[Matt]

I just watched, teary eyed, as my ZZR-250 was trailered away by her new owner.

For all the people who are concerned about buying a 250cc and then having the hassle of selling when you move up, this was my experience.

Last February I bought my ZZR-250 (a used 2003) from the dealership. One year and 4000km later, I got a great deal on an SV650 and “moved up”. I put my (free) adds in Usedottawa.com, craigslist, and kijiji. Less than 48 hours later the handshake was done and the bike was waiting to be picked up by her new owner.

I only had the two bikes parked beside each other for one night.

Now if you’ll excuse me, the roads are clear, the sun is shinning and it is something resembling a reasonable temperature (-5C). I think I’ll dry my tears with a short ride on the new Belle.

[samgoody]

In places like Canada, the US, and Europe, I would imagine that it would sell pretty quickly. The reasons, as stated by so many on this forum and elsewhere, are mainly because there are lots of beginners looking for a cheap used bike to start on, and plenty of seasoned commuters looking for an economical mount.

I live in Saudi Arabia, and I’ve been scanning the used ads for months. Until now I haven’t seen any used 250cc or 500cc bikes. All I can find are 600cc+ inline-4 supersport bikes and big bore 800cc+ v-twin cruisers. Only recently has the Kawasaki dealership here begun to offer the new Ninja 250R, and it’s not selling in any great numbers. The Suzuki dealership here dropped the GS500F from their lineup, also probably because it wasn’t selling well. Even a bike like the 650cc Versys doesn’t sell well here because it doesn’t conform to what the majority of buyers buy. As a result, the resale value of “beginner” bikes here is poor.

It takes a long time to move a bike here primarily because by law the buyer needs to have a motorcycle endorsement on their license in order to be able to make the purchase. You can’t buy a bike before you have a license because there is no such thing as a “learner’s permit”. The result is that the market for your used motorcycle here is limited, and that market tends not to want the smaller sized machines.

I’ll admit that I’m a bit jealous of you Westerners because things are easier for you in terms purchasing, selling, and getting lessons on how to ride.

Matt, it looks like you enjoyed riding the ZZR-250. May your new SV650 give you many thousands of km’s of safe and fun riding.

[BouncingRadical]

When I looked for a used 250cc I searched all local classifieds, craig’s and such and found three. I was unable to find a used one and ended up finding a badass deal on a new.

[Medic]

You got a deal on a new one?

I gotta know how you did it. I’ve been looking at new ones since I can’t find a used one here, but I don’t know how to get the price down. So how did you do it?

[Author]

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