Hensim HS250DB Review!
 

It's been quite a day... I got a wakeup call this morning from R&L freight company, but it was to tell me they would be making a delivery tomorrow!

No, this can't be I thought. I told the caller that I was expecting delivery of my bike today! But it wasn't to be. I called back, and asked if I could pick the bike up? Yep, no problem he said. Well what's a couple hours driving, and a few gallons of gas compared to another sleepless night? So an hour drive to the truck terminal, sign some paperwork, and a short drive to bay 29 and there it was! A friendly guy driving a forklift loaded the long box in my Avalanche. I put a couple straps around the box, and headed for home.
It was just about noon when I pulled in my driveway. Now to figure out how to unload this 400lb crate by myself?

Photos to follow shortly...

Thanks for not making us wait another day.

I think I would put the front wheel on in the truck and role the bike out with bike a ramp?

Part 1 Unloading
 

Here we are arriving home, just backing up the the garage.


[img]http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000814.jpg[/img]


Hmm, how to get this thing on the ground? The first thing you notice is the box doesn't look that huge, but it sure is heavy!

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...P1000817-1.jpg

Definitely don't want to drop this thing to the garage floor.
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000813.jpg


After scratching my head for 15 minutes or so, a light goes on.... I'll make some ramps!
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000823.jpg


2 x 4s are the only option, and wow they work great!
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000826.jpg


Almost there...
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000832.jpg


Safely on the ground!
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000834.jpg

Or you could have done like UPS does... Just punt it out of the truck and watch it bounce :D. I'm kidding of course, but that's pretty much what they did with my sons quad.

Ok, I give. What am I doing wrong with these photos????

I'm not sure how flikr works, but with photobucket it gives you the image code to copy and paste into the message. I usually open two windows, one with photobucket and one with CR, then just copy the image codes from photobucket and paste them into the message box. No need to hit the Img button on the message box header.

Heres a thread that explains it better than me :)

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...=post+pictures

Okay, I fixed the ones above. The first pic url didn't work.

I believe flickr will give you an image code also. Look for something that says web forum possibly.

Just copy and paste it into the message and the pic should appear.

Part 2 Unpacking
 

Can't wait to see what goodies are in this box, but I have to get it off that huge pallet first!

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000835.jpg

Some careful pushing, and a little finesse with the floor jack should get the job done.

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000839.jpg

Success! Now to have a peek in the box...

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000841.jpg

First thing I noticed is an envelope with the Certificate of Origin. Also, these new metal framed boxes are smaller than the old wood crates the Jap bikes used to come in, but the soft metal bends easily. Looks like no damage though.

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000842.jpg

There is a box containing all the essential nuts, bolts, owners manual, parts catalog, and other small parts.

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000843.jpg

The cardboard stripped away, and we have a motorcycle!
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000850.jpg

Nice, good looking Cheng Shin tires, pretty good packing, and the bike looks even better than expected. My son't first comment "SWEET!".
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000848.jpg

Ann air powered butterfly wrench zips the 30 or so bolts holding the box frame together away in a jiffy.

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000851.jpg

The seat looks really nice... Perforated, wide, and soft!
[img]http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...000849-1-1.jpg[/img]

Looks almost like a motorcycle Mummy!
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000853.jpg

My son poses with the newly freed bike...

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000854.jpg

The rear shock is disconnected, but this should be close to bottoming.
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000858.jpg

Approximate ride height with shock connected.
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000859.jpg

More to come!

Switched over to photobucket, but still having some issues... I think my photos are too big. The thumbnails post, but the normal photo won't on any of them. I will resize them later, and that should give better detail.

wow great documenting so far.... and i wanna see larger pics tho lol... how old is your son? j/k lol

When are you going to assemble?!! tomorrow???

I will be working on getting the photos to display full size. I figured out what I was doing wrong. I dropped the physical size (data), but not the pixel size. Since the are 12mp, they need to be reduced so the average monitor will display them.

My son will be 19 in a couple months... He's 6'4 & 1/2, 225lbs.

I plan on waking the neighbors in the morning. There will be lots of details to come!

