QLINK Rolls Out A New Level Of Value With Megelli 250′s
2010 Megelli 250R
The market for small displacement street motorcycles is slim pickin’s in the States. Models such as the Honda Rebel, Ninja 250R, Kawasaki Eliminator 250 are somewhat exciting but sometimes go decades without redesign or major updates. They are great, proven bikes but are kind of lacking in the looks department.
About 4 years ago Hyosung showed up in the states under the Alpha Sport badge with a 250cc cruiser and fully faired sportbike. Both bikes looked good but the big story was the GT250R which looked more like a middle weight sportbike than a dated learner bike. A few years later Kawasaki redesigned the Ninja 250R. I personally doubt this was a coincidence. The Hyosung no doubt took a small bite out of the little Ninja’s sales.
For 2010 the bar has been raised by Italian manufacturer Megelli and US importer QLINK. QLINK quietly rolled out 3 liquid cooled 250cc single cylinder street bikes that bring ¼ liter styling to a new level. Steel trellis frame and swingarm, under seat exhaust, 31.4 inch seat height all delivered in a dirtbike light 248 lbs. These bikes look incredibly sexy and on paper sound silly fun to ride. A fully faired sportbike, a naked street fighter and a supermoto version is available.
2010 Megelli 250S
Compared to the 330 lb vTwin powered Hyosung GT250R’s 28 HP and 16.7 lb-ft of torque, the Migelli may be lacking in overall power with 16.2 HP. However, 17.8 lb-ft of torque coming from the SYM built motor combined with it’s light weight should provide for some great launches from the line and serious front wheel lofting. SYM, a powersports company out of Taiwan is known for building powerful engines with durable ceramic coated cylindar walls. The 2 year warranty puts the two bikes on par for coverage.
The price of the Megelli 250R sport bike is $3499 saving you $500 over the solid colored Hyosung models which could buy a good amount of safety gear for a learner rider. The 250S Streetfighter costs $3199 saving $300 compared to the Hyosung GT250 naked which is also a substantial amount of cash.
2010 Megelli 250M
The model that may have the largest sale potential is the 250M supermoto. It comes in at $2899 making it one of the best values in the US motorcycle market today. Comparing it to the Yamaha WR250X you loose some torque and a little HP but your also saving a staggering $3600. It remains to be seen how much you loose in fit and finish and component quality compared to the Yamaha but many flaws can be ironed out with 3 and a half large.
If you want all the details on how these bikes are engineered check out the Megelli Parts site for complete microfiche for the bikes.
Outcast Cycles Magazine October Issue – Don Berkey Tribute
Outcast Cycles Magazine covers non-mainstream motorcycle brands and have a lot of great articles you won’t find anywhere else. Their October issue will be a special one dedicated to Don Berkey, an active member of the motorcycle forum world. The proceeds will go to Don’s family.
Below is a press release from Outcast Cycles Magazine.
Recently we lost a very dear and caring friend to all of us in the alternative motorcycle world; Don Berkey. Outcast Cycles Magazine will honor Don in the upcoming Outcast Cycles Magazine Issue #5. In addition to our regular features we will have some special articles by friends of Don as well as some of Don’s best stories. All proceeds from the sale of issue #5 will go to help out Don’s family. The more copies we sell – the more money we can send to Don’s family, so your participation would be greatly appreciated. For those who would like to make additional contributions to Don’s family, we will have an additional paypal button available on our website (www.OutcastCyclesMagazine.com) and we will pass it along as well.
Issue 5 is scheduled for release on October 19, 2009.
About Outcast Cycles Magazine:
Outcast Cycles Magazine is dedicated to the alternative motorcycle brands and the customers, dealerships, and suppliers who support them. Brands such as Hyosung, United Motors, Kymco, Lifan, Johnny Pag, Qlink, CFMoto, Ural, Moto Guzzi, Triumph, Ducati, and others.
Classics, sport bikes, cruisers, sport tourers, and customs – Outcast Cycles is your new magazine!
Source: Outcast Cycles Magazine
LED Lights on Yamaha R6 at Daytona, All Bikes Should Use Them
Despite all the “DMG Douchbaggery” and controversy, I personally enjoyed watching the Daytona 200 this year. I dodged all the spoilers and caught the race on Speed TV, DVR’d of course. I did not like the accident caused by the pace car. However, racing at night was awesome to watch. Seeing the American Buells doing well was also exciting.
One accidental new feature that added a lot to the experience was being able to tell which bike Bostrom was riding when the camera was panned way out for the straight / finish. The reason I knew which bike was Bostrom’s was the LED lighting on his R6. The Yamaha teams used the lights to help the rider communicate with the pit crew to let them know when they want to pit. I would love to see all teams adopt these lights and add an additional light, each team having a different color to help fans track their favorite rider.
