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I had the store chain- Cycle Gear install a tube on a leaky (from day one) DF rim. I am sure they would have said something if their was a "liability" problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by birdmove
Before you even think of buying one... Make sure that your state MVD does NOT require a new motorcycle to be C.A.R.B. (California air research board) certified. It is an emissions thing and will stop you from registering.
go for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by birdmove
Ive had Chinese products that were put together and of far worse quality than this. I think its not on that level.
i choose to entirely keep this bike and all of my machines, tractor, trailer, out of the rain. All made in china and they look nearly as new as the day they were bought.
ANY machine will do better when not exposed to direct water... So if thats not an option, why not minimize its exposure, build a small carport over hang or something...
If it means anything, Cheng Shin Tire, is owned by Taiwanese Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co., Ltd who is a huge bicycle tire producing company. I find mine holding up pretty well, and cant imagine it will ever wear out...
Which i kind of wish it would so i can stick a fatter tire on...
As mentioned the gas tank is now mounted with bolts rather than welded studs so that problem is fixed.
Center stand can be added if your ambitious. I dont think a kick start is an option without more ambition.
As far as a dealer, i think they all drop ship from sunnymotors anyway, why not give Chad at http://extremescooters.biz/ a try. he has that bike for $1,999.99 So far ive had little issue and he has done me right...
well unless he has a dealer in his state , yes it will be shipped from another company , but the local company will do all paperwork for him , title , plates and 1st years tags
for what looks like 69 bucks
According to the Extremescooters website, they ship only to the lower 48 states...no Alaska or Hawaii.
They can drop ship to a freight forwarder and ship it to HI.It will drive up cost a few hundred dollars.
I have the older model but I think I can say without question that the newer gas tank gets rid of the leaking gas tank problem. I would have to pay $300 or so for the new one and drill holes etc to mount it. Dealer says they dont even sell the old tank. I opted to just pay a local MC shop to fix it for me with a solder job or whatever. Will take it to them at the end of the week. They gave me a price of $40 to solder it or crea it etc. I honestly wish I had the newer model. Hell it even has a better seat 2 boot.Quote:
Originally Posted by birdmove
Havent had an issue with the wheels except rust on the spoke ends. Tires I had zero problems. I will address the rusty spoke issie with rust remover. I did a bit of this rust remover on my rear spoke drive and it seemed to fix the problem. It left a mark but its better than rust IMHO but I added some chain oil and im happy with that. I will do my spokes next week and wash the bike from top to bottom. Ironically my main problem now is the slow leak from my tank and spiders and cottonwood getting all in my bike but I can deal with that at a car wash.
But Culcus is absolutely right. The steel on this bike is prone to rust so if you have one keep it in the garage or put a cover on it. Im living in a dry desert area and it still rusts. All it takes is one good rain pour on it. Exhaust is also rused outside so Im thinking of using rust remover and taking the exhaust off and repainting with weather and heat resistant paint. If you live in HI then you have even more things to worry about. I used to be stationed at NAS Corpus Christi and I have literally seen cars not even three years old rusted through so you DO need to worry about salt water.
As axa said, if you keep it out of the elements it will be fine. If not then be ready to do some maintenance on the metal. That's the price we pay for a cheap ride. But the nice part is that we even have that choice considering how much the dealers want for a used Yamaha etc. Just food for thought.
A bit frustrated today and I cheated on chopstick (my DF) by looking at other new bikes. I love the retro bikes and found an Indian made british bike for about 6K. A Royal Enfield. I fell instantly in love with this bike but damn I got on it and had two major issues.
And mind you I am still a newb to motorcycles. First issue is that the handlebars are even with the fuel tank. This is WAY lower tham my DF250 and felt strange. But Im thinking that this is something I could simpy get used too or fix with a higher bar.
Second issue may be a deal breaker. Mind you I am short. Much shorter than your average Amercan. On my DF250 I had both feet on the ground while sitting or at a red light. As much as like like this new bike (The Enfield) I had my left foot on the ground and my right foot at least one inch off the ground. I thought this was odd as the Royal Enfield is not that big. Its basically the same size as a Honda Rebel. And only 500cc to boot. But I felt that not being able to have both feet on the ground was a deal breaker. I realy would like some feed back on this as I really want one of these bikes. But this last issue has me worried. I know I can always get a higher handlebar for the bike but I cant change ths seat height. Opinions wanted on this. I really want to buy one but Im thinking the height would be a major safety issue.
