Steve's Benelli BJ250T-8 Scooter

**Steve_Halt** · 08-26-2014, 12:24 PM

Reasons for choosing this scooter over CFMoto: curiosity only. Besides, I think the design is OK. As to the problems with the scoot - time will show.
The list of possible problems I accumulated from reading the Chinese reviews and talking to bikerdoc are as follows:
1. Leaky water pump.
2. Faulty ignition.
3. Twitchy clutch.
4. Overall assembly quality.
5. Customer support.
6. Expensive spare parts.

So far, here go my initial impressions about Benelli BJ250T-8 scooter.

Good stuff:
Attention to detail / plastic quality. Sure, it is still QianJiang rather than Benelli, but they are getting there. The touch-feel of the scoot is good. I mean, it’s pleasant to sit on, all the switches are soft enough yet have that firm positive feedback, etc. Overall, it leaves an impression very similar to that of a decent family sedan. It’s not just me who said that. My friends, who rode it have a similar feeling.

Suspension and tires. The scooter feels planted on the road and turns in predictably. The tires are Kenda and they feel good (haven’t had a chance to try them int he rain though). There’s no dive when braking hard and when riding on the bad road the potholes don’t feel that bad. It’s not a supersport or a motocross, so I would still avoid riding it over curbs or leaning it kneedown.

Brakes. Brakes have a good feedback and are predictable. That said, the rear wheel is fairly easy to lock up (when not carrying a pillion). Front brakes have good initial bite, are progressive and feel unintimidating.

Disappointing stuff:
Weird noises. I have a strange noise coming from somewhere around the front mudguard, it goes like “hrrr - hrrr - hrr” when the front suspension is under load (e.g.: braking going down the slope). I have not yet found the source of that sound, it is reggular and still very annoying. My guess is that the wheel might be coming in contact with the mudguard, but I’m not sure. Another strange noise is an irregular “ding-ding” from somewhere behind the front fairing. I do not know if the factory mechanic forgot his chopsticks there or what, but I’m removing the front fairing on my day off to see what it is. Another one is the squeaking noise coming from the rear shocks - no idea what causes that, might be the shocks themselves.

Storage space. The underseat storage is there, it LOOKS big, but what it in fact is, is a long and shallow bucket. Fitting a helmet there requires ikebana arrangement skills, level 75 and above.

Topbox possibility. Yes, I have fitted a topbox on my scooter. In order to do that, I dismantled the pillion grabrail and drilled it. Well, the grabrail is plastic rather than steel, and I have a feeling that it won’t last long with a topbox on it. I am not putting anything heavier than the rain gear into the topbox, still it feels flimsy. The taobao search for an alternative topbox frame yielded nothing.

Horrible clutch. First, it shakes the bike like crazy under 30 km/h. I mean, it goes “dong-dong-dong” and is vibrating as hell. This is highly uncomfortable, since those are the city speeds - in my opinion a bike should have been tuned for it. Another (and more dangerous) thing is that quickly blipping the throttle doesn’t result in acceleration / deceleration. It results in acceleration - a bit more of acceleration after you let the throttle go - and deceleration after. Well, I’m used to the fact that the bike goes slower when I let go of the throttle, not keeps on accelerating. This makes rear-ending a car in front of you a very palpable possibility, especially for an inexperienced rider. Feels like the clutch takes too long a time to disengage when the revs go down, and it’s not good.

I will see how it behaves after the break-in period, and, should the clutch still be a problem, will upgrade it. That should solve the problem.

Pics follow:
IMG_6997.jpg IMG_6999.jpg

IMG_7001.jpg IMG_7002.jpg

**braillce** · 09-11-2014, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by Steve_Halt

[...] Another (and more dangerous) thing is that quickly blipping the throttle doesn’t result in acceleration / deceleration. It results in acceleration - a bit more of acceleration after you let the throttle go - and deceleration after.[...]it’s not good.[...]

Wow.. Not too good indeed.
How much did u pay for it?

**Steve_Halt** · 09-12-2014, 04:13 AM

braillce, got it for 18600 yuan (without plates, that is). Here in Nanjing plates would be another 20000 yuan.

**Steve_Halt** · 09-12-2014, 04:17 AM

Took my scoot for the first service (500 km) this Wednesday.
Since it was rainy, I was the only one there. They did everything very fast - engine oil change, transmission oil change. Cost me 270 yuan for oil and work. I paid alright, but I'm not doing it the same way the next time.
I'll get the oils from taobao and change them myself (no rocket science there) and it will be half price of what I paid to the shop.
Good thing: after the oil change, transmission became way more smooth and the clutch engage / disengage moment became more predictable.

