CSC RXR As first bike?

[AdventureDad]

I'm going to add to your confusion, and include a bit of a different perspective. I am responding because one of my kids is your age, and I appreciate that a) you write very well, and used good punctuation and grammer. B) That you have done an MSF course and have/are learning how to save money. Those above skills are rare in todays youth, and you are already 95% (or more) ahead of your peers. That is very commendable. Good work. That is a skill set that will take you far in life.

Now, on to the bike... what everyone here said is true, and yes, learning basic motorcycle maintenance is another skill set that will also take you far in life,and transfers into other hands on skills, like checking the oil in your car, knowing when you or your loved one has a flat tire and knowing how to fill it with air or change it. So, if you are a hands-on kind of guy, this can be a good bike. Mine, as many of us have had good reliability out of our bikes. They are new, so a warranty has been nice to have. ANY bike requires some basic hands on skills, Japanese, Chinese, Euro bikes.... ALL need daily tire pressure checks, chain lubrication, knowing how to spot a fraying clutch cable, etc. All that comes in time, and sites like this, ADVRider, YouTube are your friends. If you aren't a hands-on type, I wouldn't recommend ANY bike, as they all need some minor tinkering from time to time, otherwise, it is a cost prohibitive hobby at $90 per hour shop rates. It can be a fun and rewarding way to spend a few hours here and there, and like anything, your skills will grow, and there is a sense of pride for most when tackling tasks new to you. Speaking of saving, 25 years of riding has taught me that on almost every used bike I've bought, prepare financially to replace spark plugs, oil, tires/tubes, chain/sprokets, valve checks (some just for peace of mind as you can't always trust it was done and you want a baseline starting point for reliability). That can add up to $300 to the price of the used bike. So that drives the price up.

Speaking of friends, do you have a large friend base that rides? If so, what are they riding? Some of us have found that Chinese bikes are not as "cool" as Japanese bikes. You may not have the "street cred" that you would on say a DRZ400, WR250R. KLR, etc etc etc. That seems more important to those your age than it does at my age, or the other responders, who are more my age.

Since you live in Colorado which is a dual sport mecca, you may catch heat because you're on a RX3/RXR than if you were on an XT250. Just like your parents did if they owned Honda's and Toyota's in the late 70's. Chinese bikes have come a long way, and these have set a new standard for quality. I've never had anyone in person do anything but compliment my bike though. It's really good looking in person, it's really well made, and durable. Its important to some, not all. To one of my kids, fitting in is very important , to another son, it isn't, he does what makes him happy. For ME, I don't care what I ride, BUT I enjoy bikes that have a good internet forum support base, so I can learn from others, read what others have done with their bikes, see them in action in places I'll likely never ride, such as FJRMartin. He's done some amazing rides in beautiful places that I'll likely never go. That may or may not be important to you, but I'd advise against choosing a bike that has been phased out long ago, or is super rare, as you won't be able to learn as much that way, nor find a helping hand with maintenance or getting parts.

All of my counseling nonsense aside, I'll sum it up and hit the high points:
*I applaud your seeming maturity and sense of financial responsibility for working and saving toward a goal.
*Thank you for not wanting to start your hobby on a 600 supersport and being a statistic
* The RX you choose won't give you instant street cred with your riding peers until they see it for themselves, then you'll get some admiration (ask FJRMartin, he does a lot of dual sport group rides, but it's been my experience on a lesser level)
* It's a very good quality, nice looking bike, and is a credit to Chinese manufacturing and CSC for customer service which is the best I've ever seen
* Its a good enough bike that you wont see it as a newbie bike and feel the need to upgrade in 6 months than you would say on a Ninja 250. It's a bike you can keep and enjoy
* Keep learning as much as you can. Its a rewarding sport/hobby that can change your life with your experiences, the places you go, and the people you meet.

To see what is possible on this bike, or one like it, watch this guys video, it never fails to inspire me... and good luck on your journey
(if that doesn't work, YouTube: Alex Chacon Modern Motorcycle Diaries 500 days from Alaska to Argentina)

[AdventureDad]

Damn I wrote a lot.... must...stop...at...3 cups...of....coffee....

[Emerikol]

If I can be up feeding the Nugget at 2:00 am and reply, you can write as much as you like! I think that you did a great job covering all the things that will be important as a whole in life, and not just with the bike. Let's see what direction Jaydam decides to take. Have a great weekend!

[1cylinderwonder]

I purchased a new CSC RXR250 and it was shipped free to my address.
After unpacking it and trying to get it running and adjusted, I noticed many small parts, lot of screws, bolts, and other fasteners were missing or had fallen off during shipping. I also found the drive chain was too tight, the clutch cable play was nonexistent and the rear wheel was out of alignment.
When I finally took it out for a ride, the engine was not very smooth and the bike would not hold a constant speed. You would think that fuel injection would be less finicky than a carburetor.
I was really disappointed that CSC didn’t finish the initial set up and adjustments as advertised. I guess that they employee a lot of trainees!
Since your located in Colorado, you’ll have a lot of fun setting up your bike and getting it to run smooth and correctly!
I’d recommend purchasing a used, non-Chinese bike as your first bike. It will be a lot easier to get help with any problems that arise.
As far as finding local help with a Chinese bike, good luck with that. A lot of motorcycle mechanics will just refuse to work on Chinese bikes.
Basically I was very disappointed with my purchase and would not recommend the RXR250 to anybody.
GOOD LUCK!

[Jaydam]

Dang guys thanks for all the advice! You have certainly persuaded me towards the RX3 as in the summer I am actually planning a little road trip possibly to Canada or partly across the US, and this made me think of the storage containers and everything else that comes on the RX3. SO I am reconsidering the RX3 considering what it all comes with compared to the stripped down RXR. Interestingly enough the RX3 is on sale right now bummer :/ for $3500.

Something I saw a lot that I forgot to say was I'm decently confident on fixing most things with the motorcycle such as the valves, oil of course, tires, coolant all that fun basic maintenance; I'm actually in the process of working on a project car, a 1990 Toyota Celica GT from an automatic to a manual which will get done at this rate never... But it is out! Anyhow, I actually feel extremely confident on the repairing of CSC's as I've heard from you guys and other that they are fantastic when it comes to their customer service and care, I'd have the warranty to back it up, and if the guide they have doesn't have it I'm sure this forum page would.

As Pyoungbi said I do have to think about the stocks of the bikes as that is a problem, though I'm not entirely sure to what extent I'll presume since the RX3 is their most common bike by far (TT250 Also...) it would be more likely to be in stock.

PS thank you AdventureDad for the bunch you wrote, believe me all of it helps, And of course everyone thank you!