Hensim/Baja 250 parts & interchangability

[Guy]

I've had my Hensim 250 for about a year now and had to replace quite a few parts because the previous owner had a close encounter with a pole or tree.

I'm going to list the parts resources and I've had luck with in case anyone else needs to get this info.

Headlights bulbs:
I had the same problems with my FlyScooter Il Bello, the headlights don't seem to last too terribly long and they're a bit difficult to get locally, so I've taken up ordering 2 to 4 at a time, they're about $3 each, so the shipping is the killer with these, but I've found them at motopartscenter.com
http://www.motopartscenter.com/head-light-bulbs-of-12v-35w35w-p-1792.html

Chain Guard:
The chain guard off of a Suzuki GZ250 is an exact replacement for the chain guard, it's made of heaver material, and I ended up getting a chromed chain guard to replace the one that snapped in half from my OEM parts purchase (see below).

Rear Hub:
It looks like the factory only put 3 of the 4 rear hub cushions in, so my rear hub snapped one of the drive blades off of the hub. The Hensim has a 31 tooth rear sprocket, the GZ250 has a 41 tooth rear sprocket, and the Rebel has a 33 tooth rear sprocket. I ended up ordering a Rebel rear hub to replace the Hemsim rear hub and it fit quite well, the rubber hub cushions were a bit big though, so I had to trim one down to fit the rear wheel. Pictures of the hubs are here (hensim parts on the right, honda on the left, the last picture is the hensim sprocket on the rebel hub):
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Guy_Peterson/Hensim/0d8d6533.jpg

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Guy_Peterson/Hensim/30cd4018.jpg

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Guy_Peterson/Hensim/a6407f93.jpg

Rear chain tensioner:
Here I went with the GZ250, I was hoping that I'd be able to use the fancy caps they have on the Suzuki, unfortunately the caps don't quite fit over the end of the swing arm tubes, so I ended up cutting end plates out of 2x4 strapping plates from Homedepot, they ended up being thicker and sturdier than the ones that came on the bike. One of the original Hensim chain tensioners also snapped and the chain came off. The Suzuki chain tensioners are holding up fine for now.

Batch of OEM parts:
I was lucky and found a seller on EBAY that said they purchased the Hensim distributor's warehouse before they went out of business. You can find them here:
http://myworld.ebay.com/shelia810/
If you check their list of items for sale as of today (9-1-2010) you can see 6 complete seat sets, including sissy bar here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-MOTORCYCLE-SEAT-S-SET-UNIVERSAL-39-00-ALE-/150892430457?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2321e3c479

If you contact them you'll probably find other stuff for the hensim for sale. I ended up getting the following batch from them, the odometer marks mileage in KM, and the speed is about 10mph slow (no, it's not off enough to be kph though). The chain guard lasted about 200 miles and then it snapped in half, other than that the parts have been reasonable.
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj555/Guy_Peterson/Hensim/acc1a772.jpg

If I remember any of the other stuff I've had to tweak/replace I'll post that information as a reply to this post.

Regards
Guy

[TheRealWorld]

Thanks for all the info. Cool pics and lots of helpful stuff. I have one also and I also replaced the drive hub, but only because it was cracked.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for sharing the benefits of your research, Guy! :D

Spud :)

[Weldangrind]

Wow, how did you ever figure out the Suzuki GZ250 and Honda Rebel info? I'm guessing that you gravitated towards the Rebel because the Hensim looks quite similar, but I can't figure out how you determined that the Suzuki GZ250 chain guard is a match.

[Guy]

It started when I was looking for the replacement gas tank. If you look closely at the Rebel gas tank it has two triangular tabs at the front, and the GZ250 doesn't, that made me think that the Hensim/Baja was actually a morphing of the two bikes.

The things that seem to be borrowed from the GZ250 are the seats, chain guard, gas tank, side covers, and the shape of the heads. (the petcock is different from the Hensim to the GZ250 though).

On the other hand, the split exhaust pipes are more similar to the Rebel.

The fenders are really like either, both the Rebel and the GZ250 have more bobbed rear fenders, and the front fenders are slimmer. I almost think they were taking fender styling from some of the bigger bikes.

[Weldangrind]

You have a good eye for detail, and you really know how to research. You're one of us. :D

[SpudRider]

You have a good eye for detail, and you really know how to research. You're one of us. :D
X2 on all three points! :D You're definitely a China Rider! ;)

Spud :)

[Guy]

Thanks for the kind words. I've got to admit you can't beat the price of a china ride.

[TheRealWorld]

If it were not for the price of these bikes, I would have never gotten back on a bike, and I am having a great deal of fun.