I owned a 2007 Royal Enfield 500 Bullet Classic and rode it for about 3 years. Mine was in British Racing Green. It was the older "iron" engine, which had a separate engine and transmission, and had a carb. It was a great looking motorcycle. The newer models are a unit construction engine, like a modern Japanese engine. Mine had a good shifting 5 speed trans. I had heard the older 4 speed was cantankerous. You are right. The handlebars are quite low, which I prefer. The new models are more reliable than mine, though I had few problems with mine. It was not a fast motorcycle, but it was a lot of fun riding it. It was not a freeway bike, but did fine on back roads and slower highways. And talk about attention!! I'm nearly 60 and have ridden motorcycles for over 50 years, and that Enfield attracted strangers like a magnet. I'd take a favorite back road route, and stop at a Starbucks in a little town. One time I had 3 different people come up to me and ask me about it. One time I parked next to the curb on a busy street in Tacoma, Wa., and a gent ran across 4 lanes of very bust traffic to ask me about it. That bike captured the look of a 1960s British bike, because it WAS a 1960s British bike. The electric starter was quirky, so I always kick started it, and just used the electric if I stalled it in traffic. I did love riding that thing, and miss it. I sold it when we moved to Hawaii. No dealers on the Big Island.
Birdmove, I hear yat but the comments you got I get for my DF as strange as it seems. I even had one guy pull me over to ask about my cheap Chicom bike believe it or not.
I really want this bike (R. Enfild) but my short riding stance has me worriedd. I think Ill go back to the dealer and try the one with the 2x seat or even the sidecar verision. Maybe that will make a difference but the one I wanted had eht solo springer seat like my DF and that had the old school look I was looking for. It ironically was the cheaspest model. Anything over the springer commanded 7k to 8k and honestly I cant justify that amount on an Indian made bike over a used Yamahaha or Harley. This is killing me as I really want the Indian bike. Like all thngs< sometimes you have to go with your gut and just say **** everbybody Im buying this damn thing but I have reservations about it. I need one of two things. Either one to say I would be a dumb*** for buying it or someboey to say go for it. Just looking for honest opinions.
BTW just got back from Luchenbach TX. Anybody been there? Ggood place for bikers who like country music but be warned that the bar only takes cash money LOL.
The RE can be lowered or the suspension preload soften to allow it to squish down a little more when you set on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by GonzoX
Here is a website that has this model for the lowest price. They call it the MC-G46 : http://www.powersportsmax.com/produc...ducts_id/16997 I like the bars much better. The tank also, and there were far too many leaks with the old tank. It was lucky that some owner didn't become a fireball. I would assume the sellers of these bikes complained about the high numbers of gas leaks from the tanks. I didn't care for the shape of the old tank or the bars. And someone said this new one has a different seat? I'm still working my way through this thread. Heist owners are also having problems shearing rear sprocket bolts, and I believe I read on the Facebook page that Gardo may be selling his Heist. That surprised me as I thought he really loved that thing. Many are selling their DF's and Heists because it was their first bike and they want something with more power. I've been all through that years ago, and I am back to where I have fun riding any bike, big or small. My idea of a good time is NOT trying to herd an 800 pound Harley around. This bike is just a basic no frills motorcycle. Looks like it would be easy to work on. But I really didn't want to buy on and risk becoming the human torch on a ride. There is no excuse for the way they slapped those tanks on. Obviously no quality control there. There is a thread on advrider.com about a guy that bought one of those BMS Bi-Metros, which I believe is the old Fly copy of a Honda CT-70. The production line that thing came off of I wouldn't trust to assemble a barstool. It's plain that, with Chinese motorcycles, if there is someone who cares in a QC position (ZhongChen, maybe TMEC, and certainly others), or the parent company that is having the bikes built is in control of quality (SYM, Kymco, BMW, our the Japanese companies), that one can get a decent motorcycle or scooter. Look at Spudrider, now with over 50,000 miles on his Zong dual sport. I've heard good things about the Qlink dual sport bikes too. I'm sure Qlink is deeply involved in keeping there bikes safe and solid. The people that make this bobber should have their suppliers go with decent grade 8 sprocket bolts. In over 50 years of riding, I have never broken a sprocket mount bolt on any Japanese, English, Spanish, or Indian made motorcycle I've owned. These issues are why this thread is so important. Everyone will know the weak points on these bikes and can act accordingly. Watch those rear sprocket bolts. Someone here shows the equivalent Honda bolts, and if get one of these, I thin I would order a set, and when I replaced the rear sprocket I'd use those Honda bolts. The other side of the coin is, you can't expect perfection for $2069.00. I just priced a 2013 Suzuki DR200 at a dealer here in Hawaii. $5300 out the door. I can get a new TMEC delivered for about $2050. Is the Suzuki a better bike? I'm pretty sure it is. Is it two and a half times better than the TMEC?
