Csc tt250

Matt B · 01-02-2021, 02:40 AM

Hello Chinariders! Well, I think I'm taking the plunge.

I have been trying to figure out what type of motorcycle fits me best for years. My first bike that I bought about 6 years ago was a DRZ400E - with a Baja Designs kit installed to be street legal. I thought I would get in to dual sport riding but it didn't really turn out that I did. The bike was fine - but I felt it was pretty heavy and hard to handle when I rode it off road. Also, I didn't really ride it much because I didn't want to go explore trails by myself. None of my friends are in to riding and I didn't really want to join any clubs or anything. And it was a beast on the road. Knobby tires, loud exhaust, and geared down. Great for the trail but not so much on the roads around my house - and impossible on the freeway. Fortunately, these bikes are super popular right now so I had no trouble selling it - and even made a decent profit on the sale!

On to my second bike - a V-strom 650. I thought maybe I would use it more for back road exploration and an occasional adventure ride with a bit more dirt. It's been a great bike too, and it fits the bill for what I bought it for. I can't complain about it but I find it sits in my garage most of the time. Most of the time, I find myself choosing to do other things when I have the time to ride. I've pretty much explored every back road around my county now and rarely would have the time for long adventure rides like I had in my head.

So - now I think it's time to sell the V-strom too. I decided I wanted to buy two little dual sport bikes so I can take friends along for day or weekend riding trips on dirt roads and mild trails in the local national forest. I wanted something little so it would be more manageable than my old DRZ. Plus I wanted something I could teach my friends to ride on that would not be intimidating. I thought maybe a couple of TW200's would do nicely but dang! They are hard to come by used. I'm finding pretty much any used dual sport bike is hard to get and they REALLY hold their value! I have been using bikefinds.com to search and there really isn't much out there. All these people feeling cooped up from covid lock-downs must be craving some dual sport adventure too!

Then I remembered the Chinese bike option! I started looking online and became pretty disappointed to find out that most of the Chinese bikes aren't legal in California. I considered trying to see whether I could register it in another state at a relative's house and then just have out of state plates. I'm not sure if that's an option - but anyway, on a Craigslist search I ran across the CSC ad for the TT250. I checked out their site, watched a few Youtube videos and hot dang, I think I found my bikes!

I can get two of them new for the price of one new TW, or any of the other small Japanese dual sports. Heck, a new one is cheaper than most of the 20 year old used Japanese dual sports I'm seeing on Craigslist! And as far as maintenance goes, I'm actually looking forward to it. I have always wanted to improve my bike mechanic knowledge anyway. As a noob, wrenching on a basic, cheap bike is less intimidating than on a more expensive, complex machine.

And aside from the price, I just like stuff that's different and the underdog factor is cool to me too. The TT's have that going for them in spades!

So, I'm heading down to LA from the north Bay Area on Monday to go check out the CSC dealership and hopefully take a little test ride. If I like what I see, and I'm pretty sure I will, I will place an order for two new TT 250's! Looking forward to new adventures with old friends and hopefully learning from you guys here on the forum.

- Matt B

Essayons · 01-02-2021, 01:18 PM

Welcome to the forum Matt. The TT250 is a great choice and new rider friendly. Not sure if CSC will offer a test ride but doesn't hurt trying. On a side note, I too find myself avoiding isolated trails because I can't find a riding partner. Best of luck my friend.

Choco · 01-02-2021, 05:05 PM

Il sell you my bike lol
I just bought a drz400 that i want to fix up so im selling my bike less that 1700miles
Check out this item on OfferUp. https://offerup.co/QGKPKYbcJcb

Matt B · 01-02-2021, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Essayons

Welcome to the forum Matt. The TT250 is a great choice and new rider friendly. Not sure if CSC will offer a test ride but doesn't hurt trying. On a side note, I too find myself avoiding isolated trails because I can't find a riding partner. Best of luck my friend.

Thanks! I talked to them on the phone and they said they would as long as the certain employee was there that did test rides (I'm guessing he or she rides with you?) and you have your helmet and M1 licence. But, even if they can't on the day I go, that's fine. I just want to see the dealership in person and talk to them and see the bikes with my own eyes. I'm excited - like I'm a kid waiting for my Christmas or birthday present! (Which is cool because as an adult, that feeling doesn't come around very often...)

