Csc tt250

kcdano2022 · 08-30-2022, 10:40 AM

What you guys think of this bike for the money?

vividpixel · 08-30-2022, 06:10 PM

I love it but I'm just some random newbie who started riding in April, with a little over 1,000 miles right now. I've gone from knowing nothing about motorcycles to being comfortable on the road, on the dirt, and tackling maintenance. Valves are easy to get to for adjustment which I see isn't the case on nicer motorcycles. I am not far from off-road adventures and would prefer to spend most of my time there rather than on the road, so this was actually decent for my needs in stock form, though when I severely bent my rear brake lever I was glad to have a rubber mallet with me. (At the time my front brake lever had just broken off.)

I have of course fallen victim to upgrade-itis and replaced a lot of the cheap-feeling or fragile bits with nicer replacements. Still on stock clutch and brake levers, stock tires (new rear tube) which actually seem very capable here in the desert but I stand up all the time so I can lose a lot of traction and still keep going. I was shifting a little more often that I wanted between 2nd and 3rd until selecting a smaller rear sprocket.

In total I think I've upgraded the handlebars, grips, pegs, shift lever, headlight, chain, sprockets, battery. You don't have to replace this stuff, but some of it, like replacing the stretch-prone stock chain, is good peace of mind. I think these motorcycles are somewhat an empty canvas and you go into it knowing you'll make it what you wanna be. Expensive dualsports would be the same way except you paid more upfront for the bike with slightly better parts, even though you still end up paying the same to replace them.

One con of these is supposed to be the low power, but I only feel it's too slow when I have a passenger. Another thing is the weight, but by now it feels really nimble when I maneuver it around. Probably helps having changed out the handlebars and grips, and gaining some muscle mass. I like to think if you can get good on a crappy bike you'll be even better on a nice one.

One thing I have noticed that cannot be fixed, and I've never seen anyone else mention, is the bike is not symmetrical in many places. The welds and mount points are just not consistent enough, perhaps? One example is, you'd think that if you look from above the seat at the foot pegs, they should align perfectly, like this: -|- (imagine that the pipe character is the seat)

But in actuality, the foot pegs make more of a diagonal line, with one pointing slightly more forward and the other kind of angled back. Viewing the bike from the rear end, the rear fender plastic with the taillight is offset from the rear wheel (if you lined up the rear wheel with that, I think you'd be in trouble). I noticed this nothing-aligns-with-anything when I mounted a case on the back near when I first got the bike. With the stock rear sprocket's offset, the chain also had a curve to it which I don't think is good? New sprocket has my rear wheel aligned while still keeping a straight chain.

When I take off the valve cover, I have to pull up on the gas tank slightly to get clearance for it, as it tilts to one side and the cover can't be pulled out. And because of that tank alignment, the lower plastic panel on the right side of the tank almost wants to pop out, though I've bent the tank's mount hole outward to give the plastic pin an easier time staying in the mounting hole.

It's all quite subtle and nothing affects driveability. I guess what matters is my front and rear wheel are aligned. But I'd be willing to bet on a Japanese competitor that things would be measured and welded with more care. One of the first mods I installed was the skid plate from CSC, and that was tricky thanks to a diagonally-welded bar underneath the frame right where the skid plate is supposed to snug up. As you'll see in this picture, that prevents the plate from sitting flush against the frame. I think a bar like that should be welded on TOP, right? It's also just one further example of Zongshen's carefree attitude.

There's a lot of info out there on these and impressions from people who have much more experience. I know I focused a lot on the bad but I love mine so much that I have a Zongshen license plate. It has been a great introduction to riding at a reasonable price at a time when dualsports are rare to find (most folks around here go full dirtbike) and the cost of one of these, versus trying to pay over MSRP at a local dealer, is really what made it possible for me to jump into the hobby in the first place. I now have no bias against air cooled, carbureted motorcycles, and with my mechanical knowledge I feel a lot more confident getting an old-school dual-sport in the future.

