Dong Fang DF 250 RTB Bobber Information

[Bobthebobber]

Hi guys. Nervously awaiting my new 2012 sport model tomorrow. I ordered an air filter and sprocket. I have some fresh 93 octane waiting in the can.. and some wet clutch royal purp. Weather forecast for us starting tonight is.. Rain and snow.. tomorrow (delivery day) rain and snow.. sat clear and cold.. sunday rain.. monday cold.. Tuesday winter storm advisory..

All this talk of rusty spokes is making me cringe! I hope I can get the thing uncrated and into the shed before it melts away.

For those of you that have had your DF's for a while now.. how many miles have you put on her.. and what (if any) major problems have you had?

Thanks guys.. cant wait to join the club ^.^

[Mixmaster]

Just spray the spokes with anti rust to be safe, shouldn't be an issue. Had my bike for a year no problems as yet. I am lucky down here we get 98 octane out of the pump

[GonzoX]

Hi guys. Nervously awaiting my new 2012 sport model tomorrow. I ordered an air filter and sprocket. I have some fresh 93 octane waiting in the can.. and some wet clutch royal purp. Weather forecast for us starting tonight is.. Rain and snow.. tomorrow (delivery day) rain and snow.. sat clear and cold.. sunday rain.. monday cold.. Tuesday winter storm advisory..

All this talk of rusty spokes is making me cringe! I hope I can get the thing uncrated and into the shed before it melts away.

For those of you that have had your DF's for a while now.. how many miles have you put on her.. and what (if any) major problems have you had?

Thanks guys.. cant wait to join the club ^.^

As mixmaster said, if you prepare for the rust you wont have rust (unlike me).

As for me I also had my bike almost a year but only have about 350 miles on it.

No major problems at all. Only minor ones like:

1)Air injection hose burst, cheap replacement fix at local parts store.

2)Battery went dead a few times, $12 charger fixed that.

3)Shift linkage rod broke. $20 to machine it back with new threading and another $22 for a new spare rod made by a third party company. Dealer still owes me one under warranty (almost a year ago) but I gave up on them. Just dont order your bike from Killer Motorsports in DFW TX. Worst customer service I have ever seen.

4)Stock mirrors were junk. $6 ebay mirrors fixed that.

5)Stock filter rusty and bent. Cheap ebay fix and better quality filters there as well.

6)Horn stopped working. Again, ebay to the rescue. Less than $10 for a better quality one. Just dont order the samo Chinese cheap horns if yours goes out. Get a quality one for a few bucks more.

7)Lost bolt for heat shield on exhaust. Easy fix at local parts store and a tube of locktight and maybe some naval jelly are a must have for this bike.

8)The sight glass on my front brake resavoir looks cloudy and shattered but it seems to hold and it does not leak. Ill leave it alone for now but Im guessing a new resavoir would be about $50 on ebay. What can I say, I like ebay.

9)Had a hard time finding nuetral but this gets smother with wear in and technique. Not really an issue for me any more.

10)Lots of vibration at full speed. Solution: I just got used to it. I no longer even try to get on the highway with this bike as its not safe. Around town it's really not an issue for me any more but I will eventually get better grips. Maybe some jell grips will help with that.

Looking forward to getting a new tool bag and better grips in the future. Im taking my upgrades slow since Im on a budget. And a magnetic drain plug once I reach 600m and do my first oil change.

[bowtiewagon]

Hi guys. Nervously awaiting my new 2012 sport model tomorrow. I ordered an air filter and sprocket. I have some fresh 93 octane waiting in the can.. and some wet clutch royal purp. Weather forecast for us starting tonight is.. Rain and snow.. tomorrow (delivery day) rain and snow.. sat clear and cold.. sunday rain.. monday cold.. Tuesday winter storm advisory..

All this talk of rusty spokes is making me cringe! I hope I can get the thing uncrated and into the shed before it melts away.

For those of you that have had your DF's for a while now.. how many miles have you put on her.. and what (if any) major problems have you had?

Thanks guys.. cant wait to join the club ^.^

It seems that I have the most mileage of anyone thus far.I have a little over 8500 miles on it.

