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General Category >> The Cafe >> picked this up today
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Message started by Gus on 04/17/16 at 10:41:12

Title: picked this up today
Post by Gus on 04/17/16 at 10:41:12

2003 gz250. Clean little scooter w/1000 miles on it.

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by DesertRat on 04/17/16 at 11:16:56

DUDE ... SCORE ... that bike is purdy ... 8-)

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by Gus on 04/17/16 at 12:51:24

I've already had it running but the needle is stuck and floods gas out. I'm working on it now. I gotta change oil and stuff.

The color is striking. I wish my Savage motor would fit in it.

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by engineer on 04/17/16 at 16:35:11

Looks good, I especially like the fuel tank. What do you have planned for it?

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by Gus on 04/17/16 at 16:49:13

I'm just gonna boot it out of the barn when I'm done with it. Yes, I love the tank too. Before I get rid of it I'm gonna fit the tank on my savage and see how I fits.

I've determined that it needs anew petcock, little washer around the needle seat and a pair of handle bars. It has a wee bit of rash on it and the bars were bent just a tad.

Here's a pic. Of her on the ground. A nice design; I like it.

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/17/16 at 17:10:46

Just don't be needing to pick it up tomorrow.

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by Kris01 on 04/17/16 at 20:33:23

I considered one before I bought my S40 but I don't think I'd fit. They are very small.

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by Gus on 04/18/16 at 04:32:30

Along side my Savage there are as many differences as similarities:

The seat is wider and more plush on the gz250
The tank is nearly a gallon bigger on the 250
Looks like the 250 came with Metzler tires(unless someone changed them out.) bike only has 1000 miles on it.
250 has a trip meter. Hah!!![ch55357][ch56864]
The mirrors are rubber mounted in two different locations on the 250.
The headlights are a mirror image of one another. I think the handlebars are too.
The main frame looks to be very similar. The 250cc engine cylinder is tipped forward, therefore allowing for a radically smaller engine space.

Like the 650 the seat on the 250 is too low in the front. I think its even lower than the Savage. You really feel like your sliding onto the tank.

The carbs. Are identical in design and different in size, of course.
The fuel tank petcock is the exact poor design as the Savage.
The triple tree's on the Savage are a little more refined and cleaned up.

The buttons on the handlebars on the 250 are much more modern .

What is mostly apparent in looking at these two thumpers made the same year by the same company is this: And its been said before.
The Savage/S40 design hasn't been reviewed by the engineers in many, many years.
The S40 is obviously one of their "bread & butter bikes. They sell enough of them year after year, with no changes, to justify running the molds every year.

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by Dave on 04/18/16 at 07:11:28

Yep....it is fun to take bikes that are not running, and work on them and get them up and running again. If they are in good shape like the one you bought, it often takes very little in parts and just a bit of cleaning and maintenance (and usually a new battery). It is hard to decide what to do with low mileage tires that are really old......as that can add 2-3 hundred dollars of cost that may not be recovered when you sell the bike.

The cool part is that you can ride the bike for a bit and have some fun - then sell it with a chance to make a little profit and help finance the next neglected bike! You do have to be careful not to buy a bike that won't sell easily.....the market in this area is flooded with bikes - so you have to have something that is unique if you want to stand out from all the other bikes. That little GZ250 would be a great bike for a smaller rider that needs a bike to commute around town, or to use while learning how to ride.

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by DesertRat on 04/18/16 at 07:33:53

Hey Gus,

I'd be interested to know how much modding would need to be done to put the fuel tank on the S40. Is it a direct swap?

The upgraded controls would be nice on our bikes. Are the bars 1" like the S40?

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by Gus on 04/18/16 at 12:30:13

Dave, it can be a real craps shoot for sure buying bikes that aren't running. The good news is this: Where I live there is a shortage of good used bikes and the dealer's are pretty scattered.
I can get on CL and look at bikes in St. Cloud & Minneapolis and they are over run with used bikes. But you are right many are not as easy to sell as others. I like to stick to the moderately sized twins and, of course, the Thumpers.
I stay away from dirt bikes. The market seems way to fickle on those. So much of the time they are beat to a pulp too.

DR, I plan on trying to slide that big tank onto my Savage to see how it fits. I'll take some pictures. Doing so opens a whole other can of worms tho. One would then have to re locate the speedo.
I've been looking at the speedo on the 250 I might see if I can make it fit on the Savage too. I do know that putting it on the triple tree would require drilling the tree. That is where it is on the 250.

I haven't measured but I'm sure the bar size on the 250 is 7/8. :'(

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by Kris01 on 04/18/16 at 13:16:31

Take lotsa pics! I'd be very interested in trying this out.

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by DesertRat on 04/18/16 at 14:55:59

thanks for the update Gus ... I appreciate it ...

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by old_rider on 04/18/16 at 22:51:22

I had a black one of those in 2007, nice little scooter, had trouble doing 60, but it was great in town and good on the gas.
The fenders and tank make it look like a bigger bike from a distance, but when you sit on it you realize how small it is :)

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by Gus on 04/19/16 at 06:00:02

I was home sick yesterday. I was doing a little research on the gz. There is a forum, much like this one, out there. As you'd expect, some of those guys are getting pretty impressive performance out of these; much like some of the guys here are doing here.

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by badwolf on 04/19/16 at 21:21:11

Try the front fender from the 250 on the s40, if it fits it might become the rage!

Title: Re: picked this up today
Post by Gus on 04/20/16 at 06:43:35

I'll do some measuring. I too, would like to see it fit. But I THINK the 250 has a wider fork platform. I think. I've not done any measuring. It's been raining here so haven't messed with it yet.
I like to work on these bikes outside. As I get older lighting seems to more of an issue all the time. I like working in natural light.