I further cleaned up your first batch of photos to eliminate the duplications. Photobucket has a full size HTML option that will fit to screen.

Can't wait to see the bike assembled! :D

Thanks for taking the time to document the assembly with photos and a write up. It does help others thinking about a future purchase to know what to expect. I enjoy watching the process also.
Great solution for getting the crate out of the truck. As I recall, on my bike I slid it back holding up one end till I could tilt it down to the ground. Then I slid the upper side around till I could lift it off as well.

Weldangrind, thanks for helping out. I have the photo thing figured out thanks to your tip. In the process of updating now, and will post the next part of my review.

Part 3 Assembly
 

I got in a bit of a hurry last night, so I didn't document every step of the assembly, but it's very straight forward. We used a floor jack to put the bike up in the air enough to install the front wheel. There are spacers for each side, and the speedometer drive hub that have to be aligned while sliding the axle through. I also used a bit of Moly grease on the axle, then tighten down the 2 hex head axle pinch bolts. There is a bolt to attach the lower shock to the fulcrum cam, another to attach the rear brake pedal, and you have 3 screws to bolt on the front fender. You also need to attach to bolts to the headlight assembly, and one each for 2 turn signals that don't come attached.

I did notice that the air filter is a paper unit. These work fine, but need replacement eventually if you don't protect them. I used a rolled up piece of house air conditioner filter as a pre-filter. A bit of oil on this would give even more protection in dusty, sandy, and other off-road conditions.

Stock filter.
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000871.jpg

My pre-filter solution.
http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000873.jpg

The first thing that really stands out is how beautiful, and impressive the engine looks.

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000875.jpg

Other side.

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000881.jpg

The forks are beefy! Lots of travel too...

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000882.jpg

Lots of bite here.


http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000884.jpg

Overall look and quality is impressive for a bike in this price range!

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000887.jpg

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000886.jpg

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000885.jpg

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000888.jpg

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000889.jpg

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000860.jpg

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000861.jpg

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000862.jpg

hensim
 

Just an opinion, but you may restrict too much airflow by rolling that foam up and stuffing it in the hole.I have done the same on some bikes ,but with just 1 flat pc. across the opening.

I checked it for airflow using a piece of pvc. No difference with or without it. I may end up going with a UNI filter eventually.

hensim
 

good news, didn't want the new bike to run crappy,from that .Great bike I wanted one bad ,but Tim could not confirm if I would be able to register it here in PA,as I've heard the MSO papers say off road on them ,and that would be a no go here, so I went with the zong.Can't wait for the running and ride review.

Part 4 General observations and initial ride
 

The engine came filled with oil, but was just a bit low. I topped it off with about a pint of Valvoline 10w 40. As the specs say, the gas tank holds just about exactly 3.2 gallons. This should give the bike pretty excellent range.

I put the choke on, turned on the ignition, and expected to have to crank it for a while. To my surprise the engine started almost instantly! Wow, what a nice sounding engine! Absolutely sounds like a Honda 250, and I'd have to say the engine alone is worth the price I paid. Ready to idle almost right away, and seemed to run nice and cool. The first run was about 15 minutes, and I took it very easy running through the gears. Very smooth engine and crisp shifting transmission.

I reduced the files size by about 90% so it would play better...

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...h_00000MTS.jpg

Ummm.... No, the Certificate of Origin does not say Off-Road anywhere, and in fact this bike is 49 state legal. The only state that has a problem with it is California. I have already posted the link to the EPA, and DOT certification document on this vehicle.

Thanks for posting the great photos, and video, VTR! Your Hensim 250 Enduro look great. :) We eagerly await your ride reports.

Spud :)

Looks alot better than the old-style GY200's. It sounds great, too. Like I predicted before, now that you have vouched for them, see how many members and new members will order these in the next few months. Like Tim's Hi-Bird GY250 from a few years ago, these will soon sell out, and we will most likely never see them again :cry:

Perhaps, Hensim can be convinced how popular these could be by calling them. When I called last week, I did not get the guy's name, but he was nice and patient, and perhaps if enough people keep calling, Hensim could possibly get a fresh supply to keep these available, even if they can't be bought and sold in California where Hensim USA are located. Start a call in campaign...

