2024 Templar 250 Base Model Review

[tknj99]

This thread will be used to document my review of the Xpro Templar 250 (base model - not the M/X) that I have purchased for my 15 yo daughter to continue her riding journey.

Decision Process: I had bought an Xpro Storm DLX 150 for my daughter about 6 months ago that she learned on. Now that she has gotten proficient at riding, its time to upgrade. This bike will also be shared with my son so that he can join me on off-road trips

Cost: $1850 shipped to Virginia

Make/Model: DB-K012. This is basically the Titan DLX with the Zongshen overhead cam 19hp 5-speed engine fitted.

MCO: will confirm that i order/receive the MCO saying "motorcycle"

Ordering: I purchased from powersportsmax.com

Estimated delivery time: 1 week

Maintenance Plans: loctite as much as possible during the build, cover any exposed wiring, oil change, valve adjust, drill and cotter pin both axles

Mod Plans: as with all China bikes, im sure i will need to re-jet the carb but thats tbd for now. I may also re-gear if needed

[tknj99]

Update: arrived today (R&L) in perfect condition, wrapped nicely around the cardboard/metal frame with everything secured with zip ties and straps. This is the second shipment out of 4 to date, with the last being the Storm 150 that has been flawless with no issues.. i think the chances are much better than in the past that deliveries are becoming uneventful thankfully.

MC: says "motorcycle" with Make: ZUMA Model: K5-CB250F

Build plans: lube axles, wheel bearings, swingarm, disassemble neck to lube steering stem bearings, locktite necessary bolts, balance wheels

Add-ons to install: bark busters, 14T front sprocket (after grinding down the cover as needed for fitment)

[tknj99]

Started the build.. I inspected the steering stem and it looks good, has blue factory lube already, slathered some extra. I also went to install the 14T front sprocket but unfortunately there isn't enough clearance and you cant simply sand out the cover to make it work.

I also balanced the wheels, definitely a worthwhile investment to buy a wheel balancer and some spoke weights. Also slathered grease inside the wheel bearings.

So far things are looking good from the factory, pleasantly surprised to see lock nuts on the axles and good wheel spacers.

[tknj99]

Finished the build, registered and inspected.
I’ll definitely need to re-gear as 5th is sitting at 7k doing 55 on the probably inaccurate Speedo.. thinking 42T or maybe 40T

Some miscellaneous build notes:
- valves were not tight, they actually had some slight movement which was nice, I shoulda checked the clearance but I’m guessing they were already at .002
- the bike runs very well with the carb as is, not sure if I’ll need to fiddle with it, maybe
- make sure the cover/electric tape the wire harness under the rear fender.. wrap each wire individually first
- I like the wide bars
- geared as is, the bike is pretty snappy power-wise
- make sure to remove and oil the foam air filter
- the metal bars on each side is for the plastics and they need to be loosed and oriented upwards (they came oriented down)
- comes with a magnetic drain plug
-the brake side peg does not recoil, as per PSM this is normal and they sent a video showing that

[vividpixel]

went to install the 14T front sprocket but unfortunately there isn't enough clearance
Yikes, even that 13 tooth barely has any room there. It looks like exactly the same clearance as when I went from a 13 to a 14 tooth on my X...which at some point did chip off a piece of the cover, despite my attempts to keep the chain tight. I'm not familiar with the base model but I'm surprised the factory ships it this way.

[tknj99]

Yea it quickly dashed my hopes for a quick fix to the gearing conundrum
Now to figure which rear makes the most sense

[Dusman]

Though I’m running the 6 speed version of this engine in my Hawk, I went with 13/40 sprockets and it still has plenty of grunt for off-road use. However, if I was primarily going to ride this bike off-road, I probably would have gone with a 42 rear instead of a 40 because personally, I find the current set-up a little too fast in the woods for my liking, but of course, that could simply be my lack of skill. I like my trail bikes to be able to chug a little slower in 1st gear if I’m doing woods or trail riding so that I have a little more control. However, I can verify that at least in a Hawk, this engine is plenty torquey enough to do a 13/40 sprocket set-up for off-road riding.

[tknj99]

Update: removed the carb today to re-jet. Man, i forgot what a bear it was to remove the carb on these bikes.. best way that worked for me was to remove the fuel line, slide cap and choke cable, then the rubber piping on the engine/carb and airbox connection.. then pull back the airbox snorkel outwards, and wriggle the carb thru there.
For the carb, they come with taper proof screws, i attempted to remove via cutting grooves into the heads to unscrew, but these are coming lock-tited now and i still remember trashing my last carb trying to remove the screws.. this time, i wasn't having any of that business so i just grinded the heads down with my angle grinder, easy peasy.. and then vice-grip the screws out once the bowl is removed..
I didn't have a 125 main, so i kept it stock with 120, which seems to be fine.. I did replace the pilot from the stock 40 to now a 42. I also added a shim to the needle jet and buttoned back up.

