2010 CFMoto Jetmax 250 Scooter

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Originally Posted by td_ref

hi bikerdoc, i think that system is only a simple device, and they call it ABS
check this link http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=2627906195
Attachment 2157
the above piciture shows the normal position found at a single disk system. For dual disk break, the most possible place is around Y shape dividing valve.
remove that device and front break should work sharp.

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I get it, though there is no visible or readily apparent relief valve type system anywhere near the Jetmax front pistons/calipers as is shown in your photo.

Attachment 2164

That's not to say there isn't such a system which as you mention maybe somewhere at the point of the "Y" valve, or perhaps hidden away elsewhere under the fairing panels. Though I've not seen/found it as yet. I'm content enough with the brakes, and the rear brakes provide fast stopping power, so I think the combination is pretty okay for now. Though I'd prefer true ABS front and rear.

I agree with your comments about CFMoto's lack of sales and customer service skills. However, they are not alone. This kind of "don't care" or "don't ask me" attitude is so prevalent in China in so many businesses big and small. I have contacted CFMoto about their products and generally got the brush-off. That being said, I have just bought a CFMoto CF250T V5. Is it a motorcycle or scooter or hybrid? I will post in the Street section of the forum here about the bike.

I finally got round to fabricating and installing a luggage rack and an ADLO (981) rear mounted top box. The detail of which can be found here

BDoc,

Nice review and write up... sorry I didn't catch it earlier. Definitely a front page thread!

CC

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

BDoc,
Nice review and write up... sorry I didn't catch it earlier. Definitely a front page thread!
CC

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Thanks CC, and happy to see you've placed it on the home page - the Jetmax deserves to be there. It has a few issues, but they are minor gripes, overall though CFMoto have manufactured a nicer than average scooter, and a maxi at that. It'd be wonderful if they would take a moment to review what I've written to improve on what they've built.

bikerdoc,
Very good review of your CFMoto Jetmax 250 scooter. I also enjoyed your visit to the scooter plant. I have a CFMoto 188 (500cc) and running gear in my Chinese mini jeep that has held up well for two years here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x...kyLoadedUP.jpg
Inflatable kayak on top.

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Originally Posted by barnone

bikerdoc,
Very good review of your CFMoto Jetmax 250 scooter. I also enjoyed your visit to the scooter plant. I have a CFMoto 188 (500cc) and running gear in my Chinese mini jeep that has held up well for two years here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x...kyLoadedUP.jpg
Inflatable kayak on top.

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Thanks for words of encouragement. :)

Nice wagon you got there. One of the associates/acquaintances in the riding fraternity here, also bought a similar CFMoto quad type-machine also 500cc. He loaded it onto a smallish ferry across a couple of planks with a half-a-dozen of us riding 1100cc motorcycles etc to take across to one of the local islands that his family live on. The ferry is a passenger & loose cargo ferry not designed to take vehicles, but we were able to throw a couple a planks of wood across to the stern, and load the bikes amongst the general cargo. Might have a photo somewhere of that... I'll have to check. Anyway the CFMoto vehicles, are the better than average of the Chinese made stuff that's available here.

Oh, and for others that read this thread, keep in mind that if one was to search a number of websites (e.g. alibaba) not all the scooters and motorcycles advertised exist. Photoshop is China's best friend...

So having completed 8000km on the Jetmax, I thought it'd be a good idea to update some of my views on the scoot. I'm still fairly happy with it overall, and can report that I've not had many issues to date. That being said, I was quite impressed when I was told by my local motorcycle dealership (that I've dealt with for the past 4-5 years and bought quite a few scooters from) that CFMoto would be sending a representative to do several upgrades to my Jetmax which have been incorporated into what I assume was the second production run following mine (which conversely I assume was the first production run). All the upgrades were completed by a rep, who worked on the Jetmax at the local dealership.

