Considering moving up the displacement food chain.  By  oldchopperguy (Read 2,572 times)

OldChopperGuy, my 2ct:

I just upgraded too, got myself a Dongfang 250cc RTC-B Naked bike. I went manual motorcycle, because I find manual gears much more fun than an automatic CVT; because the manual gears allow much more variety in riding style (eg: I can ride both aggressive and economical on one bike, without any modification) but to each his own. I understand you prefer a scoot, if they only had manual/semi manual scooters available of 250cc...
A manual geared motorcycle usually is with a chain drive, which will make gear changes very easy (just change the rear sprocket), and thus make top speeds of just over 80MPH possible on any 250cc, even a thumper.
The Linhai 260 engine with fuel injection and CVT could reach 80MPH too (83 actually), but I'm not fond of a CVT.

In fact, a CVT is the reason that I personally am not a scooter guy anymore.
A scooter is good to do groceries, but the fun of riding is in the complete package, riding with gears IMHO!
And for me, a 250cc is more than enough. And likely for your situation too.
Most 250's with CVT will do 75MPH tops, and probably 65-70MPH all day long. So I would presume it's fast enough, unless you live in the mountains where the bike has to fight a lot of uphill slopes, you're 250+ LBS, or you're living on the edge of hurricane land. But other than that, 250's should be sufficient for any kind of travel below 75MPH.

For me, it was a matter of size. Yingang makes excellent motorcycles, but few parts. Dongfang is the TaoTao of motorcycles. Good engines, crappy everything else, but you see that in the price.
Roketa is somewhere in between, with an excellent Roketa Enduro clone bike, for only $1700!
The enduro's aren't for long trips, so I never bought one. The saddle is about the same as on the MC-05-127. Comfy for 30 mins to 1 hour. But on a 5 hour trip you need to give the rear end some breather every hour, or the pain will make you think everything rotted and died already...

I had the choice, a $1900 enduro model, a $2000 sports bike, a 2100 naked bike, a 2400 bobber or cruiser (that's with shipping included), or a $4k Honda Grom. I could also get a Suzuki TU250x, but If I'm going for a small engine good on gas, I might as well get the grom, as the grom with it's 125cc engine does 75MPH too!

I went for the naked bike. Enduro's aren't comfy to sit on, sports bikes get stolen too much, and have bad seating ergonomics, and the DongFang was bigger in size than the Yingang, which was on the small side for even a 5'6" person, due to the high position of the pegs, and the lower saddle.
And at 1/2,5 th the price of a grom, I went with the Dongfang.

That being said, I was racing next to a Honda PCX150 with my 125cc MC-05-127, and could barely keep up.
I don't know if the PCX might be something interesting for you to ride on?
I hear they also get 75MPH.

Other than that, if you really want to stay with Chinese bikes, get the cheapest of the cheapest.
The engines are about all the same. The BMS TBX260 is the nicest looking bike of the bunch, but at about $3k delivered it's not worth the price.
Don't go for it's nice looks, and it's high quality materials and fuel injection.
I think it's quite a waste, and most chinese bikes run just fine with plastic, instead of metal.

The BMS 260 I had, had quite some torque, yes, but the belt was a goner after 2k miles.
The bike rambled apart, because the 1 cylinder thumper, was thumping so hard in idle, that the whole front vibrated, the mirrors vibrated so hard, that they looked like they where wings, flapping loose! I couldn't see $#!T through them when I was idling.
And the plastics started squeaking really fast (after only 1k miles), because the idle vibrations of the 250cc was just too much!
The BMS uses a Linhai engine, very good, but there are so many hoses and wires under the seat, it's a big mess trying to work on it!
Not only complex, but things are hard to reach, panels aren't fitting over their mounting holes, etc...
And an EFI is not a carburetor... Much harder to fault-find.

If you really want panels that don't fit, then get a $1k cheaper Roketa!
Less problems, less complex, not a whole lot worse riding comfort, just a tad only, but at 2/3rd the price it's more than worth it!
A lot of users have put a nice 20+k miles on their Roketa 250cc maxi scoots!

And the weight!
The BMS 260, almost broke my back, just trying to get it out of the crate! Luckily they had mounted the front wheel already, but at almost 500LBS that's not a fun thing to do! The Roketa is at least 100LBS lighter.

The BMS felt on the virge of a motorcycle. Almost impossible to push on a flat, or in grass.
I was so much more happy riding my ATM50 instead!

Later I bought a mid size 150cc scoot (the TaoTao EVO150). It felt so much better to ride. Though top speed was 20MPH slower, it managed just fine on the local highways (where 55 is the max speed limit, and most traffic, just like my bike did 60MPH).

