Possible new dual sport

[GregfromDenver]

Hello,

I have been looking at China bikes for a couple of weeks. This would be my first motorcycle and I like the dual sports. I would mostly ride around the campground and on forest service roads. A couple of questions I have are:
1. Most of these bikes are carbureted and need to be rejetted. I am from Colorado and could ride anywhere from 5,000 ft to 10,000 feet. Would that elevation range be a problem?
2. Has the quality improved over the last few years? I saw some reviews on youtube about the newer Hawks and Brozz which make them seem almost as good as Jap bikes, then there are older reviews of the Hawk and Magician that say they are a lot of work. I don't mind tinkering with the bike, but I do not want to be a full time mechanic.
3. Any riders from Colorado? Are they hard to register in Colorado?
4. The bikes I am interested in are in the sub $2K range. I like the Hawk for the price, Hawk DLX for fuel injection, Brozz 250 Recon because it will mostly be off road bike, and Orion RXB 250 because it looks cool, and again mostly off road use.

Thanks

Greg

[culcune]

There is a member, Goob, who is from Denver. He owns a CSC TT250 dual-sport and a 150cc Orion pitbike dual-sport. The TT250 is more of what you are looking for.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by GregfromDenver

Hello,

I have been looking at China bikes for a couple of weeks. This would be my first motorcycle and I like the dual sports. I would mostly ride around the campground and on forest service roads. A couple of questions I have are:
1. Most of these bikes are carbureted and need to be rejetted. I am from Colorado and could ride anywhere from 5,000 ft to 10,000 feet. Would that elevation range be a problem?

4. The bikes I am interested in are in the sub $2K range. I like the Hawk for the price, Hawk DLX for fuel injection, Brozz 250 Recon because it will mostly be off road bike, and Orion RXB 250 because it looks cool, and again mostly off road use.

Thanks

Greg

1. Not at all, in fact you could jet it to be ideal between the two and barely tell the difference. It might take a little bit of tweaking, but not as much as you would think.

4. If I were aiming for a bike intended for mostly off road use, then the Orion would be my choice hands down. I like my Hawk, and bikes like the TT250 and Brozz, but the reality is, they are more akin to road bikes with moderate off road capability. The Orion is an off road bike with moderate on road capability. About the only real setback for the Orion in terms of dual sport use would be the 1.9 gal fuel tank vs the 3+ gal tanks of the others listed.

[Goob]

Originally Posted by GregfromDenver

Hello,

I have been looking at China bikes for a couple of weeks. This would be my first motorcycle and I like the dual sports. I would mostly ride around the campground and on forest service roads. A couple of questions I have are:
1. Most of these bikes are carbureted and need to be rejetted. I am from Colorado and could ride anywhere from 5,000 ft to 10,000 feet. Would that elevation range be a problem?
2. Has the quality improved over the last few years? I saw some reviews on youtube about the newer Hawks and Brozz which make them seem almost as good as Jap bikes, then there are older reviews of the Hawk and Magician that say they are a lot of work. I don't mind tinkering with the bike, but I do not want to be a full time mechanic.
3. Any riders from Colorado? Are they hard to register in Colorado?
4. The bikes I am interested in are in the sub $2K range. I like the Hawk for the price, Hawk DLX for fuel injection, Brozz 250 Recon because it will mostly be off road bike, and Orion RXB 250 because it looks cool, and again mostly off road use.

Thanks

Greg

Greetings fellow Coloradan!

I would agree with Megadan's comments. I love my TT250, but I have it set up just for street. I like it because CSC provides great technical and parts support and the engine is counter-balanced, so not as much vibration.

I got the Orion RXB150 for trail riding and it will fit in the back of my little Caravan, so easy to take places. Orion provided pretty good support thru e-mails and a couple of phone calls. They have some "technical" documents, but they are generic to pit bikes. Just not quite up to CSC quality, so you will be on your own for any major tech questions, but they seem to have parts available that most other "sellers" don't. Delivery was a snap. Delivered in excellent condition, assembled, within 5 days of the order.

If I was to want 80% off road, 20% on, then I would go for the RXB250L, like Megadan says. As far as tank capacity, you can always carry a few extra liters of gas (0.26gal/L)...or do a Rotopax 1 or 1.75 gallon on a rear rack. That is what I would do. https://rotopax.com/rotopax/rotopax/

My TT250 was used, so the PO registered it. I think with no issues.

He put a PWK28 carb on it with a SS exhaust. I decided this carb is too big, a gas hog to me, so I replaced with a VM26-606. It did run very well, but I think it needed more mods like a port/polish to be truly the right size.

However, this is me at 5280. The PO used it at up to 10K ft. So maybe that larger carb was helpful then. I still have it if you want it. It is a KOSO brand clone, but all the PWK28 parts fit. Already pretty dialed in. All you will need is a spigot mount intake.

As far as the RXB150 goes. It is street legal, but I haven't been able to try to plate it because the DMV's are closed.

For tuning at altitude, the 150 likely has the same Mikuni VM26 as the RXB250..it is a Flange Mount...rather than spigot like my -606 on the TT250. A Mikuni, but not as good of flow. Not imported or sold by Sudco, the USA Mikuni distributor...so who knows how they get here.

I have kept the Main at 100 (which it came with) and increased the Pilot jet to 30 (from a 20) to get a good idle, with the Pilot Jet Screw 1-1/2 turns out. For the 250 I would think the Main may need to be larger. It is a matter of following procedure: Idle, Pilot Jet Screw, Pilot Jet if needed, Needle clip position, change if needed, then Main. I get my jets at Jetsrus.com...$7 for Mikuni, $5 for aftermarket. They arrive in about 2 days from the order, which is nice.

Here is a good carb tuning guide regardless of type: http://www.vintagebikebuilder.com/mi...ing-guide.html

As far as the maintenance, I think all of these China bikes would be about the same. It is easy and doesn't take that much time. Oil change is 10 minutes or so. Valve adjustment about a half hour for me...likely faster for others. Other than oil changes, valve adjustment and messing with farkles I haven't really had to do anything.

Let's keep in touch. I'd live to see how the RXB250 rides...or any other bike you end up with. Plus it would be cool to have someone local to bounce ideas off of or get together a ride somewhere (once this shit is over).

Goob

[Weldangrind]

Welcome, Greg!