Jinlun JL250-5

[wr6133]

Having owned the 125 version of this bike and loved it when the time came for a new big bike on a budget of about 10p and a half eaten Freddo, I fancied a 250 Jinlun. Initial description was 3 years old, 3k KM's, pristine and for all of £800. I figured turn up kick the tyre a bit, mumble stuff about "Chinese Tat" and wave a lowball amount of cash.

Plan got as far as turn up, I was greeted by a cosmetically pristine bike that was actually 6 years old, had a dead battery and hadn't been used for 13 months so was gummed up with old fuel. However not too put off I asked the owner if I could have a bit of a tinker, he left me in his garage for 30 minutes or so where I managed to ascertain the bike was actually in pretty good shape. Haggling ensued and I got it for £350 and that included him loading it in his van and delivering it to me (a job a courier wanted £80 for). The haggling was pretty easy he had bought it as a midlife crisis and knew b-all about bikes.

Anyway I pretty much tore the thing down and reassembled, new carb jets, turnouts, cone filters, sprockets, chain, uprated bulbs and a few other things I can't remember off hand and I was done. (All it needed to run was new pilot jets rest was just me making mine).

Here it is

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh504/wr6133/LPIC4841_zps8c954dc3.jpg

Ok to review it

The Good

Looks the part

Quite a soft ride handles the awful rural roads round here nicely

Has enough grunt (just) for motorway use, regularly takes me a 200 mile roundtrip to Cardiff

Happily takes a pillion without struggling and handles well. Apparently the bitch seat is pretty comfy too.

Cheap to run and insure

Parts are 2 a penny and cheap. Honda parts can be used on the engine (tried and tested). Jl125-11 parts can be used on most of the bike (lots cheap from breakers)

Shifts quite well for a cheap, heavy 250

With free flowing pipes it sounds very good

It draws a crowd I always laugh that I can park up near bikes that have a windscreen worth more than my entire bike but it's my bike with the admirers coming over and asking about it.

The Bad

You have to work to keep the chrome pristine

Stock Chains form CMPO are a joke you are lucky to see 2000 miles from them (now replaced with better)

Stock Chinese alarm is uber sensitive so you have to turn it off on really windy days.

No centre stand, not a biggie but nice to have

The cool looking fork shrouds make checking the forks a pain

Stock headlight bulb is about as effective as taping a zippo to the bike (easily remedied)

Stock airbox is ridiculously badly designed making it very restrictive, cone filters are a must

Universal Chinese Windshield is a joke. If you are tall (I'm 6'1") no matter how you angle it the wind is aimed directly at your eyeballs and helmet rim. I hit a pheasant that went through it like a feathery bullet so ended up binning it anyway.

For those still reading/giving a toss some specs/info

The engine is a copy of an old aircooled Honda twin . Same as used in the CMX250 (Rebel).

Top speed on stock sprockets was according to the speedo 85.... of course as with all Chinese speedo's that's utter balls satnav told me it was actually 78Mph. Takes a while to get there though, I'd say 70 is the "comfortable" top as in it gets there easier and doesn't sound like you are trying to kill it. I've since dropped a tooth on the front sprocket which has meant it now tops out at 72 (satnav reading) but acceleration is greatly improved.

With stock pipes and filter the bike is definitely (unintentionally) "restricted" simply by bad design. Chopping off and welding over the EGR's, adding free flowing turnouts, cone filters and upjetting about 10% makes a very noticeable difference to the bike.

I'd conclude with........... all in with everything done this has cost me less than 500 notes it's a lot of bike for that!

[Guest]

any idea where I can find a website for a new transmission for the jl 250-5

[RantMachine]

Tried CMPO yet?

https://www.chinesemotorcyclepartsonline.co.uk/

[Glorian]

Tried CMPO yet?

https://www.chinesemotorcyclepartsonline.co.uk/

 

As much as I dislike Chinese bikes and supporters/suppliers This website is very good and they have almost anything you could need.

[RantMachine]

They deliver pretty darn quickly, too.

[Guest]

Hello,

I am trying to locate a gearbox for JL 250-5 without success until now.

I have tried suggestions on this email thread but no joy.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

cheers,

Ilir