Regal Raptor DD250G-2 (2008-09)

[ZMC888]

A few of us here are seriously considering buying Regal Raptors. All of us are considering buying the CB250N style, not the cruisers. We have a friend who bought a cruiser style bike previously and the bike lasted very well with excellent finish quality, which has made us seriously consider these bikes.



The local dealer seems keen to ride and sell these bikes, and has his own DD250G-2 (shown above). I was lucky enough to be able to have a ride. I'd just done 300kms on my own 150cc machine before riding this bike, so I was able to make decent comparisons.

Review

The problem with Chinese bikes is not really how they ride when new, but how they survive, so any single ride review should just be taken as a quick guide, but obvious long term defects cannot be highlighted without long term use.

First impressions sitting on the bike was that it is comfortable, with the tank cut-away and height giving a nice feel which seems this will aid handling especially initial turn in. Peg position and bars were very marginally more racy than a regular 125 cc bike, very much like the original CB250 positions, but bike, would really suit slightly shorter riders 175cm than me 183 CM (6ft) but I didn't feel cramped. Bike weighs rated 165KG although feels pretty light, stats may be wrong and based on wet weight, bike seems happy to turn in to corners.

Bike was very free revving, and RR may have been able to avoid some restrictive practices that are put on Chinese bikes. Bike accelerates exactly the same as my CBF150, that is until 6000RPM where I meet the torque band and all the way up to 9000 red line the bike is noticeably quicker than my bike, and engine seems much smoother than many of the Honda 234cc clone twins on the market. Brakes are also fine and rear disk gives more feedback than a regular drum.

Gears were smooth and did not have any difficulty doing what was asked of them, also did not have any problem going through neutral on the way to 2nd gear, although I would like to try the bike when it's hotter to see if the gears stay so slick.

Pros

The Cheng-Shin tyres are very decent for Chinese tyres, Cheng-Shin are part of the same Taiwanese company who own Maxxis. I run the front tyre from this bike on the rear of my current bike, and I'm very impressed with its performance, possibly the best Chinese made motorcycle tyre that is domestically available.

Engine being a twin provides that extra bit of torque that a single just can't, meaning hills will be less of a chore, also riding the torque band would make a welcome change rather than pushing the bike in the KW band up near the red line on a single all day.

Price is just over 10,000 Yuan on the road, very reasonable.

The areas where they have gone cheap seem obvious, and so hardcore riders will be easily be able to upgrade the bike to their own taste.

Cons

Rear shocks appear to be from an electric bike and mirrors are also junk, but these are easy to swap in China. Weird exhaust system looks like a reason for concern, but they have stuck with it on their newer models so can't be that bad.

Verdict

Great value for money, but I might hold off for the liquid cooled new version which has a single rear shock, end cans, and different rotors, and more tasteful and clearer dials but for a reported 13,000 RMB.