2021 TBR7 Purchase

[Nospark]

Thumper, great update. I went on Don's site to check it out. In trying to determine cost of the bike, I feared I may have placed an order. I phoned and just got off the phone with Don. He couldn't have been nicer. In hind site, I wish I had purchased from him. I would have saved approx $300 in freight by him shipping to the Roadrunner depot and me driving over & throwing it my van. Flat rate shipping at TXPS so, not an option to save on freight there. Plus side, I don't have to move the create in and out of my van. having it dumped in the street in front of the house with -9 wind chill factor has to be a good idea. I can slide it down the driveway on the ice until it's front of the garage, While talking with Don I used the chat feature on TXPS website. I asked about cancellation fee. Was informed it would approx $110. Still a savings with Don but, I'm concerned about the whole refund against my CC thing with TXPS and how long that would take. This switching horses mid stream idea is likely asking for problems. I'm gonna ride this TXPS turtle all the way across the line. Besides, I'll learn what happens to a TBR7 when it gets freeze dried.

[Magician16]

Nospark, I bought my Magician from TXpowersports. That was before I knew about this site. When it arrived, it had a very minor tattoo on the exhaust. It was really hard to start and only had a few miles, when I realized it had a head gasket leak. I contacted them, sent a picture showing an oil drip and they immediately shipped me a new gasket. When I fixed the head gasket, I adjusted the valves which made starting much easier. I have only 1 complaint, they sent me a 2016 in 2019.

[Nospark]

magician16, thanks for chiming in. Glad to hear you experienced what sounded to be decent after sale service/support. It will be interesting to see if a TBR7D, in hopefully the color I ordered, is what gets dumped at the house. I'm thinking because I paid the premium for the "D", and that's a 2021 model, I won,t get a 2 year old model. We'll C what we C.

[culcune]

When these first came out, they had a drum rear brake and standard forks. Many owners didn't care, but many prospective owners did not become owners, so Taotao upgraded their steed with a rear disc brake (hence the 'D' I believe). Funny enough, on their own site, they show a picture of the 'D' model (they actually have two different TBR7s you can click on--one is the standard TBR7 and the other is the TBRD). When you click on the 'D' model, there is a picture of a very sharp looking green bike with a disc brake and all, but when you scroll down to their video of a bike on a rotisserie they show the standard bike with a drum brake; the same one as on the video when you click on the non-'D' model.

[Nospark]

The D is suppose to have a couple other features over the std. bike. I understand them to be: Foldable foot shifter, large skid plate, High intensity coil, USB charging port, handlebar mounted choke lever, different main fuse holder. Although I could be wrong. I'm still getting educated about these TBR's

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by GlennR

Someone mentioned up thread that some bikes come with smaller 19" F and 17" R wheels and that tires can be hard to find in those sizes.

I've never had a bike with those sizes, so I decided to look on eBay (because it's easy) to see what's available in those sizes. I quickly saw a pair of Shinko 244 dual-sport tires for about $130 for a 19/17" set. That's the exact type of tire I'd plan to run on any of the bikes mentioned here.

So, those wheel sizes aren't an issue for finding tires. I'd be more concerned about having small wheels if riding off-road, but they would be fine if you're mainly riding on paved roads.

Yes. The Shinko 244 is an excellent choice for a dual sport set up. I had printed a page with exactly that pair (chaparral sells that pair, $127 delivered) and was thinking about buying them, but that is one option in a short list. See what you can find for the good Michelin, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Pirelli DOT compliant MX tires and you will see what I mean. The Shinko 244 just isn't aggressive enough for real confidence in tough off road situations for me, like holding the side walls of, or climbing out of deep ruts, maintaining control in loose gravel or dirt while in a sliding turn while deliberately broken loose, and in hill climbing situations, say coming out of a turn or in rough, loose terrain. For me, this is where the fun is, and it will take you to places a milder dual sport tire just can't make it. I did put a Shinko 245 on my Storm, but it is not DOT compliant. I subsequently learned that the Kenda 760 is a DOT approved tire. For the rear, I settled on a Tusk Dsport, but it is kind of stiff. I should have gone with the Kenda Trak Master.

But all that said, the selection is in fact limited. When the temps outside heat up, I am sure that the Tusk DSport rear and Shenko 245 front tire setup will be excellent. Next time, maybe I will try the Trak Masters!