Matt B · 01-02-2021, 10:46 PM

Choco - that's actually a pretty nice looking bike you have. I like how the spokes match the bike! I'll keep it in mind for sure. Are you flexible on the price at all or looking for $2300 firm? You aren't too far from me. Funny you are getting a DRZ and I just got rid of one and am moving to the TT. Seems like it would be a bike downgrade in most people's eyes but I think the TT will be a better bike for me. The DRZ was bigger than I needed. And I'm looking forward to tinkering with my TT and improving my mechanical confidence. What is making you go up to the DRZ? Did you hit the limits on the TT?

Choco · 01-03-2021, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt B

Choco - that's actually a pretty nice looking bike you have. I like how the spokes match the bike! I'll keep it in mind for sure. Are you flexible on the price at all or looking for $2300 firm? You aren't too far from me. Funny you are getting a DRZ and I just got rid of one and am moving to the TT. Seems like it would be a bike downgrade in most people's eyes but I think the TT will be a better bike for me. The DRZ was bigger than I needed. And I'm looking forward to tinkering with my TT and improving my mechanical confidence. What is making you go up to the DRZ? Did you hit the limits on the TT?

Send me a messege and we can deal if you are interested
I still love my tt250 it is a really fun bike. Im not sure where you live but i taken it to metcalf park and i can hit any of those trails with no problems. I still ride the bike when i get a chance. This was the bike i use to learn how to ride ( im still a rookie)
What made me get a bigger bike was that 2 of my friends have a wr250r and i couldnt keep up with them specially freeway. I always liked the drz400 and i came up on a good deal so i bought the bike. I honestly might not sell the tt250 if i don't get what im looking for since i know it is a new bike and i take good care of it it should last me along time. I got the wife complaining that we dont have the space for another bike so i had to put it for sale. (Kind of hoping noone buys it to keep it lol)
I never worked on a bike before but the tt250 is sooo easy to work on it is fun to me. I have the tt250 fixed up to my taste now i have to put sone of my touches to the drz lol

Matt B · 01-03-2021, 06:07 AM

Ha ha ha! I get it, totally. It's "For Sale"! Well, it's a nice looking bike for sure. I will probably just get a new one I think - so I won't mess up your plan to have it "for sale" but not actually sell it!

I could save a few hundred bucks and get your bike and it certainly looks like it's got some cool upgrades. But honestly I'm looking forward to having two bikes that are brand new and doing the break in process, 500 mile service, and installing the upgrades and stuff by myself. Doing my own tinkering is part of what I'm looking forward to. Glad to hear you find them easy to work on!

I'm from Santa Rosa by the way. I liked my DRZ but I think it was a bit too much bike for me as a first dual sport to be honest. I'm sure you'll like it now that you got some riding skillz though. Good bikes for sure.

Choco · 01-04-2021, 01:46 PM

[QUOTE=Matt B;351460]Ha ha ha! I get it, totally. It's "For Sale"! Well, it's a nice looking bike for sure. I will probably just get a new one I think - so I won't mess up your plan to have it "for sale" but not actually sell it!

I could save a few hundred bucks and get your bike and it certainly looks like it's got some cool upgrades. But honestly I'm looking forward to having two bikes that are brand new and doing the break in process, 500 mile service, and installing the upgrades and stuff by myself. Doing my own tinkering is part of what I'm looking forward to. Glad to hear you find them easy to work on!

I'm from Santa Rosa by the way. I liked my DRZ but I think it was a bit too much bike for me as a first dual sport to be honest. I'm sure you'll like it now that you got some riding skillz though. Good bikes for

Choco · 01-04-2021, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt B

Ha ha ha! I get it, totally. It's "For Sale"! Well, it's a nice looking bike for sure. I will probably just get a new one I think - so I won't mess up your plan to have it "for sale" but not actually sell it!

I could save a few hundred bucks and get your bike and it certainly looks like it's got some cool upgrades. But honestly I'm looking forward to having two bikes that are brand new and doing the break in process, 500 mile service, and installing the upgrades and stuff by myself. Doing my own tinkering is part of what I'm looking forward to. Glad to hear you find them easy to work on!

