OPINION: What is an 85 atc 250r worth?

[honda1988]

Just found an 85 atc 250r for sale.
It has an 86 trx motor in it with mild porting and stock compression, 4 hours on it.
plastics are decent, aftermarket
tires are new
he is asking $950.
Is there a chance I could make money on this deal either selling it outright or parting it out?
Thanks

[deathman53]

its worth more than $950 for sure, the motor alone is worth that much. You probably can sell it whole for ~2-3g's, trikes especailly nice ones have been selling for alot recently.

[honda1988]

Well i went and looked at it yesterday and it has a dyno port pipe and the engine seems to be strong, feels to have more compression than my 88 trx 250r. The pipe leaks out of the jug and there is oil everywhere where the pipe and silencer meet. The rear shock seems a little spongy like it needs to be rebuilt. Overall I would say it is fair condition. Is it still worth it?

[deathman53]

the pipe leaking is very common, easily fixed by an aftermarket flange, the rear shock is the only thing, but its still worth more the $950 to say the least. Rebuild the rear shock ~$200 and you can turn it around for ~2g's. Dyno port pipes are pretty rare and were hand coned for the most part. I bet that motor has more to it. What tank/shrouds did it have?? stock(http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/deathman53/330r+8-15.JPG.html) or short track(http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/deathman53/short+track+shroud.JPG.html)

[honda1988]

tank was stock and so were the shrouds but the bottom mounts were cracked on the shrouds.

[deathman53]

if/when you get it, post it for sale at www.3wheelerworldforums.com, somebody will grab that thing almost immedietely.

[x.system]

Depends on your location. In MI I can buy them all day long for $1000 or less. I just bought 2, a runner and a roller on ebay for $900 then split them up and sold them seperate for a $400 profit plus kept a few parts I wanted, like short track tank setup and the oldschool flat track tires.

[honda1988]

I am from Manitowoc, WI so I don't know how much of a market there is for them here?

[x.system]

If your just looking to turn a profit its a gamble, sometimes they sell quick, sometimes you sit on them for a while but they will sell. Just buy it as cheap as possible then advetise it everywhere you can. Spend a day or two cleaning it up and get good pics of it. Check ebay for your location and see what they have been selling for, that should give you a good idea on what they are worth or what to ask for it. I sold one of mine on ebay and it sold within 2 hours of listing, I had a $1 starting price with a fair buy it now and it went quick.

[GPracer2500]

Also check Craigslist as a gauge of the market. There's usually quite a handful ATC's in there for my area (not sure if Craigslist is popular or not in WI).

Just keep in mind that what people are asking frequently is not what they actually sell for.

As an investment, there's too many variables for me to say offer advice. Might be a good idea, might not. A lot of it just depends on you. But as a fun toy to own: 85/86 ATC250R's have one of the highest performance per dollar quotients in all of powersports. Probably only a $1000 dirt bike is going to get you the bang for your buck that a $1000 ATC250R gets you.


FWIW, I'm in AZ I bought an 85' for $1100 and thought I got an excellent deal for what it is. I shopped for a few months--I think I went and looked at 5 or 6. It had some goodies but also needed a shock rebuild and some smaller stuff.

ETA: now that I'm thinking about it I might have paid $1300--I can't remember.