Bike Games

[Lucasind]

So at the Hurley Wi. rally this year, My son Brad and his girlfriend did very well at the bike games ,winning nearly every event ! Alisha really got bit by the Kawasaki bug this summer ,and has expressed her desire to get a bike and learn to ride, I have been keeping this in the back of my mind,and in my nightly craigslist searches....I found for sale what I think would be the perfect beginner's bike for her and started texting the seller (as requested) two days ago about it. This morning I went to look at this Kawasaki 250 Eliminator, as it turns out ,the seller only lived 15 minutes from my house. The guy was standing out in the street in front of his house looking up the street for me ,as I told him I would be coming over in me ol' grey Dodge van.
Now....over the decades I have bought countless numbers of used bikes,and there is something that I have never been able to figure out about a good number of sellers....If you know a perspective buyer is coming over. would'nt you have the bike ready to be shown ?

We walked into the backyard and went into the garage,there to find the bike in the back corner with tons of junk piled up all around it ! After moving a bunch of furniture and other junk out of the way we rolled the bike outside into the daylight so I could look the bike over. The bike would'nt start, so I had to give him the ol' "low ball" offer of $200. bucks..... long story short,we shook hands at $250.




What a little sweetheart of a bike ! I spent the day out in my workshop going thru the whole bike but with only 12 k on the clock this one has a lot of great riding left in her ! Some one even got new tires and a new battery for it last spring(2015)...before it was put into the garage where I found it and has sat there since. I got it done and took it out for a long ride and she runs fine and dandy !





Maybe next June at the Nashville In. rally Alisha will be riding this bike into town , I have to see how she does on it,and the amount of riding she gets in between now and then,but I have no fear of this 2 cylinder liquid cooled bike making the trip,as the rally is only a little over 4 hours from us next year.
Brad has won the "youngest rider award" for the last 4 years in a row......but Alisha says that, that award will be hers next year !

[the2knights]

Nice little bike. Sure would be nice to see her win that youngest rider award.
Maybe we can get Brad to throw bean bags, and put some clothes pins on the line while Alisha negotiates the course!

[Lucasind]

That's funny Ken, but somehow I think Brad would not even consider riding on the back of Alisha's bike ! (the eliminator 250's only have a solo seat anyway) but I will tell him what ya said anyway ,just to get a reaction



I do believe you guys have them stirred up enough to where they are gonna set up their own practice course here !




I think getting that frisbee in the damn box was the hardest game to complete !

In this picture,you see webmaster Jim Moore in the background, and Bronson's hiney in the foreground . Snapped this photo with the green frisbee in mid air heading toward the target,Bronson is holding one in his hand that missed the target . I don't think anyone made a frisbee into the box that evening !

[krasmu]

Nope I don't remember a single frisbee going in but I do remember Bronson chasing them all over the lot. Thought we were going to have to call a medic.

Tony that looks like a sweet find and perfect fit for her as a starter bike. She looks good on it. However, you have to get Brad to pick her up some new clothes. She is still wearing the same outfit on that bike that she was at the awards ceremony. Pour girl needs new duds to learn to ride.

[trikebldr]

Bike? I don't see no bike!

[trikebldr]

$250? You should be ashamed of yourself, Tony! Ya done good, buddy! looks awfully nice!

[Lucasind]

Thanks guys ,

That bike had been advertised for months ! I just had to go see why no one was buying it !
back to what I was saying earlier..... likely,the majority of people that went to look at this bike ,walked out ! this guy was like,there it is in the back corner of the garage....now give me some money and get it out of here ! The bike was covered in filth ,and was covered in saw dust front to back ,as if someone was running a circular saw over the bike during a construction project !Don't get a rag and at least spend 10 minutes wiping it down to make it presentable to the buyer ! The reason it looks as good as it does in the photo,is from my cleaning efforts after I got it back to my workshop (I love doing that anyway )
After sitting where it was in the guys garage for 16 months the tires were down to 10 lbs air pressure,
You couldn't even air up the tires when you have a perspective buyer coming to look at the bike ?
I think this fella was in his late twenties,and he told me he was a auto mechanic,but "knew nuthin about bikes".......I call his sales technique just plain laziness ! And I certainly wasn't planning on lifting a couch out of a garage,and rearranging a bunch of other junk, just to check out a bike ! ! The ad stated that the bike runs and rides ! (I guess just not lately ) I take all the risk on a buy like this, popped electrical components(no spark ,or perhaps charging system not working), transmission problems,engine problems, and the list goes on and on, of potential problems that may be lurking in a used bike that mysteriously wont start when a buyer shows up to check out a bike ! These things can get very costly,before ya know it ya got more money tied up in a bike than it.s worth ! He got what $ was deserved !

[cushman eagle]

That is one sweet ride for Alisha,Tony Yah,non running,you took a risk on it,but it sounds like you made out great on the deal .She has some learning time on it to take it to Nashville,that will give Brad time to get even better for the games.

