Templar X 250

[XNewt]

I got the bike in. The shipping company was very nice. Even though I bought it assembled, and it was 'supposed' to help receive the bike undamaged, it still has a few dings and damaged stuff here and there.

I had to get back to work, so I could not make a complete list of everything, but I plan on it tonight and then get with them tomorrow about getting new parts.

Overall I am impressed with it for the money. Not a surprise for those of you who have one. I was concerned that it would sit too high, as some say, but after I got on it, the balls of my feet hit the ground just like I felt they should. I am 5' 7 1/2", lol, 200lb. Short legs/inseam. But at this point, I have no complaints about seat height.

Looking forward to getting home and hopefully riding some tonight!

[Bruces]

That’s great ! ,now you get to take it all apart and assemble it correctly .

[XNewt]

Originally Posted by Bruces

That’s great ! ,now you get to take it all apart and assemble it correctly .

Yea, there were a few things I definitely would have done differently, but for the most part, it was done well. None of the bolts were loose. Some of the controls were loose and the throttle being loose had me hunting down why I could not get it to idle well. Once I tightened that it started and idled fine. If I was to get another, I would save the money and buy it unassembled.

I managed to get most everything settled by the end of the night and rode it around just a bit. I need to work on the suspension settings I think, and the clutch. Suspension feels ok, but maybe just a bit on the soft side. I will find out once I take it for a longer ride though.

I am completely new to riding true off road so I am sure it is going to be a learning curve!

[sshoress]

My baby! She's running like a dang DRZ400, cranks right up every time, gets down on the freeway and likes to whip the S%^T out of me in this florida sugar sand haha
I wouldn't trade this thing... well...unless for a Husqvarna 701.... MAAAYBE a 500...

[XNewt]

I have a couple of quickish questions if you all would be so kind as to help me.

1. What tire psi are you running? I plan to start out with mostly dirt roads, some light trails, and minimal(1-2 mile) bits of pavement to get to said places.

2. Could you give me a simple mans guide to the suspension? I know there are top and bottom adjustments on the forks, and same on the rear with the addition of the spring. Just looking for a rule of thumb that says if I feel or experience 'X' then I should make 'Y' adjustment.

Thanks in advance hopefully!

[Thumper]

Sure XNewt,
Just in case you didn't notice, both wheels have rim locks which prevent the tire from turning independently of the wheel (under braking-front wheel, and under acceleration-rear wheel). This allows you to run low pressures off-road without worring about ripping your inner tube filler nozzle off the tube But lower pressures are squirmy on pavement if you try any hard cornering, etc. SO, I run 25psi which is a compromise between optimal offroad and adequate on road pressures. Personnaly, I don't think anything more than 25psi really helps with knobbies on pavement, but you can increase that to 28-30psi if you want. Off-road, the softer the tires, the higher the chance of a pinch flat, where you hit a rock that squooshes the tire and pinches the tube on the rim. Enough on that...

My experience with this KKE adjustable forks and rear shock are that they don't do much until you get close to the end of stiffness adjustment. Part of that is probably the fact that I can't do quick compressions with the bike on the kick stand!

While you are out there bouncing around on roots, rocks and puddles the suspension may in fact be damping. Who knows. The bottom line is dial up much more compression and rebound stiffness (clockwise on each). See how it feels. Then adjust accordingly to your preference.

Have fun!!

[sshoress]

1. Question 1:
   Will these Warp 9's fit? If not then
2. Question 2:
   What will? Is 17" super moto a viable option?
3. Question 3:
   Where can I purchase a tall custom made seat, with raised passenger portion - possibly even extended a bit if possible of course?
4. Question 4: FINAL Question...
   If anyone is quite adept at bike wiring, especially chinese wiring, I am desperate beyond words for help regarding either a stuck brake light on, or brake light not working for weeks of trials and many tribulations... please

[vividpixel]

Originally Posted by sshoress

If anyone is quite adept at bike wiring, especially chinese wiring, I am desperate beyond words for help regarding either a stuck brake light on, or brake light not working

I'd check the adjustments for the brake, loosening or tightening and seeing if you can get the brake pedal to go on or off. The adjustment could be too tight, if the light is always lit.

Maybe see if there are any connectors along the wires or wiring harness that have come loose or been exposed to anything.

And I suppose there's always just the chance the bulb is half-dead? If a newly purchased bulb doesn't work, clearly that wasn't the problem but you now have a backup bulb!

That's about all this amateur can think of.