(909) 548-0051

Hensim USA Headquarters:
5270 Edison Ave
Chino, CA 91710
USA
Phone: (909) 548-0051
Fax: (909) 548-0055
Email: info@hensimusa.com

BTW, vtr99, the green looks great--better in your photos than VBike's photos!!

Re: Part 4 General observations and initial ride
 

I recommend that you dump that oil right away; it's not necessarily motorcycle oil, and it's only there for shipping purposes. I use four stroke motorcycle oil only. I happen to prefer synthetic, but that's up to you.

Nice machine! There's power hiding in that muffler (ask me how I know). :D

What kind of ale is in the box on the shelf?

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/P1000861.jpg

I ran the engine for about 30 minutes total today, and drained the oil. Didn't see any metal, or anything unexpected. I plan to run plain 10w 40 Valvoline for the first 500 miles, then switch over to Mobil 1 full synthetic. Basically the same thing I do with every engine I own.

The ale is Budweiser American Ale... One of my favorites. I give it an A-, not as good as the old Michelob Dark, but pretty darn good.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29/43118
http://www.budamericanale.com/pub/american-ale.aspx

If you enjoy Anheuser Busch products, you might enjoy reading the following thread. :)

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...ewtopic&t=9662

Once again, thank you for posting this excellent thread on the Hensim 250 Enduro; we have been patiently waiting for someone to give this bike a decent review! :) We eagerly await your riding impressions, both on the street, and on the trail. :)

Spud :)

I can say for sure this bike puts my old 200GY to shame as far as build quality goes. Fit and finish isn't perfect, but you can't really expect perfection for a grand. So far the engine looks and runs every bit as good as a Honda. Thing runs like a swiss watch. Reminds me of my 350X engine, although it doesn't pull as hard.

Hensim still makes the exact same bike, it's just a matter of who imports them. There are a number of dealers that stock parts for this bike, but since Tim has all the spare parts there is no point in going anywhere else. For that matter, I don't expect to need any spare parts for a long time.
I'm just hoping Tim gets some 400 size machines at a decent price. If he does, I plan to get one for myself and give this 250 to my son.

Keep those links coming! Thanks!

I plan to give a detailed riding review as soon as I get some real time in the saddle. I'm going to get it inspected this week, and will be able to get more riding in once it's street legal.

Thanks for the details!. Nice bike. A little different than the typicall GY2's.
Wider seat looks like a plus. No phoney graphix that I noticed, that is a plus. Tank cover looks better than mine.
Rear tail light looks a little odd.
Your pics do look better than Tim's.
Are these left over bikes maufactured in 2007? If so it puts them the same age as the HiBirds.

Looks like a GREAT bike at a terrific price.
Congratulations!

That looks great! :D I told Mrs. 2LZ last night that if those get Green Stickered here....I may need to order one.

Boy....there is lots more power locked inside there with the proper adjustments and upgrades. I have an exact, extra muffler laying in my side yard is you ever need one! :lol:

hensim
 

Love that bike , I also thought the taillight is extremely strange looking and doesn't fit the great appearance of the rest of the bike . Could definitely use the DRC edge2 LED taillight,I have had 2 of them so far on different bikes and they work great.

This is making my decesion so difficult! I am relly stuck between the two... zong or this hensim. grrrrrr

hensim
 

melissann, can you live with the green?

Re: hensim
 

I don't think it matches her apparal :?

Re: hensim
 

green is my favorite color actually...

I forgot to mention the bike does come with a decal set. The stickers are yellow and black, and it looks like they can be arranged in a number of designs. So far the solid green has grown on me, so I'm leaving the decals off.

I took a 30 mile ride today, and got the bike inspected. It's running great, and the transmission shifts perfectly. I took it to St. Louis Powersports for the inspection, and checked out the bikes while I was there. The Hensim 250 looks a lot like the Kawasaki KLX 250. Only $4,000 cheaper.

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/pro...ns.aspx?id=416

So do you notice the extra 33cc? I am always curious cause one part of me thinks you wouldnt notice that much of a differece between a 200cc and a 233cc...