Kayo T4 goes to 11
 

Well, the Kayo dirt bikes are finally released, and it appears that the mid-range dual-sport, the T4, has a 6-speed transmission. From what I understand and has been discussed here before, Kayo is, or might be, the OEM for some of Pitster Pro's bikes, so these should be the 'real deal' as far as high quality and very uncomfortable seats go :tup: It will only be a matter of time before someone gets one, joins us, discusses it a bit, and then disappears, like our Pitster XTR 250 members :lmao:

https://www.ridekayo.com/t4-250

They must be smoking something with those prices. GPX was selling for cheaper, with better specced stuff. Just the XTR 250 (which I'm pretty sure is the Kayo T4) is $400 cheaper. The FSE250E (which I think is made by another company IIRC), which is specced with better components than the T4, which it would compete with, is the same price! It's also based out of Carrolton, TX, which is in the DFW metroplex, so I wonder if Manny is involved.

Looks good,but I'd drop another $1k and get a crf230 if I was spending that kind of cash

I checked TXPowersports, and there are no listings for Kayo products, which is a good thing! I started the thread to show that there is now a 6-speed enduro/dual-sport available. As far as MSRP goes, I am guessing one would be able to get them less than the listed price. However, Turbopowersports in So. Cal. has the K6-R advertised at the MSRP price. I would prefer Pitster's FSE250E in that class of bike because it comes with all the street-legal stuff on it since I live in AZ and it would be easy to register here. As far as the Pitster XTR vs. the Kayo T4, I am fairly certain I would stick with the tried and true Pitster, but do admit I am intrigued by the 6-speed in the Kayo. There are a couple of Kayo videos from Nepal, which added to my interest, LOL, but could not find much from western countries.

I'd be inclined to agree with you, except for the bottom bucket, outdated components Honda is using on them. The suspension, for example, was outdated when they released those bikes in '03, and it hasn't been updated/improved. If they're using Fastace/SCZ suspension, it's a huge step up from what's on offer from Honda.

What you get from Honda would be the build quality. I do agree that the CRF230 is a budget bike with budget parts, but they are well built budget parts on a bike with such a long history that parts are cheap and plentiful. The downside is, the 230 also does not come as a dual sport.

In my opinion, if you are heart set on getting a Honda, you may as well get the next step up for only another $700, which would be a CRF250L. You get proper suspension, a few more horsepower, efi, etc. on a properly street legal dual sport.

Sure, that's a big price jump over the Kayo as listed above, but no offense, it's worth it if a proper dual sport is your thing. That said, if off road shenanigans are more what you are after and could give a fart less about anything else, the Kayo would be a great bike to beat up on in the dirt.

Funny thing is, I remember when the XTR 250 LC 21/18 was a bargain of a bike at $2600 just a couple of years ago. Now Pitster is asking $3099, and I don't believe it has Fast Ace hardware anymore. Most of their bikes now come with suspension from another company. Still adjustable and long travel though.

You are right about one thing, the few people that did buy the XTR sure never did stick around much. Probably out having too much fun.

I think, for my money, I would take the Orion RXB-250L over the XTR 250. I've seen how capable that bike is with just a little effort thrown in the suspension setup.

The XTRs are leftover models, I'm fairly certain. They're transferring the business over to the FSE/TSE stuff. I'm sure the XTRs still have Fastace components, because when they switched to SZC, it was for their FSE/TSE lines. They made the switch because of the unconventional disassembly process for the Fastace forks, which involves unscrewing the lug from the stanchions. The SZC is a step up from what I've heard from those who've had both apart.

I think the Orion (which almost looks like it might be a Kayo) is a step up from the CRF230 in terms of capability, though I'm not sure I'd agree about the 250L; it's more of a lateral step. It does have USD forks, but they're completely non-adjustable, and the bike itself is a bit of a pig. It's definitely reliable, I put over 10k miles on one, but they're ~320lbs wet. I think most of the people riding them stay on the road, the suspension isn't good for much else, even if long travel.

That is why I made the distinction between a Dual Sport and the other being a better off road machine. The 250L is plenty capable once you take the time to get the suspension sorted. It suffers from the same thing all Honda bikes do, under sprung and under damped. Honda has a bad habit of that. Sure, it's not adjustable, but once you have a suspension setup dialed in, that usually is a moot point. My VFR's front suspension has limited adjustability, but with the valving and shim stack setup how it should be for me, I never touch the adjustments lol.

Must be the RE250 engine - Kayo here in China isn't useing anything too stunning in their air cooled range like the 4 valve 249.9cc or the 249.9cc 6 speed balance shaft engine

Just test drove a Kayo T4 yesterday.....really wanting to love the bike but it's actually now listed as a 230(223cc), does not have the kickstart, is 'down on power' according to the Kayo rep i spoke with due to being CARB/CA compliant, and the biggest kicker for me does NOT have a functioning fuel gauge. :(

WHAT!? CARB Compliant????? For the street or just green sticker???

This is the CB motor, right? I wonder if the CRF230 cams, etc....would work in it?

Should be possible! If it's CARB compliant, that changes the equation for some!

I'm probably not using the exact terminology but when I spoke to someone at Kayo they specifically said that the T4 was down on power compared to some of the other 230 bikes because they went ahead and just made 1 version that would be legal for California.

I have not seen this on the EPA Offroad Certification list, but the list has not been published since April, so I am guessing it was certified as EPA offroad compliant and will appear on the next update, seeing as 4x4Dragon has touched and ridden one in person. I have seen them advertised by dealers as well in various states by putting in 'Kayo T4 for sale' on Google, so I know it has to have some kind of certification. So, of course, it will be California legal only as an offroad bike. Some of the Pister Pro/GPX bikes were Red Sticker, so at the very least this one, and the offroad bike Kayo is also showing with the same engine will be Red Sticker. Maybe they will one-up Pitster and get a Green Sticker?

I do recall when these were put on Kayo's website, the T4 was going to have a different engine than the 230cc offroad bike, but I am sure economics came into play.

It is a shame that they went this route because this bike might have been able to justify itself as a 'premium' bike in the same class as Pitster/GPX. It is, kinda, but as someone pointed out on another thread, the Orion RXB is a much better deal for a whole lot less than the T4.

No kickstart? No way! The old saying 'I wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating crackers' comes to mind, but I wouldn't pursue this bike at its price point. I am still curious, but not too interested if it keeps its 'premium'.