new member!

[Thumper]

Hi folks!

I got a Bashan Storm 250 from APMC (Tennessee). My first bike in a crate! Don was very helpful and answered my questions throughout the process. I have owned literally more than 40 motorcycles, but just 3 of them were dirt bikes. I've been planning this for about a year!

This Bashan Storm is the most comfortable dirt bike I've owned, but what amazes me that I get all this technology for under $1500. Disc brakes? Monoshock? Alarm system with remote start?! Those old bikes didn't have this stuff.

The Storm is quiet and smooooothe. We have crappy weather now, so I won't be putting many miles on it for a while. But I am happy to be a new member here, and your posts have already been really helpful
BlackStorm250 by gs1100ghoot, on Flickr
SpringStorm by gs1100ghoot, on Flickr

[Thumper]

The roads are dry, so I drove it a couple of miles to heat it up and drop the oil. The catalytic convertor is SMOKIN' that flat black paint on the convertor "bulb"!!

The odometer now officially has 2 "miles" on it! I got above 40mph but it seemed a little ambitious. Pretty close, but I will wait to assess the calibration on the speedometer and odometer once I can ride it for longer distances.

I know I can check the oil window, but about HOW MUCH oil does it take?


[IMG]1stOilChange by gs1100ghoot, on Flickr[/IMG]

[franque]

Around 1 quart, 15W-40 Rotella is a good choice.

[JerryHawk250]

So you're the guy that borrowed my oil pan. Yep, just dump a quart in there and your good to go.

[TxTaoRider]

Congrats on the new ride!
I had to check to see if my oil pan was still in the garage. Lol

[tknj99]

Congrats on the new ride...

hey don't you guys remember we had a group buy on that oil pan.. the chinariders.net sticker is probably on the back side

[Thumper]

I finally ordered a knobby rear tire for the Storm. I've been drooling over the Tusk DSport Adventure for a while. It's a 130/90x17. I'll get a knobby front tire next month. This will transform the bike for the rutted trails with loose debris I ride on. I am tired of slipping around and the front end washing out all the time:

[Thumper]

A few years later! The Tusk DSport is still grabbing the dirt and no flats

But the Storm sat for a couple of months when my son took off for college. A few weeks ago, the ignition switch stopped turning it on. No green neutral light... nothing!

BUT...I could start it with the remote start, no problem (battery good). When you do that, the key won't shut it off either! You have to shut it down with the remote. This clued me in on the likely suspect... ignition switch!

So I finally took it off yesterday and found that the contacts were kind of dirty in there. The key turns the cross-shaped plastic with the copper plates with three bumps. The 4pin harness is connected to the round plastic plate that sits on top. After some clean up with steel wool. I applied dielectric grease and reassembled it.



The mounting bracket has the locking pin assembly in it. I initially rotated it the wrong way (180 degree choice, this, or that. Coin toss). So when I tested it, the key would not turn left or right! I pulled it apart and rotated the locking pin drive 180 and put it back together, and that fixed it!





Then I put the ohmmeter on it and the contacts are working again. Switched on connects the black to red, and off grounds it out, connecting black and white to green/ground. Connected it to the wiring harness and it is back to normal. Bullet dodged, no parts ordered

[Thumper]

Here's the DSport today. There is about 1/3" between the tire and chain, never makes contact.