Introductions

[cTc]

Welcome to the newly added introduction forum. Stop in a tell about yourself and about your bike (s)

as for my garage there sits

2004 Harley Davidson FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide (Electric Blue)
2001 Honda Rebel 250 (Black)
2001 Kawasaki Ninja 250 (Kawasaki Green) (currently in N.C.)
1988 Honda Shadow 600 VLX (Burgandy)
1985 Honda Rebel 250 Chopper Project. (Primer :lol:)

[brooksallenc]

I am 14 and for my birthday 2weeks ago my parents bought me a 2001 hond rebel all of it is still stock(besides the sadle bags) and is probly is going to remain that way I just wanted 2 know where is the best place to ride for the first few rides

[GearJammer]

Not sure what the laws are in your state, but here we'd have to have insurance & at least a rider's permit to be street legal.

If you have a large abandoned parking lot in your area, that would be an ideal place to start without having to worry about traffic. Heck, when first learning to ride there's enough to pay attention to without having to watch out for cagers who aren't even watching out for themselves, LOL!

[boggs74]

hey brooks, congrads on your new bike. JUst keep one thing in mind when you're out learning to ride. Allways drive others arround you. people in cars tend to forget about motorcyclist and will cut you off or flat out forget about you. i've seen it many times.Personnally, i allways have an escape route, that is i pick a spot to ride to incase something comes at me, trust me a spill in the grass is better than becoming a hood ornament. Keep safety in mind and you'll have a blast learning to ride.

[KRAZYTEX]

Howdy,

Bought a 2006 Rebel in April, Pearl White. 48 years old. New Rider. I bought the bike for commuting mostly to save gas $$$. No disappointments there.

I am enjoying the backroads to work. I believe I bought the correct bike for learning to ride. I may be a little large of frame for the Rebel, but it is a fun ride on short commutes and sidetrips. I am very pleased with the bike, especially for the value, and it looks good too.

-KRAZYTEX

[GearJammer]

Howdy, KRAZYTEX!

Yes, you definitely made the right choice in buying the Rebel. It's track record speaks for itself. Voted the #1 Entry Level bike for several years now, if I'm not mistaken.

Ride Safe.......

[cTc]

That is the normal response to the rebel, its a great bike, and what better way to save gas. Not very many people turn up unhappy on the rebel. I think you made a good choice.

[ryche41]

In 1987, I found a 1985 cmx 250c rebel in my front yard. I did what I thought was right at the time , and pushed it in my garage. In 1998 I found it again, after the house I once lived in was left to me, and I had to sell. I moved it to my apartment garage, where it sat for another 8 years. But this year 2006, I decided to use my tax return on ...no, not a trip to Florida to visit my cuz as planned, but the Rebel that I found 19 years ago. Need I say more...Wow what a job so far....but, I have it running ! The first thing I did was a title search....no paper trail ..guess it's mine! Now I need to learn the rest! Thanks Duke B. for your advise !

[calepo]

Howdy, KRAZYTEX!

Yes, you definitely made the right choice in buying the Rebel. It's track record speaks for itself. Voted the #1 Entry Level bike for several years now, if I'm not mistaken.

Ride Safe.......

I'm not a new rider. I've been riding since I was 9 years old! However, when it came time to buy a 'commuter' (Igot tired of filling up the Grand Cherokee every week to go to work) I was happy to jump on the Rebel. It's just the right size, it gets AWESOME gas mileage and it's a good looking bike!

BTW....My real name is Cathy, I live in Southern California and just purchased a new (yup...new out of the box) 2001 Rebel, sapphire blue.

[REBLE woman]

hi I'm the proud owner of a 250 and 450 reble. just resently started to ride again love it. i am doing alot of custom work to my 450 .i put six turn handle bars an a solo set .s.s steel flames to hold the back fender.got some pics add soon

[coltarms]

Hi from Hillsboro OR (think Portland.) I just bought my fiancee her first motorcycle, a 1985 Honda Rebel 250 with 6800 original miles. I turn a lot of wrenches on my 2000 Jeep Wrangler and my 1983 Toyota Tercel Wagon 4x4, but I haven't worked on a bike since high school. I'm looking forward to it!

I'll be posting a writeup on the bike (with pics) soon!

-Dave

[Big_J]

welcome, we look forward to seeing your ride.

[GearJammer]

Welcome aboard, Dave.....A lady passed thru here locally a few months ago, she arrived with her friend who stayed here & then she herself was heading home to Oregon. I mentioned the town where "Chopper Rick" lives, but she never heard of it & said that there's a LOT of small towns scattered thru the state that she never heard of until she'd been thru 'em ;)

Ride Safe.....