Upgrades include;
- changing the EFI unit (now the Jetmax starts easily without the need to open the throttle as was the case before, especially when starting from cold, & find that the throttle seems more responsive up to 100km/h)
- the computer chip was upgraded
- the pair of rear shock absorbers were exchanged for units which are meant to be softer
- fuel cap was exchanged (actually the new cap doesn't have as tighter feel when being un/screwed off/on)
-

The ride has improved somewhat with the addition of the rear rack and topbox, probably by providing a little weight counterbalance. The rep was also very surprised that I'd managed to fabricate a rack and fit a rear topbox. Have also applied some adhesive vinyl (that is used for signwriting) around the front headlights & rear tail-lights that gives a more pleasing aesthetic look. Painted the radiator grill white so that provides less contrast and consequently more pleasing to the eye. I'll take a few photos and upload at a later date. The topend speed is an indicated 133km/h. Rides really steady and comfortably no matter what speed, though like most scooters, doesn't take kindly to crap road surfaces.

A friend has removed the riders backrest on his black Jetmax which has resulted in a much longer reach to the handle bars & more leg room. We're attempting to fabricate a better seat design that is more foreign friendly for our taller average heights/leg length.

Since about 6000km's the Jetmax has been leaving a small amount of oil on the garage floor when parked. At first I thought it was an engine leak, but have traced the oil to an oil breather hose which protrudes near belt drive housing & to the left in front of the rear wheel. I'm left to wonder why they didn't have the hose exiting back into the engine or sump, or into the air filter housing as is the norm on many motorcycles. Instead I have a small 20-30ml oil deposit that is growing in size nightly in my garage. Time for a small oil collection pan or I might explore an alternative way of collecting the oil at the end of the tube/hose.

I upgraded the halogen headlight bulbs from the standard 35/35w which all Chinese manufactured bikes are limited to legally ex factory. Unfortunately the wiring didn't take kindly to the current drawn by the 100/80w halogens I installed. I've now installed 60/55w halogens but some aspect of the electronics/wiring has an issue yet to be isolated & resolved. The local dealer thinks it might be the left handle bar switch gear, so that is on order.

Still have an issue with the ignition key seat release mechanism not working, which does work on a friends ?second edition model Jetmax. We're both thinking about taking a ride to CFMoto to sort out small issues etc.

Overall still impressed with the Jetmax especially for the price and how it performs. Leaves everything behind at the traffic lights... and will sit on 80-100km/h all day without fuss. Travelling at 115-130km/h gets a little busy.

The Jetmax looks a little better in black than the white, but each to his/her own.

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Originally Posted by bikerdoc

I upgraded the halogen headlight bulbs from the standard 35/35w which all Chinese manufactured bikes are limited to legally ex factory.

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I have to say, that is very depressing. Next thing you know, they'll come out with a solar-sensitive kill switch to make sure you don't run your lights in daytime. Pity those poor motorists being blinded by our 35watt motorbike lights!

Anyway, thanks for the update, bikerdoc. Sounds like a great scoot, though I can't imagine riding something at 130kph without being able to hug it tightly between my legs! Would you feel safe riding those speeds in a crosswind?

cheers!

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Originally Posted by euphonius

I have to say, that is very depressing. Next thing you know, they'll come out with a solar-sensitive kill switch to make sure you don't run your lights in daytime. Pity those poor motorists being blinded by our 35watt motorbike lights!

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Yes, I also find it unbelievable that the Chinese motorcycle manufacturers are forced by law to produce motorcycles & motorscooters for sale and use in the domestic market with such low wattage headlight bulbs, to compete with all other motorvehicles which are increasingly being fitted with brighter and brighter HID headlights, which numbskull drivers have on highbeam all the time while driving at night irrespective of other road users. I guess I should be thankful as I've seen a whole range of SYM motorcycles that have a standard incandecent bulbs of yesteryear, with gawd knows what wattage. I'm going to be upgrading to twin headlight 50w HID's from the UK soon enough. That'll pack some punch. Might upgrade the Dragstar's 25w HID system at the same time. The usual 60/55w halogens do a fairly ok job, but the other road users highbeam tactics are the bane of my existance, and I've found the Dragstars' HID generally gets the response I'm after, as well as provide more than adequate light.

