Marketing Mistake?

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Thumper

I really do not know what you are implying here Jerry. Both versions of the Temp X I bought came with EPA and DOT compliance.

The Templars are street legal. Everyone that has tried to register and insure have been successful. Just why are you implying, and why are you implying this?

If it can be registered and plated, exactly what is technically not street legal about it? More importantly, what does it matter? I drive confidently past sheriff, state cops, local policeman, and I can show financial responsibility (insurance card), legal registration. Gee.

The Templar is EPA certified for off road but like the standard Hawk most states will register and tag them for the street. You can find all the information here. https://www.epa.gov/compliance-and-f...-and-equipment

The reason I bring this up is because some states will not register and tag off road bikes. Just like the standard Hawk, many have bought the Hawk only to find out they couldn't register it for the road. Personally I think is an awesome bike. Either the bike couldn't meet the criteria to make street legal or the importer just didn't want to spend the money. Look how many years it took before RPS finally made the Hawk street legal with the DXL model. I don't want to mislead anyone into thinking the bike is 100% street legal. That is why the dealer states it "For Off Road Use Only" To avoid any legal action that could be taken against them for selling as street legal.

[Zapkin]

Dang..now I saw this on PSM...assembled and shipped to me

Fully Assembled and Tested! RPS Hawk DLX 250 EFI Fuel Injection Motorcycle with 5-speed Manual Transmission and Electric/kick Start! Big 21"/18" Wheels! DOT Approved Street Legal! Free Shipping!

$2245 including a helmet for my giant head!

How well does this company prep the bikes? attention to detail or just slapped together well enough to call it assembled?

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by Zapkin

Dang..now I saw this on PSM...assembled and shipped to me

Fully Assembled and Tested! RPS Hawk DLX 250 EFI Fuel Injection Motorcycle with 5-speed Manual Transmission and Electric/kick Start! Big 21"/18" Wheels! DOT Approved Street Legal! Free Shipping!

$2245 including a helmet for my giant head!

How well does this company prep the bikes? attention to detail or just slapped together well enough to call it assembled?

Time is money. Most likely just slapped together.

[Boatguy]

Originally Posted by tknj99

I guess you "could" do insane jumps with these bikes and then have a host of parts you'll need to replace lol

Yes, like your tailbone, your spine and maybe a few neck vertebrae. Ha ha

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by Zapkin

...
...
Fully Assembled and Tested!

How well does this company prep the bikes? attention to detail or just slapped together well enough to call it assembled?

I've watched assembly videos. They work fast and sloppy, use power tools to install everything they can, no locktite. Bolts get misthreaded if you don't at least start them by hand! Also, wire and cable routing needs to be optimized before things are tightened up, and some of them really need thread-locking.

[Zapkin]

Originally Posted by Thumper

I've watched assembly videos. They work fast and sloppy, use power tools to install everything they can, no locktite. Bolts get misthreaded if you don't at least start them by hand! Also, wire and cable routing needs to be optimized before things are tightened up, and some of them really need thread-locking.

Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of how well done the assembled bikes come from Powersportsmax?

[Texas Pete]

No, sorry, I got the build it yourself option.


To be fair with Thumper's point, so do all name brand dealership bikes, Japanese or whomever. It is known that when you buy a new bike from dealerships there can be problems and you have to take it back and forth to the dealer to get them all sorted out but eventually you will. I have a feeling a percentage of these are related to dealer assembling of bikes out of crates. You can either pay for someone to spend innordinate amount of care and time assembling on every single bike lovingly or you can slap them together with time is money mentality and the smaller percentage of buyers that come back with warranty service complaints will likley be an overall smaller cost to the dealership and higher overall profits.


The big difference is doing it yourself you can apply all the time in the world loving assembling and going over everything on your bike, getting every bolt with manufacturer specified torque values actually torqued down to those values and in general making your bike perfect to you.

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by Texas Pete

No, sorry, I got the build it yourself option.