[jsonder]

Welcome. The more the merrier!

[b4v4]

Hillsboro, eh? I drive through there(on I-5) everytime we head down to the Florence dunes with our quads! My daughter and I have an '85 250 as well, with not quite so few miles, but they are killer bikes, and I know you folks will love it. welcome aboard!

[ole Ed]

Hi all. My name is Ed and I am an addict.. Well, addicted to my new Rebel anyways. Shes a 2005 black and chrome 250 with only 1800 miles on her. She had only 974 when I got her. Aside from windshield shes bone stock. Oh, about the mileage. I got her 2 weeks ago with 974 and now she has 1800 so you can tell shes my favorite.

[jimmbo]

I'm back on a bike after over 25 years away..and does it feel good.
I just bought an '86 Rebel 250 (Limited). Great way to get back and forth to work.....

[GearJammer]

Welcome aboard, jimmbo! You've got one of the Classic Rebs....excellent! You won't regret it......

Ride Safe...

[txsizzler]

Welcome to the forums, jimmbo! Gotta agree with you... riding to and from work makes going to work a whole lot more pleasant! But then.. you have to wait 8 hours to get off of work to ride again... so goes the circle of life... <sigh>

[94GTVert]

Wow, introductions.

I should have done this a long time ago.

I've been riding since I was seven.

currently have:

1981 Suzuki TS250
2002 Honda Rebel
2005 Kawasaki ZR1000
1994 Mustang GT Convertible
2001 F-150
2005 Freelander (slightly modded, more to come)

soon to come:
2008 Mustang GT or Sport Trac V8

[txsizzler]

Oh... and as far as introductions go, I rode when I was a kid.. on a small 50cc bike (when I was 8-10 years old). I didn't ride at all anymore until just recently (REAL recently.. as in May of this year!).

I currently have only 2 bikes:

2000 Honda Elite 80
2006 Honda Rebel 250

I probably won't own anything else for awhile.. but, I am keeping my eye out for a good deal on a used Honda Shadow. As you can see, I really like Hondas! ;)

Oh, and I have 2 vehicles:

1998 Dodge Grand Caravan (my wife-kiddos hauler)
2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue GL

[rebelrider_68]

Hello everybody.

I ran across an '86 Rebel on the roadside yesterday and stopped to ask about it. The bike looks rough and needs work, but it runs and I got it for $500.00. I'm hoping to get it restored to its original state and enjoy riding it. Since I've never really worked on a motorcycle before, this should be a challenge, but one I think I can handle.

I just thought I'd say hello and let everyone know I'm here.

[MadRat]

Running? 500 bucks? I don't think you went wrong. I'd like to find a deal like that. Whatever problems it has, there's lots of friendly, smart people here just lookin' for an opportunity to help. Is it a 250 or 450?

[jsonder]

Yup, kick back and dump questions here as you bring the bike up to snuff (or is that up to speed?)

;-)

[GearJammer]

Welcome rebelrider_68........Echoing MadRat's sentiments.....$500 for a running bike is an EXCELLENT score! Congrats!

[rebelrider_68]

Running? 500 bucks? I don't think you went wrong. I'd like to find a deal like that. Whatever problems it has, there's lots of friendly, smart people here just lookin' for an opportunity to help. Is it a 250 or 450?

Thanks for the replys and welcoming comments, everyone. The bike is a 250. I would have liked to found a 450 for that price, but I still couldn't pass it up. I found a 450 back last spring, but the guy wanted close to $5,000 for it so I passed that one up. I figure by the time I get done with this bike, I'll probably have $1,200 or so in it, maybe a little more, but I can't wait to get it done.

I'll be posting pictures and blogging the progress on it soon and I'll link to it so everybody that's interested can see the bike and my progress on it as I get her back to her original glory. I love the look and feel of these bikes. I learned to ride on a Rebel 250 back when I took the state-sponsored riding course many years ago and always wanted one.

My first purchase will be a shop manual of some type so I can get it apart and back together again. If anyone has any suggestions there, feel free to PM me.

[GearJammer]

Looking forward to your on-going progress with the Reb. Before & after pics are always cool to have for one's own scrapbook as well.......

As far as manuals, Clymer's offers a pretty decent one & they can always be found on eBay or probably at your local indie shop. An even better manual would be the actual Honda OEM Service Manual........this one would be a bit pricey, but would have essentially all the info that the dealer Techs have. I found an OEM Manual for the 450 on eBay (used, $25, worth every penny).......

