Posted by Magnulus on March 9, 2008, 12:00 am
I bought a Ninja 250 a few weeks ago and it has been nothing but
trouble. First thing to go was the radiator, on the first night I got
it. I fixed that but then it started loosing coolant. I changed the
oil, which was filthy, and the airbox filter, which was shot. Still
losing coolant, don't know where it's going. I think maybe a bad head
or a leak inside the engine.
I bought this from a guy who suppossedly "rebuilt" this bike. Sold
it for 1800 dollars. I feel ripped off big time. I tried contacting
the guy and he didn't answer his phone for 4 days (there was even a 3
day delay in delivery even though he'd said he'd deliver it the next
day), finally he let me have some parts but now I'm almost certain it
is a bad head gasket or something similar, losing about a half cup of
coolant per ride. The oil window doesn't look like it is filling up,
though. Sometimes I get faint white exhaust out of one pipe,
especially when the engine is cold.
I think he didn't actually rebuild the bike. I actually think he
didn't even put a new head gasket on, just used some copper RTV
sealant on the head because it looks almost like it has leaked out.
My dad is like "it can be fixed", but I want to sue this guy or spread
a bad word about his crap because I feel ripped off. The head could
be warped and this crap look beyond "shade tree mechanic" type stuff.
And yes, I did look over the bike. I'm not a mechanical expert
though. The tires looked decent, the engine ran OK for the four or
five minutes he had it running- nor did the radiator leak until after
I got it home. What else was I suppossed to check?
Posted by Robert Bolton on March 9, 2008, 4:49 am
> I bought a Ninja 250 a few weeks ago and it has been nothing but
> trouble. First thing to go was the radiator, on the first night I got
> it. I fixed that but then it started loosing coolant. I changed the
> oil, which was filthy, and the airbox filter, which was shot. Still
> losing coolant, don't know where it's going. I think maybe a bad head
> or a leak inside the engine.
> I bought this from a guy who suppossedly "rebuilt" this bike. Sold
> it for 1800 dollars. I feel ripped off big time. I tried contacting
> the guy and he didn't answer his phone for 4 days (there was even a 3
> day delay in delivery even though he'd said he'd deliver it the next
> day), finally he let me have some parts but now I'm almost certain it
> is a bad head gasket or something similar, losing about a half cup of
> coolant per ride. The oil window doesn't look like it is filling up,
> though. Sometimes I get faint white exhaust out of one pipe,
> especially when the engine is cold.
White exhaust? Bad news I'm afraid. Antifreeze passing out the exhaust
will show up steamy like that, and will smell sweet if you give it a
sniff.
> I think he didn't actually rebuild the bike. I actually think he
> didn't even put a new head gasket on, just used some copper RTV
> sealant on the head because it looks almost like it has leaked out.
> My dad is like "it can be fixed", but I want to sue this guy or spread
> a bad word about his crap because I feel ripped off. The head could
> be warped and this crap look beyond "shade tree mechanic" type stuff.
Check into your state laws regarding auto sales. Most states these days
have disclosure rules, and you may have a case if this guy knew of this
problem but didn't disclose it to you. You might have a case anyway if
you paid what a bike in decent condition is worth, as it's fraud to pass
something off as good when you know it's defective. The old "Let the
buyer beware" doesn't apply in all cases.
The first step, if you want to do this, is show up on the guy's doorstep
and tell him he's taking the bike back or you'll sue him. He might give
you some and promise to come up with the rest later. A friend of mine
would do that to people, knowing that they will get tired of repeatedly
coming back in an attempt to get their money and simply settle for what
they had. So, don't give him the bike back until you get all of your
money. You might take the bike to a shop, have them give you a quote on
what it will cost to fix it, and tell the seller he needs to give you that
much of you money back. The guy might tell you to get lost but rethink it
when he gets a summos to appear in small claims court. The trouble for
you is to prove the problem existed when you bought the bike.
For cages you can buy a pressure checker that fits over the radiator cap
opening. You can pump up the pressure, being carefull not to exceed the
radiator capr pressure rating, and check for leaks or hissing sounds. I
assume a 250 is a songle cylinder? If it was multi-, inspecting the plugs
would help you find which cylinder has the problem if a cracked head is
the problem.
He might have rebuilt the bike and screwed up the coolant install. I've
read that with aluminum, you have to be carefull not to let the head get
hot without collant being in it or the luminum warps (or worse maybe). He
might have rebuit it, not fully filled the coolant system, and screwed up
the head. If it freezes where you are, the anti-freeze might have been
too low and the thing froze up.
> And yes, I did look over the bike. I'm not a mechanical expert
> though. The tires looked decent, the engine ran OK for the four or
> five minutes he had it running- nor did the radiator leak until after
> I got it home. What else was I suppossed to check?
It's always a crap shoot to buy used. It's best not to trust anyone who
is selling you something used, or even new, even from a dealer. The kid
who bought my Nighthawk brought a friend who knew bikes. The girl who
bought my Ford Truck had me take it to a shop she'd hired to check it out.