Big Bird · 08-30-2022, 09:54 PM

I think if you can find them used with low miles in great shape for under $2000(what I did) they are a great deal. New price vs used Japanese is very debatable. Guess it depends on your local market. If all you can find is junk in the used market near you for that price range then the csc is probably a good choice. They are decent bikes, and fun to tinker with to make them better. They are basically a better quality rps hawk. I would lean heavily towards the new lifan 250cc dualsport for the money if you don't live in CA like I do.

Hunnicutt · 08-31-2022, 09:45 AM

I own three TT250's. I LOVE THEM! Search through the Dual Sport/Enduro section for my username and you can read up on all the reasons why I love my family o' TTs.

If I were in your shoes right now, I would seriously consider buying a KPX250. They cost a few pennies more than the TTs, but they have a boatload of features that ease the pain of the purchase. Please read through this thread. I am majorly impressed by the improvements Lifan has made to this bike.

https://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=31083

My TT250's are similar to tractors. The engines are big time torque monsters that churn through rough terrain like it's nothing. BUT I would love to have a 6th gear. I top out at 60-65 MPH, and I don't like climbing much past 7500 RPM.

flopsweat · 08-31-2022, 09:51 AM

I was going to chime in... but vividpixel summed it up here far better than I could. I'm also a new rider and bought mine last fall, use it for commuting almost daily, and have been on numerous camping trips with it. Love the crap out of this thing. And I will also agree that if I had to do it again right now for the first time, I'd probably be going with the Lifan KPX250 as well.

**JerryHawk250** · 08-31-2022, 10:31 AM

The CSC TT250 is a great bike. Not a thing wrong with it. But the New KPX 250 is a game changer. I wish this bike would of been out years ago.

08-30-2022, 10:40 AM	#1
kcdano2022 Join Date: Aug 2022 Location: Kansas City Posts: 52	Csc tt250 What you guys think of this bike for the money?
	0