There's also a website if I recall correctly that will reprint manuals per request.....Helm, Inc. ? www.helminc.com ?

[NAC]

This i smy first bike. My husband has had several and after quizzing me on my style preference, turned me towards the Rebel, and especially the 450. I love the look and as he explains it, will love the 450 as its enough to get out of trouble if someone's trying to change lanes into you! Unfortunately the bike shown in my profile is in my folks garage in Washington for now as we purchased it off craigslist and I can't take the MRS class until the spring! So we're here in Alaska and I'm bikeless until then. he has a Honda NT 650 that he's working on to get it ready for spring - another craigslist purchase. Thank the bike gods that be for Alaska Marine Lines to get them up here!

[GearJammer]

Welcome aboard, NAC & congrats on your 450 Rebel score! ;)

You've got the advantage of having your husband's advice & experience to draw from, which is cool. From what I can see in the pic, your Reb looks to be in very good condition & she should serve you well......

Normally, I tend to recommend something in the 250cc class as a starter bike, but others have successfully learned on larger bikes. (My 1st bike was a 750cc Triumph triple, which I managed to put thru a fence the first week, LMAO!) Please don't let that deter you........the 750 Triumph had amazing power & the bike got away from me. The 450 Reb certainly has respectable power & can do as your husband told you & you should easily be able to manage the Reb without the worry of overkill torque at the rear wheel trying to ruin your day ;)

The MSF Course is a wise decision also.........Two points worth mentioning to please keep in mind:

It's preferable & safer as long as you can flatfoot the bike for more balance control while stopped.
I found the 450 Reb to feel a bit "top heavy" when jockeying the bike around while standing next to it. For my own preference, I put 250 Rebel shocks on it, which effectively lowered it for better flatfooting & jockeying cooperation (not that you have to do that, it was simply my own choice is all)

Enjoy & Ride Safe.......

[NAC]

That's something I'm trying to spend the winter doing - researching how the cmx250 and cmx450 parts can be interchangeable. I like your idea. I'm 5'1", maybe another 1/2 inch if I stretch, but I should be able to sit flat footed on it - I stopped by Honda here and sat on a Shadow which I believe has the same seat height.

I scout eBay for parts and accessories but don't know what of the 250 will fit the 450?? Also looking for a good resource for saddlebags - preferably nylon or something waterproof, and locking.

[GearJammer]

Ubetcha......;)

Unfortunately, there's very little interchangeability of parts between the 250/450......the shocks, obviously, for those simply wanting to make that modification.

As far as standard replacement parts, pretty sure that the coils & speedo drive are interchangeable.....maybe a couple more parts. If anyone knows for sure, please let NAC know, O.K. ?

[Jim]

I just got a 2002 honda rebel cmx250c with only 350 miles on it, for only $1500. bikes been in storage for a long time by a family I know. I have had the bike now for three weeks and put another 800 miles on it. This is my first motorcycle and I love it!!! I plan to put a windshield on and I just bought a 30 teeth sprocket for back wheel for $20 (That should help with the missing 6th gear that they are known for.) I really want to turn it into a chopper by extending front forks. I like to make it a one seater with back rest. So please welcome me to the forum. thank you.

[justme]

Its Just me,
I from Bloomingburg Ohio, I rode dirts bike as a kid, my job the last 16 years did not alot enough time to enjoy the ride. 2 years ago i rans across a 1985 Honda rebel 250 ( was looking and still am a cheap 450) sitting in a junk yard bought it for $400.00 bucks took it home, it is still in the process of trying to be redone, but riding gets in the way. It had 4003 miles on it , it know has 10,431 it is coming along well, mostly worked on it the winter. Thank for the warm welcome.

[pullfortony]

Hi,
I have ridden on the back of several bikes and always wanted to learn to drive one.I am 57 years old and just bought me a 2003 Honda Rebel 250.I hope I can get up enough courage to try to drive it. I did go get me a beginners permit.

[lil rebel baby]

Hi from Hillsboro OR (think Portland.) I just bought my fiancee her first motorcycle, a 1985 Honda Rebel 250 with 6800 original miles. I turn a lot of wrenches on my 2000 Jeep Wrangler and my 1983 Toyota Tercel Wagon 4x4, but I haven't worked on a bike since high school. I'm looking forward to it!

I'll be posting a writeup on the bike (with pics) soon!

-Dave

i personally have to say that i think you made a good buy on the 250 rebel. it just so happens that my first bike was a cherry red 1985 rebel and WOW! what a great bike it has been.short of replacing a few batteries and old tires it is still running like a champ.hope she enjoys the ride

[Richie]

well my name is Richard and i just bought a 1986 Rebel 250 its cherry red. i also just got my licence and riding is incredible.