Otherwise, you just take your chances and keep your fingers crossed.
That's what I usually do as I'm too lazy to take anything to a shop.
Robert
Posted by .p.jm on March 9, 2008, 9:57 am
On Sat, 8 Mar 2008 23:49:41 -0900, "Robert Bolton"
>> I bought a Ninja 250 a few weeks ago and it has been nothing but
>> trouble. First thing to go was the radiator, on the first night I got
>> it. I fixed that but then it started loosing coolant. I changed the
>> oil, which was filthy, and the airbox filter, which was shot. Still
>> losing coolant, don't know where it's going. I think maybe a bad head
>> or a leak inside the engine.
>>
>> I bought this from a guy who suppossedly "rebuilt" this bike. Sold
>> it for 1800 dollars. I feel ripped off big time. I tried contacting
>> the guy and he didn't answer his phone for 4 days (there was even a 3
>> day delay in delivery even though he'd said he'd deliver it the next
>> day), finally he let me have some parts but now I'm almost certain it
>> is a bad head gasket or something similar, losing about a half cup of
>> coolant per ride. The oil window doesn't look like it is filling up,
>> though. Sometimes I get faint white exhaust out of one pipe,
>> especially when the engine is cold.
>>
>White exhaust? Bad news I'm afraid. Antifreeze passing out the exhaust
>will show up steamy like that, and will smell sweet if you give it a
>sniff.
>> I think he didn't actually rebuild the bike. I actually think he
>> didn't even put a new head gasket on, just used some copper RTV
>> sealant on the head because it looks almost like it has leaked out.
>> My dad is like "it can be fixed", but I want to sue this guy or spread
>> a bad word about his crap because I feel ripped off. The head could
>> be warped and this crap look beyond "shade tree mechanic" type stuff.
>>
>Check into your state laws regarding auto sales. Most states these days
>have disclosure rules, and you may have a case if this guy knew of this
>problem but didn't disclose it to you. You might have a case anyway if
>you paid what a bike in decent condition is worth, as it's fraud to pass
>something off as good when you know it's defective. The old "Let the
>buyer beware" doesn't apply in all cases.
>The first step, if you want to do this, is show up on the guy's doorstep
>and tell him he's taking the bike back or you'll sue him.
Bwahahahaha !!!!!
> He might give
>you some and promise to come up with the rest later. A friend of mine
Or he might just kick your ass instead.
>would do that to people, knowing that they will get tired of repeatedly
>coming back in an attempt to get their money and simply settle for what
>they had. So, don't give him the bike back until you get all of your
>money.
Don't even DREAM of ' making him take the bike back'. Ain't
gonna happen.
>You might take the bike to a shop, have them give you a quote on
>what it will cost to fix it, and tell the seller he needs to give you that
yah, right.
>much of you money back. The guy might tell you to get lost but rethink it
>when he gets a summos to appear in small claims court. The trouble for
>you is to prove the problem existed when you bought the bike.
The trouble for him is trying to find a basis in law for
trying to get it in front of a judge. If he bought it from a DEALER,
yeh, but not from a private party.
--
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Paul ( pjm @ pobox . com ) - remove spaces to email me
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Posted by Bob Mann on March 9, 2008, 10:50 am
On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 08:57:35 -0500, .p.jm@see_my_sig_for_address.com
wrote:
>The trouble for him is trying to find a basis in law for
>trying to get it in front of a judge. If he bought it from a DEALER,
>yeh, but not from a private party.
If it was advertized as rebuilt and isn't then there would be a case
for fraud.
If it was just poorly rebuilt then there is less you can do.
--
Bob Mann
It may be that your sole purpose in life
is to serve as a warning to others.
Posted by Calgary on March 9, 2008, 12:40 pm
>On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 08:57:35 -0500, .p.jm@see_my_sig_for_address.com
>wrote:
>>The trouble for him is trying to find a basis in law for
>>trying to get it in front of a judge. If he bought it from a DEALER,
>>yeh, but not from a private party.
>If it was advertized as rebuilt and isn't then there would be a case
>for fraud.
>If it was just poorly rebuilt then there is less you can do.
You would have to answer the question of what is the legal definition
of "rebuilt".
--
See Ya On The Road
2000 Yamaha Venture Millennium
2004 HD Road King
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> trouble. First thing to go was the radiator, on the first night I got
> it. I fixed that but then it started loosing coolant. I changed the
> oil, which was filthy, and the airbox filter, which was shot. Still
> losing coolant, don't know where it's going. I think maybe a bad head
> or a leak inside the engine.
> I bought this from a guy who suppossedly "rebuilt" this bike. Sold
> it for 1800 dollars. I feel ripped off big time. I tried contacting
> the guy and he didn't answer his phone for 4 days (there was even a 3
> day delay in delivery even though he'd said he'd deliver it the next
> day), finally he let me have some parts but now I'm almost certain it
> is a bad head gasket or something similar, losing about a half cup of
> coolant per ride. The oil window doesn't look like it is filling up,
> though. Sometimes I get faint white exhaust out of one pipe,
> especially when the engine is cold.