1500+ Mile Tao TBR7 250 Deep Dive Review!

Forgiven1 · 06-08-2019, 07:23 AM

Hi all,

I've had a chance to really get to know this bike now. The worst and best of my experience. Overall I've had a lot of great adventures on this bike. For the price I think you get a lot.

Please do let me know what your thoughts are

OneLeggedRider · 06-08-2019, 08:40 AM

A very informative video, thanks for posting. And the missing rear wheel spacer and loose steering head surprised me. Also liked seeing the spill, looked like you needed more momentum lol. The tires actually did ok for not being true knobbies.

Hellkitty · 06-08-2019, 10:15 AM

Great job with the video! If I was considering buying this bike and wanted to do some research on youtube this is exactly what I'd want to see. Very informative.

roundhouse · 06-08-2019, 10:08 AM

Good vid. Thanks for sharing.

Kivi · 06-08-2019, 10:33 AM

Great vid! I see now how torquier AND faster these bikes are compared to my Zong 200cc pushrod 163fml.

Megadan · 06-08-2019, 01:10 PM

I agree 100% with you on the rear swing arm. I would happily pay another $100 if they would just use a better swing arm on all of these bikes. The cheap thin box tubing is the one real drawback.

The quality of the welds on yours was also appalling. That is one thing I think I can say about the Hawks. Had two of them now, neither one has had a weld issue of any kind, even if the welds look like crap lol.

timcosby · 06-08-2019, 02:55 PM

weld some angle iron on the sucker

Wild Dog · 06-08-2019, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Megadan

The quality of the welds on yours was also appalling. That is one thing I think I can say about the Hawks. Had two of them now, neither one has had a weld issue of any kind, even if the welds look like crap lol.

It will depend on who made the frame in china... The original bike i bought i was one second to take it home from the dealer, when the mechanic found a gross mistake on the welding. They had to give me the one i have now.

Same goes from engines, today i was talking to another rider and he told me that his only complaing was that the bike had way too much vibration. We have the same model, i did test his and yes... his bike had way too much vibration, while mine was quite normal.
After checking his engine ID, i found out that his engine was not made by lifan, but by someone else... And we have the same bike sold by the same people...
So down the road, it's a china thing.

Tashka · 06-08-2019, 08:40 PM

The tbr7 drum brake makes it where there isnt a peice of metal sticking out the bottom of the bike. That's kinda cool

pete · 06-08-2019, 08:51 PM

one of the better videos I have seen...

..

psychprof · 06-09-2019, 01:09 AM

A couple of questions on the video.

1. You said in the video that you’re risking your life more riding this bike compared to other bikes. Did you mean because you think the bike will fall apart while riding it? Can you elaborate a little? You seem to have emphasized that point quite a bit.

2. Your exhaust looked very rusty. How did that happen?

Megadan · 06-09-2019, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychprof

2. Your exhaust looked very rusty. How did that happen?

The factory exhausts on these are made from a very low grade mild steel and he rides his bike through mud and water. Bound to happen.

Forgiven1 · 07-25-2019, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychprof

A couple of questions on the video.

1. You said in the video that you’re risking your life more riding this bike compared to other bikes. Did you mean because you think the bike will fall apart while riding it? Can you elaborate a little? You seem to have emphasized that point quite a bit.

Sorry for the late reply. The reason I feel like I'm risking my life more on this bike is because of the increased possibility of mechanical failure. If I had not discovered the bearing issue it could have caused the rear wheel to cease up. Or when the rear brake failed I could have hit something etc. Basically cheaper components are more at risk to fail.

I think there should be a mandatory two week minimum membership here at Chinariders before dealers are allowed to sell one of these bikes to a person. I never would have got this stuff straightened out if not for you guys

all!

wedooit · 07-25-2019, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forgiven1

Sorry for the late reply. The reason I feel like I'm risking my life more on this bike is because of the increased possibility of mechanical failure. If I had not discovered the bearing issue it could have caused the rear wheel to cease up. Or when the rear brake failed I could have hit something etc. Basically cheaper components are more at risk to fail.

I think there should be a mandatory two week minimum membership here at Chinariders before dealers are allowed to sell one of these bikes to a person. I never would have got this stuff straightened out if not for you guys

all!

One of many reasons for this forum. I too, cannot thank enough the people that assisted me, and so many others.

OneLeggedRider · 07-25-2019, 10:32 PM

You should hear Big Dan belt out Paradise by the dashboard light..

I will say this, the TBR we received was much higher quality than the Hawk. Most of it was little things that someone had actually put some thought into, others were big things like high grade bolts and locking nuts.