I'm from Santa Rosa by the way. I liked my DRZ but I think it was a bit too much bike for me as a first dual sport to be honest. I'm sure you'll like it now that you got some riding skillz though. Good bikes for sure.

Yea i been getting people really offering low so im like nahhh lol.
My wifes asks me if anyone offers i just say no they are offering too low lol.
I think you will enjoy the bike. I mean it was my first bike but i think its soo easy to maintain and fun to ride. Let me know when you get it maybe we can set up a ride sometime.
My buddy also as a tt250 and 2 of my buddies have wr250r we usually go to the mountains or metcalf. Mount diablo is ok too

Matt B · 01-06-2021, 04:36 AM

Choco - Right on man, appreciate it. That would be cool! I keep hearing about this Metcalf place. I'll have to look in to it.

Well, just got back from a long trip down to Azusa to go visit CSC in person. I am the proud new owner of two brand spanking new TT250's. One grey and one white. Even saved a few bucks because they had very light scratches on the plastic. I plan to put quite a bit more on them so what do I care? They did allow me to test ride before I purchased the bikes. My only issue was the lack of fuel from the California approved carb. It was pretty apparent at the higher RPM's. So I decided that I'm going to "keep it on the race track only"

and got the carb jet kits. Also got skid plates, billet foot pegs and bark busters. That's all the mods for now I think. After I get some ride time in I'll see what else I think I need! I can for sure notice the difference in power between them and my DRZ400, obviously, but that's OK, I think these bikes will fit me better anyway.

Anyway, everyone in the shop was super nice and friendly. I really liked that after the purchase, they sent me out to the tech, Matt, for a bike orientation. So far, my experience has been great. They said they are hoping to get the bikes shipped by the end of the week. Looking forward to my new toys!

Essayons · 01-06-2021, 01:39 PM

Congrats Matt. The jet kits make a difference for sure. One of the first things I did was change the O.E. chain and sprockets.

Choco · 01-06-2021, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt B

Choco - Right on man, appreciate it. That would be cool! I keep hearing about this Metcalf place. I'll have to look in to it.

Well, just got back from a long trip down to Azusa to go visit CSC in person. I am the proud new owner of two brand spanking new TT250's. One grey and one white. Even saved a few bucks because they had very light scratches on the plastic. I plan to put quite a bit more on them so what do I care? They did allow me to test ride before I purchased the bikes. My only issue was the lack of fuel from the California approved carb. It was pretty apparent at the higher RPM's. So I decided that I'm going to "keep it on the race track only"

and got the carb jet kits. Also got skid plates, billet foot pegs and bark busters. That's all the mods for now I think. After I get some ride time in I'll see what else I think I need! I can for sure notice the difference in power between them and my DRZ400, obviously, but that's OK, I think these bikes will fit me better anyway.

Anyway, everyone in the shop was super nice and friendly. I really liked that after the purchase, they sent me out to the tech, Matt, for a bike orientation. So far, my experience has been great. They said they are hoping to get the bikes shipped by the end of the week. Looking forward to my new toys!

Congrats man
Parts for these bikes are soo cheap
The jet kit really does make a difference.
Open up the intake
Change the chain right away the stock one is crap i kept having to adjust mine until i got a unibear chain.
You should check your valves too.
Get an exhaust if you like the loud noise or gut the cat like i did at first lol.
I think you will really like these bikes they are pretty fun to ride.

Matt B · 01-07-2021, 04:25 AM

Cool - thanks for the heads up on the chain, guys. I will put replacing it on the short list for sure.

As for exhaust, call me a wuss but I actually don't like the noise! I kind of like a quiet bike to be honest. But I guess letting the engine breath a bit is good and a little extra power is nice too.

Matt B · 01-07-2021, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Essayons

Congrats Matt. The jet kits make a difference for sure. One of the first things I did was change the O.E. chain and sprockets.

Did you change the sprockets because you wanted different gearing or because the stock sprockets tend to fail or something?

Essayons · 01-07-2021, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt B

Did you change the sprockets because you wanted different gearing or because the stock sprockets tend to fail or something?

