BASHAN 250 Storm - Thinking of selling it
 

I bought my 2016 Storm in October 2016. It has been a great purchase. I was getting back into riding after 20 years of not owning a motorcycle. I have put about 3300 miles on the Storm with no problems. No mods and still looks like new. So, now I'm considering a new mid size adventure bike that can handle longer distances and still be easy to handle. So, I'm not really sure what the Storm is worth at this point........maybe $1000. I am in the St Louis area and purchased the bike from a local dealer at $1895 ready to ride out the door. I like the bike but just looking for a little more distance capability. Just looking for some opinions from the experts on this forum.

When you find the experts on this forum, please let the rest of us know. :lmao::lmao:
What are you looking at in terms of a middle-range adventure bike?

:tup:well, I have a couple of requirements: keep the cost down...$7000 or less; shorter wheelbase.....similar to the Storm....needs to fit in the back of my short bed F150; Weight less than 450 lbs. That's about it. I'm considering something like Honda CB500X or Kaw Versys 650...... I like the Suzuki Vstrom 650 but I think it's wheelbase/length is too long and it is higher priced.

Rx4 ?
 

it seems that the Zongshen RX4 may fit the bill but dont know if they will ever be imported. Havent seen any info on this forum but i may have missed it.

Experts! I thought I knew what an expert was, (a damn fool 20 miles from home) when I was informed that I was wrong. That a REAL expert was a man who could walk up behind a mule, lift his tail, and blow so hard through his ass that the bit would shoot right out of his mouth...ARH :p

I own the CB500X and love it. To me, it's better than the RX3. That was one I was looking at, but I didn't get to ride one until after I bought the CB500X. I'm happy with the CB-X. I still have some more upgrades to do.


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/...c32b1e83_c.jpg


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/...a8fa8c67_c.jpg

jeez o man! that thing is going to be a handful to keep the front wheel on the ground after it's loaded. :o

the new versys 300 looks nice. saw one in person just recently.

The seat on the Versys 300 is as hard as a rock.
It is a lot of money for a 300cc bike, 70 cc more than mine.

On the other hand the 650 in Orange really looks nice but the wife says no, afraid I will get killed on it.

You would think so but no. I upped the shock preload, set my tire pressures right, and she rides real good. In that pic, I was loaded for a week trip.

Nice! Ignoring the big price differential, what were the major factors in not choosing the RX3?

Keep in mind that the RX3 was a brand new unproven bike when I bought my CB-X.



For me it was going to be about $4500 for the RX3 because of the CSC upgrades I wanted. The CB500X OTD was $5499. They are cheaper now if you don't mind buying a hold over from 2016 or 2015. It also depends on your area too. Always shop around and play dealers off each other with the beat my price game. I am into my CB500X for $6000 with all the current add ons and upgrades. Most of which I would have done to the RX3.


I am a fat guy and I carry a lot of older heavier camping gear. I rarely ride the interstates but some of the areas I ride the speed limits are up there. I wasn't sure if the RX3 could handle hours of being run nearly maxed out and over loaded. When I was looking at the RX3, they were fairly new and unproven. I wasn't sure about the off pavement capabilities. While I don't actually ride off road. I do ride a lot of really old really rough dirt and gravel roads. The CB-X has been proven in that respect by other owners. There are also a lot of suspension upgrades for the CB-X. At the time, there was none for the RX3 except I think a shock and maybe fork springs from CSC. I can't remember for sure. It's been a few years. I keep bikes for a long time and get my moneys worth out of them.



Whatever bike I chose, it had to hold up to a year of constant riding around the US and Canada with as much gravel and dirt roads as possible. That ride is quickly coming up. The only thing that would stop me is if my health deteriorated more before then.

With only 1500 separating a Honda 500cc from a Chinese 250 cc it is kinda a no brainer. When I went looking for a dual sport I was choosing between a $1200 and a 6000 bike comparing the hawk to a crf250L. That was a striking price difference. With the success of the rx3 Japan is starting to take note of 300 to 500 cc bikes. Csc needs to either up the cc of their engines or lower the price of their 250s to make price a bigger consideration. Just my opinion .

As the Chinese manufacturers start to up their quality game, the price gap is going to shrink as well. Take a look at the CFMoto 650nk. a bit more than a grand cheaper than an equivalent Japanese 650cc twin cylinder bike, and from everything I have read, it is a very well built machine. It comes up a little short compared to the bikes it is aimed at, but the fact that you can get a 70hp parallel twin bike for $5000 is amazing.

The trouble that China is mainly going to have is their lack of dealer networks and infrastructure. Even if they are cheaper, the ability to take your Honda/Kawa/Suzuki to any local bike shop and get parts and service easily is a big selling point that can be easily worth the extra purchase cost.

Man, I guess CA really does have different pricing.

The CB500X lists for 6599+330 doc fee=6929
The RX3 lists for 3895+55 doc + 345 assembly, shipping & pedicure fee=4295

That's a 2634 difference here.