Cleveland CycleWerks FXr125
 

Has anyone seen the FXr125? I toured Cleveland CycleWerks last week and I was very impressed with the quality of their bikes. The FXr is a small, lightweight, street legal, dual sport and it's definitely on my shortlist, as I'm looking to get another bike. My buddy has been letting me ride his Triumph Bonneville. It's been great but I want a small bike now. The FXr retails for around $2000 or so. It weights just over 150lbs and has a top speed of 60mph. The transmission is a 4-speed with a clutch and it has 21" front and rear wheels. They just had a new model reveal in Indonesia last week. I was communicating with one of the owners when he was there. Not looking for a project or anything like that. I made do a few mods, if I get one. The Zongshen RX3 and TT250 are also on my shortlist. Not sure which way I will go yet. Please comment with your thoughts on the FXr, RX3 and TT250.

I'm retired now and enjoying life!

Thanks!

SamM

I'd be hard pressed to believe that bike can hold 60 for very long. seems like you'd have the motor wound up as tight as it would go. besides that, on WV mountain roads, you'll have serious lag going up hill. I gotta guess that if you're going to be on the road at all, you should opt for the 250 size.

the models you listed are pretty varied. what type of riding do you intend to do with the bike?

Just local riding mostly. Nothing over 55mph on back roads and around my house. I have a large piece of property. The FXr would be perfect to access that but the TT250 would be better for the road. I really do like the RX3. The RX3 would be overkill for me. The bags would be useless and ditched. I have a local SSR dealer and he has a XF250 coming it. That might be the better choice. There is no hurry for me to buy, until Spring.

The Honda GROM cylinder kit may fit this engine, not sure yet. A bigger carb and taller gearing would help keep the highway speeds up. The bigger problems are the carrying capacity and the .9gal fuel tank. Whatever I get will probably be used on a Blue Ridge Parkway trip that my old riding buddies are planning next Summer. That gives me time. The speeds on the BRP are only 35 to 45mph. The FXr125 will do that all day and is different enough to be interesting. The RE Himalayan is also on my list. I was recently at Moto City Cycles in Cleveland, Ohio to check on them. Great bike but it too may be overkill for me. I have no plans to get serious about riding again. The Himalayan problems bother me too.

The FXr would get Pirelli MT43 DOT trials tires. My essential trip kit could be carried in a small OGIO backpack and a drybag. I have lightweight camping gear, so that's not a big problem. We'll stop for food, rain gear and my waterproof bivy is about all I need, aside from extra skivies and road snacks. Maybe an extra liter or 2 of fuel.

Thanks!

SamM

Addressing only the fuel volume problem:

Check out the "burrito tube" mod that people do to their hawks here, supposedly you can fit it onto your front forks with "quick fist" clamps and then put a MSR 30oz fuel canister in one. You could do both sides and have about 1/2 gallon more :)

- Burrito tube
- Quick fist clamp
- MSR 30oz

Personally I'm a fan of Rotopax for fuel transportation, the offer a wide variety of fuel canisters and mounts.

Well, if power ever becomes a concern you can always spend the money on a 190cc Daytona Anima 4 valve engine. About 1200 bucks, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 20hp. The FD version is more street friendly and has a standard 1 down 3 up gear shift pattern along with taller 3rd and 4th ratios. There is also a bolt on 212cc big bore kit for them.

As far as CCW bikes go, as long as you expect typical chinabike quality issues from them, then you won't be too surprised.

Great looking bike!...ARH

Power is always a concern. If I get it, we'll see what can be done with it. Not sure what pattern the engine is yet. The mechanic at CCW seems to not have much info on the engines. I called a few days ago.

I've owned several chinabikes in the past and I've checked these out in person already. They don't look bad. Better than the Zongshen and Lifans that I had.

SamM

I used to think that the FX was a useless bike, but someone on Mychinamoto (who lives in China) was asking about them for his local riding, and the more I looked at it, the more potential I saw in it out here in southern AZ. That being said, I would probably want a standard Chinese enduro 250 with both the TT250 and XF250 fitting the bill nicely. You already talked yourself out of the RX3, which I could see being a hassle to ride on your own property, which then brings back the idea of the FX.

If I was in your place, I would probably opt for the XF250 seeing that you have a dealer nearby. It will cruise at highway speeds, stock, whereas the TT250 would probably need sprocket changes to do so (at least comfortably). It seems that the XF250 is about the only Chinese bike that one can keep virtually stock and be happy with it for light trails AND highway use. All the others 'require' modifications. If I had the money, I would probably want both the FX AND XF250 for riding in the conditions you described.

There is a KLR650 in my shop, that just needs an engine and put back together. It may see duty as a street bike for longer rides, at some point. Maybe! The TT250 is really a great bike. I like the quality of the Zongshen bikes. The TT250 is over $1000 cheaper than the SSR XF250.

The FXr125 is pretty much a done deal for me. I love the lightweight concept and bumping the power seems to be doable. The bike is so different that getting one is important to me now. Especially after seeing them in person. Right now, CSC out of the TT250 and is waiting for a container of them to arrive. I plan to buy in the next month or so.The TT250 and the FXr125 are basically the same price. The FXr would be great for camping.

SamM

So, the FXr's are legal and ready to ship? They seem elusive, so I thought they were not yet available in the US market. If they are available, that is great to hear! I have a bike rental idea that I have been floating in my head, and these would be perfect for that, although I hope they aren't too 'Chinese' (meaning made more for personal use, rather than like a rental due to the oftentimes quirks found in Chinese bikes).

The FXr125 is available but they only had 1 or 2 left. They have a container that will be arriving soon. I would have bought the black one, like the picture in my first post, but I'm not quite ready. As I said, the FXr is pretty much a done deal for me. I told CCW that I would be purchasing Sept 1st.

The quality seems very good to me. There are a few things that I do not like. The battery placement is one. I would probably go with a smaller lithium-ion battery and clean up the wiring. Too many wires hanging near the engine. A performance exhaust would be next. HMF makes one for it. CCW also has CNC triple clamps for it $129. The FXr would probably work well for your business plans. I think people will be stopping me everywhere I go to ask about it.

SamM

Just to be clear. The FXr is the street legal dualsport and the FXx is the off-road dirt bike.

SamM

I went to Pitmotor site, and they will direct ship CCW bikes direct to home (I assume if you don't have a nearby dealer), but they only showed the FXx (off-road) on their site. I would prefer the dual-sport version for around here, however. I am in no hurry to purchase one, either, and with our elongated summers, now is NOT the time. I would guess that these would be most desired during snowbird season...

Cleveland CycleWerks told me the same thing. I can order from them and they would drop ship the FXr to me from the manufacturer. In their warehouse, there were stacks of different model bikes in crates. I'd rather test ride one and make the purchase. No surprises. My sister lives near Cleveland it will be easy for me to go up and just stay with her and pick up the bike. I have a hitch mounted motorcycle carrier for my Jeep Wrangler. It's only 200 miles to Cleveland, Ohio from my place in West Virginia.

Every Winter, I make a trip to Florida and stay a month or so with my mom in Melbourne, Florida. The FXr would be easy to haul down and back. And be nice to have to run around down there with. I do a lot of camping here in WV. A bike that's easy to haul around while camping is another part of my criteria for a purchase. The FXr will constantly be riding on the back of my Jeep and then a camper, when I get that.

I did a search last night for the Anima Daytona 190 engine. Wow!

SamM

Sam what area in West Virginia are you? I was born and raised in Vienna/Parkersburg.



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