I changed mine for the gearing. Wanted a little more highway performance. Maybe someone can chime in on their quality as I never gave mine a chance. A new rear sprocket requires spacers. CSC sells the spacers and sprockets together. Others have used ebay or amazon for the sprocket purchase and made their own spacers.

01-02-2021, 02:40 AM	#1
Matt B Join Date: Jan 2021 Posts: 15	Csc tt250 Hello Chinariders! Well, I think I'm taking the plunge. I have been trying to figure out what type of motorcycle fits me best for years. My first bike that I bought about 6 years ago was a DRZ400E - with a Baja Designs kit installed to be street legal. I thought I would get in to dual sport riding but it didn't really turn out that I did. The bike was fine - but I felt it was pretty heavy and hard to handle when I rode it off road. Also, I didn't really ride it much because I didn't want to go explore trails by myself. None of my friends are in to riding and I didn't really want to join any clubs or anything. And it was a beast on the road. Knobby tires, loud exhaust, and geared down. Great for the trail but not so much on the roads around my house - and impossible on the freeway. Fortunately, these bikes are super popular right now so I had no trouble selling it - and even made a decent profit on the sale! On to my second bike - a V-strom 650. I thought maybe I would use it more for back road exploration and an occasional adventure ride with a bit more dirt. It's been a great bike too, and it fits the bill for what I bought it for. I can't complain about it but I find it sits in my garage most of the time. Most of the time, I find myself choosing to do other things when I have the time to ride. I've pretty much explored every back road around my county now and rarely would have the time for long adventure rides like I had in my head. So - now I think it's time to sell the V-strom too. I decided I wanted to buy two little dual sport bikes so I can take friends along for day or weekend riding trips on dirt roads and mild trails in the local national forest. I wanted something little so it would be more manageable than my old DRZ. Plus I wanted something I could teach my friends to ride on that would not be intimidating. I thought maybe a couple of TW200's would do nicely but dang! They are hard to come by used. I'm finding pretty much any used dual sport bike is hard to get and they REALLY hold their value! I have been using bikefinds.com to search and there really isn't much out there. All these people feeling cooped up from covid lock-downs must be craving some dual sport adventure too! Then I remembered the Chinese bike option! I started looking online and became pretty disappointed to find out that most of the Chinese bikes aren't legal in California. I considered trying to see whether I could register it in another state at a relative's house and then just have out of state plates. I'm not sure if that's an option - but anyway, on a Craigslist search I ran across the CSC ad for the TT250. I checked out their site, watched a few Youtube videos and hot dang, I think I found my bikes! I can get two of them new for the price of one new TW, or any of the other small Japanese dual sports. Heck, a new one is cheaper than most of the 20 year old used Japanese dual sports I'm seeing on Craigslist! And as far as maintenance goes, I'm actually looking forward to it. I have always wanted to improve my bike mechanic knowledge anyway. As a noob, wrenching on a basic, cheap bike is less intimidating than on a more expensive, complex machine. And aside from the price, I just like stuff that's different and the underdog factor is cool to me too. The TT's have that going for them in spades! So, I'm heading down to LA from the north Bay Area on Monday to go check out the CSC dealership and hopefully take a little test ride. If I like what I see, and I'm pretty sure I will, I will place an order for two new TT 250's! Looking forward to new adventures with old friends and hopefully learning from you guys here on the forum. - Matt B
	1

01-02-2021, 01:18 PM	#2
Essayons Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: fontana, california Posts: 333	Welcome to the forum Matt. The TT250 is a great choice and new rider friendly. Not sure if CSC will offer a test ride but doesn't hurt trying. On a side note, I too find myself avoiding isolated trails because I can't find a riding partner. Best of luck my friend. __________________ 2018 TT 250 2016 RX3 1979 CB750K
	0

01-06-2021, 01:39 PM	#11
Essayons Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: fontana, california Posts: 333	Congrats Matt. The jet kits make a difference for sure. One of the first things I did was change the O.E. chain and sprockets. __________________ 2018 TT 250 2016 RX3 1979 CB750K
	1

