In general I knew nothing about fixing bikes 2 years ago and probably need 2 more years before I have a better range of experiences to gain more knowledge... and TOOLS! :)
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It has been probably 30 years since I'd even ridden one. I started out helping a friend who had bought several and was fixing them up. From unbolting to washing plastics I slowly got familiar with fixing bikes up. Generally it was me who did all the research on problem bikes using keyword questions thru google - watching videos on youtube - and reading thousands of HELP ME -HOW DO I - questions and answers off forums.
The forum that helped me out; and came up in google nearly all the time when seeking answers to analyzing a bike problem was/is/ ... http://www.thumpertalk.com/
I've never posted there - but generally I have found answers to anything the bike is doing that isn't right.
Always someone somewhere has the same problem/s and someone somewhere has answered How TO...

*(example keywords: [ crf 230 throttle sticking ]  )

So anyway- I'm going to try to put together some info, in the following pages, that I have learned along the way that people ask about.

Butt, back to this Pro Circuit rumbling wasp nest beast.

This is the before picture of the pre-build bike. Looks a lot better in the picture than it did under the ratchet. First thing on my order list would be Black fork boots (22 bucks). Red boots are great for 1980's and early 90 XR's but not to my taste for 21st century. :)
Don't run to the computer and start ordering things here there and everywhere.
DO:
Make a list of all the things you need as you go.
If you get things for free shipping go For It!
For everything else you want to try to get everything else you need at one place - two if you have to. Go thru everything. Otherwise the shipping is going to murder you. BikeBandit- Partzilla-and many others are sites that have schematics and parts lists.
Schematics are great to get to know what is missing on your bike too. Also a lot of parts are interchangeable with not only OTHER YEARS - but when comparing parts#s of a 230 with a 150 you'll find they not only match part numbers, but there is a BIG (10 bucks or so) price difference. Hey, if a 150f FITS why pay more  ...!!!
Also, now knowing the parts numbers you can enter them into google (even ebay) and find a billion places that have it and pricing.
I'll usually order most things from ebay because it turns out to be less cost/ or it's free shipping.

[click on project bike pics below to enlarge]

 

 ..............................................................A 2005 crf230f
Kelly Blue Book (kbb) has it listed at $1590 for 'excellent condition'. 

This obviously wasn't in excellent condition and I shouldn't have paid 16 for it with all of it's upgrade/cosmetic/ problems. It is/was/ worth it at 16 if you plan on keeping it and not trying to immediately fix it up and flip it. I use KBB as a 'guide' for pricing.
 Generally whatever Kelly has a bike listed at people seem to add $150-200 to it here in N. Cal. no matter the condition. I try to do the same after putting the bike into prime condition.
Because I've already spent over 200 on parts n will barely recover my investment --let alone zero$ for labor--- I paid to much for it in it's UN-prime condition. My Bad.
 I HAD offered 1450 and went to 1500 and should have not budged from there... Generally I can only sell $150-200 over all costs when BOUGHT RIGHT- which usually means I need to get the bike at 150+ UNDER kbb to cover all parts. :)

 This is the rehabed 230 nearing completion.

It is sitting on a Craftsman jack (ebay $117) It rolls easy and bike sits on it sturdily.

Beware: DON'T buy the cheapest set of graphics. This time knowing I was in materials costs trouble I went for a cheaper 45 dollar set. For whatever reason/s it just didn't want to fit right. The pattern was short in areas. Probably some China lot  knockOff tho it came from Oregon.
If I hadn't had multiple choice rolls of pin stripping (ebay) I'd have never made it look right on tank shroud n rear fender.

All missing bolts and grommets replaced. Anything I KNOW needs to be there and isn't there gets put on. From the nut missing on the clutch lever, to the gasket missing in the header pipe.

The bike has now been fully serviced. New oil- axles -swing arm cleaned and greased. Bearings checked and greased. New spark plug, air filter, jets, carb is spic n cpan, & tuned at 1 3/4 fuel/air screw.

Stock 230's are #102 main and a #42 slow jet and make it a cold blooded starter. Depending on elevations I use a #120 main and #45 slow jet with the stock 230 muffler.
 On this one I don't know exactly WHY the #45 wasn't right. It had been in all my past 230's. It probably has something to do with the Pro Circuit pipe (or maybe that's why they hacked up that air box to get more air in -) It seemed to be running GREAT!! But
I was getting lil puffs of white smoke - and when I checked the spark plug it was HEAVY in BLACK soot. Running way to rich! On 4 strokes you would turn IN to lean and out to richen. So, when I adjusted the fuel air screw IN it bottomed out and did NOT kill the bike.
This indicated to me that the 45 jet was to BIG. The bike should have died. Anything less than 1 turn out from snug bottom-without the idel changing (or dying) means you need a smaller jet. Anything MORE than 3 turns Out from snug bottom - means pilot jet is to small. I switched the jet back to the stock #42 set fuel air to 1.5 turns out and the white smoke is gone and plug is a light tan.
Bike starts up in morning IMMEDIATELY. I Can turn choke off on a 5-10 second half choke. The other reason for re-jetting is because I have unplugged the snorkel on the air box so more air can get into the gas mixture; and on a stock pipe you'd take the silencer out. It's generally referred to as 'uncorking'.