So, on this valve situation I have found this. .004/.006 is NOT a good choice. The owners manual states it should be .006/.008. I also saw the CCW video and in that video you also heard him say between 1:40 and 2:20 is what the issue is. Also, I think that these two engines are different manufactureres yet the same engine with different specs. I think I read this somewhere in this HUGE FREAKING thread!!!! I did indeed set my valves according to this video and the bike sounded pretty quiet. BUT, I did get some clanking sound from the engine when it got warm! This engine is based on an old design and should be kinda free in the AK-47 kinda way. It's gonna get hot and the cheap chinese metal is going to swell so give it room. Scared the $hit outta me when I heard a sound like someone threw a bolt in my motor. I opened it up and there wasn't any valve or piston damage, but run your bike till it's warm and do a PROPER valve adjustment at the suggested specs. After i adjusted my valves to the owners manual specs I haven't had ANY issues with my bike. And, again I have to plan to wait ANYWHERE I go for an additional 10mins for questions and drool.
Good to see you are still around and thinking of buying another DF.I am so glad you started this thread.I held off on buying a DF due to the problems.I was considering it for my oldest boy's first bike.Now that the DF has been improved,it's back in the running.Quote:
Originally Posted by barnone
According to this site (http://www.df-motor.com/ProductShow.asp?ID=16) which appears to be the USA DF site, the number for the telescopic fork model is DF250RTB-A while the springer model is DF250RTB-B.
dont do as suggested , never do valve timing on hot motor
as stated its a copy of a 40 yr oldish motor , its ment to be a lil loose and chattery
stone cold adjustments , if to tight they will snap off and fall on top of moving piston
Id much rather have a chattery motor , than an exploding one , when its between my legs
Found this while searching for proper valve ajustment valuesQuote:
Originally Posted by barnone
ok so there is seemingly some evidence here suggesting a .006 IN .008 OUT valve setting.Quote:
Originally Posted by skullworkz
But the reason to adjust valves is to give clearance for expansion when the engine heats, so the goal is to have perfect mating. That is no clearance and the inverse, no stress. Buy why would one want to be making adjustments for extra clearance once the engine is hot. Thats seems counter productive, cuz if you keep more than needed clearance on a warm engine, you will just be loosing efficiency in power and mileage.
But I suppose one might argue in doing that, they are providing extra protection from further expansion .
I think the AK analogy has some merits but, in the case of a gun, you will live with the lost in power and accuracy loose tolerances buys, because when making the decision to shoot someone you want to be sure that last roll in the dirt won't end up being the reason your weapon ceased.
It also allows you to fit your weapon with poorly machined parts and ammo.
But as for our df250s engines, we are only concerned with the expansion. There isn't too much else.
You change your oil, clean the filter, nothing to swap in or out. So why not shoot for the ideal adjustment when warm rather than a continued loose one.
for me its just so strange that my bike not only didn't have any clearance, but actually had stress on the rods.