Changed headlamp to an actual automobile glass bulb (fit right in the can with a change of the plug) The factory bulb is a sylvania bulb and it is not that easy to come by,plus it is a little scrawny bulb.I found a couple guys online with them..one wanted $25 per bulb..they other wanted like $15 for a dozen of them..It seemed like either way was gonna be crazy ,so thats why I went this route.Auto zone carries the headlights.HIGH/LOw 35/45( or something like that).I may upgrade to a 35/50
Gas tank leaked at weld mounts, had a new one sent to me from scooterdepot, left it a little loose with some bushings, hasn't leaked since.Do not tighten them down,with the vibrations and stiffness of the bike..they will crack.
Sprocket studs studs snapped within a year, replaced them by making my own out of grade 8 bolts, and put on a 35t sprocket.More recently, same studs snapped again, replacing this weekend as the new sprocket arrived last night.
spokes were pretty much starting to rust out of the crate,weather was miserable when i got it, and rode a few days in the rain..but it helped wiht my rat bike look.Not much for shiny.
Strangest thing was that my kill switch on the bars ..the switch itself has a button on it, and it popped off on a ride I think like a week into owning it.Got a whole new assembly from scooter depot for free to put on ..but just haven't yet.
Had an issue with the clutch cables breaking alot..I have short ape hanger bars, cable reaches, and could not figure what was causeing it. They would break right at the barrel nipple in the clutch handle.Then went down to a triumph dealer to get a new cable once again, and he showed me my problem...I wasn't lubricating the barrel nipple in the clutch handle assembly.Once I did that( cause I had not a clue) I have yet to have an issue what so ever, and I check it on a regular basis.
Monitor you fuel milage..there is not a fule gauge.I usually reset my trip niles at every 70-75 miles just cause it makes me feel safe.It usually only costs me about $3.60 to fill up.About 1.3 gal's has been used.But i ran her down once...and had to push her about a mile or so to fill up.Never letting that happen again.
Had an issue with the exhaust gasket.It seemed like it just disintergrated. Had to pull the pipes, clear out what was left of it, then stuck the pipes back on.I have't put a new gasket in.but it seems to be fine.
Lost a bolt on my exhause heat shield..replaced them both with stainless steel bolts..easy fix.
I have found thta whether you are a seasoned rider, or someone who has not been on a bike for a long time( like myself) or even a fresh newbie...you are going to go through a lot of trial and error with this bike before you get acccustomed to it's quirks and issues.Really..nothing bad to say overall.I firmly beleive you only get what you pay for..and the cost of this bike and the freedom to ride and still look rather cool doing it....far outweighs the little issues the bike may have over time. Plus..it ain't no different than any other bike on the rode.I hear horror stories from guys riding ever major brand on the road.So i honestly feel lucky to have bought this bike and get away with saving cash in the long run.
Just maintain, and enjoy and keep a relativley good tool bag handy.
Mine is filled with just about any wrench and screwdriver that fits any size bolt or screw on the bike.Ya never know.
Now I added my own saddle bags, and built the bracket to hold them on, as well as hung a smaller bag on the bars.So i have room for the exagerated( but not cumbersome) tool bag.My next investment is a tool bag for the handle bars out front under the lamp..normal size will work fine..jusy looking for that slightly used and weathered looking one and haven't found it yet.That will free up some space in my fender bags.Aslo gonna add a small rack to the top of the fender.It will hide the bracket for the bags better, plus assist in being able to carry anything that I can tie down with bungies.
My Bike is a daily runner..when the weather is fair enough to ride.Here in Texas it could be sunny when i get to work and pouring rain when I leave..but I ride anyway..a little water doesnt hurt anything.
Gonna wash her after I her back together from the sprocket repai, and might take pictures of her..so i can post here.Have yet to do that and feel like I need to.But mind you, she is not one of these prissy bikes..she is a rat bike...so nothing shiny.
I admit, The things that y'all have been doing to each of your bikes thus far, and those that have ideas..I truly dig them all.Plus they have opened a few ideas for me as i look at them..I am just not into owning shiny..but I do like looking at others who do.

[terrilb05]

It seems that I have the most mileage of anyone thus far.I have a little over 8500 miles on it.

