rxb250l

[Wbflyer]

Looks like the new model will me out soon. I'm looking for something to ride in the mountain once a month or less. Not looking to spend a ton since I will be keeping it at our cabin and don't want to worry about a 10k bike being stolen. I'm 200lbs and 6'3". Would this bike be a good choice? Reliability, etc. good?

Thanks!

[OffRoadToad]

I'm sure it will be fine for you. I have the 2020 and even though they're different now, I have no problems at 6' and 190lbs. I'm more than confident it would handle someone much bigger than me. If anything the newer ones have a more robust suspension.

[Wbflyer]

Perfect, has your been pretty reliable and solid?

[Ursa_Adv]

Originally Posted by Wbflyer

Perfect, has your been pretty reliable and solid?

I own a 2020 model as well. Reliability on the older 229cc engine is pretty solid. Most things that went "bad" were a result of operator error. Though remember at these lower price points, you will have to do some general wrenching. It's just a side-effect of keeping those build costs down.

I have heard good things about '21-'22 motors and it doesn't get more simple than air-cooled.

Keep her gassed up, lubed up, and those bolts tight. That's about it. As long as you keep up on the basics, she'll won't let you down.

[OffRoadToad]

I agree with everything Ursa said. My only real complaint from the get go was how loud it was. I use it to commute to work and the neighbors probably hated it. I just dropped a new exhaust on it last week and what a huge difference.

Heard nothing but good things about the newer models though. And they're about to drop some new info about the 2022's on their FB page tomorrow. Supposed to be some big news. I'd keep an eye on that in case they have any deals going down.

[Wbflyer]

I thought that news was for the non "L" street version. Only the off road version since they have the new one already on their website. Or am I wrong?

[zero_dgz]

My 2021 has been perfectly reliable thus far. It's probably the most powerful 250cc class Chinese dual sport bike out of the box. (Maybe the GPX ones are slightly better, but they also cost like three times more.) It sure gets up and goes, I can tell you that.



It is indeed quite loud. It has a straight through motocross exhaust on it right from the factory with no baffles or spark arrestor, so it may not pass muster for inspection in your state. I plan to weld up a baffle for mine to make it shut up a little bit. The other components are all reasonably high quality. The fit and finish on the headlight are nice but its light cast is kind of useless. Mine lacked a kill switch for some reason, and the seat is singularly awful. Valve adjustments on the ZS172FMM-5 engine are kind of pain, especially with how it's mounted in this bike because the frame and side supports are in the way. You definitely need to get or make yourself an angled feeler gauge.


Mine arrived missing one seat pan bumper, one footpeg spring (but not the other), and the front fender was all twisted up in the box. Also had one stripped out bolt hole on the left hand seat mount that I had to drill and re-tap. Orion themselves (the company) are also a slimy bag of dicks, and refused to honor their warranty on any of these parts without excessive runaround. They insisted they wanted me to ship the fender back for "inspection" and they would then "decide" if they "approved" a replacement or else I would also have to pay to ship my old one back. Shipping was around $20 each way. Broheim, I can get a new knockoff KTM fender on eBay for $12 that's higher quality and bolts right up.


Check out their social media and reviews if you want to get a handle on how those guys conduct themselves... Up to you if you want to give them your hard earned dollar after you do, or purchase any of the superficially quite similar bikes from someone else (they're made by Nicot and there are various other importers/resellers under different names).

[Wbflyer]

You think the hawk DLX would be a better bet in the long run? Thanks for the detailed post!

[Wbflyer]

If it doesn't have a kill switch, how do you turn it off?

[zero_dgz]

With the key?

[Wbflyer]

Oh, ok!

[zero_dgz]

Re: Your question about the Hawk DLX. That kind of depends on what you want to do with your bike. If you plan to spend all or nearly all of your time off-road I think the RXB or its ilk will be a better buy. The RXB has much more capable suspension, more power, and I'm pretty sure it weighs less than the Hawk.


What the Hawk DLX has going for it is nearly fire-and-forget capability with fuel injection and a more mellow power delivery, lower frame, more comfortable seat, and better road manners. It's probably also cheaper, depending on where you buy it from.

[OffRoadToad]

Originally Posted by Wbflyer

I thought that news was for the non "L" street version. Only the off road version since they have the new one already on their website. Or am I wrong?

Not really sure. Have only briefly been on over the last week or so. All I read was "Big news coming Friday about '22 RXB250."