**kikikillercat** · 09-13-2014, 03:53 AM

I have a Kymco scooter 175 cc never a problem first oil change free, everytime factory rep come to town free oil free air filter and gear oil. Paid 11000 for the scooter,,, top speed 110
Just passing on info here

**Steve_Halt** · 09-13-2014, 04:11 AM

kikikillercat, I heard Kymco were great in terms of reliability and customer service!
Benelli for me is a trial thing - after all nobody tried it or wrote about it (in English, I mean). Why not be the first :)

**kikikillercat** · 09-13-2014, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by Steve_Halt

kikikillercat, I heard Kymco were great in terms of reliability and customer service!
Benelli for me is a trial thing - after all nobody tried it or wrote about it (in English, I mean). Why not be the first :)

Benelli's look cool,,, ive seen many at the canton fair in GZ

**Jonsims** · 02-26-2015, 04:43 AM

The weird noise is under braking? Sounds like the pads going over the holes in the disc brake....
I have friends who have bought these scooters and also the street 650's.. They are not very impressed with them actually. A few of us have bought the CF 250's.. There is plenty of legroom.. Enough room under the seat for two crash helmets and they ride very well. I've put 45,000Km on the clock with nary a problem.. The rear brakes were replaced by the factory as there was a design fault. CF Moto (Hangzhou) Got a world record for distance ridden on their 600 tourer.. Not the ideal bike for China but Hey!!.. They are also in partnership with KTM.. Benelli is not really doint as well as CF.. I'd chose CF over Benelli at the drop of a hat.. The Benelli Scoot is good as it is a short wheelbase and so handy for dashing around town..

Originally Posted by Steve_Halt

Reasons for choosing this scooter over CFMoto: curiosity only. Besides, I think the design is OK. As to the problems with the scoot - time will show.
The list of possible problems I accumulated from reading the Chinese reviews and talking to bikerdoc are as follows:
1. Leaky water pump.
2. Faulty ignition.
3. Twitchy clutch.
4. Overall assembly quality.
5. Customer support.
6. Expensive spare parts.

So far, here go my initial impressions about Benelli BJ250T-8 scooter.

Good stuff:
Attention to detail / plastic quality. Sure, it is still QianJiang rather than Benelli, but they are getting there. The touch-feel of the scoot is good. I mean, it’s pleasant to sit on, all the switches are soft enough yet have that firm positive feedback, etc. Overall, it leaves an impression very similar to that of a decent family sedan. It’s not just me who said that. My friends, who rode it have a similar feeling.

Suspension and tires. The scooter feels planted on the road and turns in predictably. The tires are Kenda and they feel good (haven’t had a chance to try them int he rain though). There’s no dive when braking hard and when riding on the bad road the potholes don’t feel that bad. It’s not a supersport or a motocross, so I would still avoid riding it over curbs or leaning it kneedown.

Brakes. Brakes have a good feedback and are predictable. That said, the rear wheel is fairly easy to lock up (when not carrying a pillion). Front brakes have good initial bite, are progressive and feel unintimidating.

Disappointing stuff:
Weird noises. I have a strange noise coming from somewhere around the front mudguard, it goes like “hrrr - hrrr - hrr” when the front suspension is under load (e.g.: braking going down the slope). I have not yet found the source of that sound, it is reggular and still very annoying. My guess is that the wheel might be coming in contact with the mudguard, but I’m not sure. Another strange noise is an irregular “ding-ding” from somewhere behind the front fairing. I do not know if the factory mechanic forgot his chopsticks there or what, but I’m removing the front fairing on my day off to see what it is. Another one is the squeaking noise coming from the rear shocks - no idea what causes that, might be the shocks themselves.

Storage space. The underseat storage is there, it LOOKS big, but what it in fact is, is a long and shallow bucket. Fitting a helmet there requires ikebana arrangement skills, level 75 and above.

Topbox possibility. Yes, I have fitted a topbox on my scooter. In order to do that, I dismantled the pillion grabrail and drilled it. Well, the grabrail is plastic rather than steel, and I have a feeling that it won’t last long with a topbox on it. I am not putting anything heavier than the rain gear into the topbox, still it feels flimsy. The taobao search for an alternative topbox frame yielded nothing.

Horrible clutch. First, it shakes the bike like crazy under 30 km/h. I mean, it goes “dong-dong-dong” and is vibrating as hell. This is highly uncomfortable, since those are the city speeds - in my opinion a bike should have been tuned for it. Another (and more dangerous) thing is that quickly blipping the throttle doesn’t result in acceleration / deceleration. It results in acceleration - a bit more of acceleration after you let the throttle go - and deceleration after. Well, I’m used to the fact that the bike goes slower when I let go of the throttle, not keeps on accelerating. This makes rear-ending a car in front of you a very palpable possibility, especially for an inexperienced rider. Feels like the clutch takes too long a time to disengage when the revs go down, and it’s not good.

I will see how it behaves after the break-in period, and, should the clutch still be a problem, will upgrade it. That should solve the problem.

Pics follow:
IMG_6997.jpg IMG_6999.jpg

IMG_7001.jpg IMG_7002.jpg

**ZMC888** · 02-26-2015, 08:54 AM

Steve, great review and feedback as usual, even if scooters aren't really my thing.

Minor niggles seem utterly typical of Chinese bikes. Also Benelli branding equaling expensive parts is disappointing but not a surprise.

**Steve_Halt** · 02-26-2015, 11:39 AM

Jonsims, I have a CFMoto CF 650 NK (2011 version) and it has been a reliable bike so far. Have nothing bad to say about it really. Starts, stops, goes. Front fork leaked, but that was replaced without major hassle. I wanted a Benelli to experience something different. Have been looking at CFMoto's 250 scooter and will probably replace my Benelli with a CFMoto at a certain point, but for now I am OK with my scoot.

ZMC888, Thanks :) Yes, the parts are expensive, and I think I'm better off bying aftermarket ones over the original ones. At this price point the difference isn't really big.