[XNewt]

Originally Posted by Thumper

Sure XNewt,
Just in case you didn't notice, both wheels have rim locks which prevent the tire from turning independently of the wheel (under braking-front wheel, and under acceleration-rear wheel). This allows you to run low pressures off-road without worring about ripping your inner tube filler nozzle off the tube But lower pressures are squirmy on pavement if you try any hard cornering, etc. SO, I run 25psi which is a compromise between optimal offroad and adequate on road pressures. Personnaly, I don't think anything more than 25psi really helps with knobbies on pavement, but you can increase that to 28-30psi if you want. Off-road, the softer the tires, the higher the chance of a pinch flat, where you hit a rock that squooshes the tire and pinches the tube on the rim. Enough on that...

My experience with this KKE adjustable forks and rear shock are that they don't do much until you get close to the end of stiffness adjustment. Part of that is probably the fact that I can't do quick compressions with the bike on the kick stand!

While you are out there bouncing around on roots, rocks and puddles the suspension may in fact be damping. Who knows. The bottom line is dial up much more compression and rebound stiffness (clockwise on each). See how it feels. Then adjust accordingly to your preference.

Have fun!!

Thanks Thumper. I did not see this until this morning, but when I got home from work last night I went ahead and reduced pressure to 20psi front and back. I did read it in the 'suggestion' manual they sent with the bike. lol From looking at the dirt on the tires it seems it is getting better contact for sure now.

On the suspension, I did follow the "instructions" in the manual, noticing that they had the suspension set pretty soft when they sent it. Rode it around once and realized it was way too stiff seemed like. Softened it up twice, and its now getting to about the right feel I think.

Being new to it on this level I feel like the softer suspension gives me a better feel for the road(off road). I need to take it on a trail ride to really feel how it handles instead of just up and down the driveway and neighbor's driveway.

My brain just is trying to wrap around the difference between rebound and compression, and how to decide which one to increase/decrease based on what the bike feels like.

In reality, I think I will just take it to a guy I know who has multiple bikes and has ridden professionally in his early days. I know I will catch flack for it not being a Japanese bike, but hopefully he can look over it and offer some suggestions.

Many more adventures to come!

[XNewt]

Good news is my new MSO and Bill of Sale should be here today! Looking forward to getting tags so I can get out from around the house.

I'll be sure to update once I get tags here in Arkansas in case anyone else from this great state is curious.

[chinazuki]

no problem here ...you should have no problem there.


...ah but now i read you had dirt on your MCO
mine came with "Motorcycle" on MCO and I got titled plates

[GypsyR]

Tried to make some more DIY decals, found out they scaled downsize or something. Fail.

So I looked to do something else. Stock grips are terrible, mushy and loose. Some Pro Tapers I ordered had come in so I stuck those on. Hard. I kind of like softer grips but I always wear gloves on this thing so they should be OK.

Headlight bulbs I ordered off Temu came in. I thought about a before and after but it's just a headlight. I did shine the OEM low beam on my white garage door before and couldn't even tell it was on. New one shines like a freaking headlight. How good I don't know yet. But a pocket flashlight would be better than the original. These are the kind with a pigtail to the plug and a little fan on the back. Good, bad, I don't know. Cost $7 for two. Box, with my failed side graphics.

Finally got fed up with the wasp stinger tail and trimmed it. Relocated the tag as close as possible to the tail light and drilled two holes. Made sure it had support behind it and zipped the fender off. I still wanted the reflector or a reflector back there. I realized I had enough fender in my hand to reach up to the new tag bracket holes and the studs were long enough so I drilled two more holes in the cutoff piece. Trimmed the edges a bit and stuck it on. I feel like this is a kind of skeezy solution but darned if it doesn't look pretty decent. I think. Reflector is angled down a bit though. Might attack it with a heat gun later.

[XNewt]

Just got back from the DMV. It went pretty smooth until the guy said he was going to have to go check on something, then comes back and gets the MSO and goes into another office, then comes back out and makes a phone call.....

So I ask if there is an issue and he says they do not have it in their system(I am guessing the manufacturer) and that he just has to call and get it put it.

Walked out with my tags after 20 or so mins. Time to hit the trails now!

I still have some tweaking to do on the bike. I'm trying to dial in the suspension, and I am definitely going to need to do some tweaking on the carb. Will be a little bit of a learning curve on both but I think I can get there.

[TemplarM250]

Has anyone put on ODI lock on grips? Wondering if they will fit the Templar. Dropped the bike and bent the front brake lever and damaged the throttle tube a bit. Anyone got a good link for a front brake lever?

[NCtemplar250]

Originally Posted by sshoress

1. Question 1:
   Will these Warp 9's fit? If not then
2. Question 2:
   What will? Is 17" super moto a viable option?
3. Question 3:
   Where can I purchase a tall custom made seat, with raised passenger portion - possibly even extended a bit if possible of course?
4. Question 4: FINAL Question...
   If anyone is quite adept at bike wiring, especially chinese wiring, I am desperate beyond words for help regarding either a stuck brake light on, or brake light not working for weeks of trials and many tribulations... please

Your bike is badass. Love the decals and redesign.