To be fair with Thumper's point, so do all name brand dealership bikes, Japanese or whomever. It is known that when you buy a new bike from dealerships there can be problems and you have to take it back and forth to the dealer to get them all sorted out but eventually you will. I have a feeling a percentage of these are related to dealer assembling of bikes out of crates. You can either pay for someone to spend innordinate amount of care and time assembling on every single bike lovingly or you can slap them together with time is money mentality and the smaller percentage of buyers that come back with warranty service complaints will likley be an overall smaller cost to the dealership and higher overall profits.


The big difference is doing it yourself you can apply all the time in the world loving assembling and going over everything on your bike, getting every bolt with manufacturer specified torque values actually torqued down to those values and in general making your bike perfect to you.

+1

[TominMO]

+2

Even if you are a total mechanical noob, I would recommend the build-it-yourself option. Otherwise you're just giving away money for a quick job that you will do better yourself. Ask all your questions here and do it right. Wrenching is a valuable skill, and you get the satisfaction of getting the bike assembled right, by your own hands.

(Disclaimer: I bought both my Lifans from a local dealer, but that was more because I wanted to support him. I'm a decent shadetree mechanic. Can't do the manly stuph, like welding.)

[Sport Rider]

Originally Posted by Zapkin

Dang..now I saw this on PSM...assembled and shipped to me

Fully Assembled and Tested! RPS Hawk DLX 250 EFI Fuel Injection Motorcycle with 5-speed Manual Transmission and Electric/kick Start! Big 21"/18" Wheels! DOT Approved Street Legal! Free Shipping!

$2245 including a helmet for my giant head!

How well does this company prep the bikes? attention to detail or just slapped together well enough to call it assembled?

the assembly process is not difficult at all if you decide to go that route and do it yourself. Most of us don't buy assembled in order to save a few $. at the least, if you do get it assembled, just go around double checking all the bolts when you receive it. perhaps some locktite in hand to be sure bolts don't shake loose. This really shouldn't be any different than your old bike was.

As for starting and jetting, many of us got an replacement mikuni knock-off from ebay and jetted to our circumstances. it was about 30 bucks for the carb and another 5 to 10 for a selection of jets. I'm at about 700 feet above sea level and was able to jet it fine. we can help you with that when the time comes.

[Thumper]

Yes, and not only do you save money, you also get an appreciation for how it is put together... so that if/when something fails or needs adjustment, you will be more likely to be able to handle it yourself. And, you discover any problems or fitment issues while you do the assembly. We end up making adjustments, adding accessories or upgrading parts and doing repairs on motorcycles (including Japanese motorcycles). It's good to have some real first hand knowledge of how it went together.

Bundling and properly stashing the wiring is a really important part of this process. There isn't much room in front of the headset, and these wires are constantly flexed (steering). And the waterproofing sheath needs to be carefully packed. I use zip strips or heavy twist ties to take care of wiring all over the bike. Some places also need some extra electrical tape as well.

[flopsweat]

I know this is divulging away from the original point of this thread, but I had to chime in. I've been an electrical technician for about 20yrs so I have plenty of experience taking things apart, isolating issues, and rebuilding equipment, but I absolutely hate working on my car. I was a little worried that feeling might have surfaced working on my bike, but I found it to be the complete opposite. Maybe it's because everything is smaller and simpler, and requires far less specialized single-purpose tools. Maybe it's because I never took pride in my car and I sure as heck do in my bike. Regardless, it's been a wonderful experience disassembling various areas and really seeing exactly what does what and how. When the time comes and I can finally get my beloved XSR700, I'll have a much greater appreciation (and/or distaste) for all the extra technology that goes into a modern build. I absolutely love having a no-frills motorcycle, as it makes the learning experience that much easier to understand. I've been this way for decades in regards to music technology, as Joe Walsh said, I'm an analog man.

[Zapkin]

LOL...I went from ruminating on the marketing of these bikes in the early 2000s, to asking for advice about an upcoming purchase. Hopefully, the forum moderator will forgive me and know I will try to do better from now on. But thanks for the advice on everything. I am almost ready to make my final decision.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Zapkin

LOL...I went from ruminating on the marketing of these bikes in the early 2000s, to asking for advice about an upcoming purchase. Hopefully, the forum moderator will forgive me and know I will try to do better from now on. But thanks for the advice on everything. I am almost ready to make my final decision.

Derailing your own thread is allowable. It's your thread lol. I do it all the time.