[Lucasind]

Thanks Loren, I am pleased with the purchase, and of course you know I am putting in a lot of hours into it. Basically, I am addressing issues created by previous owners ! I was told by the young guy I got the bike from,that this bike belonged to someone he know's grandpa,who had got up in years and could no longer hold up the weight of his HD but he did want to continue riding as long as possible,he saw the Eliminator line ,and liked the looks of them,so he bought this 250 brand new. I am likely the guy that drove the truck to Kawasaki Midwest, and brought this bike back to Toledo,un-crated it,and assembled it,as I was told that it has been here since it was new in 1988.




In this photo ,you are looking at Granpa's handy work on what he felt was necessary to do to the stock factory air intake system ! ( what the hell ARE we looking at exactly ! ? ) Are those the tops of "single serving" orange juice cans ? He took a saw ,and had a good go at the factory air box,now the starter relay and the bike's fuse box have lost their mounting place,they were just left flopping around under the bikes side covers

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I went to ebay and found this airbox ,and bought it. It will be here Friday and will get installed.
Why stop there when we can do further mischief ? Grandpa figured his next best move would be to chuck up a 3/8ths drill bit into his electric drill ,and have a go at the exhaust system as well !



Five strategically placed holes oughta do the trick !
I have not removed the carbs yet,but I am going to next weekend when the factory stock airbox arrives,and go thru them, The bike fires right up when cold,with NO choke, but after you ride it for awhile and the bike gets hot .....it takes a lot of cranking to get re-started, I pulled the valve cover to inspect valve clearances and found them to be spot on ! I guess Granpa had not been in there before ! He also cut into the red wire leaving the fuse box and attached a long wire running all the way to the cooling fan ,so that as soon as the ignition key is turned to the on position ,the fan starts running,and continues to run the entire time the bike is on. I drained about a half cup of coolant total upon coolant replacement procedure yesterday,that is ALL the coolant that was in the system ! After refilling I expected to find leaks ,but found none ,and all looks good there .I took the bike out ,and put some more miles on it today,and now Pam says that she wants to learn to ride it too,
Will keep you up-dated as the fun continues !...............................Tony

[cushman eagle]

Tony,I can not understand what he was trying to do to the intake system!what.why how etc. etc.I know you are certainly capable of full recovery,but I think that ranks as one of the worst cobjobs of anything I have seen.The next worse is years ago, a neighbor of mine was helping a friend of his change a water pump on a 6 cyl,Maverick and broke off the bottom bolt,no problem he just drilled it out,right through the no 1 cylinder bore.

[kjsett]

For her next bike she can move up to the early '80s 440LTD with the belt drive. When I bought my Suzuki GS450XL that same year, a friend bought the 440ltd. Later i wished i had done the same (mine was only good for about a half hour before the behind was done.

Course my next bike was a the Yamaha XS1100. Very top heavy, but it could go great in a straight line. It still had a backup foot crank you could pull out and attach to kick start it (and i did - ONCE). It also had detachable Samsonite luggage for sides and trunk. I recently came across my only picture (that i know of) of that bike, but i couldn't find it tonight to post. I will when i do.

Congrats on the find. Some of our best treasures come from unexpected sources. Enjoy what appears to be a great family project (with you doing most of the initial work, of course).
Blessings,
Ken

[Lucasind]

Tony,I can not understand what he was trying to do to the intake system!what.why how etc. etc.I know you are certainly capable of full recovery,but I think that ranks as one of the worst cobjobs of anything I have seen.The next worse is years ago, a neighbor of mine was helping a friend of his change a water pump on a 6 cyl,Maverick and broke off the bottom bolt,no problem he just drilled it out,right through the no 1 cylinder bore.

LMAO .......Thanks for that Ford Maverick story there Loren !

What was he trying to accomplish indeed ! cobjob ? well he succeeded !
I guess some guys don't realize that very smart ,highly educated people design these systems for a very long time making them experts at their craft ,and design systems that work for best general overall use . then for someone to come along and butcher these systems and replace it with junk makes no sense to me either ! oh well ....what are ya gonna do ?

[Lucasind]

For her next bike she can move up to the early '80s 440LTD with the belt drive. When I bought my Suzuki GS450XL that same year, a friend bought the 440ltd. Later i wished i had done the same (mine was only good for about a half hour before the behind was done.

Course my next bike was a the Yamaha XS1100. Very top heavy, but it could go great in a straight line. It still had a backup foot crank you could pull out and attach to kick start it (and i did - ONCE). It also had detachable Samsonite luggage for sides and trunk. I recently came across my only picture (that i know of) of that bike, but i couldn't find it tonight to post. I will when i do.

