[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by 1and1

Sweet- sounds like you're in need of a bike to wrench on

I've always said you never really own it till you've torn it apart and put it back together again! This way you're just getting to it right away

For most folks I'd say that's totally right. YOU, on the other hand, after that warranty miracle-minor, are so far wacked out on your karma I suspect there's nothing within a thousand miles that is a good deal!!

LOL You're probably right, I still can't believe the outcome of that whole thing. I had a great convo with the guy that sold me the car and warranty originally a few days ago. He was the one that convinced me to buy it and assured me it was actually "unlimited/lifetime". I told him what happened in the end and we had a good laugh, he's looking at a 550 or 650 now and wants to warranty it too.

Originally Posted by Lups

All in, and also married! Do it for us all!

Appreciate the upstanding support LOL

Originally Posted by detroitm2

Dual Sport bikes are pretty easy to get street legel, even if they arent 100%. The requirements aren't that bad in most areas.

That being said, I'm going to echo what someone else stated. Just get a good quality brand name bike, and not a cheap Chinese version.

Parts may be available now, but they will not always be.

A bit of background, I use to race both bikes and ATV's for a number of years, and owned a couple Chinese made pitbikes that I spent quite a bit of money on. (they were $1000+ each, from a well known Chinese brand name)

Long story short, The piston rod broke in one of them, and I needed to order a replacement rod, plus a head and piston. The parts were nowhere to be found. I ended up swapping the entire motor out because of this, to a Yamaha.

Just spend a bit more and buy a used one from a well know Japanese brand. I use to have a Suzuki DRZ-400 that was just awesome. The engine is shared with a number of other ATV's/bikes, so parts are super available and its stupid easy to work on.

My 2 cents.

These are good points, I'll have to check the details on the engine and see what it's other applications are, if any. If it's not a commonly used block I might look elsewhere.

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

it says check with your local dmv to see if it is street legal

As detroitm2 said the requirements are pretty basic for most locations, headlight, tail light, blinkers, horn, muffler lol.

[UncleWede]

When I built my bike, had a quandary about getting it to DMV for inspection the first time, so that I could register it. Rode it right into the station, like a BOSS!!!!

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

When I built my bike, had a quandary about getting it to DMV for inspection the first time, so that I could register it. Rode it right into the station, like a BOSS!!!!

LOL I did something similar, they made a comment and I just said it's my only vehicle so how could I be expected to get to the office without driving it lol. This was before Uber and such of course

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

This was before Uber and such of course

Uber includes flatbeds now? Because they had to compare/validate frame and engine S/N on mine.

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

Did you pay more than $1,399 for the two broken bikes?

Significantly more. Steer clear of rare Italian bikes.

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

When I built my bike, had a quandary about getting it to DMV for inspection the first time, so that I could register it. Rode it right into the station, like a BOSS!!!!

I lost many night's sleep over this when I built the boardtracker. No mirrors, no front fender, turn signals front and back are too far inboard, license plate mounted incorrectly, brake light too low, straight pipes, no hazard lights, etc. I walked into the DMV and gave them my engine, transmission, and chassis MCO, the VIN, and a printout from some random and totally unrelated website that sells bike kits that showed what all they put in the box for you to assemble later. She checked off horn, light, turn signals, etc. and asked "is all this equipment on the bike?" "Yes Ma'am" I said and out I went with my title and registration. LOL. Someday I'll get a ticket from a d*ck cop but thus far all they do is give me a thumbs up when I ride by.

Dag gone it OP...now you got me wanting one.

Doing some light research, I see that the Apollo 250cc offroad version is fairly well reviewed. Looks like the motor is a direct copy of the old CRF250 motor..??

[upstatedoc]

and for $150 they'll assemble it

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Dag gone it OP...now you got me wanting one.

Doing some light research, I see that the Apollo 250cc offroad version is fairly well reviewed. Looks like the motor is a direct copy of the old CRF250 motor..??

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

and for $150 they'll assemble it

Both the Apollo and the Hawk have pretty solid reviews, the primary suggestion is either build it DIY or have a local shop do it instead of having the factory do it for $150. Apparently they rush the job.

A few common suggestions I'm seeing are to change up the carb and gearing and it becomes a solid running bike capable of sitting around 55mph to cruise.

[pz619]

Just do what I do. Purchase and then act confused when challenged.

"I had thought it could be something we both share? That's why it's only 250cc! I was going to buy a liter bike but then I thought of you."

Also I like to quote past stupid things I did to lessen the impact of the current stupid thing I've done.

"Come on honeybear, I spent $1400 on way dumber. Remember that time I bought non-returnable carpet in the wrong color?" (this is a true story)

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

Both the Apollo and the Hawk have pretty solid reviews, the primary suggestion is either build it DIY or have a local shop do it instead of having the factory do it for $150. Apparently they rush the job.

A few common suggestions I'm seeing are to change up the carb and gearing and it becomes a solid running bike capable of sitting around 55mph to cruise.

Considering that:

A) You have the skills and tools to build it
B) You'll save $150 and do a better job than the shop
C) It's a bike for fun and not something you are on a timeline to complete

I say you should 100% get the kit and do it yourself. You'll have fun, you'll be challenged, and you'll likely find a bunch of little things you can improve upon along the way. Take pics of the process and post them up here if you do so we can follow along. It sounds like a fun project.

The bike I built started like this:



And ended like this:



It was an awesome experience and one I hope to do again one day.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

Considering that:

A) You have the skills and tools to build it
B) You'll save $150 and do a better job than the shop
C) It's a bike for fun and not something you are on a timeline to complete

I say you should 100% get the kit and do it yourself. You'll have fun, you'll be challenged, and you'll likely find a bunch of little things you can improve upon along the way. Take pics of the process and post them up here if you do so we can follow along. It sounds like a fun project.

The bike I built started like this:


And ended like this:


It was an awesome experience and one I hope to do again one day.

That's awesome!!

[UncleWede]

Bike build thread now?

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Bike build thread now?

Yes!

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Bike build thread now?

Originally Posted by DETRoadster

Yes!

Sadly I bought an upgraded turbo and now might be moving to Puerto Rico so this is getting sidelined for the time being *facepalm*

[natedog7700]

Sounds like its a china made bike shipped in pieces? That is a complete waste of money... If it was a Honda/Yamaha or well known brand then yeah, that would be quite the deal!

[Nachbar]

I never ask my wife. I buy and then tell her the facts. It worked every time

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by Nachbar

I never ask my wife. I buy and then tell her the facts. It worked every time

Time, singular?

[Nachbar]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Time, singular?

Works all the time (times?) until it doesn't