Official XT225+250 Rider's Group Home Page

Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225

Posted By: DWM

Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/19/20 07:14 AM

Hi gents and ladies

New to this forum and really love the vibe on here.

I am in socal and looking to get into the sport.

Anyone wanting to sell their bike.

Many thanks and happy Thanksgiving

D.
Posted By: Az4x4

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/19/20 02:44 PM


Welcome, DWM! All the best as you scout for the XT you want to purchase. They're out there, you just have to be ready to pounce when they show up. Enjoy the site for all it's worth, and once you have the bike you're looking for, ride safely!..
Posted By: Muniac

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/19/20 05:13 PM

Welcome to the site as a new USER. Good luck sourcing a bike. Thanks for the kind words.
Posted By: DWM

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/20/20 01:09 AM

Really excellent resource and great community spirit on here. I aim to link up with some local riders once I get a bike. I missed a local bike that was a non runner. Does anyone have any thoughts on what to look for when buying a bike and should a non runner be a deal breaker. Appreciate the groups knowledge in advance

Don
Posted By: Az4x4

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/20/20 03:01 AM


Originally Posted by DWM
.....Does anyone have any thoughts on what to look for when buying a bike and should a non runner be a deal breaker.. Don

As with purchasing any used vehicle, the better the overall condition of the bike you end up with, the more enjoyable your experience will be. Would a "non-runner be a deal breaker"? The answer to that depends on factors you can't really know until you've bought the bike, taken it home, dug into it and spent time and money getting it fixed - if in fact it's fixable. It's a crap shoot, and there's always a reason that someone whats to sell you something that's 'not running'..

Buy a good running bike and you'll save yourself time and money - and most likely lot of headaches.
Posted By: DWM

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/20/20 05:12 AM

Salient advice. Yes "carb just needs cleaning" may go deeper than that
Posted By: peejman

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/20/20 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by DWM
Really excellent resource and great community spirit on here. I aim to link up with some local riders once I get a bike. I missed a local bike that was a non runner. Does anyone have any thoughts on what to look for when buying a bike and should a non runner be a deal breaker. Appreciate the groups knowledge in advance

Don


A non-runner could be a deal breaker depending on your willingness and aptitude with a toolbox. While these bikes are generally pretty simple, one that's been sitting out in the weather for a long time will have a long list of potential problems. But there's not much that can't be fixed. The big hitters I can think of... rusty gas tanks, no compression, hacked wiring harnesses, things like that.

You can look through the list of parts to see what's expensive or unavailable to get an idea of deal breakers....
https://www.ronayers.com/oemparts/l/yam/500456daf8700209bc7931ee/2006-xt225-xt225v-parts
Posted By: Az4x4

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/20/20 02:07 PM


Originally Posted by DWM
Salient advice. Yes "carb just needs cleaning" may go deeper than that

If it honestly turned out to be as simple as "carb just needs cleaning," then such a bike - depending on its overall condition and asking price - might work for you. Does the engine turn over (try to start) when you push the button? Does it have good compression? Is the oil clean (reasonably so) and up to level? Are tires and wheels in good shape? No broken spokes? No rust in the gas tank? Nothing major bent or broken?

As Peejman noted, if you're handy with a box of tools and there's nothing seriously wrong with the bike, then there's no real reason you wouldn't be able to bring such a bike back to life rather quickly..
Posted By: Jarrod Weaver

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/20/20 04:16 PM

As long as you are reasonably handy a "non-runner" can be considered a perfect negotiating tool. Show the seller that a replacement carb is more than $600 at your local Yamaha shop (not including labor) and try to get a good deal.
Posted By: 150ron

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/20/20 08:30 PM

Hi, where in SoCal are you located? im in SoCal too, my neighbor bought a xt225 earlier this year, got to check it out and ride it, loved the light weight and low seat height , im short at only 5'9, sold my DRZ and bought a 2000 XT225 for $1,350, had to drive to Santa Barbar to pick it up, 1 1/2 drive each way but was worth it, i purchased it a few months ago, right before all the crazy prices hit, these bikes seem to sell in hours now, theres a few on Craigslist, theres even one for $800, but it has no paperwork

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/mpo/d/desert-hot-springs-xt-225-yamaha/7194859276.html A better place with more bikes available is FB marketplace, theres a couple nice ones on there now.
Posted By: 150ron

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/20/20 08:54 PM

dangit, it sold.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/377706969951835/?ref=search&referral_code=undefined
Posted By: DWM

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/21/20 01:27 AM

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond.

I am based in Newport Beach.

I am a 6/10 with the tools and eager to learn more. So a non starter with no red flags a potential option
Posted By: Az4x4

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/22/20 03:11 PM


Keep us posted, letting us know how your search for a bike is progressing. If we hear of anything that might work we'll pass it along.

