Hello from sunny Devon in the UK.
I'm new here so really want to say Hi to all and to have a bit of a chin-wag about my new SkyTeam V-Raptor 250
Best if I give a little background first. For the last 10 years or so I've owned and ridden Yamaha TDM 850s (had 3 of them in a row between 1996 and current times) Before that I owned four consecutive BMWs not because I genuinely wanted to but because I won a BMW R80 in a prize draw competition and hated it, so traded it for a used K100 RT and then liked that much better but not the stabbing pains in my wallet running it. I was a devil for punishment as I came to rely on the big tourer to get around my area as a Piano Tuner. But after owning 4 of the K series, the last one an LT with ABS brakes it got simply too expensive and a drain on my income.

I switched to Yamaha and was staggered at the improved handling of the lighter bike and more so with the power and the lower cost of spares. But now I've retired and found myself doing no more than 200 miles in a year which was a waste of a good Yamaha, so thanks to good old online auction site that shall be nameless. I sold it 2 weeks ago and downsized to a V-Raptor 250.

There's a dealer just a mile from my home and I walked into his shop and there was a V Raptor 250 in the colour I wanted Yellow. The bike with its white mudguards looks like a lemon mousse with whipped cream!

I bought it. I had a back box put on it and I have a Custom Air Blade screen on order as I like a screen especially when it's raining and I can duck behind it to stay a bit drier. Last 4 days have been rain rain rain and so I'm not going out there on brand new tires that have not yet been scrubbed in, so I gloat over the bike in my garage.
Tomorrow I'll be out on it and starting to get 500 miles of running-in under my belt because that gets the boring bit over with. It does seem a very clever little design but can anyone tell me how do Sky Team in China get around the copyright laws over copying a dead-ringer for the Suzuki Van Van? Will a Police cop stop me and say "You're riding a copyright enfringment sonny and I will have to confiscate this bike and arrest you for impersonating a Japanese motorcycle? Surely there must be some agreement between China and Japan to allow such a blatant crib?

If this is not the place to ask such questions maybe some kind person will advise me what part of these forums to ask such a question or can direct me to where I should be. Thanks.

I would like to post some pictures later and maybe even give a running report once a month throughout my riding season so I can tell if anything has dropped off or gone badly wrong.

So I think that will do for one marathon posting for now. I'm pleased to find this forum and hope I can give and receive some good advice here.
Cheers and Beers
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Plado