01-02-2021, 05:05 PM	#3
Choco Join Date: May 2020 Location: Newark ca Posts: 34	Il sell you my bike lol I just bought a drz400 that i want to fix up so im selling my bike less that 1700miles Check out this item on OfferUp. https://offerup.co/QGKPKYbcJcb
	0

01-02-2021, 10:46 PM	#5
Matt B Join Date: Jan 2021 Posts: 15	Choco - that's actually a pretty nice looking bike you have. I like how the spokes match the bike! I'll keep it in mind for sure. Are you flexible on the price at all or looking for $2300 firm? You aren't too far from me. Funny you are getting a DRZ and I just got rid of one and am moving to the TT. Seems like it would be a bike downgrade in most people's eyes but I think the TT will be a better bike for me. The DRZ was bigger than I needed. And I'm looking forward to tinkering with my TT and improving my mechanical confidence. What is making you go up to the DRZ? Did you hit the limits on the TT?
	0

01-03-2021, 06:07 AM	#7
Matt B Join Date: Jan 2021 Posts: 15	Ha ha ha! I get it, totally. It's "For Sale"! Well, it's a nice looking bike for sure. I will probably just get a new one I think - so I won't mess up your plan to have it "for sale" but not actually sell it! I could save a few hundred bucks and get your bike and it certainly looks like it's got some cool upgrades. But honestly I'm looking forward to having two bikes that are brand new and doing the break in process, 500 mile service, and installing the upgrades and stuff by myself. Doing my own tinkering is part of what I'm looking forward to. Glad to hear you find them easy to work on! I'm from Santa Rosa by the way. I liked my DRZ but I think it was a bit too much bike for me as a first dual sport to be honest. I'm sure you'll like it now that you got some riding skillz though. Good bikes for sure.
	0

01-04-2021, 01:46 PM	#8
Choco Join Date: May 2020 Location: Newark ca Posts: 34	[QUOTE=Matt B;351460]Ha ha ha! I get it, totally. It's "For Sale"! Well, it's a nice looking bike for sure. I will probably just get a new one I think - so I won't mess up your plan to have it "for sale" but not actually sell it! I could save a few hundred bucks and get your bike and it certainly looks like it's got some cool upgrades. But honestly I'm looking forward to having two bikes that are brand new and doing the break in process, 500 mile service, and installing the upgrades and stuff by myself. Doing my own tinkering is part of what I'm looking forward to. Glad to hear you find them easy to work on! I'm from Santa Rosa by the way. I liked my DRZ but I think it was a bit too much bike for me as a first dual sport to be honest. I'm sure you'll like it now that you got some riding skillz though. Good bikes for
	0

01-06-2021, 04:36 AM	#10
Matt B Join Date: Jan 2021 Posts: 15	Choco - Right on man, appreciate it. That would be cool! I keep hearing about this Metcalf place. I'll have to look in to it. Well, just got back from a long trip down to Azusa to go visit CSC in person. I am the proud new owner of two brand spanking new TT250's. One grey and one white. Even saved a few bucks because they had very light scratches on the plastic. I plan to put quite a bit more on them so what do I care? They did allow me to test ride before I purchased the bikes. My only issue was the lack of fuel from the California approved carb. It was pretty apparent at the higher RPM's. So I decided that I'm going to "keep it on the race track only" and got the carb jet kits. Also got skid plates, billet foot pegs and bark busters. That's all the mods for now I think. After I get some ride time in I'll see what else I think I need! I can for sure notice the difference in power between them and my DRZ400, obviously, but that's OK, I think these bikes will fit me better anyway. Anyway, everyone in the shop was super nice and friendly. I really liked that after the purchase, they sent me out to the tech, Matt, for a bike orientation. So far, my experience has been great. They said they are hoping to get the bikes shipped by the end of the week. Looking forward to my new toys!
	3

01-07-2021, 04:25 AM	#13
Matt B Join Date: Jan 2021 Posts: 15	Cool - thanks for the heads up on the chain, guys. I will put replacing it on the short list for sure. As for exhaust, call me a wuss but I actually don't like the noise! I kind of like a quiet bike to be honest. But I guess letting the engine breath a bit is good and a little extra power is nice too.
	0