XT225s 'show up for sale' when and where you least expect them these days. So be prepared to act and you'll come up with a bike you can enjoy. Be patient. It may take a while, but you'll get there..
Posted By: DWM

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 11/23/20 01:23 AM

Thank you AZ . I am keeping them peeled and am patient. Appreciated
Posted By: JerryH

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 12/04/20 08:51 AM

Unfortunately good used XT225s are in high demand, and when and if you do find one, it is likely to be expensive. The word is out about just how good the XT225 is, especially compared to newer dual sports. There are a lot of people on the advrider.com XT225 thread looking for decent condition bikes, and not finding them. Also be aware that oem parts are becoming increasingly difficult to find for the XT225. A lot of parts are being listed as "no longer available" on online parts places like cheapcycleparts.com and bikebandit.com. If you can't find one, might want to consider a carbureted XT250, though most dual sport riders that have ridden them claim the 225 is a much better bike off road than the 250.


As far as the "just need a carb cleaning" issue, BEWARE. If I had a bike for sale and knew that all it needed was a carb cleaning to make it run right, I'd clean the carb and have it running good before listing it for sale. A good running bike is worth several times more than a poor running or non running bike. It's hard to believe a seller would take a huge loss just because they didn't want to clean the carb. A non running bike might very well need a new engine.


Believe it or not I found a couple on the Phoenix, AZ Craigslist. https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/mcy/d/phoenix-2007-yamaha-xt225extra/7233083040.html (sixteen THOUSAND miles)

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/mcy/d/glendale-yamaha-xt-225/7241122642.html (sixteen HUNDRED miles)
Posted By: Az4x4

Re: Looking for a clean low'ish mileage xt225 - 12/04/20 04:47 PM


Originally Posted by JerryH
...good used XT225s are in high demand, and when and if you do find one, it is likely to be expensive. The word is out about just how good the XT225 is, especially compared to newer dual sports. There are a lot of people on the advrider.com XT225 thread looking for decent condition bikes, and not finding them.....

Years ago, in '08 when I first took the plunge into XT225s, every week there were a number of local XTs listed for sale on Phoenix Craigslist. You could take your pick and go home with an XT for an extremely reasonable price.

The first three XT225s I owned I rode each bike for a time then came across an XT I wanted instead and sold the one I had to make that happen. There never seemed to be a shortage of XTs to choose from, and moving from one bike to another always worked out well.

In about 2013 I decided I wanted one of the newer XT250s. I found one available, so I sold the XT225 I had and bought the 2012 XT250. Rode it for a time but found it different in too many ways from the XT225s I had enjoyed - heavier, 5 speeds instead of 6, wasn't as managable off road - so I sold it to a fellow from Yuma recouping my investment.

Soon after that I moved 2 1/2 hours away from the Valley to Arizona's White Mountains. Went from 1100 ft. elevation in Tempe to 6500 to 7000 ft in Heber/Overgaard, escaping the oppressive heat and congestion the Valley is famous for.

Wasn't here too long before I started looking for another '06 XT225. After some weeks I came across one in Pennsylvania. Worked out a deal with the owner and the transport company, and had that bike trucked to my front door. It was as nice as the owner said it would be, and I rode it for a couple of years.

After a brutally cold snowy winter I sold that XT and drove to Flagstaff where I picked up a '93 XT225 at a bargain basement price. Had a couple of things I needed to fix on it, but nothing too difficult. With the '93 in hand, not too much later I drove to New Mexico where I picked up yet another '06 XT225. Got it at a much better price than what I paid for the '06 XT I got from Pennsylvania, so that trip paid off.

Traded the '93 to a local guy, a carpenter, for completing a construction project I needed done. Came out well on that deal, and the '06 I got from New Mexico meant I hadn't missed a beat as far as riding was concerned.

A year of so later, after a real scare riding solo single track not far from my place, where I came close to loosing the XT to a steep side hill with me going over with it, I stepped away from riding and sold that bike thinking I didn't want to be tempted again.

Retirement from riding didn't last long. I started looking for a bike locally that I could replace the '06 I sold with. Took a long while to turn up anything, and XT225's simply weren't available anywhere reasonably close. But I came across a one owner '08 Honda CRF230L, just 30 miles away, and brought that bike home with me for $2000.

Sweet little bike, the CRF230L. Different again from the XT225, but similar in many ways - engine size, low seat height, light weight, 6 speed. Road it until a couple of years ago, then sold it to a guy from Phoenix for a considerable profit over what I had in it. Once again I thought of myself as 'out of the riding game', figuring the Honda would be my last bike.

That second retirement didn't stick any more than the first did. But finding a replacement bike took a long time. Finally I came across an excellent '02 XT225 in Prescott Valley, the first XT I've seen for sale anywhere near me in years. Made the 2 1/2 hour drive, bought the bike and returned home with it a few weeks ago. It has proven to be one of the best XTs I've had, and at 81 I'm determined to keep this bike as long as I'm comfortable with the local riding I do.

All that to say, Jerry's right!.. XT225s today are in high demand and not readily available like they were years ago. So if you want one, or you know someone looking for one, when you do find one if you're serious you won't haggle too much or the next guy who comes to see it will take it home with him..
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