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by Nospark

The D is suppose to have a couple other features over the std. bike. I understand them to be: Foldable foot shifter, large skid plate, High intensity coil, USB charging port, handlebar mounted choke lever, different main fuse holder. Although I could be wrong. I'm still getting educated about these TBR's

The TBR7 my son just got does have a rear disk and the exact same skid plate shown in the Tao motor TBR7D page. It did not come with a folding gear shift lever though:
https://taomotor.com/products/motorcycles/tbr7d/

[GlennR]

Originally Posted by Thumper

Yes. The Shinko 244 is an excellent choice for a dual sport set up. I had printed a page with exactly that pair (chaparral sells that pair, $127 delivered) and was thinking about buying them, but that is one option in a short list. See what you can find for the good Michelin, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Pirelli DOT compliant MX tires and you will see what I mean. The Shinko 244 just isn't aggressive enough for real confidence in tough off road situations for me, like holding the side walls of, or climbing out of deep ruts, maintaining control in loose gravel or dirt while in a sliding turn while deliberately broken loose, and in hill climbing situations, say coming out of a turn or in rough, loose terrain. For me, this is where the fun is, and it will take you to places a milder dual sport tire just can't make it. I did put a Shinko 245 on my Storm, but it is not DOT compliant. I subsequently learned that the Kenda 760 is a DOT approved tire. For the rear, I settled on a Tusk Dsport, but it is kind of stiff. I should have gone with the Kenda Trak Master.

But all that said, the selection is in fact limited. When the temps outside heat up, I am sure that the Tusk DSport rear and Shenko 245 front tire setup will be excellent. Next time, maybe I will try the Trak Masters!

I agree that you really want knobbies when you get into the trails. D/S tires will work, but they're a struggle when things get steep or muddy.

I quit worrying about the DOT certification for my plated dirt bikes. The inspection shops that I went to never even looked at the tires. They just checked the lights & the horn and figured that I wasn't a danger to anyone besides myself. I found that non-DOT tires were much easier to mount and handled a lot better off-road than the super stiff DOT knobbies.

These lower-end Chinese bikes aren't really heavy-duty enough for full-time use on hard trails, IMO. But they are great as dual-sports, so the Shink 244 is the perfect type of tire for the type of riding these bikes are made for.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Thumper

The TBR7 my son just got does have a rear disk and the exact same skid plate shown in the Tao motor TBR7D page. It did not come with a folding gear shift lever though:
https://taomotor.com/products/motorcycles/tbr7d/

Attachment 26334

What chain do these come in? I recall once production started back up in China following COVID, it appeared that the TBR7s started coming with a 530 chain vs. a 428 like they used to. Perhaps the 'D' model upgrade? TXPowersports specific models? Or temporary supplier issues in China? The larger chain also had different sprocket combinations vs. the stock (I believe) 17/44 combo that the TBRs come stock with the 428 chain.

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by culcune

What chain do these come in? I recall once production started back up in China following COVID, it appeared that the TBR7s started coming with a 530 chain vs. a 428 like they used to. Perhaps the 'D' model upgrade? TXPowersports specific models? Or temporary supplier issues in China? The larger chain also had different sprocket combinations vs. the stock (I believe) 17/44 combo that the TBRs come stock with the 428 chain.

Just checked. It's a 428H chain, with a 46 tooth rear sprocket in this case. If it has the 17 front, this may help my son with slightly lower gearing while learning how to use a clutch. He doesn't have a driver's license, practicing in a car with an auto transmission. But he is a very careful driver. We will at least leave the mirrors off and the lever clamps loose enough to twist off for him.

FYI-this was shipped from Luna Road, Carrollton Texas, which is a familiar address seen in Youtube videos with people riding around that parking lot.

[Nospark]

Got auto notification from TXPS last night @ 2:02a that the bike has shipped via SAIA freight along with tracking #. The notification confirmed "New Model TBR7 D" but no reference to color. I ordered the bike Wed 1/26 @ 10:30a. The auto email notification came last night @ 2:02a. So this 5 day period is consistent with the 5-7 day processing time they indicate on their website. I was willing to accept their 5-7 day processing time to mean business days so, 5 days calendar time is nice to see imo. Now I'm very curious to see what actually shows up, when it shows up & in what condition.

[Nospark]

Thumper, Have you confirmed front sprocket on yours yet?

[Renarg]

I got my TBR7D last month and it came with15/46 sprockets. At 30mph I am in 5.gear so changed to 17/40 which is perfect for me and my weight.
Went with a 110 jet and now I can go 70mph max, which was the goal for me.

[Nospark]

Renarg - What's your elevation? I'm 600ft in Milwaukee. Did your bike come with the PZ30 carb? If so, can you share source for the jets you purchased?

[kyle]

I vote tbr7 and the d has some great cosmetic improvements but is otherwise the same basic bike parts wise. If you're assembling yourself don't forget to use the guides: https://tbr7.com/assembly