Congrats on the find. Some of our best treasures come from unexpected sources. Enjoy what appears to be a great family project (with you doing most of the initial work, of course).
Blessings,
Ken

Ken I think your right, as happens most times ,a small bike like this is replaced after it's intended purpose has been fulfilled (learning to ride) that's ok with me, but around here all of the twenty somethings all ride "crotch rockets" so I think she will likely get either the EX 500 ninja next or maybe even the 600 (but I sure hope not) ! The LTD 400/440 certainly were great bikes,they were our "bread and butter" bikes back when I worked at the dealership,we sure sold a lot of those back in the day (still alot of them listed for sale on ebay and craigslist)

As for the XS 1100 Yamaha....what a great bike ! I will look and find a picture of my 79' and post it also.

You are nearly correct on your last comment about "family project with me doing most of the work"
just replace the word "most" with the word ALL then you have it 100% correct ........................Tony

[hank43]

Tony,I can not understand what he was trying to do to the intake system!what.why how etc. etc.I know you are certainly capable of full recovery,but I think that ranks as one of the worst cobjobs of anything I have seen.The next worse is years ago, a neighbor of mine was helping a friend of his change a water pump on a 6 cyl,Maverick and broke off the bottom bolt,no problem he just drilled it out,right through the no 1 cylinder bore.

LMAO .......Thanks for that Ford Maverick story there Loren !

What was he trying to accomplish indeed ! cobjob ? well he succeeded !
I guess some guys don't realize that very smart ,highly educated people design these systems for a very long time making them experts at their craft ,and design systems that work for best general overall use . then for someone to come along and butcher these systems and replace it with junk makes no sense to me either ! oh well ....what are ya gonna do ?

An early form of water injection. Did it work?

hank43

[cushman eagle]

No,Hank,that was a little on the crud side of water injection

[trikebldr]

Ken I think your right, as happens most times ,a small bike like this is replaced after it's intended purpose has been fulfilled (learning to ride) that's ok with me, but around here all of the twenty somethings all ride "crotch rockets" so I think she will likely get either the EX 500 ninja next or maybe even the 600 (but I sure hope not) !

About five years ago my nephew was finally out of college and working and on his own, AWAY FROM MOMMY! He and I have always had a certain bond because of all the things I do in my garage. He especially liked riding on my bikes when his mom wasn't around, so he wanted a bike now. He was looking at some of those 900cc rockets, but had never ridden a bike before. I grabbed his ear and led him over to a couple of 250cc bikes and said these are your only choices for now, or I tell your mom! So, he ended up with a 250 Suzi. He took the classes and got his license and rode that bike for about a year, having a half-dozen close calls just like I told him he might. Too much power would have been disastrous for him. His girlfriend now rides that bike on local rides, but they now tour on a new Triumph 850. And his mom hates my gutts now! Oh, well, I've always been the "weird uncle" to the boys!
Now we are looking for a sidecar rig for him. Might even go the build-it-up route this next winter like I did.
Always start them on smaller bikes! ALWAYS! It takes experience to safely harness all the power in some bikes!
Tony, are you going to get Pam her own bike now? Maybe bring the 650 home from the island? I wish I hadn't sold that 650 Suzi, now. I would have given it to you to fix up. Headlight, bucket, fork ears, and turn signals is all it needed. Or, if you had a Vetter fairing that would have been all it needed. It even had the fairing bracket on it. Got $300 for it.

[Lucasind]

No Bruce, Pam most likely won't get her own bike,say's she is very content just being a passenger and I'm MORE than fine with that ! Both of her parents are still alive, and if something bad should happen as a result of her riding....I would be crucified !
My earlier comment about her learning to ride this new 250 Eliminator will likely be something like going behind the school on some Sunday morning with her and Alisha,when the parking lot is empty,and there is no one around,and just practice letting the clutch out without stalling the engine,riding around in a big circle.
As far as the Kaw 650 that is on the island....I have no plans of bringing it home,it is essential to have a bike there,cause it is so crowded that scooting around the island,and finding a place to PARK is a breeze if you have a bike.

[trikebldr]

I keep looking at that bike (Yeah, RIGHT!) in the pics and just can't see the same bike you describe with all sorts of dust and crap all over it. That's one sweet looking ride, and the bike ain't so bad either! But then, you did take that beat up old Gold Wing and made it run and look pretty good! Hey, wanna borrow my second Voyager for a coupe of months?
You do nice work, Tony!

[trikebldr]

Didn't they make the Eliminator all the way up to 1000cc? I have a rear wheel from the 900/1000 bike. The rim width is about 1/2" wider than our 1300 Voyager's and the splined coupling is the same as the Voyager's, so I am hoping to fit it under my sidecar rig to make it fit the car tire better.

[Lucasind]

Yeah ,I believe Kawasaki "borrowed" the HD Low Rider look, way back in the day and really ran with it creating the Eliminator model line. They go as small as 125 all the way up to 1000 . I do believe they came out with the Eliminator 900 first in 85' (at least that's when we got our first one at the dealership I worked at) The Ninja 900 came out the year before ,and both had the same engine.


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