Arizona Templar

K'hermiit · 11-24-2023, 10:22 PM

Whats up guys. Been lurking here for ~month researching the Chinese bikes before jumping into one. Well, I finally pried open my crusty wallet and bought an orange X model.

I work 10 miles down a dirt road from home, so I use it to commute as well as for playing on the weekend.

Mods so far:
Nibbi pe30 carb(unfinished version ~$20 cheaper) currently running a 45 pilot and a 130 main jet.

Barkbusters. Non-negotiable.This is the desert, we have cactus...nuff said.
Skid plate
Windshield for the winter season. I leave for work at 6:15am and it's dark and cold.
Extra driving lights. They are wired in to come on w/high beam to keep me from having to fumble with a bunch of switches when encountering oncoming traffic.

Footpegs for KTM cause they looked cool.

I also bypassed that start only with the brake "feature". Here is the quick and dirty way. In the cluster of plugs at the neck, find the two plugs for the r/s switches. You can see in the pic below, I cut the green w/yellow striped wire off at the plug for the start switch. (This wire fed + to the start switch when either brake switch was depressed.) Hook the cut green/yellow to the green wire at the front brake switch connector. (This wire is IGN +)
I used a heat shrink solder connector and it took longer to think about it than actually doing it. About 5 minutes tops. I can now start my bike without touching the brakes.

I have more stuff planned, but it was fun to just get out and ride it today. I am 220 lbs and left the rear spring alone so far. I did crank the all the dampening clickers up, and then backed off ~1/3 of the adjustment as a starting point. For the record they were all set FULL SOFT. This stiffened the suspension nicely. I might need to dial in a bit more rebound in the rear, but it is not far off. I'm sure I will want it stiffer as I get used to being in the saddle again. I sold my last dirt bike 9 years ago, so my skills are rusty af.
With the 13/49 sprockets this thing has some pep! I am honestly shocked at how strong this engine pulls. It LEAPS ahead at the slightest crack of the throttle and pulls clean all the way past 7k. (still breaking it in so I am being conservative with it) I ordered a 40T rear sprocket for testing too.
I have new tires/and tubes to install when I have time to do it. I also plan on making a set of ammo can panniers that I can quickly attach for some local moto-camping. I have 2 40mm cans that are a good size(for a micro adventure bike anyway.)
The throttle cable and I are gonna have a come to Jesus meeting soon. It is just a tad too short and the throttle will start climbing at full lock. Hopefully I can just optimize the routing to give it a little slack.
So there, you have my Templar X 250 life story...I'm sorry.

Seriously though, a big thanks to all of you who have been posting here in the past. That material helped me a lot in dealing with my new quirky machine.

BTW: Not only do 2009+ RMZ plastics fit, but so does the seat! The seat bottom is identical to a RMZ 250 seat. The fuel tanks look to be similiar as well, but I haven't tried one to see.

~K~

11-24-2023, 10:22 PM	#1
K'hermiit Join Date: Nov 2023 Location: Central Arizona Posts: 49	Arizona Templar Whats up guys. Been lurking here for ~month researching the Chinese bikes before jumping into one. Well, I finally pried open my crusty wallet and bought an orange X model. I work 10 miles down a dirt road from home, so I use it to commute as well as for playing on the weekend. Mods so far: Nibbi pe30 carb(unfinished version ~$20 cheaper) currently running a 45 pilot and a 130 main jet. Barkbusters. Non-negotiable.This is the desert, we have cactus...nuff said. Skid plate Windshield for the winter season. I leave for work at 6:15am and it's dark and cold. Extra driving lights. They are wired in to come on w/high beam to keep me from having to fumble with a bunch of switches when encountering oncoming traffic. Footpegs for KTM cause they looked cool. I also bypassed that start only with the brake "feature". Here is the quick and dirty way. In the cluster of plugs at the neck, find the two plugs for the r/s switches. You can see in the pic below, I cut the green w/yellow striped wire off at the plug for the start switch. (This wire fed + to the start switch when either brake switch was depressed.) Hook the cut green/yellow to the green wire at the front brake switch connector. (This wire is IGN +) I used a heat shrink solder connector and it took longer to think about it than actually doing it. About 5 minutes tops. I can now start my bike without touching the brakes. I have more stuff planned, but it was fun to just get out and ride it today. I am 220 lbs and left the rear spring alone so far. I did crank the all the dampening clickers up, and then backed off ~1/3 of the adjustment as a starting point. For the record they were all set FULL SOFT. This stiffened the suspension nicely. I might need to dial in a bit more rebound in the rear, but it is not far off. I'm sure I will want it stiffer as I get used to being in the saddle again. I sold my last dirt bike 9 years ago, so my skills are rusty af. With the 13/49 sprockets this thing has some pep! I am honestly shocked at how strong this engine pulls. It LEAPS ahead at the slightest crack of the throttle and pulls clean all the way past 7k. (still breaking it in so I am being conservative with it) I ordered a 40T rear sprocket for testing too. I have new tires/and tubes to install when I have time to do it. I also plan on making a set of ammo can panniers that I can quickly attach for some local moto-camping. I have 2 40mm cans that are a good size(for a micro adventure bike anyway.) The throttle cable and I are gonna have a come to Jesus meeting soon. It is just a tad too short and the throttle will start climbing at full lock. Hopefully I can just optimize the routing to give it a little slack. So there, you have my Templar X 250 life story...I'm sorry. Seriously though, a big thanks to all of you who have been posting here in the past. That material helped me a lot in dealing with my new quirky machine. BTW: Not only do 2009+ RMZ plastics fit, but so does the seat! The seat bottom is identical to a RMZ 250 seat. The fuel tanks look to be similiar as well, but I haven't tried one to see. ~K~
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