Should I get a tbr7?

motuoche · 01-09-2020, 10:36 PM

Hi, new guy here. I'm new to motorcycles, but I've driven scooters in the past. I love tinkering and I used to live in China so I have an affinity for Chinese goods that a lot of people try to pass off as junk. I want a cheap bike, and after being dissatisfied with my local craigslist offerings and poring over the forums here I think I've decided to get a Chinese bike.

I want a dual sport bike but I'll mainly be using it as a commuter, like 90/10 commuting vs offroad. Based off of what I've read on these forums the taotao tbr7 would be my best bet, but I'm wondering if there's a compelling reason to get something different like the bashan brozz or the bashan storm? Are they worth the extra 6-700 based on what I'll be doing with them? Any suggestions or tips would be much appreciated.

culcune · 01-09-2020, 11:31 PM

The difference is less than $600 (read the fine print in the online ads if the price is significantly lower than others because they don't include shipping in their price), and there are compelling reasons to go with the Brozz. But first, the TBR7 would be fine, and at a lower cost. BUT, you want a commuter. So, and not really a big deal and cost, you would want to swap out the sprockets for commuter friendly sprockets. Next, the carb--you can simply buy a fake Mikuni off of Ebay (they are cheap, and take Mikuni jets) or contact NZBrakelathes here on Chinariders and order his carb upgrade kit (which also comes with a 17 tooth front sprocket and other bits). Also, exhaust. The bike would have to come from on online retailer who are generally unreliable when it comes to mailing out the manufacturer's statement (or certificate) of origin (MSO or MCO). Some members have to wait weeks including a member here on the dual-sport posts who waited weeks for his Hawk DLX paperwork to get to him; I mention him because he ordered if from a large dealer in Texas who is most likely the same place you are eyeballing (I am taking a guess here; not sure of where you are planning to order from, and they might not be so bad with the paperwork). The issue is drop-shipping; most dealers don't carry these in stock and drop-ship from the US distributor, meaning the MSO/MCO has to be ordered and sent by the dealer from the distributor.

The Brozz is mail-ordered from Peace Sports who are the dealer/distributor (they do NOT carry the Storm which is also made by Bashan but distributed by someone else). They send the MSO WITH the bike. The bike has gearing set up for the street (17/46 sprockets f/r from stock), the carb is superior to most other stock carbs, and the exhaust is quiet but seems to be effective as reported by most Brozz owners. On top of that, Jeff at Peace Sports is the manager at Peace, and who you will deal with directly. Also for any warranty issues, or parts in general (okay, not sure if you deal with him directly on those, but he probably helps in that area besides selling the bike to you). Which brings us to parts--they have them and should be just as easy to order as a Brozz. Oh, and if you did go with a Storm, the Storm is mechanically near a Brozz so you could order most mechanicals (probably other parts) from Peace.

Parts for a TBR7 or Storm are not as easy to come by from the dealers who sold you the bike. Call Jeff=you can find him posting all over Chinariders, and it couldn't hurt to speak with him. He has posted numerous videos all over youtube about the Brozz.

motuoche · 01-09-2020, 11:59 PM

Thanks for the response. I was thinking about getting it from q9powersports, or one of the others and avoiding txpowersports based on what I've read in this forum. I couldn't see a price for the brozz listed on the peacesports website, but I might try to call them tomorrow to see what's going on. If I can get it shipped in the 1750 range I might go with that over the tbr7. But if the main difference is the better carb and sprocket set up then I don't really see the point of getting a significantly more expensive bike. I mean, the suspension is a lot better but I guess but I don't think I'll be needing a super robust suspension that bad if I'm mainly just using it to get to class. But if it's a more robust and reliable bike overall then I would definitely consider it worth the extra cost.

Anyway, thanks for the advice.

**JerryHawk250** · 01-10-2020, 07:22 AM

Peace Sports also has the MotoMax 250 which I think would be a better commuter and more street friendly. Peace Sports Online sales and parts are available on brozz250.com Well worth the extra money just for the pure fact of great support and parts availability. The only Brozz he has in stock are the older Standard Brozz but at a low price. If you can wait a month he will have the newer 2020 Brozz Recon http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=25215
https://shop.brozz250.com/eshopdetai...s_for_Sale.htm

AJboughtamoto · 01-10-2020, 10:56 AM

I too was looking at a TBR7, after I saw a video of the swing arm breaking, and another where some wheel spokes broke. I decided to pay the $450 more for a Bashan Brozz. The overall build quality is better, the plastics are actually painted on both sides, the swing arm in particular is built better. Counter balanced engine and remote start/alarm are nice bonuses.

