$1000 brand new semi-trials bike?

Chad, does the cradle have any function beyond a place to mount electrical components? It looks, from the pictures, that it could be left off if you find a place for the CDI and wiring. Most of the skid plates I've seen seem to mount to the engine and the lower engine mounts, and wouldn't need the cradle to mount to.

I would say that it does add an element of strength to the chassis. I think you would be fine without it, but then again...
I have cut the battery box out of mine and I am going to reshape the tubes a bit. For no other reason than I think it will look better/sleeker.

If you look close at the Orion bike you can see that the seat frame is better made. On mine and on the Flying Eagle the seat frame is just smashed flat with a hole drilled for the bolts. The FX1/Orion looks to have actual lugs welded on the end of the tube. Orion has kick stand too. I don't know how they are selling them for $959 shipped. They can't be making any money on them.

Lotsa money to be made.
Stolen technology, used tooling, no EPA, slave labor, government backed, and only sold by the container load.
$Profit$

Mine doesn't have a real kickstand, just a square hole for a post so you use it like a triangle stand.

Skid plate mounting will be an issue since the pegs and brake pedal protrude below the frame. Some kind of bracket will need to be fabricated.

Google ''skid plate for pit bike engine" or "skid plate for Zongshen 125 engine" or whatever engine you have. There are plenty of them to look at and either make your own or buy for as little as $13!

Edit: Reviews of the cheap skid plates rate them as junk. Here is a ThumperTalk search that might help:
https://thumpertalk.com/search/?q=skid plate&type=forums_topic&nodes=59

These engines have 3 mounting points but the frames are only using the top and bottom. The bottom mounting plate is very beefy and the top is thin. I think pit bikes use mainly the top two mounts for support and the bottom mounts can be used for skidplate mounting. I can see using the bottom mounts for skidplate mounting using longer bolts and posts.

If I ever decide to run a skid plate I think I will use some UHMW and attach to frame rails. I don’t see any need to involve the motor mounts.

Teflon or Delrin would do just fine and use 1/4" zipties to attach.

I'm having trouble mounting the engine on the bottom mounts. They don't quite line up. It is almost there but I am taking my time to avoid stripping the Chinesium.
It is a poor design at the bottom of the frame. It leads me to believe that it is not a stolen American design of a pitbike engine frame, but something meant to fit more than one kind of engine, a typical Chinese practice. The strongest engine mount is not even being used. A proper design would use the top two mounts. This one is not being used.



That hole should be used for the swingarm axle and the whole engine should be lower so the footpegs are not hanging below.
Best place to mount the skidplate is by using the rear footpeg bolt hole and there are mounting holes on both sides of the front of the engine. A skid plate zip tied to the bottom of the frame would protect the engine but if you wanted to go over logs the footpegs would hang up.
Here are the largest photos of the XMotos version I could find. The forks look different than mine. I don't have the rear disc guard.

The motor is a legacy design from Honda. Honda only ever used the two upper mounts to hang the motor. The mounts on the bottom of the frame were used solely to mount the foot pegs. Also Honda never used to run the rear axle through the swing arm pivot. Even a current bike like the crf230f does not. The way this little bike mounts the motor is much much stronger than what Honda does with this type of motor. Motor must be mounted so the countershaft sprocket is in line with the swing arm pivot. This frame was always, and only designed to accept the Honda style horizontal single.

The kick stand/prop rod on mine and yours, on the other hand, is a joke. That one actually made me shake my head.

The xmoto stand is quite nice, double spring covered with a properly bushed pivot.

Another reason why the Orion deal is pretty sweet.

I know it's more pricey but for $3500 list, you can sport a brand new SuperCub 125 from honda.
Strip the plastic and there lies underneath it is the grail of the so called semi trails bike.

I've been patient and resisted chiming in here for some time now. But I've had enough. Why hasn't this been moved to "Shiny Things" by now?

I'm all about cool new stuff, trials related or close to belongs here for sure. But we're well past the trials related category now. It's devolved into the expected "why wasn't this designed like that"? And how come they didn't figure on this?"

Admit it, it's much less than a trials training tool than a Freeride or Beta XTrainer. Even much less.

If you want to spend a grand on a play bike, fine, I get it. I'm even kicking the idea around myself. But stop pretending

I thought “Some Assembly Required” was most appropriate....

And that's why it belongs in Shiney Things. It's a play bike, not a pretend trials bike.

Don't get me wrong. I like it for what it is. A cheap play bike. But certain peeps here are trying to play it off as a real dirt/trials/dual sport bike. It's none of those.

I'd buy a Reflex, before riding that thing...

QUOTE="Huzband, post: 37891754, member: 39706"]I've been patient and resisted chiming in here for some time now. But I've had enough. Why hasn't this been moved to "Shiny Things" by now?

I'm all about cool new stuff, trials related or close to belongs here for sure. But we're well past the trials related category now. It's devolved into the expected "why wasn't this designed like that"? And how come they didn't figure on this?"

Admit it, it's much less than a trials training tool than a Freeride or Beta XTrainer. Even much less.

If you want to spend a grand on a play bike, fine, I get it. I'm even kicking the idea around myself. But stop pretending[/QUOTE]

So, someone can look at this,



and see this,



and that's OK, but to see this,



and imagine an 18" wheel and a few things like peg relocation and softening the springs and damping as a way to get an inexpensive trials trainer isn't OK?