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.

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

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

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.

TVS Apache RTR 160

Classic Motorworks will be importing the TVS Apache RTR 160 to the US in 2009. Classic Motorworks is credited for bring the Royal Enfield back to the states. A quick browse through their website makes it obvious these guys are in touch with their customer. They are one of the few importers with a full functionality discussion forum. I have a hunch this forum helped them realize the need for the Apache.

The Apache features Fuel injection, front and rear disk brakes, wave rotors in a modern sport naked package. I am scratching my head a little bit on why they put an 18 inch tire on the back and a 17 inch in the front. Top speed is a respectable 75 mph so it should be good for limited highway commuting depending on its stability at speed.

Kymco Quannon 150

Kymco is a powersports manufacturer based out of Taiwan. They are known for high quality products. Take it from BMW who looks to Kymco for the 450 cc power plants in their low displacement G models. A quick look thorough their website makes it obvious they are a top Taiwanese manufacturer. They have a ridiculous number of models available. Kymco USA is slowly increasing the number of models they bring to the US. The Quannon joins the Venox as one of the latest US motorcycle offerings.

The looks of the aggressively styled, full fairing Quannon rival many midsized Japanese offerings. It features a four valve, single cylinder engine that puts out 14 hp. The frame looks extremely sturdy which should lend to great handling. I am looking forward to some owner reviews on this one.

Yes, some might say why not pay a little more for a Ninja 250R or a Hyosung GT205R? Well, one persons “little bit more” is another’s “way too much”. I think beginners and seasoned riders alike will find something to like about the 150cc class. For beginners, there is nothing smarter that starting on a bike that won’t catch you off guard. Any seasoned road riders want to improve corner speed? Buy one of these and enter a low displacement race series.

As a motorcycle enthusiast I am always happy to see bikes that break the mold. If you are not into socializing it would be a bad idea to buy any of these bikes. Questions will be flying at the local group ride. You won’t even be safe at stop lights. Everyone who is into motorcycles will be wondering what the bike is and all the details.

If you buy one of these bikes please be sure to tell us how you like it on your favorite forum. Here are a few if you are not already a part of the online conversation…
Kymco Quannon Forum

Here is a nice TVS Apache RTR 150 commerical…

Sources:
Motorcycle Daily
Classic Motorworks Blog

See theBikerGene.com for more information

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.

Check out the Quantya Forum to discuss this bike with other owners and enthusiasts!

• 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.

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.