Decided to upgrade my Orion Apollo 250 with a Honda XR250R engine

Chineeske · 01-26-2019, 10:47 AM

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....

01-26-2019, 10:47 AM	#1
Chineeske Join Date: May 2018 Posts: 29	Decided to upgrade my Orion Apollo 250 with a Honda XR250R engine 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....
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