OneLeggedRider · 01-10-2020, 11:58 AM

The TBR7 is a good bike for street riding and the only trouble we had was the monoshock was a little bouncy ($75 on Amazon) and they sent it with the wrong spark plug.

And I have had very good results with Txpowersports.com . I have bought 3 bikes from them in the last year and the MCOs all arrived within 3 days of getting the bike. And the price of the TBR7 was outstanding. After the $25 coupon code it was only $1314 shipped.

The TBR7 also does better on the highway because of smaller wheels, it goes about 8mph faster than the Hawk so it'll do 70mph without much trouble. It doesn't perform well offroad but you said you were looking for a commuter and not a true dirtbike.

OneLeggedRider · 01-10-2020, 12:15 PM

Manny or whatever his name is also reads these forums and I think he's starting to worry about bad publicity. A guy on one of the fb groups had trouble with a spark issue and TXpowersports sent him almost a complete ignition system and stator no questions asked, So hopefully they're working on better customer service.

LifeRider · 01-10-2020, 12:47 PM

I think the Brozz is a great choice and plan to purchase one this spring when the 2020 model comes out. They are offering 2018 models for $1750.00 delivered that have proven to be great values. Q9PowerSports is only an hour from me and I stop by to check things out quite often but have not purchased one from them yet. Looking at the Hellcat Grom clone as a play stunt bike from there.
Wish you the best and look forward to seeing your choice. China bikes are an unbelievable deal of fun per dollar no matter what you choose.

Currently ride a 2019 Hawk DLX and 2019 Royal Enfield GT 650.

**JerryHawk250** · 01-10-2020, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeRider

I think the Brozz is a great choice and plan to purchase one this spring when the 2020 model comes out. They are offering 2018 models for $1750.00 delivered that have proven to be great values. Q9PowerSports is only an hour from me and I stop by to check things out quite often but have not purchased one from them yet. Looking at the Hellcat Grom clone as a play stunt bike from there.
Wish you the best and look forward to seeing your choice. China bikes are an unbelievable deal of fun per dollar no matter what you choose.

Currently ride a 2019 Hawk DLX and 2019 Royal Enfield GT 650.

The 2018 Standard Brozz are $1,499.00 now.

motuoche · 01-10-2020, 01:49 PM

Well I think ya'all have made a pretty compelling case for the Brozz. I'm not exactly in a hurry at the moment, so I can wait till the 2020 model comes out. I don't really think the recon model would be a great choice for me though because of those off road tires. The motomax looks really nice, but I think it might be just a little out of my price range. I'm trying to keep it under 2 grand with the helmet/mods/repairs altogether. I'm not writing off the tbr7 just yet though, I just wanna sit on this decision for a bit so I don't do anything impulsive.

I don't know where you're finding these 2018 brozz's though, everywhere I've looked seems to be out of stock. I've called peace sports, but wasn't able to speak to Jeff just yet. Either way I'm really looking forward to jumping into the world of chinese bikes. There's simply nothing else that can beat the price to fun ratio as far as I can tell. Just browsing this forum gets me all excited lol.

**JerryHawk250** · 01-10-2020, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motuoche

I don't know where you're finding these 2018 brozz's though, everywhere I've looked seems to be out of stock. I've called peace sports, but wasn't able to speak to Jeff just yet. Either way I'm really looking forward to jumping into the world of chinese bikes. There's simply nothing else that can beat the price to fun ratio as far as I can tell. Just browsing this forum gets me all excited lol.

Right here. https://shop.brozz250.com/eshopprod_..._Brozz_250.htm

AJboughtamoto · 01-10-2020, 04:09 PM

That link is to the Standard Brozz, not the Bashan Brozz, closer in spec to a hawk, Not sure what all the exact differences are. The Bashan's might all be gone, I don't see them listed anymore. Orion has this bike which seems Identical to the Bashan https://www.orionpowersports.com/bms...free-warranty/

**JerryHawk250** · 01-10-2020, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJboughtamoto

That link is to the Standard Brozz, not the Bashan Brozz, closer in spec to a hawk, Not sure what all the exact differences are. The Bashan's might all be gone, I don't see them listed anymore. Orion has this bike which seems Identical to the Bashan https://www.orionpowersports.com/bms...free-warranty/

The standard Brozz is a Bashan Brozz. Just an earlier version. Peace Sport Atlanta is the importer and only dealer for the Brozz. The CRP 250 is also built by Bashan but is not imported by Peace Sports. Jeff sold out the 2019 Brozz stock and the new 2020 Brozz Recon will arrive in February.

