New UK Skyteam V-Raptor 250 - General pictures

[JTHSPACE]

Hi,

The new Raptor arrived late last eveining, no time to ride it properly, but spent some time fiddling with it today. Here are some "before" and "after" pictures. More posts and pictures follow describing the actual changes.

Side view - First thing - remove the decals on the side panels. These came of bit-by-bit like a security sticker, took 20 minutes!



Left handlebar controls - note the choke is on the lever, same as recent Suzuki's I am told. Nice quality switchgear.



UK numberplates are huge, so I had one made that is 1" smaller (8' x 6" rather than the proper 9" x 7"). It also fits nicely on the mount and is the same width as the rear fender, so has better lines.



Picture after the topbox has been installed - see separate post.



.


Jeff

[SpudRider]

The bike looks great. Thanks for posting the photos.

[JTHSPACE]

Thanks, I know you like photo's.

What is disconcerting is that when it is on the side stand, no oil shows in the glass - quickly found a brick to prop the bike up level and the oil was showing nicely at the right level.

You may just see that the spark plug cap has been changed from the usual metal one to an NDK composite one. Oil is currently Silkolene - Comp 4 10W-40 for commuter bikes and tourers. We can't get the oil you talk about elsewhere here.

"Silkolene - Comp 4 10W-40

SPECIFICATIONS:API SG, SH & SJ, JASO MA2

The widely recommended SAE 10W-40 viscosity range ensures reliable winter and summer use with easy starting and rapid warm up, while providing vital anti-wear protection during the cold start phase.

Electrosyntec Technology - Synthetic ester based 4-stroke engine oils for all high performance motorcycles. Electrosyntec uses electrostatic forces to bond low friction molecules to stressed metal surfaces, releasing hidden power and ensuring long term performance retention. The exceptional stay-in-grade formulation protects engines and transmissions. Ester synthetics combat wear and friction on all critical load surfaces at high temperatures and during cold starts. API SG, SH & SJ, JASO MA."

I will run it for 500 miles and change it. I will look around for other options but the write-ups for this and the user reviews are good.

Jeff

[Adjuster]

That looks like the perfect commuter bike. The tires look huge! Does the size of the tire make the bike feel more stable or anything like that?



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[JTHSPACE]

Originally Posted by Adjuster

That looks like the perfect commuter bike. The tires look huge! Does the size of the tire make the bike feel more stable or anything like that?

They are quite strange - they will get some "getting used to". Currently they are inflated to 26 psi front and 28 psi rear. On the Suzuki website for the Van Van (this is a copy of the Van Van), people run the tyres between 18 and 22 psi.

The dealer has inflated them to the handbook pressure and told me to ride them for a while at 28, then reduce the pressure by 2 psi and ride for a few days. Keep doing this until you find what is comfortable.

They are dual use tyres, so probably don't do either job properly, I think it's going to be a case of getting comfortable with them - I certainly will not be leaning it into corners on a wet road like an Isle of Man racer might, I think I would be inspecting the tarmac up-close.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by JTHSPACE

Thanks, I know you like photo's.

What is disconcerting is that when it is on the side stand, no oil shows in the glass - quickly found a brick to prop the bike up level and the oil was showing nicely at the right level...

Jeff

That's the proper method for checking the oil level. I kneel beside the bike, and balance the motorcycle with my left hand while checking the oil level. The oil should not appear in the sight glass when the bike is resting on the side stand.

[ripcuda]

Nice bike! Reminds me of the TW200... with the fat tires. I would have thought that top box to look big on that bike, but the large rear tires and huge muffler give it a just right size look.

Interesting how the fenders are a different color than the rest.

Oh, and all the bikes I can remember... my Kinroad included... the oil disappears from the sight glass while on it's side-stand... and is perfect when upright.

Cheers!

[JTHSPACE]

I was wondering about the top box as well, I had the same one on a 125 and it completely swamped the look. I also bought the smallest one that still held a helmet and a little more.

As you say, the tyre and muffler help balance the bikes look and I too think it works.

They fit white fenders to the model, regardless of the tank / panel colour. They are white plastic and unpainted- which makes me want to have them dipped, maybe carbon fibre look with a blue tint to match the rest, or a complete re-finish of the whole bike in a camo look?

Thanks to you and Spud for confirming the oil glass situation - not sure I would like to try Spud's way, knowing my luck, I would tilt my head and the bike would fall on me

Jeff

[Bruce's]

That looks like a great bike ,looks like the van van ,my tw was not as good looking .

[Bruce's]

I should mention that just about everybody that owns a tw seems to install a kick start on it (anything after around 2000 doesn't have one ) ,and most of us would love a larger engine as the tw is really quite "pokey" ,so much so I rode mine only once before I put it up for sale .Your bike having the larger engine ,the kick start is already ahead in my books .Is the rear tire a 14" ?if so the factory rear tire from a tw is a very good tire ,the front tw tire is a turd so do not bother with it .

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by JTHSPACE

They fit white fenders to the model, regardless of the tank / panel colour. They are white plastic and unpainted- which makes me want to have them dipped, maybe carbon fibre look with a blue tint to match the rest, or a complete re-finish of the whole bike in a camo look?

Lovely bike, Jeff. I agree that the switchgear looks top shelf.

I'd just try painting the mudguards black for now, to see how it balances out. Can you get something similar to Plasti-Dip where you live?

[SpudRider]

Are the fenders plastic? If so, some Krylon Fusion Spray Paint will work wonders.

http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion-for-plastic/

[Weldangrind]

I agree, but Plasti-Dip is more easily removed, if one is not happy with the results.

[JTHSPACE]

Thanks for the comments.

The front tyre is 130/80-18" and the rear a whopping 180/80-18". You can get replacement Dunlop fronts and Bridgestone rears between £80 to £110 each, if you shop-around a bit.

I got the blue colour bike because the dealer was clearing it off his stock and got a £400 discount and a free delivery (worth £100). If I had gone for the yellow I wanted, I woul dhave had to pay full price. So I was tempted to spend the modding money on a paint-job and get the paintwork transfer dipped (tank, fenders, side panels). The fenders are unpainted white plastic.

Engine, by the way, is marked 166FMM with no manufacturer identified, which seems to be common practice on Skyteam engines, I have read. The frame number is a lot of zero's ending in "7" so I am thinking of naming the bike "Bond"

We have Plasti Dip in the UK, but the application is horrendous - - - how do I get the bike onto the roof?



ATB

Jeff

[Weldangrind]

The rear is an 18" rim? I would have guessed around 14" from the pics.