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Originally Posted by euphonius

Anyway, thanks for the update, bikerdoc. Sounds like a great scoot, though I can't imagine riding something at 130kph without being able to hug it tightly between my legs! Would you feel safe riding those speeds in a crosswind?
cheers!

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The scoot really is very stable at that speed. You have to do away with any preconceptions, as it is not like a standard scooter. It is after all a maxi scooter, weighing in at around 170kg (far more than the average scooter) and has low profile radial tubeless tyres. It really does inspire confidence especially in cornering which feels as though it's on rails. I'm sure that a solid cross wind might upset the ride a tad, but with less surface area than say a standard motorcycle, it'll actually probably fair better. The total convenience factor of the scooter concept, and real ease of use has me sold on the whole maxi scooter theme. I'm going to be in the market for the BMW Concept C 800cc scooter next year.

Thought I'd quickly update this thread. I've been fortunate to have visited the CFMoto factory on the outskirts of Hangzhou many months ago. I was impressed with the whole operation there. I can safely say that CFMoto are taking their operation seriously and are very much focused on a global market, with approximately 20% of the business focused in R&D and technological development. While at the CFMoto site, I saw quite a few international foreign buyers in different parts of the CFMoto complex, which is very different to what I saw and experienced at Geely Motorcycles down in Taizhou - the two manufacturers were like "chalk and cheese."

Anyway this is less about my visit to CFMoto and more about the Jetmax some 17000km later. ...to be continued

During a recent visit to the CF Moto dealer in Beijing, there were a group of three Jetmax owners hanging out. I was on my JH600. As is typical, discussions started about the different bikes and an agreement was reached "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" - so I got to ride a Jetmax scoot around for a while. The three Jetmax riders were too afraid of riding my "big and powerful" 600cc bike, so it waited on the sidelines while they opted to poke and prod, as I zipped away on the Jetmax.

Because I am used to riding my sweety's 125 Suzuki scooter (quite a bit smaller), I was initially intimidated by the size of the Jetmax. I'm not a small guy, but the Jetmax owner is - I felt my competitive testosterone kick in and thought "if that little guy can handle it, so can I!"

Within the first few minutes, I gingerly figured out the handling - in the next few minutes, I cautiously figured out the power - and then I was ready to wonder "Hmmmm, I bet I could do a wheelie with this thing!" Sanity prevailed and I remained civilized. And, of course, it wasn't my bike (pretty bad form to abuse someone else's ride - why do people do that?!?!?!?! - grrrrr).

I've often admired the Jetmax sitting on the showroom floor, but this was my first "road test" (albeit only 15 minutes). I've gotta say, this is a fun scooter with oodles of power and tons of comfort. I'd be buying one if it weren't for my two concerns (and primarily the first one):

1) It felt wide, and a little tough to maneuver with wide turning arc, but that is probably due to my lack of experience with the bike. Living in the middle of Beijing, I often bemoan that my sweety's Suzuki is "too big" as the e-bikes zip around me and squeeze between the cars. As a burb-commuter, it would be totally perfect. It is super-practical and 100 times better than a car, IMHO.
2) It is maybe too comfortable - the ride is silky smooth. I'm an old guy who's been known to nod off, now and then. It just might happen at the controls of a luxury Jetmax.

Overall, my mini-test told me that this is a very nice bike! Good choice.

Time for an update.
:popcorn:

After 22000km in the space of 8 months, where the Jetmax has been my choice of transport over my 2007 Dragstar 1100 classic or my Suzuki, I have to say that I'm fairly impressed with the Jetmax overall. Since writing this review I've since visited the CFMoto factory in Hangzhou, China and was suitably impressed with the whole operation. They have 4 assembly lines churning out, regular bikes and scooters on 1, the Jetmax on another, ATV's on line3 and UTV's on line 4.

