2006 Baja Motorsports Phoenix 250

Summary:

It could have been as good as a Suzuki or Honda, but it was built on the cheap!

Faults:

I bought the Baja Phoenix 250 as a wreck just to have something to do. The guy who bought it new made it 2.8 miles and crashed it. It required extensive repair and rebuilding of the frame, forks, tank, fenders, etc. I was able to buy the needed parts from Baja or Honda or Suzuki. The bike is a Suzuki TU250 clone, except the motor is a Honda Rebel 250 clone.

After I got it back together, it had a few problems. It is extremely cold blooded. The alternator quit due to a bad voltage regulator at about 500 miles, but I was able to obtain the Chinese replacement for the part other than Baja Motorsports. In general it was reliable during the time I owned it.

General Comments:

This would be a good first bike or commuter bike for someone. Today parts would be nearly impossible to find if you're not a mechanic who knows what can be substituted.

The handling on these bikes sucks! They simply are not stable in any sort of a crosswind. I lived in Kansas at the time where the wind blows every day. The rake of the fork is too extreme, plus there may be some flexing of the forks and or frame. These bike can be a bit unnerving to ride on anything but a calm day.

The standard factory lights are weaker than expected on a modern bike.

The front brake is good and the rear brake is almost useless.

As far as the engine itself, it was smooth and rock solid reliable.

All things considered, this was a fun bike to rebuild and fool around with, but the handling sucked and the parts availability today would be a major issue.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th October, 2016

2008 Baja Motorsports Phoenix 250

Summary:

Good commuter bike once tweaked properly

Faults:

Wire came loose inside headlight housing, causing the horn not to work.

Front foot peg bracket bolts come loose, and require thread lock to stay put.

General Comments:

This motorcycle is an almost exact copy of a Suzuki Marauder 250. The engine is based on the Honda Rebel 250.

The engine is tuned extremely lean from the factory, probably to meet emissions standards. This makes it very cold blooded and very slow. Changing the main jet from a 98 to a 112 and raising the jet needle one notch makes a huge difference. It's still not as fast as the equivalent Japanese bikes, but it'll do about 65 as checked with a GPS.

The speedometer is not at all accurate. When it reads 65 mph, your actual speed is 54 mph. I installed a digital bicycle speedometer to give me the actual speed.

Front brake is good, but the rear is nearly useless. Lubing up all the pivot points on the brake rod helps somewhat.

The raked out forks make it handle poorly at slow speeds, but once moving it's very stable. Installing wider handlebars helps a lot.

Adjustment of the shifter is critical. If it's a little bit off, it'll be difficult to shift.

Engine runs smooth and quiet.

Oil changes are somewhat difficult, due to the position of the drain plug.

The chain is an O ring type, which is nice on such an inexpensive bike.

Aluminum wheels are nice looking, and there are no spokes to deal with.

Gearing is very low, but I managed to find a rear sprocket with 2 fewer teeth, which made it much better.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th October, 2010

19th Sep 2011, 18:01

I had rear sprocket 33 => 30 installed today. I used "CMX250 and 30T" as search to find part JTR279.30 -- there was no need to shorten the chain (520 type chain). Shifter adjustment highly recommended.

There is definitely too much play in rear brake linkage. Probably need drill larger holes for larger bolts in brake rods linkage, or rebuild brake rods with one linkage rod less.

Speedometer was broken already out of box -- please get a $5 bicycle speedo right away.

The rake angle of front forks could be smaller, but would require very good welding skills to fix. The excessively large rake caused problems when installing a larger 7 inch headlamp; the lamp points upward, and cannot adjust more downwards tilt without touching lower triple tree, or getting longer headlamp brackets - annoying. Safe? Front forks have forward and backwards flex at highway speed 60 mph, which I didn't have opportunity to compare with other motorbikes.

Thanks for the jets 98 to 112 tips, will try it later.

Oil change plug location is difficult, I installed Fumoto valve (12 mm x 1.5 mm) with handle cut off with hacksaw. Baja PX250 with VIN number LUAH (=Hensim HS250CR). Front fork 37 mm, in case anyone is looking for headlamp brackets.

3rd Apr 2014, 11:28

I realize this is post is old, but could you give me a link to the type of jets needed? I'm new to motorcycles and there seem like a lot of types. I know I can just open it up, but even so, are they universal fit or is the Baja going to have something I just can't get anywhere?

I was able to find the sprocket you recommended on Amazon for $18. Thanks.

19th Aug 2014, 21:39

I bought mine last summer and have had a blast on it. Never a lick of trouble. I really appreciate some of the insight provided here. I would love to find a windshield for it. Any ideas?

25th Feb 2015, 06:22

Did your rear sprocket work out for you? Did it increase your top end? Did it allow you to shift in the lower gears at a higher speed?

Thanks, Rick. blacktie@netrover.com

29th Mar 2016, 02:40

Yes, on your advice about going to a larger main jet, might I be able to purchase one? If the engine is like a Rebel 250, would carb parts maybe be the same?