Downsizing Again...to a 250!

[Xlratr]

Congratulations Peter. Hope you have a lot of fun with it. I'm just imagining, unpacking a motorcycle! 

[pyoungbl]

OK, here's the beast in its natural habitat:


about 120 miles so far.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Aww, isn't that a cutie?   

[maquette]

Peter,

You must look like the proverbial monkey on a football when you're on that thing!

Looks good, let us know how it performs on the trails. I love my 250 KLX for singletrack and any other dirt, . . .pavement,  two lanes and around 60mph.

Tom

[rboe]

Bring it by Phoenix so I can test ride it. :)  I'd be sorely tempted if I didn't have a 650L already. Which is paid for. sigh..

[pyoungbl]

Chuck asked how the little 250 is performing.....GREA T!  Last weekend I went on a 400 mile round trip with a full load of camping gear.

 The ride was all on 55-60 mph highways...no Interstate....and the Zong was very happy, running around 6K rpm at 60 mph.

Yes, tanks really do cross this road...US40 bisects Fort Pickett, a Army National Guard training post.
 Hills made me go to WFO a few times in order to maintain speed.  The suspension worked best with the extra load and was actually better than the V7 with stock suspension (well, that's not saying much).  I found that I need about 4-4.5K to pull away from a stoplight with anything like a normal pace, due to the extra weight. 
When I got to Appomattox I found that there was another Zong present.  Of course I had to park next to him.  That guy rode in from Wisconsin.   All weekend long there were people asking questions about the Zongs and Andy spent hours pointing out the various features.  Evidently the motorcycle mag articles got lots of interest but nobody had seen the bikes in the flesh.


Since buying the bike I have made a few upgrades.  Now I have it rigged for heated gear, GPS, and upgraded horns.  I did my first oil change, no drama there.  The bike has a paper oil filter and two metal oil strainers (one for transmission, one for engine) and takes 1.7 quarts of 10W40.  500 miles is also when they want you to check the valve lash.  That lash was just set by CSC in California prior to shipping to me.  After years of messing with my Guzzi valve checks this was.....no fun at all.  All my valves were tight so I re-set them to .06mm.  It's a challenge to get at the tiny valve covers.  Everyone says that after the first time it goes much quicker.  I can see that.  Nevertheless, this is a regular 2500 mile service item and not one I'd like to tackle in the middle of a trip.  Also, the valves should settle in now, maybe 2500 will prove to be too soon.  At least it's screw and locknut, not shim under bucket.

Overall quality of build exceeded my expectation.  This engine is used in quite a few other motorcycles around the world, it's not a brand new design just for the USA.  Almost everything is fastened with either 8mm or 10mm bolts or some phillips head screws.  The tank is metal.  The '16 model has adjustable forks in addition to the adjustable for preload and compression shock.  Like almost modern bikes this one has a seat that looks good but not one that you can ride for hours and hours.  I have already ordered the optional comfort seat.  At least all the parts are inexpensive, compared to other bikes I have owned.  Drop a Ducati and it's a mortgage payment, drop a Zong and it's a dinner.

Chuck, I hope that answers your question.

Peter Y.

[Triple Jim]

All my valves were tight so I re-set them to .06mm.

The specified clearance is really 2-1/2 thousandths?  I thought my Ninja 250 had tight clearances at 4 and 5 thousandths.

[cruzziguzzi]

Cute little rig.

Did someone slip a BMW logo on there or is that just a gigantic coincidence? That'd tweak the true=believers, engine manufacturing-cross pollination not withstanding.





Todd.

[pyoungbl]

recommended clearance is .04~.06mm....yep, you read that right.

Oh, I did glue on the BMW rondels.  Last weekend I had a few BMW owners asking if this was the new 300cc model from India.  One guy was pissed that the Chinese had clearly made an exact copy of the orange BMW...pointing at the white Zong beside my bike.  I tried to let him down easy.

[Chuck in Indiana]

recommended clearance is .04~.06mm....yep, you read that right.

Oh, I did glue on the BMW rondels.  Last weekend I had a few BMW owners asking if this was the new 300cc model from India.  One guy was pissed that the Chinese had clearly made an exact copy of the orange BMW...pointing at the white Zong beside my bike.  I tried to let him down easy.

I was going to gig you about the roundel, but I see I've been beat to the punch. It sounds like you're having a great time with it. It certainly looks the business when you have it loaded. 

[Muzz]

recommended clearance is .04~.06mm....yep, you read that right.

Oh, I did glue on the BMW rondels. 

 

[Steph]

SWM Silver Vase 440 sounds like another option (where it's available)
Italian brand, Chinese manufacturing, bored-out copy of a honda XR400 (?)

Looks good in this review. Too bad it's in French but to summarise, they really liked it
https://youtu.be/e5tt1B7eZZc

[kingoffleece]

A friend of mine has a Stelvio and one of those 250 bikes.  He's pleased with the 250 a great deal.

[cruzziguzzi]

Oh, I did glue on the BMW rondels. 

The color, the shapes and the niche... how could one not and still say that he knows from humor? I dig it but wasn't certain it was BMW on my screen.

Tell everyone that you're "beta testing" (whatever the hell that is) for Beemer. All secret squirrel, hush-hush... No pictures please!

Man would I be "rumor central" if I had this opportunity. On second thought, by the time I was done with the play, I'd have the full weight of BMW's teutonic, litigiouslaw all over me.


Todd.

[Spuddy]

Still think a 900 based Stelvio would be good - when I'm ready...

Spud

[krglorioso]

The specified clearance is really 2-1/2 thousandths?  I thought my Ninja 250 had tight clearances at 4 and 5 thousandths.

I worked at a Honda dealership in the 1960s and the settings for most of their bikes was .002" intake and .003" exhaust.

Ralph

[lorengo70]

I agree with swordds. I also have a suzuki Tu250x and a v7 II. The suzuki is a beatiful little machine. Very reliable and a ton of fun to ride. It's also very easy to work on and as swordds mentioned there is a very dedicated fan club/forum (tu250riders.com). The tu250 looks great, it's light and great to ride around town. I use it for the city and short trips and my v7 for longer highway trips. In the forum, there have been tu250 owners who sold it to upgrade to bigger bikes and then went back to the tu250 because it's a lot of fun to ride.

[Triple Jim]

I worked at a Honda dealership in the 1960s and the settings for most of their bikes was .002" intake and .003" exhaust.

Ralph

Amazing.  I guess I just missed out on tight clearance 4-stroke engines with all my involvement with the Kawasaki triples.     My first 4-stroke was the big block Chevy in my drag boat, and that's 0.024" intake and 0.026" exhaust.  You can't really hear the clatter over the open headers though.