The showroom was huge and impressive with one of everything they manufacture. I saw the new CF650NK sport bike similar to the Kawasaki E6N, in the flesh and have to say while I don't think the style is suited to the majority of the roads in China, the bike itself looked sharp.

Attachment 4224

More info on the CF650NK can be found at motofans (note that this link will take you to a Chinese motorcycle forum, so unless you have Asian fonts enabled you may see gibberish) you'll find photos and video links.

Attachment 4225

Back to the CF250T-6A Jetmax.

Great machine, which has a top speed of around 140-145km/h indicated with around a +10% margin of error based on GPS indicated speed. The rear low profile radial tyres only tend to last around 10000km before seemingly becoming more prone to punctures and developing slow leaks. This has occurred on the two standard manufacturers supplied tyres that I fitted, the phenomenon has also occurred on my friends black Jetmax now that he's just ticked over the 10000km mark. I have replaced the second rear tyre with a third tyre named a Kenda (Taiwan branded tyre), which seems to ride mildly better, and raises the rear end a few centre-meters or so. I've just replaced the front tyre with another of the same manufacturers low profile tyres so it would appear that the front tyres have twice the life of the rear.
:scooter:

I've replaced the final drive belt at the manufacturer recommended 10000km interval around 12000km, for which a pneumatic impact driver is needed. I failed to adjust the belt as recommended by CFMoto at 3000km, (naturally the local bike dealer has no idea and failed to advise of such TIC!), despite which there seemed to be no issues. Getting the belts off needed more than a manual impact driver (which simply didn't work), having lifted the Jetmax using a friends forklift for easier access to the rear drive belt housing etc. The outer halves of the forward and rear pulleys were easily removed, using the pneumatic impact driver. Once removed the now accessible drive belt, I determined that the existing belt was less than 5mm narrower over the new replacement belt. Despite the good appearance of the existing belt, I erred on the side of caution and replaced the belt anyway. Fitting evrything back together was simply a reverse of the steps, but I used some compressed air to give the inside of the whole housing unit a good clean, before bolting everything back into place.
:popcorn:

Since this review, CFMoto have redesigned the rear pillion grab-rails to incorporate a top box mounting platform, so I bought one to replace the one made in my friends workshop. I've also upgraded the headlights with some HID Xenon hi/low bulbs and used two single ballasts for each headlight. The standard 35w/35w halogens do not provide enough light at all. I'd upgraded the standard halogens with a pair of 100w/90w bulbs, but the standard wiring couldn't cope so I downgraded to some 60w/55w halogens which were an acceptable compromise.
:thumbsup:

Other than that, no other issues, simple maintenance tasks are achieved easy enough. Oil filter and drain plug access is easy. The rear drive housing requires hypoid gear oil, and the access plugs for this are accessible with a little effort. Removing the rear wheel/tyre requires removal of the rear slip-on exhaust muffler, removing the bottom right shock absorber spring bolt too. Removal of the left shock absorber spring bolt, loosening and removal of the left shock absorber lower attachment bracket so that one can access and remove the left sided rear brake housing bolts, which then allows the rear brake calliper housing to be slid of the rear brake disc with some manipulation. The rear wheel axle also has a large 21mm hex nut which needs removal then the rear wheel can be taken off from the right side. This nut must be tightened with enough force (no torque specs are provided in the manual) so that it doesn't loosen after reapplication.
:deal:

I have fitted a kind of ergo cushion on top of the riders seat to provide some relief to my butt on longer rides, but more so to give some added height, since the riding position is quite low. This probably wouldn't be an issue for the average Chinese height, but will be for European/Anglo-Saxons et al. A friend went so far as to remove the riders backrest completely and have the seat re-foamed and reupholstered so that he sits further back on the seat, with more reach for the arms and legs. In other words the setting will be a little cramped for anyone >180cm.