AJboughtamoto · 01-10-2020, 06:04 PM

Ah ok, looks like it has the good swing arm, and the counter balance that's nice. Rear drum kinda sucks but at least the lever isn't below the frame. Forks are standard instead of inverted, kind of a toss up with these. I feel like my inverted ones are pretty good outa the box, but I know the standard have a lil more travel.

Duckman · 01-11-2020, 10:10 PM

I love my TBR7, although I have no experience with the Brozz. Mine was $1289 delivered and is a great running bike. I was thinking about the Brozz but thought for my first Chinese bike I would go with the most affordable bike on that suited my needs. I find myself riding my TBR7 way more than my Hawk. Don’t get me wrong I love my Hawk. IV just been street riding more often in this weather we are having in this beautiful Oregon weather.
Good luck on what ever you choose. I don’t think you will go wrong no matter which you choose.
Duckman out

01-09-2020, 10:36 PM	#1
motuoche Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 3	Should I get a tbr7? Hi, new guy here. I'm new to motorcycles, but I've driven scooters in the past. I love tinkering and I used to live in China so I have an affinity for Chinese goods that a lot of people try to pass off as junk. I want a cheap bike, and after being dissatisfied with my local craigslist offerings and poring over the forums here I think I've decided to get a Chinese bike. I want a dual sport bike but I'll mainly be using it as a commuter, like 90/10 commuting vs offroad. Based off of what I've read on these forums the taotao tbr7 would be my best bet, but I'm wondering if there's a compelling reason to get something different like the bashan brozz or the bashan storm? Are they worth the extra 6-700 based on what I'll be doing with them? Any suggestions or tips would be much appreciated.
	1

01-09-2020, 11:31 PM	#2
culcune Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yuma, Arizona Posts: 9,035	The difference is less than $600 (read the fine print in the online ads if the price is significantly lower than others because they don't include shipping in their price), and there are compelling reasons to go with the Brozz. But first, the TBR7 would be fine, and at a lower cost. BUT, you want a commuter. So, and not really a big deal and cost, you would want to swap out the sprockets for commuter friendly sprockets. Next, the carb--you can simply buy a fake Mikuni off of Ebay (they are cheap, and take Mikuni jets) or contact NZBrakelathes here on Chinariders and order his carb upgrade kit (which also comes with a 17 tooth front sprocket and other bits). Also, exhaust. The bike would have to come from on online retailer who are generally unreliable when it comes to mailing out the manufacturer's statement (or certificate) of origin (MSO or MCO). Some members have to wait weeks including a member here on the dual-sport posts who waited weeks for his Hawk DLX paperwork to get to him; I mention him because he ordered if from a large dealer in Texas who is most likely the same place you are eyeballing (I am taking a guess here; not sure of where you are planning to order from, and they might not be so bad with the paperwork). The issue is drop-shipping; most dealers don't carry these in stock and drop-ship from the US distributor, meaning the MSO/MCO has to be ordered and sent by the dealer from the distributor. The Brozz is mail-ordered from Peace Sports who are the dealer/distributor (they do NOT carry the Storm which is also made by Bashan but distributed by someone else). They send the MSO WITH the bike. The bike has gearing set up for the street (17/46 sprockets f/r from stock), the carb is superior to most other stock carbs, and the exhaust is quiet but seems to be effective as reported by most Brozz owners. On top of that, Jeff at Peace Sports is the manager at Peace, and who you will deal with directly. Also for any warranty issues, or parts in general (okay, not sure if you deal with him directly on those, but he probably helps in that area besides selling the bike to you). Which brings us to parts--they have them and should be just as easy to order as a Brozz. Oh, and if you did go with a Storm, the Storm is mechanically near a Brozz so you could order most mechanicals (probably other parts) from Peace. Parts for a TBR7 or Storm are not as easy to come by from the dealers who sold you the bike. Call Jeff=you can find him posting all over Chinariders, and it couldn't hurt to speak with him. He has posted numerous videos all over youtube about the Brozz. __________________ "They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard
	1

01-10-2020, 07:22 AM	#4
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,585	Peace Sports also has the MotoMax 250 which I think would be a better commuter and more street friendly. Peace Sports Online sales and parts are available on brozz250.com Well worth the extra money just for the pure fact of great support and parts availability. The only Brozz he has in stock are the older Standard Brozz but at a low price. If you can wait a month he will have the newer 2020 Brozz Recon http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=25215 https://shop.brozz250.com/eshopdetai...s_for_Sale.htm __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S (Sold) 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
	2