08-30-2022, 09:54 PM	#3
Big Bird Join Date: May 2020 Location: California Posts: 169	I think if you can find them used with low miles in great shape for under $2000(what I did) they are a great deal. New price vs used Japanese is very debatable. Guess it depends on your local market. If all you can find is junk in the used market near you for that price range then the csc is probably a good choice. They are decent bikes, and fun to tinker with to make them better. They are basically a better quality rps hawk. I would lean heavily towards the new lifan 250cc dualsport for the money if you don't live in CA like I do. __________________ 2020 Boom Vader Gen 2 2019 CSC TT250 2021 Kayo Fox 70
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08-31-2022, 09:45 AM	#4
Hunnicutt Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Central Florida Posts: 103	I own three TT250's. I LOVE THEM! Search through the Dual Sport/Enduro section for my username and you can read up on all the reasons why I love my family o' TTs. If I were in your shoes right now, I would seriously consider buying a KPX250. They cost a few pennies more than the TTs, but they have a boatload of features that ease the pain of the purchase. Please read through this thread. I am majorly impressed by the improvements Lifan has made to this bike. https://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=31083 My TT250's are similar to tractors. The engines are big time torque monsters that churn through rough terrain like it's nothing. BUT I would love to have a 6th gear. I top out at 60-65 MPH, and I don't like climbing much past 7500 RPM. __________________ ___________________________________ 2021 CSC TT250 - Silver (Mine) "Buzz" 2021 CSC TT250 - White (Wife's) "Seymour" 2021 CSC TT250 - White (Daughter's) "Gemini"
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08-31-2022, 10:31 AM	#6
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,561	The CSC TT250 is a great bike. Not a thing wrong with it. But the New KPX 250 is a game changer. I wish this bike would of been out years ago. __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S 2004 Honda ST 1300 2016 Black Hawk 250 (sold) Keihin PE30 carb,125 main,38 slow.Pod filter,ported & decked head 10:1 CR,Direct Ignition Coil,15/40Sprockets,NGK DPR8EIX-9,De-Cat,Dual Oil Cooler,Digital Cluster 2016 Cazador180 XL 2014 Coolster150 JerryHawk250.com My YouTube Channel
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08-30-2022, 06:10 PM	#2
vividpixel Join Date: Feb 2022 Location: Nevada, USA Posts: 85	I love it but I'm just some random newbie who started riding in April, with a little over 1,000 miles right now. I've gone from knowing nothing about motorcycles to being comfortable on the road, on the dirt, and tackling maintenance. Valves are easy to get to for adjustment which I see isn't the case on nicer motorcycles. I am not far from off-road adventures and would prefer to spend most of my time there rather than on the road, so this was actually decent for my needs in stock form, though when I severely bent my rear brake lever I was glad to have a rubber mallet with me. (At the time my front brake lever had just broken off.) I have of course fallen victim to upgrade-itis and replaced a lot of the cheap-feeling or fragile bits with nicer replacements. Still on stock clutch and brake levers, stock tires (new rear tube) which actually seem very capable here in the desert but I stand up all the time so I can lose a lot of traction and still keep going. I was shifting a little more often that I wanted between 2nd and 3rd until selecting a smaller rear sprocket. In total I think I've upgraded the handlebars, grips, pegs, shift lever, headlight, chain, sprockets, battery. You don't have to replace this stuff, but some of it, like replacing the stretch-prone stock chain, is good peace of mind. I think these motorcycles are somewhat an empty canvas and you go into it knowing you'll make it what you wanna be. Expensive dualsports would be the same way except you paid more upfront for the bike with slightly better parts, even though you still end up paying the same to replace them. One con of these is supposed to be the low power, but I only feel it's too slow when I have a passenger. Another thing is the weight, but by now it feels really nimble when I maneuver it around. Probably helps having changed out the handlebars and grips, and gaining some muscle mass. I like to think if you can get good on a crappy bike you'll be even better on a nice one. One thing I have noticed that cannot be fixed, and I've never seen anyone else mention, is the bike is not symmetrical in many places. The welds and mount points are just not consistent enough, perhaps? One example is, you'd think that if you look from above the seat at the foot pegs, they should align perfectly, like this: -\|- (imagine that the pipe character is the seat) But in actuality, the foot pegs make more of a diagonal line, with one pointing slightly more forward and the other kind of angled back. Viewing the bike from the rear end, the rear fender plastic with the taillight is offset from the rear wheel (if you lined up the rear wheel with that, I think you'd be in trouble). I noticed this nothing-aligns-with-anything when I mounted a case on the back near when I first got the bike. With the stock rear sprocket's offset, the chain also had a curve to it which I don't think is good? New sprocket has my rear wheel aligned while still keeping a straight chain. When I take off the valve cover, I have to pull up on the gas tank slightly to get clearance for it, as it tilts to one side and the cover can't be pulled out. And because of that tank alignment, the lower plastic panel on the right side of the tank almost wants to pop out, though I've bent the tank's mount hole outward to give the plastic pin an easier time staying in the mounting hole. It's all quite subtle and nothing affects driveability. I guess what matters is my front and rear wheel are aligned. But I'd be willing to bet on a Japanese competitor that things would be measured and welded with more care. One of the first mods I installed was the skid plate from CSC, and that was tricky thanks to a diagonally-welded bar underneath the frame right where the skid plate is supposed to snug up. As you'll see in this picture, that prevents the plate from sitting flush against the frame. I think a bar like that should be welded on TOP, right? It's also just one further example of Zongshen's carefree attitude. There's a lot of info out there on these and impressions from people who have much more experience. I know I focused a lot on the bad but I love mine so much that I have a Zongshen license plate. It has been a great introduction to riding at a reasonable price at a time when dualsports are rare to find (most folks around here go full dirtbike) and the cost of one of these, versus trying to pay over MSRP at a local dealer, is really what made it possible for me to jump into the hobby in the first place. I now have no bias against air cooled, carbureted motorcycles, and with my mechanical knowledge I feel a lot more confident getting an old-school dual-sport in the future.
	1

08-31-2022, 09:51 AM	#5
flopsweat Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: The burbs of Chicago Posts: 235	I was going to chime in... but vividpixel summed it up here far better than I could. I'm also a new rider and bought mine last fall, use it for commuting almost daily, and have been on numerous camping trips with it. Love the crap out of this thing. And I will also agree that if I had to do it again right now for the first time, I'd probably be going with the Lifan KPX250 as well.
	1