:wheelchair:

Spark plug access.
Access to the spark plug might be a bit of an issue for anyone without a selection of manipulative sockets and plug spanner. The spark plug itself can be reached by removal of the plastic cover (4 screws + 2 bolts) under the seat in front of the storage compartment. It is also recommended to remove the main rubber pipe/tube from the EFI unit into the air-box by loosening the two hose clips, to assist with accessing the plug and allow a more unobstructed view of the spark plug located to the left side of the horizontally 'North-South' laid engine. A smaller than large hand and some patience will be required to get access to the spark plug, without removing more of the plastics. I removed my spark plug at 21000km to find a nicely coloured plug, running at just the right mix and temperature. The gap was quite large, so after a clean and re-gaping have reinstalled the plug, though the electrode is quite slim. The standard spark plug is a Chinese brand "TORCH" CR9EP.

Air filter.
The air filter element is accessed by removal of the plastic cover (4 screws + 2 bolts) under the seat in front of the storage compartment then removal of the panel underneath (3 bolts with 3 tabbed hinged type recesses at the rear), just in front of the underseat storage. One has to remove the large panel first before finding the smaller air filter panel just on top and behind the EFI unit. The filter is a medium density foam, which allows for repeated use after cleaning, then apply a reasonable amount of oil (hypoid gear oil or a thin lubricating oil will do) making sure that the foam element is completely saturated in the oil and squeeze out any excess. Keep in mind, that it's really the oil that acts as the filter, rather than the foam, therefore the addition of oil into the foam is critical.

It is very nice Scooter and really its plastic had a good quality, it could be a great to drive a scooter, its features are excellent, while it is a such a best scooter.

Wow. That scooter is looking pretty awesome considering it's got more than 7000 kliks on the odometer. Seems like you might want to close the doors and fasten your seatbelts too.

I'd love to get my hands on one of those jetmax 250's. Any advise how can I get one in Shenzhen?

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Originally Posted by graphs111

I'd love to get my hands on one of those jetmax 250's. Any advise how can I get one in Shenzhen?

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Motorcycles banned in Shenzhen? If you speak/read Chinese or can get someone who does to view the list of sales agencies on the cfmoto website http://www.cfmoto.com/dealer_info.php?id=20 then give one of them a call to check on availability etc.

Thanks for the info bikerdoc.

Dear Bikerdok,

Have you reached 30000 km on odometer?

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Originally Posted by eldarcom

Dear Bikerdok,
Have you reached 30000 km on odometer?

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Have completed approx. 28700km and about to fit my third rear tyre with the last rear tyre being a Kenda (from Taiwan) performing quite well but only lasting 6000km - around half that of the standard low profile radial tyre supplied by CFMoto. My front wheel is on it's second tyre. Have been having some issues of late with starting from cold, but not sure if its the high humidity or high temperatures causing some issues with EFI/ECU, the air box/filter, or it could be just the higher moisture content in the humid air allowing for my condensation and therefore water to collect in the fuel tank/system although I think it's related to an after market muffler I've fitted bought via taobao for cny100 which also backfires through the exhaust a lot on deceleration (indicating that fuel/air mix is running to lean - which given fuel injection and ECU management I'm not worried about playing around with). The muffler is louder and thus provides less back pressure, and since I doubt that there's any decent motorcycles mechanics with a dyno-jet or the like to calibrate the new muffler to air/fuel mixture and the EFI wizardry -it's a no brainer.
Am looking to have a better after market exhaust fitted, perhaps a Lazer muffler for a Tmax, though if the gains are not worth it, I might just go back to the standard muffler.

I'm still fairly happy with the scoot.

The CFMoto Jetmax has just been released into the Australian market for AU$3995 (plus applicable taxes & dealer charges depending state). Expected availability if middle of July (now). Scooter sales will be doing a review in the near future, which can now be found here. CFMoto Australia have a basic challenge review on their website, where the Jetmax was compared with two other maxi scooters

Dear bikrerdoc,

Do you know the size of CVT belt? Belt is kevlar or not?
Did you change belt? If yes in which run?