I may re-jet the main in the future to a 130 which i do have on hand if i gut the catalyst from the exhaust

[Thumper]

JTR897 should do WRONG-EDIT
MAYBE the 897 fit the early base Templar, but probably NOT newer base Templars.

The 897 was noted in the first post in the Templar Resource guide, maybe did fit some early base Templars. I do not know.

[tknj99]

JTR897 should do
Available in 38, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 52, 53

40T available for $21 in black on Amazon !

These are cheap enough to "test" if 1st gear is too tall for your off road fun.

Wait a sec, i thought for the base Templar it would be JTR.210 for the rear? just cancelled the order to be on the safe side until confirmed... i did see a vid on YT where someone fitted the 210 but showed that the holes didn't line up perfectly..

I was going by this statement: "* Oilcan has a 2023 Templar that uses JTR210 so 2023 Templar owners should measure before ordering."

[tknj99]

Did some quick research and someone reviewed an 897 rear for a '23 Templar base and it didn't work, they went with a 210.. ill go measure to be on the safe side

[tknj99]

Ordered the JTR.210 42T
Did the 100 mile oil change today and surprisingly very little metal remnant, nothing on the filter screen and just a little residue on the magnetic drain plug.

Also tested top speed with stock gearing at Speedo 68mph which is probably 63 corrected so hopefully the 42T will get the bike to 70 corrected

[Thumper]

My apologies TK. I was going by Fast Freddie's first post in the Templar Resource guide
https://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=32177
I should know better than to promote second-hand advice.

My X also fits the JTR210.

Again, I am sorry. I will edit my post above. If the info in that first post is wrong, maybe we can get an admin to just delete that. We haven't had a post from Freddie since July.

I guess it is possible that the other sprocket did fit the early base Templars.

[tknj99]

No worries good buddy! The resource guide is invaluable and helped me get this bike staged as I forgot some of the stuff I previously did..

[Crossbar]

"JTR210.40 40T Steel Rear Sprocket" is what I have on my TemplarX 6speed.

[Thumper]

"JTR210.40 40T Steel Rear Sprocket" is what I have on my TemplarX 6speed.

Yes. JTR210 is the right sprocket for Templar X. But OP is building his new BASE TEMPLAR.

The title of this thread is
2024 Templar 250 Base Model Review

[tknj99]

Update: just received the JTR210.42 today. Install was a breeze, everything lined up perfectly. Tested out on an 85 mile trip including a 60mph road and was able to top out at 75mph Speedo indicated. In my opinion the 13 front with 42T rear is the ideal setup as it allows you to take roads up to 60mph limit.. I did find that even throttle pegged wide open it would struggle and slow down on inclines by a few mph so that tells me that the 40T would have been too much and cut down on the snappiness even further. As it is the bike still has decent torque to accelerate. In the future I plan to remove the cat from the exhaust and change main to 130 and leave it at that which should add some more power to make up for the torque lost during the sprocket upgrade..

I also fabricated a skid plate today using some left over thin sheet metal which came with something during shipment..

I’ll add some pics when I get home.. for now I’m on the side of the road waiting for my son to get me a bottle of gas since the last station was out of gas..
On the plus side I know that the bike can go max 80 miles before running out of gas lol


P.s.. I was giving my son a run for the money on some slow twisties, kinda funny to see him shaking his head in disbelief while I’m on his butt, mind you he’s on a 701 haha

[Fast_Freddy]

My apologies TK. I was going by Fast Freddie's first post in the Templar Resource guide
https://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=32177
I should know better than to promote second-hand advice.

My X also fits the JTR210.

Again, I am sorry. I will edit my post above. If the info in that first post is wrong, maybe we can get an admin to just delete that. We haven't had a post from Freddie since July.

I guess it is possible that the other sprocket did fit the early base Templars.

I still stop by every now and then. JTR 897 absolutely fits early Templar base models up to MY23 No one knows with certainty when the change from JTR897 to JTR 210 occurred but it happened close to the MY22/23 changeover. I'll update the guide if I didn't already.

[Still Riding]

How's the engine vibration on the base model compare to the 250X?

I find the X to be very smooth, nearly vibration free.