                                                            Boot Rub & Rust

Boot rub on frame and cases were cleaned, rubbed down with alcohol, primed, painted & then clear coated.

(Use Dupli-color Honda  StarLight Silver BHA0974 - a PERFECT match up on every year Honda I've used it on - blends right in- turns foot pegs- brake pedal and side cases, even swing arms, into new looking pieces.  ) I got mine from Riebes Auto Supply for 8 bucks a can. If you're afraid of over spray or a non match - spray the paint directly onto a small artist brush and feather it in. When I use the Starlight Silver Spray Can- I use grocery bags to mask off everything cause it's easy to conform around all other parts and you don't have to tape anything up. Also I use a Heat gun on the part I am painting (its COLD right now). Not doing so makes the paint look fish scaled and runny. If the plastic bags start melting yer to dam close & too dang hot :)

You can also use Color Rite Urethane Touch Up Paint- Honda Accurate Silver NH146M   (I got the 20 buck package couple years ago with the clear coat. I use it for small areas so you can just brush it on. Great for those tiny rust areas that you don't want to mask off.)

The below motor was washed TWICE with soap n water and rinsed with high volume nozzle. Baked on red dirt is the worst!

This is the motor after spraying NAPA Mac's Aluminum Brightener on it. I got mine at Rieibes Auto store. Just spray it on and let it sit for a few minutes. Then I take a toothbrush to it and the stains just roll off. I spray it on cotton ear swabs to better get between the fins. Works great!!

The bike side panels were totally wrecked. DEEP gouges. Battery side screw inserts were snapped out completely.  Usually I can sand bad scratches out with 400 thru 1500 sand paper and then clear coat. These gouges were to deep, and the battery side was complete history--- so I decided to try my hand at my first 3M Carbon Paper job on the garbage panels. It was taking quite a while to try to get all the wrinkles out - so until I get some more experience at it I'll just put the new ones i ordered on (15 each @ partzilla)


You can fix up quite a lot of 'cosmetics' and I just wasn't paying attention when looking over the bike.

As soon as the bike came off the truck - my neighbor, Jason, pointed out that the rear sprocket teeth were past the History point. GREAT! There's 60 bucks I hadn't planned on.
Add on 70 bucks in graphics, that I had planned on in my pre-buy calculations, and before it even gets into the garage it's cost me $130 bucks and 10 more to go get it and bring her home. (As I said I ordered cheaper graphics tho- Mistake)

As to that new air filter the guy SAID he put in?? RIGHT. Sure. Maybe back in 1905 sometime. Do these guys forget you know where they live??

And the new battery he said he just put in? Yep. uh-huh,  I guess he lost the screws because the leads were Duct Taped on to the posts and it sure didn't look like any new battery I've ever ordered. Wiggling it created an arc. Boy that could leave you scratchin' yer head and stranded somewhere. So don't assume the seller isn't tryin' to sell you an ObamaCare policy. Do check the fine print doesn't mean "What I really meant to say was..."

Oh and that Pro Circuit pipe - I guess someone told him that uncorking the air box meant to cut a 9 foot hole in the box top and let 2 INCHES of dirt lay in there. I've never seen so much dirt piled up in an air box.

AFTER I had already ordered an ebay USED air box I saw a youtube video (find it again) that showed HOW I could have created a meshed screen to cover the black hole galaxy the guy had cut into it. (ah- while trying to refind the video that a guy made bigger holes in air box and then SCREENED it to filter out dirt - I came across this Rocky Mountain ATV video that must have gave my bike owner the idea to butcher this box and let all that dirt in)

So, That was another 48 buck ebay replacement for an air box  including a new filter.
Where am I at now? $208 in parts. Rut-oh. I'm sittin' at 1800 now. That's right about what I'll be offered. Except for the craigslist Nigerians. They'll want to give me 30,000 if I first write them a check for 1500...


When I took the air boot off the carb it looked like mud wasps had built nests in the carb opening.. How he ever got that bike running before I got there is amazing. Duct tape and starter fluid maybe. Guy best call the county recorder n tell 'em he lost an acre.

I took pics of the carb opening but it was late and they didn't turn out.

Don't believe everything you're told by sellers. If it looks like it's been neglected - it has been.

You'd be amazed how many people put their bikes up for sale, never even bother to scrub it down, and think it's the apple in your eye and want to charge you a bushel for it. They seem to think that because other bikes of same year are priced at X dollars then theirs is worth it too. When you fix them like I do, they are - when you BUY them like I do - they aren't.

Do's.

Always check the Pink slip numbers with the numbers on the frame- usually on the yoke just under the handlebar.

Be aware of registration. If it isn't current you're gonna have to walk away, pay back fees - or have the seller reduce his price to cover it.

Be aware of green sticker and RED sticker bikes. Green, you can ride all year. RED, you will only be able to ride certain months of the year. Check your DMV regs.

Don't let a seller convince you how easy it will be for you to register his OUT OF STATE bike. If it was 'easy' he'dah done it already. Calif. with their environMental laws make out of state bikes seem like Freddy Kruger has come to town.
Don't let a seller convince you that he/she/ has already checked with DMV and it will be easy for you to register even tho he/she lost the PINK & will give you a Bill of sale...--- walk away.


(more later - work in progress)








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