Hi ,I thinking very much of buying a Jetmax,here in the UK its know as WK jetmax,,,Bikerdoc any chance of an update on your Jetmax???? all the best Lipsee

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Originally Posted by eldarcom

Dear bikrerdoc,
Do you know the size of CVT belt? Belt is kevlar or not?
Did you change belt? If yes in which run?

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I've replaced my Jetmax drive belt one time only, at 12600km although manufacturers recommends service at 3000km & replacement at 10000km. The belt I changed out I did myself, and aside from slight loss of diameter of the belt itself, it appeared in very good condition. No fraying or cracks between the 'teeth' so to speak. The second belt should have been replaced at the 20000km mark, or since I'd changed the first belt at 12600km then add 10000km to that. I've done a few hundred km short of 30000km and have not swapped the belt yet. I have had the drive/belt covers off and had to check out the variator as I had a problem with one of the CVT roller weights. The roller weight is a pressed two section weight, and the inner metal core had separated from the outer material. I've removed the offending weight, and looked to replace it ex-manufacturer, but CFMoto sell the complete front section variator pulley assembly and roller weights as a complete unit. I will attempt to buy a set (6) of roller weights from an online source, rather than spend the CNY900 for the complete front assembly which is not needed (incidentally roller weights weigh 11g). Have found a few online merchants that supply roller weights, so just need to check the specs on mine which will require me to take the said measurements from those weights installed, something I overlooked to do when I had it apart last time.

I ran into this issue around 28000km, give or take a few hundred kilometres, when I tried to ride from a standing start the CVT felt like it was stuck in a top/high gear. Pulling the CVT apart, which requires a pneumatic impact driver for the removal of the two pulley nuts, revealed the cause. I simply removed the offending the roller weight and reassembled minus the broken weight. After an additional 2000km the aforementioned problem has started to reappear intermittently. When I pulled the assembly apart at 28000km the second belt installed at 12600km still looked good, with little signs of wear so I didn't replace it at that time. Planning to do so when I replace the roller weights with a new set.

The CVT drive belt, is a Mitsuboshi 226 x 903 (check under variable speed belt on manufacturers website for information).
I'm guessing the 226 (?22.6mm) likely might be the belt width while the 903 (?90.3mm) might be the belt length? At least that's my guess. I'll have to measure one of the new belts to check this theory.

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Originally Posted by lipsee

Hi ,I thinking very much of buying a Jetmax,here in the UK its know as WK jetmax,,,Bikerdoc any chance of an update on your Jetmax???? all the best Lipsee

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If you see my reply above to eldarcom, concerning the CVT drive belt and more importantly the roller weights, then that aside there's not been any major problems as such. The few problems there have been are minor in nature and have as much to do with typical manufacturing and designing that involves typical Chinese characteristics as anything else. I made mention a few posts ago about some problems intermittently with cold engine starts in hot humid weather, not helped by the fact that my battery had run flat some time ago when I was away for several weeks, and the anti-theft alarm system drained the battery leading to premature battery demise. The battery was never good after that. I've since replaced the battery with a new one, and combined with lower humidity and seasonal temperatures overall, have had less issues with starting. I had noticed that there was some backfiring or popping which can be heard at very low revs on deceleration. I'd not noticed it before, or perhaps never paid it any attention since the standard muffler (which is probably way over baffled for Euro3 compliance) is so quiet. The last several months though I played around with a couple of after market mufflers I bought of a dealer on Taobao (China's equivalent to the likes of 'eBay'). Since the muffler was louder I began to notice the back firing, which only occurs at around 1500 RPM. I liked the sound of the second of the two mufflers I installed, but got so frustrated with the low rev popping sound, changed the muffler back to standard, thinking it was a muffler issue. The backfiring/popping is still there.
In the attempts to fix the backfiring issue, one of the certified CFMoto mechanics who has a little dirty grimy workshop space in Zhenhai spent some time trying to find the culprit, checking air, ignition, ECU mapping etc. He even cut the end of the small engine breather hose, which now means I get 20-30mm of oil on my garage floor after I've taken the scoot for a ride, or any other parking space I might park in. As is typical here, he didn't even ask me, he just cut the end of the breather tube which proceeded to dump 50-100ml of oil on his floor from the get go. It wouldn't piss me so much except getting into the hose and replacing it, is not easy. Either a under seat storage removal or rear wheel removal to get into the hose and replace it with a new sealed one. Besides it didn't remedy the backfiring one iota!
Typical TIC (this is China - bull faeces).

