For Sale: 1996 Aprilia RS250
Update 6.8.2012: Back on eBay is just under a month. The last auction failed to produce a single bid even though most comments below suggest it’s probably pretty close to what it’s worth. Links updated. -dc
From the DMV-restricted land of California comes this good looking smoker, all registered and ready to go! It is no secret that a title and a plate adds value to any two stroke, and it is likely that CA is the most valuable state in this regard. Since the 1984 Yamaha RZ350 was the last stroker officially imported into the Golden State, knee draggers in the West look hungrily for titled exotica such as this.
Originally introduced in 1995 and utilizing a Suzuki RG250 VJ22 cloned engine prepped by Rotax, the Aprilia RS250 was offered up as a street going version of the GP racebike ridden by the likes of Rossi, Capirossi and Biaggi. It was also raced successfully by a whole host of riders with last names NOT ending in “i.”
From the seller:
Licensed and street legal in CaliforniaReplica of GP250
Only 6,754 miles
249 cc 2 stroke
Slight scratches on one side.
Unique vehicle, very unusual to be licensed for street use.
There are not a lot of great pictures here, but what we do see is a good looking bike. The seller does mention some scuffs, and there are additional pictures on the auction page. Did I mention it has a CA title? That part is important once we start talking value. The Arrow chambers definitely add some value, but beyond that there is little information as to what else might have been modified or updated on this bike.
Early RS250s are not exactly investment material when it comes to pricing. That is not to say anything bad about the model or year, but nothing depreciates faster than last year’s racebike and Aprilia has done an outstanding job continually improving the RS250. Still, this one is clean, titled, with relatively low miles. The seller has an opening ask of $7,500 for this machine , which is likely why there have been zero bids to date. The money is in the ballpark, but probably high for a starting bid.
For more information about this one, click the link and jump over to the auction. Check it out and let us know what YOU think. What is good money for a ’96 Ape, and does the inclusion of a title warrant a significant price premium on this one? Share your thoughts!
MI
Yes, I think a title adds significant value. I have no idea how to accomplish that on my own. I would not feel very confident in my odds of success in going that route with an untitled ride, so this proposition has significant appeal.
However it takes license AND insurance to ride this down the highway. Anybody have any experience insuring a grey market bike? When I call up geico and give them a foreign VIN, what response might I expect? Do they just pull something out of their ass?
The CA street legal title is like gold.
It would be near impossible to get one CA titled now.
It would be easier in WA, OR, or some other states.
Insurance is no problem.
I just bought one in Oct 11 – a CA plated Mk1.
I think these are good investment bikes – particularly with a street legal title. Maybe not like an RC30, but i think they are going to go up in value, not down.
There are not that many CA legal & they aren’t making any more.
There is not much difference between the MK1 & Mk2 – forks, bodywork, speedo.
I like the looks of the Mk1’s better than the Mk2’s.
I think this bike, at $7500 is a pretty darn good deal – with the CA title. When looking for mine, i saw them from this price, up to $13K for a CA titled zero mile MK2. Other bikes titled in other states were less.
They have more power than an RZ350. It is top end power, rather than the RZ’s more practical power band.
They are light, handle incredibly & the brakes are outstanding.
The fun factor on these bikes is off the charts.
Check out this link:
http://youtu.be/PQP2wkR-4Ls
I think people will wish they could buy these bikes with CA plates at this price in the future.
it bums me out when people talk about bikes like these as, ‘investments.” someone should buy this and ride the piss out of it. it could be me, but $7500 is just a little too much. i’d buy it for $6k, as that’s what it’s worth.
These bikes need to be ridden.
Mine is ridden – not a zero mile parked bike.
Get one while you can & ride it.
I can remember several other things i kick myself in the ass for not getting, cause they were a little too much. Those things are now worth several times more than i could have bought them for at the time.
Prospective buyers should ask to see the title and compare the vin to that on the bike. One of the ways these smokers have gotten plated in the past is through the use of other ‘cycles vins. Not saying it’s stolen by any means, just that the titling process may not be exact.
7500 is alittle on the higher side but it’s a cali bike my biggest issue with ALL VJ22 motor equipped bikes be it the Priller or the Suzuki RGV where the motor comes from is if the power valves have never been upgraded. It is a must do mod for this bike! the OEM part was flawed not in the actual design but in how they made the part! Don’t worry there’s plenty of aftermarket support to fix it. It’s a do now not later type of mod also.
The VJ22 is much more street friendly then my NSR MC21’s are my RGV is much easier to take off n start and it also runs much cooler it has decent bottom for a 2 stroke!
There is no issue in getting insurance for a non standard VIN number bike. I got one from Progressive for my Canadian import RD500 LC.
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