My recommendation:

Get a Roketa 250cc scooter new from a cheap company like superiorpowersports.
I've always found them to deliver good products, save for a single forgotten bolt, or nut, and the fuel hose clips, and double nutting the exhaust pipe (have 4 products of them now, each product had these problems). The forgotten nut was either a side peg nut, a carburetor nut not tightened, exhaust bolts, or something minor.
Aside from that, all my scoots ran fine out of the box, without even changing spark plug or fuel hoses.
You can change the fuel hoses when they start leaking, which, unless you keep it out in the sun all day, might probably happen after the second or third year or so.

And a lot of people testify those roketa 250's are good!

Wow! This is great! It is NICE to have such friends on the site. THAT is what it's all about.

I have looked at MANY Chinese 250's, and as mentioned, the Roketa has a lot of appeal for the money. I'm also finding a number of Honda Reflex 250's at good prices, usually from individuals.

If I'd had the money on-hand, I'd have surely bought that Kymco 250 "Bet and Win" form New York for grand plus shipping! The Kymco I looked at today was whatever model the last 250 was... I think it WAS the "Grand Vista"... Sorry, the missus was honking the car horn for me to take her to dinner... It was a recent trade-in on a new 300cc. Hmmm... I can't imagine spending all that for an extra 50cc.

"Moxie Scooters" is just 5 minutes down the road from me, and they have been around since BEFORE the scooter craze. NICE folks. The nearby store with ready-help is certainly worth something to me. Also, their prices are fair.

Since I have to do any deal with NO cash from my meager fixed Social Security income, I do have to be creative. It's VERY easy for individuals to sell or trade guns in Texas, and I have a few choice ones, with a ready local "customer base"... No, NO sales by me to thugs. I don't want to be ducking bullets from my own toys... LOL! Some are heirlooms and I have to think twice, but I'm getting on in years, and NONE of my kids have the slightest interest in guns. So... it seems sensible to keep what I think I might need, and see if I can turn the others into new transportation. Guns in the safe are NOT as useful right now as a bigger scooter in the driveway.

Before making a decision, I also need to check out a Honda dealer less than one-minute away... BIG cycle dealer with a lot of scooters. My goal is to generate $3-grand cash-in-hand first, and ride my 150 down and see what can be had. The wife does NOT want a second scooter on the drive... And I don't really want to go through the hassle of selling it. Ride it to the dealer, ride the new one home. Anyway, THAT'S the plan... We all know how those usually work out... LOL!

The Kymco I saw was VERY nice. It was buried behind a load of others, and like I said, the wife was hungry... So I only climbed over a dozen bikes (still HURTING!) and sat on it. My oh my, WHAT a difference in general quality feel compared to my China 150. They may not be a Honda, or a Yamaha, BUT... There are light-years of differences, even sitting still. My 150 feels, squeaks, flexes and wobbles like a Chinese 150. The Kymco feels like a full-grown touring motorcycle. Of course it's NOT, but the feel is definitely sweet. The mechanic who prepped and detailed it took it on the freeway, and had no problem cruising 65, and topping 70 mph, and he weighs about 235 like me.

I'm certainly STILL doing this on a shoestring budget, but at least a ride like this should do what I need it to do. Once in a while, I would like to sneak on the freeway to get to a town 20 miles away, and more important; when I pull onto the local 35 to 45 mph speed-limit surface streets, I can shoot up to 65-70 to keep up with traffic. Local speed-limits mean absolutely NOTHING since the re-do of the roads surrounding me.

Texans traditionally go 15 mph over posted limits and recently most traffic has pushed the envelope to 30 mph and more, over the limits. 35 limit? they drive 65. 55 freeway limit? they drive +. 70 limit? they drive 100+... EXCEPT in 20 mph SCHOOL ZONES where the limit is ENFORCED TO THE LETTER. Texas is indeed a land where hypocrisy is the law of the land, and a cherished tradition, ESPECIALLY on the road... Not griping, just a fact one has to accept and work with.

I'll keep progress posted as this unfolds... As the street-rodders SO aptly put it... "There's no REPLACEMENT for DISPLACEMENT..." Although some of the tuner-boyz might argue that fact with their 800 hp Honda 4-cylinder cars and bikes!

Ride safe one and all!

Leo in Texas

Yes, I definitely have considered a bobber or cruiser. And there are some VERY tempting Lifan-powered bobbers for under $2,500. Still a possibility if my present plan goes south. Harley choppers, bobbers and baggers have been my entire passion for fifty years and I love 'em all!