Other than that lipsee, I think it's a great scoot, and worth the money I paid here. The other issue, is that there is limited choices here, or let me rephrase that as there's lots of choice, but lots of those choices suck!

Would I buy one of these in my home country, yes - if I was on limited budget, which I'm not, so unlikely as I'd buy something that has all the little extras that I wish this scoot had. One omission is the absence of a park brake, which I think is an oversight. Aside from wanting a 500cc engine - that's just me!

Thanks for such an informative review,I contacted the importer with a view to a test ride(its a house about 10miles from my place) but they pointed me in the general direction of some scooter shop in town(that sucks) Choices,,here there are loads of choice,,infact I am thinking I have 3 choices,, this will make you laugh,,,1st Cf moto jet max its frugal ,good weather protection,good storeage,good in for commuting to work,,,2nd My mate has just bought a really nice Honda Africe Twin for just a few hundread more then a jetmax,,and I also fancy one of those,of course it will be a few years old and been to Hell and back,but its an awsome bike,,,3rd I have my old 1975 Gold wing,its a great bike,except in London,and MPG is between 30-35 a gallon(not good) ..Another thing here.Riding chinese you have to put up with remarks about where the bike has come from(China)people can be quite racist about Chinese things,and if the bike(scooter) proved a lemon I would have a lot to live down,,you are not alone in fancing a 500cc version,,(nothing beats cubes),,,,,Last thing the right bloke won the japan F1,,hopfully next year he,ll win the championship...All the best

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Originally Posted by lipsee

Thanks for such an informative review,I contacted the importer with a view to a test ride(its a house about 10miles from my place) but they pointed me in the general direction of some scooter shop in town(that sucks) Choices,,here there are loads of choice,,infact I am thinking I have 3 choices,, this will make you laugh,,,1st Cf moto jet max its frugal ,good weather protection,good storeage,good in for commuting to work,,,2nd My mate has just bought a really nice Honda Africe Twin for just a few hundread more then a jetmax,,and I also fancy one of those,of course it will be a few years old and been to Hell and back,but its an awsome bike,,,3rd I have my old 1975 Gold wing,its a great bike,except in London,and MPG is between 30-35 a gallon(not good) ..Another thing here.Riding chinese you have to put up with remarks about where the bike has come from(China)people can be quite racist about Chinese things,and if the bike(scooter) proved a lemon I would have a lot to live down,,you are not alone in fancing a 500cc version,,(nothing beats cubes),,,,,Last thing the right bloke won the japan F1,,hopfully next year he,ll win the championship...All the best

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I must just add,I want the bike/ scoot for commuting 10miles across London,and when ever a 3 hour trip up north,,so my choices are not so wild after all,,They are!!!!

So an update is due now that I've hit the 30,000km mark, I've had a couple of issues of late in regards to the CVT (constant variable transmission) which I've mentioned in posts # 57 and 58. I'd noticed at around 27,000km that the Jetmax had a tendency to have less than ideal take-off from idle, as though it was stuck in a higher gear. At first I thought this was an issue with the CVT drive belt wear, however upon CVT transmission disassembly I found that one of the roller weights within the variator has separated, and consequently was stuck within the outer most position of the variator ramp. For an explanation let me briefly explain how a variator and roller weights work.

Attachment 5987

The CVT system works through the changing of the distance between the plates on the two pulleys. Basically, when the plate width on the variator pulley decreases. the clutch pulley plate width increases, and vice versa. This creates an infinite number of possible gear ratios, as the transmission is altering itself on the fly to adapt to the current driving conditions.