Changed headlamp to an actual automobile glass bulb (fit right in the can with a change of the plug) The factory bulb is a sylvania bulb and it is not that easy to come by,plus it is a little scrawny bulb.I found a couple guys online with them..one wanted $25 per bulb..they other wanted like $15 for a dozen of them..It seemed like either way was gonna be crazy ,so thats why I went this route.Auto zone carries the headlights.HIGH/LOw 35/45( or something like that).I may upgrade to a 35/50
Gas tank leaked at weld mounts, had a new one sent to me from scooterdepot, left it a little loose with some bushings, hasn't leaked since.Do not tighten them down,with the vibrations and stiffness of the bike..they will crack.
Sprocket studs studs snapped within a year, replaced them by making my own out of grade 8 bolts, and put on a 35t sprocket.More recently, same studs snapped again, replacing this weekend as the new sprocket arrived last night.
spokes were pretty much starting to rust out of the crate,weather was miserable when i got it, and rode a few days in the rain..but it helped wiht my rat bike look.Not much for shiny.
Strangest thing was that my kill switch on the bars ..the switch itself has a button on it, and it popped off on a ride I think like a week into owning it.Got a whole new assembly from scooter depot for free to put on ..but just haven't yet.
Had an issue with the clutch cables breaking alot..I have short ape hanger bars, cable reaches, and could not figure what was causeing it. They would break right at the barrel nipple in the clutch handle.Then went down to a triumph dealer to get a new cable once again, and he showed me my problem...I wasn't lubricating the barrel nipple in the clutch handle assembly.Once I did that( cause I had not a clue) I have yet to have an issue what so ever, and I check it on a regular basis.
Monitor you fuel milage..there is not a fule gauge.I usually reset my trip niles at every 70-75 miles just cause it makes me feel safe.It usually only costs me about $3.60 to fill up.About 1.3 gal's has been used.But i ran her down once...and had to push her about a mile or so to fill up.Never letting that happen again.
Had an issue with the exhaust gasket.It seemed like it just disintergrated. Had to pull the pipes, clear out what was left of it, then stuck the pipes back on.I have't put a new gasket in.but it seems to be fine.
Lost a bolt on my exhause heat shield..replaced them both with stainless steel bolts..easy fix.
I have found thta whether you are a seasoned rider, or someone who has not been on a bike for a long time( like myself) or even a fresh newbie...you are going to go through a lot of trial and error with this bike before you get acccustomed to it's quirks and issues.Really..nothing bad to say overall.I firmly beleive you only get what you pay for..and the cost of this bike and the freedom to ride and still look rather cool doing it....far outweighs the little issues the bike may have over time. Plus..it ain't no different than any other bike on the rode.I hear horror stories from guys riding ever major brand on the road.So i honestly feel lucky to have bought this bike and get away with saving cash in the long run.
Just maintain, and enjoy and keep a relativley good tool bag handy.
Mine is filled with just about any wrench and screwdriver that fits any size bolt or screw on the bike.Ya never know.
Now I added my own saddle bags, and built the bracket to hold them on, as well as hung a smaller bag on the bars.So i have room for the exagerated( but not cumbersome) tool bag.My next investment is a tool bag for the handle bars out front under the lamp..normal size will work fine..jusy looking for that slightly used and weathered looking one and haven't found it yet.That will free up some space in my fender bags.Aslo gonna add a small rack to the top of the fender.It will hide the bracket for the bags better, plus assist in being able to carry anything that I can tie down with bungies.
My Bike is a daily runner..when the weather is fair enough to ride.Here in Texas it could be sunny when i get to work and pouring rain when I leave..but I ride anyway..a little water doesnt hurt anything.
Gonna wash her after I her back together from the sprocket repai, and might take pictures of her..so i can post here.Have yet to do that and feel like I need to.But mind you, she is not one of these prissy bikes..she is a rat bike...so nothing shiny.
I admit, The things that y'all have been doing to each of your bikes thus far, and those that have ideas..I truly dig them all.Plus they have opened a few ideas for me as i look at them..I am just not into owning shiny..but I do like looking at others who do.

Well I have decided not to go with the DF250rtb-B. I had been looking at a Honda Rebel that has been sitting all year at a local dealer with low miles on it. He knocked the asking price down to $1,900 bike is in great shape. A friend of mime is going to help me "bob " it out. I can get a lot of stuff on E-Bay to do it very cheap. Weighing in on the pro's an d con's of the DF250rtb I have to admit left me a bit nervous. having the re-liability of a Honda rebel to "Bob" out, they can look very cool. I will pick up the bike today and get going on her, anxious to see the final result.

[SR.MAILMAN]

Here is a forum that will be of great help,when you get your "new ride". A lot of good people there.

Honda Rebel Forum

[chruk bashre]

Skullworkz- the seat cover is excellent. paid for it yesterday.

[bowtiewagon]

Skullworkz- the seat cover is excellent. paid for it yesterday. your wife is very pleasant to work with. i am glad that one of my upgrades come from this forum, exclusively. you and your wife are cool. awesome idea and great product. thanks for being here.CHRUK


Bowtiewagon- what #t sprocket did you get? i sure am interested in your results.
i am going to order one next week. still cant figure the sweet spot. i think it is one of these two. 37t or 38t. what do you think?



ever since i mentioned a 'Woodie' cycle, i cant stop seeing it in my head. even 'teenage aqua you know whatever' had a couple of woodies for secret agent cars the other nite.
so far, a pure green with a strong yellow around the wood panel is the best.
i was going to goof around with my
original tank and set it up like this, but then it would look to good not to use, which means fixing the leaks first.yuk. sure is intriguing. i also have a spare front fender.
WOW.. new thought.. upgrade.. with a perfect looking 'Woodie' tank, no need for fenders!!
man, i havent even finished what i am currently doing and i cant wait to start this up.
i will post some pics of the filler i am applying to the tank. and other stuff too. soonererer than laterererer

I reoredered another 35T sprocket.
Seems to be enough for me at the moment.

[Bob form NV]

bowtiewagon, I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your bags and rack. I'm needing some ideas for mine.

[skullworkz]

Hey guys, I've been busy with work as the bicycle season is about to take off here in Michigan. Being with such a large Trek retailer I have found that my late winters and early springs are full of other peoples bike repairs. Going to get into the headlight soon, I promise. Upgrading to an H4 with new custom harness and info on install posted here.