Thanks

[tknj99]

It does vibrate a little but nothing annoying, I think if you need to run at extended high speeds for awhile it can get buzzy and noisy but some grip puppies would go along way for that I’d think, otherwise normal riding is great

[Still Riding]

Excellent. Thank you

[Mumen Rider]

Why do you think jumping five main jet sizes is a good idea because you removed the cat? You never changed the volume of your intake charge by removing a small restriction in your exhaust pipe.


It's frustrating to see people randomly throwing in larger jets with no idea what their base line afr was to begin with.

[tknj99]

125 is the suggested main, I have 130 that’s all I was mentioning..
I don’t have a way to measure a/f so yes it’s guesswork.. I do know that with my efi bikes in the past a tune wasn’t needed for an exhaust change but was for intake changes.. so maybe I’m good with the 120, I don’t know
Hope your not too frustrated still lol

[Thumper]

Nice converter-ectomy. Welding thin stainless steel ? Brave to attempt if you haven't any or much experience (why I have not done it yet!).

Well, 130 might be too rich, but I'd rather bring it down from the rich side than overheat my engine with lean conditions. It may not be far off. Jet kit. They are cheap!

[Mumen Rider]

125 is the suggested main, I have 130 that’s all I was mentioning..
I don’t have a way to measure a/f so yes it’s guesswork.. I do know that with my efi bikes in the past a tune wasn’t needed for an exhaust change but was for intake changes.. so maybe I’m good with the 120, I don’t know
Hope your not too frustrated still lol


I would not jump to a 130 or a 125, if whoever suggested those jets didn't mention their elevation, relative humidity and temperature there is no point in following that suggestion because you have no idea how relevant it is to your conditions.


From my experience these bikes are extremely rich straight out of the box, the pilot jets are too big. The needle profile is complete ass and leaves you with an abrupt transition to your main jet giving you a huge dip into 10.X AFR(@ 6k) while leaning(lol, not really) slightly out at the top end at WOT.



I am 1'-150' ASL, 70-88f and 45-70% humidity in the last week that I have been logging on this bike.







Nice converter-ectomy. Welding thin stainless steel ? Brave to attempt if you haven't any or much experience (why I have not done it yet!).

Well, 130 might be too rich, but I'd rather bring it down from the rich side than overheat my engine with lean conditions. It may not be far off. Jet kit. They are cheap!




https://i.ibb.co/GJTnJKk/1729023865633.jpg (https://ibb.co/GJTnJKk)


It's honestly not too hard, I took a welding class in college almost twenty years ago and managed this last week with a HF Flux 125.

[tknj99]

Good info, thanks.. I’m at 700’.. I’ll keep as is for now and see how she does on an extended ride

[tknj99]

Update: swapped out the 120 main jet to a 125 and whoo-wee, definitely some extra pull now in the mid-full throttle range.. before the bike would lose speed up hills, now, she can maintain and/or gain speed.. with the extra power i could probably swap the rear sprocket to a 40T to gain some more top-end.. but then i'd suspect she may struggle up hills again. As it is, the bike tops out at 73mph on the speedo, which is probably 68mph corrected... im happy!

[Thumper]

125 main is perfect in all three of my Templars and recommended in the resource. I am not at all surprised.

Glad it is working for you too.

[tknj99]

Update: swapped the 42T for a 40T rear and this seems to be the best fit, can hit 75mph (speedo) on flat while holding at least 65mph (speedo) up hills. Still has excellent torque and power thru the gears with the current carb / de-catted setup

[adb1779]

I would be interested in your thoughts comparing the Templer X to the base Templer.. ride, height handling etc. Also what was your street gas mileage with the Templer X? I was thinking of one as a commuter but was looking for a larger gas tank.

[tknj99]

The Templar X and base model share the same engine. Other than that, the Templar X is taller, has adjustable suspension and the 6th gear. Both bikes handled great both on and off-road, although the tires leave much to be desired.. Riding this past weekend on offroad fast trails, i was easily able to keep up with larger bikes in the switchbacks until the straights and they'd take off.. I cant recall mileage but with this one i get about 80 miles till dry, so that's about 46 mpg. The seat does suck comfort-wise, and im not sure what aftermarket options exist, so there's that as well. If you're just commuting and mostly paved, you may want to look into something more like the KPX which will be much more comfortable overall. I also had a Brozz 250 and that seat was amazing, all day comfort but it was the slowest of the bikes i've owned.
Hope that helps

[Still Riding]

Does the shock on this bike have the same or similar long forks on the bottom to allow lowering the bike by drilling a new shock mount hole as we've done on the Templar X?

[Still Riding]

I found my answer in the Templar X resource guide. The standard can be lowered in the same way as the X. It has been done, not just talked about.