The variator is driven directly by the engine. Inside the variator are 6 rollers (some variators have 8) that are positioned in individual slots (called ramps) with rollers that they move along outward when centrifugal force is applied. Sometimes rollers can be replaced with sliders which suffer less from the friction against the variator and ramps. As the rollers move outward, they press against the ramp plate which causes the pulley plates of the variator to move toward one another, compressing the belt. This "V" shape created by the pulley plates pushes the belt outward, which draws the belt inward on the driven (clutch) side, increasing the gear ratio.

At idle, the rollers are at their innermost position within the slots/sliders, while the variator pulley plates are at their farthest apart, and the CVT belt is low on the variator side and high on the clutch side . With increasing RPMs, the rollers move outward along their ramps applying pressure to the ramp plate, which compresses the variator pulley plates and squeezes the CVT belt outwards.

Attachment 5986

The roller weights used in the Jetmax are a two part item, having a alloy cylindrical centre and a type of synthetic material outer layer (unsure what material is used). There are 6 roller weights which weigh 11g each. These two roller weight materials are where one of the roller weights had separated and then the roller weight had become stuck in its individual slot at the "top" of the ramp. I simply removed the offending roller weight as an interim measure and reassembled the CVT. The consequences were that I found the Jetmax had slightly better "take-off" from idle since there was 11g less inside the variator, but lost just a little in the top end speed.

I'd contacted CFMoto for warranty information (which turns out was 6 months or 3000km), as I felt the roller weight separation was a little premature. Since my Jetmax was outside warranty I then enquired about getting a set of replacement roller weights, which as I found out only come as a complete set with the CVT variator front pulley assembly. In other words the roller weights have to be bought with the variator and are not supplied as stand alone parts. It should be noted in some overseas markets that the Jetmax is offered with a 2 year unlimited kilometre warranty.

I'd planned to buy a set of roller weights either from Taobao or from overseas, but finding roller weights on Taobao is really quite difficult as the Chiense use some really odd names for items at times, and I also needed to get various dimensions of the roller weights to be able to order, since roller weights come in many sizes etc. Roller weights can also be interchanged with roller sliders.

Getting into the CVT requires the use of pneumatic impact driver. A manual impact driver that one hits with a hammer, does not work - tried that!

The Jetmax variator assembly costs rmb1475 here in mainland China compared with CFMoto 250cc scooter models (CF250T-F, CF250 V3/V5) variators which are between rmb140-150. Since everything had been working fine for the last 2000km it had not been a pressing issue to deal with, and I had held off buying a replacement variator, as I'd planned to pull the CVT apart after the Chinese National Day holidays and measure the roller weights. However just before the recent public holiday, I'd started to experience intermittent slow take-off's as before. This time I knew what it was, and so yesterday I took the CVT apart again to find that another roller weight had disintegrated (separation of the two materials used) much in the same way as the last roller weight had. What I also found though was that many of slot/slider walls had actually worn so badly that many of the final two-thirds of said walls were almost non-existent, which would lead to two failures 1). the roller weight could become trapped at the end of the ramp, 2). roller weight could experience premature wear caused by friction against the sharp fragmented slot/slider wall. This also indicates that the roller weights are causing a large amount of friction on the slot/slider walls during the acceleration/de-acceleration phases, causing significant wear to the ends of roller weights external layer leading to outer layer/material separation.
Photos to come.

Such failures seems somewhat premature to me and I would guess that both the roller weights and variator ramps are made from too softer materials (alloy) and are prone to premature wear. One way to prolong such wear would be to use roller weight sliders which have a flat surface on one side and therefore do not spin as opposed to the cylindrical 'spinning' design of roller weights and consequently do not cause as much friction on both the roller weights themselves nor the slot/slider and ramp surfaces.

Hi Bickerdoc

Thanks for all your precious information this year.
I wish you a happy new year and many good thinks with your Jetmax