Five Chinese motorcycles

[ChopperCharles]

I started my foray into Chinese motorcycle ownership when I came across the SSR Buccaneer 250i. I was looking at the CSC SG250, but then saw an adult man sitting on one, and realized it was a 3/4-sized motorcycle. The SSR just popped up one day on my google search and I knew I wanted one. I snagged it from a local-ish dealership for $3200 out the door - a steep discount as MSRP was $3699.

It had issues, mostly speedo and turn signals, but then the frame broke. SSR fixed me up and repaired it OUTSIDE of my warranty. They even went out of their way to modify an existing frame so that it would never break again, and then had it powder coated back to the original red color. (basically they copied the mods made to the 2018-up frame). With that kind of service for an out-of-warranty bike I was impressed, and decided I would try one of their more expensive Chinese-made bikes, the Benelli Leoncino.

The Leoncino was brilliant, I love it and it's everything I hoped it would be. Never had a single problem with it that wasn't the result of crashing on a rutted and rocky jeep trail.

Then I spent $5500 cash on a CSC SG400. (preorder). I wanted to ride california, and I figured I'd buy the bike and ride it 2500 miles over a week and some change, and then sell it if I didn't like it. Turns out I liked it It's not been trouble-free, but the troubles seemed to have fixed themselves so

While I was waiting for my SG400 to arrive from overseas I found a super deal on a lightly used RX3 - only $1200 with 1500 miles on it. This bike was nothing BUT problems, and it was absolutely abysmally bad off tarmac. All the stuff I could do on the Leoncino, the RX3 failed at miserably - even when stripped of the luggage. Washboard, baby-head rocks, single-track, hill climbs, high-speed graded gravel, etc. I ended up hating the thing. In the context of a commuter it makes sense, but it's no adv bike, and that's what I bought it for. Constant problems too. I've never been so glad to see the backside of one of my motorcycles before. Made money on it tho.

And then a few months ago, I snagged a Benelli TRK502. I had sat on the X model at the dealership and couldn't handle the excessive height or heft so I ignored it. But then they got the base model in and I sat on it and it just felt... right. I wanted a touring bike and this fit the bill... and then they offered it to me for $6500 out the door. And long story short, it came home with me. Even though it shares an engine with the Leoncino, it's a completely different machine. Even the character of the engine is different - my leo strains on the highway, but with the aerodynamics from the fairing the TRK seems at ease, even up steep grades with a headwind (which really sucks on the Leoncino). A 15T countershaft sprocket brought the revs down at speed, and didn't seem to affect acceleration or holding speed any. It just made 75mph a lot more comfortable.

I'm starting to feel like I've got two many motorcycles that cover the same purposes. (Commuting, scrambling, local riding, touring, jeep trails, etc) BUT... if I came across a good deal on a G400C or a KPM200 or even a grom or monkey clone I would snag one. Maybe even a CG230-based bike (TT-250 or even one of the Amazon bikes).

I definitely have a sickness. I went from all Honda to all Chinese in just a couple of years.... and I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not owning a Japanese bike. In fact, I'm having a great time with these bikes, and doing FAR less maintenance on them than I was doing on my 1980s and 1990s Hondas.

No real point to this post, I just wanted to share.


Charles.

[JerryHawk250]

I know it's a sickness but I'll live with it. lol No such thing as too many bikes. The Benelli TRK502 has been on my would lie to have list among many other bikes.

[ChopperCharles]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

I know it's a sickness but I'll live with it. lol No such thing as too many bikes. The Benelli TRK502 has been on my would lie to have list among many other bikes.

The TRK502 is great, I'm really happy with it so far. I modded the hell out of my Leoncino, but the TRK I'm happy to keep mostly stock. Just lights and heated grips, and maybe a taller windscreen. (Though the little extender from Amazon works quite well to keep my helmet out of the windstream).

If you want agile and nimble and fun on poor roads and jeep trails, the Leoncino Trail is the bike you want. It's far closer to the CB500X than the TRK502 is. (The Leoncino is faster than the CB500X and looks better, and also comes with spokes and good suspension from the factory). The TRK is enormous. E. Norm.Us. Two fatties and a months worth of gear big. It feels like a big GSA. It's a touring bike from stem to stern, and you can feel that immediately. It's not a bike for anything more gnarly than a gravel road. But WOW is it nice to tour on - even freeways are fun now. That's new to me, I've never enjoyed freeway riding and with the TRK it's truly effortless. It also handles twisties well, and the brakes are exceptional once you replace the too-long-of-a-reach stock levers. (I swear moto manufacturers think we all have gorilla hands. I had this same problem with my Yamaha. Brakes were okay, but I couldn't get enough leverage on the lever to use them well until I put on an aftermarket adjustable lever).

Also the TRK's luggage... whoo boy. In the US, the factory luggage is 58 liters for each side case (the X model's right bag is slightly smaller to make room for the exhaust), and the topcase is 50L. To put that in perspective, each side case can hold two full face helmets with room to spare. The topcase can hold a full face helmet AND a fat man's textile motorcycle jacket, without having to force the lid closed. And empty, the bags weigh almost nothing.

I went camping, and brought way more than I ever have before on a moto camping trip. I packed literally everything I could find. Two different SLR cameras, an extra tent, an extra chair, a cot to sleep on, sleeping bag, down blanket, thermarest pad, cooking supplies, an extra jacket, a kelty noah tarp with stakes and poles, hippo hands, tools, tire pump, battery/jump pack, rain gear, heated gear, and a bunch of stuff for the Pay it Forward free bin at the campground. (two pairs of unwanted winter gloves and a giant coleman full air mattress). Even with all of this I was unable to fill the bags completely. I ran out of stuff I thought I might even remotely have a 1% chance of using. The two side cases were full, but the topcase basically just had the cameras in it.

For a normal camping trip to a motorcycle campground, I will definitely not even need the topcase. One and a half side cases at most.

Charles.

[4T_Goblin]

I own a Vader called "Ninjalini". All smiles all the time. It's my hot rod.
You for sure will have to give it lots attention to get it right but it's worth it