However, my last five years on my Xingyue have been a real hoot. Something COMPLETELY different for me. And I LIKE it! My problems with arthritis stem from the position of leaning forward to throw a leg over the rear fender. The saddle height is not so much of a problem. With a step-through scoot, it's just like sitting down on a chair. I can lean BACKWARDS and sit down, but leaning FORWARD and climbing over the fender is misery.

Other scooter features I've REALLY grown to like (and didn't think I would... LOL!) are the fact a trunk is EVER so handy, without looking goofy on a scooter, the CVT tranny with no shifting, and having both brakes on the handlebars. All that is SO different from the clutch n' gears bikes I rode for a half-century and I've come to like those features.

Turns out that while I still love the old-school bobbers, I also love the new (to me) scooters. The scooters are just a little bit more handy, and convenient for me nowadays than a motorcycle. They're as "convenient" as driving a car, AND as enjoyable as riding a motorcycle. Talk about the best of both worlds!

The one and ONLY thing missing for this "old chopper guy" with my scooter experience has been enough power and speed to be safe. While certainly no rocket, a 250 should provide enough "giddyup" to avoid becoming road-kill. That's all I'm asking for, and I think a minty Honda Reflex, or Kymco 250 would work fine.

Over the years I've had SO many big bikes of all types, that the whole different scooter phenomenon has appealed to me greatly. I still get on fine with the big bike boyz... Once a biker, always a biker. Doesn't matter WHAT kind of bike. But even after nearly six years on a scooter, "the new has never worn off" the experience. I still like scooters as much as ever; I just need enough speed to stay safe. The feeling of "riding a bicycle on a freeway" is just not cutting it, and recent changes to the streets around my "hood" have completely killed the enjoyment of riding the 150. I'm no longer a "rider" but a slow-moving "target".

Many other old geezers like me have the opposite experience, and can't wait to dump the scooter and get back on a "real bike". Not me. I like 'em all, I've ridden 'em all, and, I guess with the advent of SO many GREAT new motor-scooters today, I'll probably stick with scoots until I'm ridin' the streets of glory on whatever the good Lord has waiting "up there" for me and the Missus.

I KNOW they have bikes up there: The Good Book says "...David's TRIUMPH could be heard throughout the land..." HeHeHe... Sorry, couldn't resist THAT one.

It IS good to have a reliable and friendly Kymco dealer just minutes away. And I'm really leaning toward dealing with "Moxie Scooters". They are excellent. Check them out on the Internet...

Well, back to inventorying the old guy's arsenal... See what kind of plastic and magnesium I can turn the old iron into.

Ride safe, and ride what suits y'all!

Leo in Texas

PS: I get a chuckle out of riders who feel more gritty and "hard-core" on a monster chopper, or 400 hp crotch-rocket that will leave irritating traffic in the dust. From 5 years experience, I can tell one and all that THE toughest riders out there are those with the cajones to venture out on the streets on a 50cc ride.

Steely-eyed, white-knuckled and throttle jammed wide open... making maybe 32 mph on a 35-limit 4-lane while 20-ton Diesels and homicidal rednecks and soccer-moms careen at 70 mph around their little 50cc scoot takes more stones than ANY burly outlaw biker I know. I could NOT do it. Not at my age anyway.

The 50cc riders MUST be the toughest breed out there, no joke!

howdy, leo
i've got to chime in on the grand vista. having one i know something about them. i put 8000 trouble free miles on it but what finally put me off was the seating. it felt good at first but was so form fitting that i felt no options to move around. after 300 miles in the saddle two times i definitely was ready for a change if i wanted to "tour" and i did. around town the grand vista was great, but a couple hours in the saddle became misery. i can predict what not being able to move around might do to you as after all we are clones. now there is an option i did not try on the grand vista and that is taking off the little grafted in bolster built onto the seat. it can be done by taking out two or three small bolts and removing that small piece. then you would have to plug the holes in the upholstery. i did that on my bv350 and have been very pleased in being able to move around ----except---- it's now just the leather laying directly on the seat pan in that area which can be a jolt if you hit an unexpected bump.

lotsa miles and smiles to ya
ken

You are about 4 hours from New Braunfels and AF1 Racing however many people travel across the entire country to buy an Aprilia from them. You can many times get a used Aprilia Sport City 250 or a Scarabeo 500ie with relatively low mileage on it in your price range. Both bikes are interstate capable with the 500 topping out over 100 mph and the 250 just under. A used Aprilia Mana 850cc automatic sport bike is also an option and tops out at around 130 mph or so.

Just take your time Leo. Somewhere out there "Big Bubba" is calmly awaiting your arrival.