There's still nothing up yet, but Joe Henner has hyping it, so it may be about the dirt version only.

[OffRoadToad]

Originally Posted by zero_dgz

My 2021 has been perfectly reliable thus far. It's probably the most powerful 250cc class Chinese dual sport bike out of the box. (Maybe the GPX ones are slightly better, but they also cost like three times more.) It sure gets up and goes, I can tell you that.



It is indeed quite loud. It has a straight through motocross exhaust on it right from the factory with no baffles or spark arrestor, so it may not pass muster for inspection in your state. I plan to weld up a baffle for mine to make it shut up a little bit. The other components are all reasonably high quality. The fit and finish on the headlight are nice but its light cast is kind of useless. Mine lacked a kill switch for some reason, and the seat is singularly awful. Valve adjustments on the ZS172FMM-5 engine are kind of pain, especially with how it's mounted in this bike because the frame and side supports are in the way. You definitely need to get or make yourself an angled feeler gauge.


Mine arrived missing one seat pan bumper, one footpeg spring (but not the other), and the front fender was all twisted up in the box. Also had one stripped out bolt hole on the left hand seat mount that I had to drill and re-tap. Orion themselves (the company) are also a slimy bag of dicks, and refused to honor their warranty on any of these parts without excessive runaround. They insisted they wanted me to ship the fender back for "inspection" and they would then "decide" if they "approved" a replacement or else I would also have to pay to ship my old one back. Shipping was around $20 each way. Broheim, I can get a new knockoff KTM fender on eBay for $12 that's higher quality and bolts right up.


Check out their social media and reviews if you want to get a handle on how those guys conduct themselves... Up to you if you want to give them your hard earned dollar after you do, or purchase any of the superficially quite similar bikes from someone else (they're made by Nicot and there are various other importers/resellers under different names).

actually, I can attest to this. They're great as long as all is good. As soon as there's a problem they become vague, defensive and slow to respond.

I bought an Apollo Z20 Max that came in good shape. Was shipped fast and had good response from them when corresponding during shipping. Ordered the RXB250, and it obviously fell over during shipping. The packaging was destroyed, as well as the right hand tank shroud and the grips. It was my sisters bike originally, so we refused the shipping and sent it back. They were very cold about it the entire time, and when it returned it was obvious they did nothing. The ruined tank shroud was not replaced, the throttle side grip was still the same, etc. I went over to my sisters and checked out everything I could and determined it was all cosmetic, so I took it off her hands. She was pretty much done with Orion as a company and wanted nothing to do with the bike.

[Ursa_Adv]

Originally Posted by OffRoadToad

They're great as long as all is good. As soon as there's a problem they become vague, defensive and slow to respond.

I would say the same.

TLDR: Their customer service is a bit shit, but I do like my RXB. A lot. I do not regret the purchase and if I wasn't currently cramming a liquid cooled 249cc into my RXB, I would probably buy another one from Orion.

My experience (take it or leave it): Prior to 2021 they had marketed the RXB-250L as some what "cleared" to be plated in most states. I asked about paperwork regarding this claim as my state DMV was asking for it as the bike was not in their system.

No reply after submitting a contact us via the website. Reached out via email after about a week or two. Got kind of a "we'll get back to you...busy, etc." Which is like cool whatever it happens. Then got the run around, "we have to ask for it from the factory...we can only wait till they give it to us...etc." No communication past that point. Just dead air.

Which, to be honest, is like I don't really care if they don't have it. But please don't string me along.

They now list "EPA Exempt Racing Bike", to get around this, on the sale page for the bike. So just be ready if you live in a state where the DMV likes to really knit-pick paperwork.

I ended up going the SD route for title/plate and basically learned to look for parts on my own without going through Orion.


Devil's Advocate (not my opinion just throwing it in here): They are a small company. These companies keep cost down by keeping low overheads (warehouse staff, customer service reps, etc). Lastly, the chinese bike world is full of people who think they are getting a WR for $1000 and the Facebook group illustrates some of that. So their hostility/defensive attitude isn't wholly unwarranted That said, if you supply proof and they don't honor it....that is some bullshit.

In the end, it's a drop shipped Chinese clone dirt bike from a small company. I don't think any of us went into the purchase thinking we'd be getting BMW levels of service. So we almost have to be prepared for some static.

CSC and GPX (watch those $$$$) have much better track records for customer service, so you get what you pay for in the end.