Also the initial assembly, all it consists of is handlebars headlight and front fender and tire. Didn't even have to adjust the fork height. But an inline fuel filter, protective spring around the clutch cable bend, LED turn signals, all electrical components under the seat, better airbox and intake tube, rear brake pedal, rear rack, better battery and clamp, rear shock, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some things so the list goes on.

The only shortcoming is it doesn't have a sight glass for the oil. Makes you wonder why it's $60 cheaper.. Also has lock nuts on the exhaust flange.

06-08-2019, 07:23 AM	#1
Forgiven1 Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Hollister, MO Posts: 13	1500+ Mile Tao TBR7 250 Deep Dive Review! Hi all, I've had a chance to really get to know this bike now. The worst and best of my experience. Overall I've had a lot of great adventures on this bike. For the price I think you get a lot. Please do let me know what your thoughts are
	7

06-08-2019, 01:10 PM	#6
Megadan Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 8,053	I agree 100% with you on the rear swing arm. I would happily pay another $100 if they would just use a better swing arm on all of these bikes. The cheap thin box tubing is the one real drawback. The quality of the welds on yours was also appalling. That is one thing I think I can say about the Hawks. Had two of them now, neither one has had a weld issue of any kind, even if the welds look like crap lol. __________________ Hawk Information and Resource guide: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=20331 2018 Hawk 250 - Full Mod list here. http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....62&postcount=1 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 https://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=34124
	1

06-08-2019, 02:55 PM	#7
timcosby Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: robertsdale alabama usa Posts: 1,007	weld some angle iron on the sucker __________________ 1991 harley heritage softail classic 2016 hawk kaw h1 400 tripple 13' long chopper in progress 2009 johnny pag bar hog 2004 hd electra glide ultra classic shriner edition 1997 harley davidson 1200 sportster 1972 harley davidson amf sx250
	1

06-08-2019, 08:51 PM	#10
pete Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: ChCh , NZ Posts: 2,262	one of the better videos I have seen... .. __________________ 09 XT660R ... 06 TTR250 ... 80 Montesa H6 125 Enduro... 77 Montesa Cota 348 MRR "Malcom Rathnell Replica"... Current resto projects.. 81 Honda CT110... 80 Kawasaki KL250A1... 11 Husaburg TE125 enduro... "sold" along with another 31... Lifan 125 Pitbike.. "stolen" ... KIWI BIKER FORUM...... http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/content.php All the best offroad rides in NZ... http://www.remotemoto.com/ E-mail... xtpete1@gmail.com
	1

06-09-2019, 01:09 AM	#11
psychprof Join Date: Feb 2019 Posts: 38	A couple of questions on the video. 1. You said in the video that you’re risking your life more riding this bike compared to other bikes. Did you mean because you think the bike will fall apart while riding it? Can you elaborate a little? You seem to have emphasized that point quite a bit. 2. Your exhaust looked very rusty. How did that happen? Last edited by psychprof; 06-09-2019 at 12:32 PM.
	0

06-08-2019, 08:40 AM	#2
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	A very informative video, thanks for posting. And the missing rear wheel spacer and loose steering head surprised me. Also liked seeing the spill, looked like you needed more momentum lol. The tires actually did ok for not being true knobbies.
	1

06-08-2019, 10:15 AM	#3
Hellkitty Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 216	Great job with the video! If I was considering buying this bike and wanted to do some research on youtube this is exactly what I'd want to see. Very informative.
	1

06-08-2019, 10:08 AM	#4
roundhouse Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: N Texas Posts: 706	Good vid. Thanks for sharing.
	1

06-08-2019, 10:33 AM	#5
Kivi Join Date: May 2017 Location: Serbia Posts: 217	Great vid! I see now how torquier AND faster these bikes are compared to my Zong 200cc pushrod 163fml.
	2

06-08-2019, 08:40 PM	#9
Tashka Join Date: Aug 2018 Posts: 158	The tbr7 drum brake makes it where there isnt a peice of metal sticking out the bottom of the bike. That's kinda cool
	1

07-25-2019, 10:32 PM	#15
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	You should hear Big Dan belt out Paradise by the dashboard light.. I will say this, the TBR we received was much higher quality than the Hawk. Most of it was little things that someone had actually put some thought into, others were big things like high grade bolts and locking nuts. Also the initial assembly, all it consists of is handlebars headlight and front fender and tire. Didn't even have to adjust the fork height. But an inline fuel filter, protective spring around the clutch cable bend, LED turn signals, all electrical components under the seat, better airbox and intake tube, rear brake pedal, rear rack, better battery and clamp, rear shock, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some things so the list goes on. The only shortcoming is it doesn't have a sight glass for the oil. Makes you wonder why it's $60 cheaper.. Also has lock nuts on the exhaust flange.
	1