Hard core racing fans would probably equate this to the streamer NHL used to help amateur fans track the puck. Yeah, I’m not a hard core road racing fan. I go to the races in Elkhart Lake, WI almost every year but I don’t know the ins and outs of road racing. I am probably your average AMA ticket buyer and I doubt I am alone on this. Fans need a little help following the races on TV.
I also hope the LED light trend takes off for road bikers too. I think it would make everyone more visible and safe. I would love to hear your thoughts.
-skadamo
Send me feedback on Twitter! use tag: #DMGLED
Image Credit: MotoGP Matters
Bajaj KTM Prototype 250 Singles?
Indian motorcycle and auto manufacturer Bajaj is best known in the two wheeled world for Pulsar series. Not so well known is their size and 25% stake in KTM. Bajaj motorcycles are mostly smaller in size and more functional than performance minded. This makes the partnership with KTM a very interesting one. Bike India has pictures of some recent Bajaj prototypes by Xenophya Studios based on a 250cc single. Xenophya are the same people who modeled the Glynn Kerr designed the Fischer MRX650. Could this be the first product of a marriage between KTM and Bajaj? Let’s hope so. With a KTM four stroke single these great looking bikes could be a hit in any country. Keep an eye on Bajaj Forum for more discussion about KTM and Bajaj.
New 150cc Motorcycles For The US In 2009
The 150cc motorcycle is not new. In fact it is extremely common displacement in countries outside the US. With gas prices peaking out in the summer of 2008 above $4.00 US importers realized the need for highly efficient, easy to ride motorcycles. Scooters are getting a lot cooler these days but they are still not as cool as a motorcycle in a lot of circles. Here are two great low displacement options when gas makes it’s inevitable return to ridiculous. The Japanese manufacturers do not move as fast to fill trends like this. Manufacturers in India and Taiwan and their US partners are much faster to make riders happy.
Electric Motorsport GPR-S Is Now For Sale
Electric Motorsports is selling an $8000 all electric motorcycle called the GPR-S. This bike has similar power to a 125cc four stroke and a top speed of 70 mph. The range is 30 to 60 miles depending on riding style. 30 miles of flogging sounds pretty good for riding local roads. $8K is a lot of cash for a motorcycle with those specs unless you consider the money you might save in gas. There is also some cool points for riding all electric and being a pioneer of the future of powersports.
ELMOTO HR-2 Electric Motorcycle
The ELMOTO HR-2 was displayed at Eurobike show this year. There is not a lot of information about it in English. It appears to be a 2 wheel drive electric motorcycle based on mountain bike technology. The light, dashboard and license plate mount make it look to be street legal. Can’t wait to get more information on this one.
Quantya Strada Electric Enduro Motorcycle
Swiss Electric motorcycle manufacturer Quantya introduced a fully electric enduro version of the FMX called the Strada. This bike uses an LiPO battery and has a maximum speed of about 43 miles per hour. Power has been described as on par with a 250cc dirtbike. I think a street legal enduro is a great segment for electrics. You can use it for running errands around town and ride the local trails in stealth. Can’t wait to test ride one of these great looking electric motorcycles.
Check out the Quantya Forum to discuss this bike with other owners and enthusiasts!
Italjet Machines
Italjet has been slowly adding machines to it’s line up over the last 12 months.
- In an agreement with Hyosung Motors they will rebadge the GT650 as the Italjet Griffon.
- The Marco Polo 400 is thier new Maxi-scooter. This one is a rebadge of an Guangzhou Huanan Motors Group machine.
- The Dragster is also relatively new addition to the lineup.
Italjet has a new marketing director here in the states. It will be interesting to see what direction he takes the company. Diamo USA will import Italjet machines to the states but they will be sold under the Italjet name. There are a few enthusist forums out there if you want to get involved. Italjet Forum is a newer, broad based community dealing with all models. ItaljetDragster.com is a more established forum that concentrates on the Dragster model.
Please post a comment with any information you have about the company. I would be interested to hear what you know.
Electric Motorcycle Manufacturers Multiplying
Over the last few months the buzz has been increasing over electric motorcycles. Vectrix displayed the beautiful electric Super Bike Concept at this years Milan show. It joins the ground breaking Maxi Scooter which is all over youTube and many green blogs. Other players in the space are Zero Motorcycles and Quantya who produce electric dirt bikes. The designs are very different but they are both light and minimalistic. Closer to down hill mountain bikes than motorcycles. Enertia Bike takes a slightly different approach to a street bike than Vectrix. They build a contemporary, minimalistic motorcycle for the road. This is an exciting time for environmentalists and motorcyclists alike. I can’t wait until I get to ride one.