[colddonkey]

I'm 55 just bought a 2008 Rebel re-introduced myself to riding again because of the gas prices. Realize now that I should not have stopped back in the late 70's. Will be taking the Basic Riders Course this week then hopefully received my license for my efforts.
I'm in the western New York area.

[5fishsam]

Have been with the other forum since 2005. Found this forum yesterday while doing a search for the 30 toothed sprocket change. Anyway, I have a 2006, Black Rebel 250 that my wife just had to have. I probably have put more miles than she on it. Also, have a 2003 Sportster and a 1989 Kawasaki 454LTD. I am in central SC, but like to ride the mountains of NC and WV. I ride to work most every day that it isn't raining even when it is cold. I am a school teacher. You can find me riding just for fun around Augusta, Aiken, Saluda, Columbia, Charleston, and Newberry.

[Big_J]

Welcome to the site, I dropped off the other site around 2004/2005.

Sounds like you are not to far from here, we're in georgia about 30 miles west of anderson, we usually go to hooters in anderson on thursday nights, if the weather is decent.

[Khing Dheano]

Greetings!
From others' postings, I certainly won't feel out of place here. I'm 53, haven't been on a bike since 1991, but like so many others, the high gas prices overcame my wife's objections, and she finally gave me the OK get a bike. Sound like a familiar story? (Not allowed to ride it on the freeway here in Dallas, tho.) Last week took possession of a black 2008 Rebel, and that one was hard to come by. There just aren't any to be had in the 5 state area, so I'm told.
Anyway, glad to be back in the saddle, and to have found this forum. Like I mentioned, I'm in Dallas, Texas, in case there are any others from this area on this forum.

[Max]

Hello, my name is Max and I am from Kansas. I've been a 2T motorscooter enthusiast for a few years and I'm currently transitioning to motorcycles. I'm here because I am looking for good advice on how to fix up the Rebel I've got my hands on, and to see what other Rebel owners are doing with their bikes. I eventually would like to move up to a larger Honda, but for now all I've got is this little 250. I'm interested in standards and cruisers, with an eye toward getting a late 70s or early 80s standard Honda.

-Max-

[flitecontrol]

Hi, just joined the forum. Have enjoyed reading all the helpful info on this site. I'm in NE Louisiana and just bought a blue 2001 Rebel with 6,000 miles on it for $1,000. I'm 61 and have never had a motorcycle. My fear of injury was outweighed by the price of gas! Have been riding it on some land I have. Passed the written motorcycle test today and will be taking the safety course soon.

Pretty sure everything on the bike is original. Need to replace the tires and have already swapped the plugs. The local bike shop wanted $35 each to mount the new tires I am getting online. That seemed pretty steep, so I'm bidding on a set of motorcycle tire irons. One thing I want to do is be able to carry some things on the bike. The small luggage rack available for the bike is too small to handle much of anything, so I'm fabricating one from aluminum that will extend from just behind the driver's seat out over the passenger seat and slightly beyond. Also thinking about making some aluminum panniers for waterproof storage. I'm technologically challenged on the computer, so doubt I'll be able to post pictures unless I get my daughter-in-law or grandkids to do it.

Again, thanks for providing all this helpful information. It has already made this novice's experience of working on the bike a more pleasant one.

[Big_J]

Welcome to the site, glad you like it so far. There is a lot of good info here.

[piamia]

Took my MSF class a month ago and now am the proud owner of a 2008 Honda Rebel. Bought it for riding around town and potential commuting bike for work. Any riding advice you can give would be great.

[Big_J]

Welcome, There is tons of good info in the site, and a lot of good people to answer questions. Enjoy the site, and post some pics of your bike for everyone to see.

[livenkickin06]

Hi,
I just got my 2002 rebel 250 and have been excitedly riding it for a few weeks. I haven't done any maintenance on it, but it came in tiptop shape. I have been reading a lot about replacing the rear sprocket to a 30 tooth. If I can get it at a dealer, can anybody post instructions here on how to replace it? How much should a dealer be charging me to install it?
Thanks,

[livenkickin06]

Hi,
I'm the proud new owner of a 2002 Rebel cmx 250. I'll post some pics of my baby soon.

I wanted to change the rear sprockets to a 30 teeth one as I've been hearing a lot about those. but have no idea how. Can anybody post instructions as to how I can do this myself? Also, can anybody suggest a good place to get a manual on the bike? Mine (used) didn't come with one.
Thanks,

[Hershey102]

Clymer's manual on eBay or Half.com.