Thats good news and I will inquire about this with them. Thx.Quote:
Originally Posted by ben2go
My 2007 Royal Enfield, and the newer fuel injected ones, are an old style pushrod engine. I could check the valve adjustment in about 3 minutes. On those, you first located TDC. Then removed a small cover on the r/side of the engine accessing the pushrods. One would grab the pushrods with thumb and pointing finger and rotate them (spin them a little). If one wouldn't spin, then the engine was most likely not on TDC on the compression stroke. Rotate engine 180 degrees and check again. If both pushrods could now be turned, then you were on the compression stroke. Valve clearance adjustment was correct when you could spin the pushrods pretty easily, but they had no up and down play. This was done with engine cold. No actual measuring devices (feelers) were needed. On these bobbers, once you get the adjustment correct per feeler gauge, grab that pushrod and try spinning it. Then see if it has any up and down play. Remember your results. That's a good way to check if you are at TDC on compression stroke too. If one pushrod will not spin, then that valve is at least, partly open. Turn the engine over 180 degrees and try again. If both spin, then you are at TDC on compression stroke. A four stroke has two TDC's. One on compression stroke, where you can now adjust the valves, and one on the exhaust stroke, where that valve is open and the pushrod for that valve is tight and won't spin easily. There are a lot of mistakes made doing valve adjustments due to the engine being at TDC, but on the exhaust stroke, and not the compression stroke. The reults will be a bad top end clatter, if the engine will even run. Worst case, the rocker arm could spit the pushrod out and maybe do some damage.
shoot for the 1st 3,000 miles I didnt even mesure clearance , just found TDC grabbed and "wiggled" each valve untill I had it when "forcefully wiggling them" I could feel the click and set the locknut , just like I use to set my 350 chevy motor Attachment 12160
Damn you Dan I LMAO at your cat pic. You now owe me one keyboard to replace the coke and rum spattered one I have to replace LOL.Quote:
Originally Posted by DanDaMan
Yep, I guess I'm back for a while because I just ordered a DF250RTB-A in matt black from Chad at http://www.extremescooters.biz/250cc...chopper-1.aspxQuote:
Originally Posted by ben2go
He verified it is the new model with the new tank. If it is not then I will send it back.
Lord help me.:lol8:
Still have the trailer that I used on my old DF
Attachment 12161
But gonna have to find a new girl.
Attachment 12162
just bought the bubba bobber, 1.) any info in regard to the pipe getting crazy hot, and getting hot fast. is this normal? 2.) stalls if I rev engine too fast, it dies out. 3.) what oil should i use, i have been told a couple of different things.
unhook air injection , keeps pipe cooler , and 10/40 car oil works fines ? stalls it shouldnt
is it just me , but something about calling this bike the bubba bobber bothers me .. anywayQuote:
Originally Posted by yancy
1. the exhaust is going to get hot, its an exhaust. 2. i had a stalling problem, then realized the gas cap was choking the air flow, also the petcock is a bit high on the tank, gas flow was getting interrupted on acceleration. 3 dan here uses car motor oil, but he is just about the only one. high efficiency car oils have additives that can (and other have found) to slip the clutch. I don't think any one else would recommend you do. ive personally used Castrol for bikes and shell Rottella.
LOL, that is so funny. trust me i hate that name as well and my fiance told me never to call it that. it was only used to confirm there be no mistake on which bike i was referring. i appreciate the information from everyone. the pipes just seamed to get overly hot, and immediately, much hotter than his 1600cc. it just concerned us. thanks again.
yancy,Quote:
Originally Posted by yancy
Which model did you get? How about a photo?
The older model that I had previously was jetted very lean which can cause hotter running and stalling. I don't know about the newer models since I don't have mine yet. Also make sure your accelerator pump is working on the carburetor.
Also as mentioned the air injection system can cause the exhaust to run hotter. Make a plate to block off the opening on the side of the engine, remove all the plumbing, and put a cap on the vacuum port that drives the pump.
And don't call it the bubba bobber, makes me think of that guy doing the youtube video.:lol8:
Regarding oil, what does the Owner's Manual specify? I don't one yet.
Yancy, If you got the same manual I got with my 2012 there is not much help there. I'd start off with a new plug. NGK D8EA .028 to .030in Get a new air filter the one on the bike is plumbed into the crankcase breather and that will cause nothing but trouble. I like this filter
http://www.roguemotorsportz.com/i601...Fag7MgodpAoAPA
Run the breather hose through the frame to the ground until you find a filter to put on the end of it. Do the air pump mod as suggested, I think it makes the motor sound and run better.
The fuel filter isn't very good so replace that.
Tune the carb http://wem.walbro.com/distributors/s...CAEBURETOR.pdf
You shouldn't worry about the jets as they have been fixed since the earlier models.
Adjust the valves to .06mm intake .08mm exhaust that is what the earlier manual quoted and this is the same engine.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByFv...hl=en_US&pli=1
Use 10w-40 motorcycle oil
:popcorn: