Skyteam V-Raptor 250 2.0

[Panic-Pete]

It took a while until i was ready for another try....

Time went by…as it usually does … The CMX´s performance was nearly flawless despite some trouble with the ignition-coil …..



good moments... new/used Bike on the Ranger.



……I did some voyages to Austria, Czechia, and along the german /polish-border and up to the baltic-sea and nearly every weekend, into the surrounding countryside …..





……I bought another Simson S50 and restored it to (nearly) pristine streetworthyness . (...and yes.. it´s the same bike !)

I decided to rebuild the engine top-end of my Yamaha SR 500………but for the latter, I put that on a two year back burner…
…because…I missed that Skyteam V-Raptor.



On the first days of August 2015 I went to my importer/dealer.
I threatened him to pay 1999€ wich I brandished dangerously, right in front of his nose ….
….and escaped securely, with my loot.
(…and at least at this moment, you understand that I read a lot of crime novels…….see ….uh…everybody has to have a flaw….)



Reaching my hidey-hole (aka garage/workshop) my prey turned out to be a 2016 Skyteam V-Raptor (last model with a Carburator)
There were some changes and improvements to the 2011 model.

The rear swingarm now is black instead of silver ,as well as the rear luggage-rack.

While doing the initial pre-ride check, some other things emerged.
Trying to remove the inlet-valve-cover , the upper frame-bracket featured some surplus material, preventing the cover to come off.
My little Dremel-grinder took care of that.

The valve clearance had to be adjusted since there was no lash at all.
The intake –manifold has changed to a flexible and better insulating rubber-part instead the one, of aluminum alloy.

Then some real surprises.The wire-harness was fixed to the frame with no sharp twists or crushing-points.. Even under the tank there were no bulky connectors. Rubbers, holding the tank in place have been improved too.
There´s no resonance- contact-point to the Frame anymore at the left side-cover. Though it’s a very Chinese solution . They just put three M6 sized washers between The holding-bolt and Frame.

It works.
No resonance noises anymore.

The Rubbermounts of the plastic sidecovers however , were perfect examples of the infamous Chinese quality and disintegrated by just looking at . I replaced them with Yamaha parts.
The wheels are factory balanced now.



The new speedo indicates the correct velocity…….. …….painstakingly.
“Superduper”….hmm… but I liked being lied at, by the old type Speedo.
The Raptor reaches the top-speed given in the data sheet. No more no less.

I rode it a lot in the second and third week of August and all the more as my annual leave came up in the last week of August and in the first of September.
All in all, slightly more than 5000 Km in, what came up to six weeks.









some impressions.


Failures: One headlight bulb. One speedo bulb.

But:
Secondary drivetrain still good.
Wheelbearings also……as well as all other parts.
The engine has no measurable oil consumption between changes.
No metal or other residue in the used oil.
Sidestand switch has been improved. Its bigger/sturdier and splash proofed.
The V-Raptor has not reached the level of Japanese quality yet……
…but the important improvements have been achieved.



So.....Welcome to the new Member of the flock

.....and no... i will not sell it anymore !

So... what kind of bike the V-Raptor is ?

Is it a Dual Sport ?........Not really !

Is it a Street Bike ?.......well...it shines on small and curvy roads.

Is it an Enduro ?...........it can cope without roads at all, as long as the terrain ist is not too rough.

....But since i read the Transaustralia report, here in the forum...it´s absolutely clear:

The V-Raptor is an Adventure Bike ! :-)

P.S.

Ride reports will follow.

[culcune]

Thank you for that excellent writeup! We can relate to the 'disintegrating just by looking at it' quote

[Weldangrind]

Thanks for the pictures and write-up. Why is your mountain upside-down? Shouldn't the snow be at the top?

If you have time, please start a new thread on your Simson. I'd like to learn more about it.

I'd love to get a hold of an SR500.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting the excellent report, and beautiful photos. Your V-Raptor looks great.

[thedoc62]

good to hear quality is improving
here in Italy there is what should be called an authorized dealer/reseller but since they sell campers and caravans they only sell small bikes as an option to be carried on the back of your huge "home on wheels"
so when I asked about infos and details and buying a new V-Raptor 250 they simply DID NOT REPLY
I finally got a preowned one of 2 years and 4700 kms on last July and i am enjoying it a lot, especially after some tuning moves...........
got stiffer front forks, changed rear shock adsorber with a used Hornet 600 Honda one (had to get rid of air filter box, adapt lower connection and install a cone filter on carburator), changed spark plug wiring that gave problems under heavy rain, changed some nuts/bolts of the frame/engine connection zone, got rid of some vibrations and noises, put a riser under side stand to compensate heightened rear of the bike and thanx God got rid of almost all of the EURO 3 pollution rules related circuit (only need to take cat away from exhaust to complete)
next steps: changing the original Dunlop tyres with smoother Bridgestone ones (in case you love "trail style", V-Raptor measure tyres are also available from Vee Rubber Thailand, VRM 274 and 275) and maybe changing carb too (candidates are 28 or 32 FCR Keihin, TM or VM 30 Mikuni and a few others)
it's another bike in terms of both solo and couple riding, handling, reaching top speed and MAN does it have a gorgeous aspiration sound when revving !

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by thedoc62

MAN does it have a gorgeous aspiration sound when revving !

I don't have a V-Raptor, but I do have the same engine in one of my bikes. I love that pushrod motor sound!

[Panic-Pete]

Thanks for all the positive response.

I hope to find the time to write some more next weekend.

@ weld and grind: do you refer to the 125 cc engine ? The 233 cc motor is an OHC engine though.

regards

Panic Pete.

[Weldangrind]

My mistake. I thought your 223 was a pushrod motor like mine.

[thedoc62]

changed tyres and also made a welder took away the catalyzer from exhaust...........all was fast, easy and costed me bit more than 200 euros
it's a completely different bike and am enjoying it more and more
looking forward to a bigger carb and different exhaust terminal soon..........

[thedoc62]

.........to overcome all problems am having and still enjoying my chinese bike
In order, odometer stopped working due to some cable issue, posterior frame attack for exhaust terminal broke suddenly, plate holder is getting looser and looser over time (dunno yet if it just needs tightening or welding), everyday a new noise comes up to challenge me and my mechanic skills, some kind od "stiffness" appeared in turning (bad steering bearings ?), headlights are coming and going (depending on daily bike's mood I guess)..............what's next ???
But, hey, I still get lots of fun riding around and surprising other skeptical riders of bigger bikes when they end up eating my dust at the green light
Maybe my nervous riding style in downtown traffic jams does not exactly fit the poor V-raptor.......

[thedoc62]

btw, after having seen the fresh new Suzuki Van Van 200 at Suzuki's stand at the EICMA I got the feeling they felt the need to fight the increasing number of V-raptors around...........Skyteam had her stand at EICMA as well and a new italian distributor too
It was easily noticeable that most of the parts/accessories stands were from the far east (China and Korea mostly) and also Pakistan and India were there with their new brands of riders' clothing............makes me think about the first japanese bikes..........they were just cloning european models but everyone knows how it ended up over time............will it happen the same with chinese/korean/indian stuff ?
After the already known KTM indian partnership for the smaller Duke models, BMW came out with a 310 cc monocilynder bike made by an indian company
Lots of bikes sold over here in Italy are originally chinese (Over, Mash, Benelli and so on)

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by thedoc62

BMW came out with a 310 cc monocilynder bike made by an indian company

I didn't know that. What is the model?

[Philamiens]

Originally Posted by thedoc62

After the already known KTM indian partnership for the smaller Duke models, BMW came out with a 310 cc monocilynder bike made by an indian company
Lots of bikes sold over here in Italy are originally chinese (Over, Mash, Benelli and so on)

Hi there

Indian ? I eard about Jialing as for the 600 cc

[thedoc62]

made by TVS India on BMW specifications
310 cc
cylinder is turned with injection at front and exhaust at back to have a shorter exhaust to ease Euro 4 pollution specifications
size of engine is due to avoiding high taxes that strike bigger engines in east asia
awaited in Europe by half 2016 at around 5000 euros with ABS (to compete with KTM 390 and other similar bikes coming on the market since a couple of years)

[thedoc62]

but talking about smaller engines and cheaper bikes.............isn't she lovely ?
currently available in France at prices ranging from 4900 to 5500 euros depending on equipment (can have "desert style" aluminium side bags as an option)
looking forward to see it in Italy too