01-10-2020, 11:58 AM	#6
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	The TBR7 is a good bike for street riding and the only trouble we had was the monoshock was a little bouncy ($75 on Amazon) and they sent it with the wrong spark plug. And I have had very good results with Txpowersports.com . I have bought 3 bikes from them in the last year and the MCOs all arrived within 3 days of getting the bike. And the price of the TBR7 was outstanding. After the $25 coupon code it was only $1314 shipped. The TBR7 also does better on the highway because of smaller wheels, it goes about 8mph faster than the Hawk so it'll do 70mph without much trouble. It doesn't perform well offroad but you said you were looking for a commuter and not a true dirtbike. __________________ ~ Don't poke the bear ~ M.M.I. Dean's List graduate class of '95 and Specialty welder 2020 Ice Bear Terifecta 150cc Trike 2011 Honda Foreman 500ES 4x4 2001 Polaris Scrambler 400
	1

01-10-2020, 12:15 PM	#7
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	Manny or whatever his name is also reads these forums and I think he's starting to worry about bad publicity. A guy on one of the fb groups had trouble with a spark issue and TXpowersports sent him almost a complete ignition system and stator no questions asked, So hopefully they're working on better customer service. __________________ ~ Don't poke the bear ~ M.M.I. Dean's List graduate class of '95 and Specialty welder 2020 Ice Bear Terifecta 150cc Trike 2011 Honda Foreman 500ES 4x4 2001 Polaris Scrambler 400
	1

01-09-2020, 11:59 PM	#3
motuoche Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 3	Thanks for the response. I was thinking about getting it from q9powersports, or one of the others and avoiding txpowersports based on what I've read in this forum. I couldn't see a price for the brozz listed on the peacesports website, but I might try to call them tomorrow to see what's going on. If I can get it shipped in the 1750 range I might go with that over the tbr7. But if the main difference is the better carb and sprocket set up then I don't really see the point of getting a significantly more expensive bike. I mean, the suspension is a lot better but I guess but I don't think I'll be needing a super robust suspension that bad if I'm mainly just using it to get to class. But if it's a more robust and reliable bike overall then I would definitely consider it worth the extra cost. Anyway, thanks for the advice.
	0

01-10-2020, 10:56 AM	#5
AJboughtamoto Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 123	I too was looking at a TBR7, after I saw a video of the swing arm breaking, and another where some wheel spokes broke. I decided to pay the $450 more for a Bashan Brozz. The overall build quality is better, the plastics are actually painted on both sides, the swing arm in particular is built better. Counter balanced engine and remote start/alarm are nice bonuses.
	2

01-10-2020, 12:47 PM	#8
LifeRider Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Machesney, IL Posts: 30	I think the Brozz is a great choice and plan to purchase one this spring when the 2020 model comes out. They are offering 2018 models for $1750.00 delivered that have proven to be great values. Q9PowerSports is only an hour from me and I stop by to check things out quite often but have not purchased one from them yet. Looking at the Hellcat Grom clone as a play stunt bike from there. Wish you the best and look forward to seeing your choice. China bikes are an unbelievable deal of fun per dollar no matter what you choose. Currently ride a 2019 Hawk DLX and 2019 Royal Enfield GT 650.
	0

01-10-2020, 01:49 PM	#10
motuoche Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 3	Well I think ya'all have made a pretty compelling case for the Brozz. I'm not exactly in a hurry at the moment, so I can wait till the 2020 model comes out. I don't really think the recon model would be a great choice for me though because of those off road tires. The motomax looks really nice, but I think it might be just a little out of my price range. I'm trying to keep it under 2 grand with the helmet/mods/repairs altogether. I'm not writing off the tbr7 just yet though, I just wanna sit on this decision for a bit so I don't do anything impulsive. I don't know where you're finding these 2018 brozz's though, everywhere I've looked seems to be out of stock. I've called peace sports, but wasn't able to speak to Jeff just yet. Either way I'm really looking forward to jumping into the world of chinese bikes. There's simply nothing else that can beat the price to fun ratio as far as I can tell. Just browsing this forum gets me all excited lol.
	1

01-10-2020, 04:09 PM	#12
AJboughtamoto Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 123	That link is to the Standard Brozz, not the Bashan Brozz, closer in spec to a hawk, Not sure what all the exact differences are. The Bashan's might all be gone, I don't see them listed anymore. Orion has this bike which seems Identical to the Bashan https://www.orionpowersports.com/bms...free-warranty/
	0

01-10-2020, 06:04 PM	#14
AJboughtamoto Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 123	Ah ok, looks like it has the good swing arm, and the counter balance that's nice. Rear drum kinda sucks but at least the lever isn't below the frame. Forks are standard instead of inverted, kind of a toss up with these. I feel like my inverted ones are pretty good outa the box, but I know the standard have a lil more travel.
	0