I have thought about this well, about the pro's and cons but I just can't sell my Orion... I really do like the looks of it, and despite it's Chinese made (so it can have some major upgrades here and there) it is a brand new bike...
Thing is, is that I don't like the engine (as in no power) in the dirt.
So I have decided to upgrade my Apollo with a Honda 250XR engine which happens to lay around in my shed.
This afternoon I made a small start with it:
The airbox is a pain to remove... it will only leave it's place when the subframe is unbolted
Removed the wire harness and subframe
20 minutes later and you have some extra rubbish laying around in the shed
Although I was quite happy about the build quality of the Apollo when I bought it, I have found some small issues here and there...
And that is the quality of the paint of the frame, subframe and suspension...
Some tiny rubbing already causing this:
Hose rubbing
Some rust at the swingarm, where the mudflap sits
Where the side plastic is bolted to the tank, also some rubbing marks
Also the subframe isn't painted by a high quality painter, as it seems he/she missed some spots causing some rust
Guess I will repaint it, I'll see that later on
But besides the paint, the frame itself needs some work too to handle this lovely engine:
On the outside the frame looks beefy right?
But see what's inside this "beefy" looking frame...
Jep... much air here... or hollow spaces if you would like to call it that way...
So the Apollo needs some frame strenghtening here and there, I'll do that by welding some steel plates in and some bracing.
To be continued....
