Ok a few of you will have seen the thread i already have going for the build of the MiniBlitz, but this intends to be a straight review, as opposed to the other "Build-thread".
Found this on ebay last week, and hadnt seen anything like it. Definately a new model to me, and from what i understand, i've got the second one in Oz. That may however be a salesman feeding me bull$hit..
Paid the grand total of $825 for it, plus $130 postage, and it arrived at my work the day after i paid for it, so massive props to Cobb and Co for their postage time... that's right up there with DHZ as far as delivery times go... But i digress...
I havent been able to ride it any further than up my driveway so far, so this wont be a full review like my Blitz thread YET. Once i've ridden it, i'll throw up a proper review, akin to my other one. See if the epicness flows on.. ha ha..
In the meantime, a little info on the D8-125.
Mikilon are the manufacturer, and they've basically downsized the M96. (aka Blitz/Kuda Pro) From what i can tell, the brakes front and rear, and fork guards are pure yamaha copies... Plastics are obviously scaled down versions of the latest KTM's... I like the look of the front end, but the rear end is yet to grow on me... looks a bit lardy around the back, and the long seat stretching back over the rear wheel looks a bit wrong... it will be good however, to move back on the bike, and remain on padding, not rear guard.
The seat is also a great KTM copy, as it's rock hard, and will no doubt be the cause of much monkey butt for owners..
Stock bars are the usual fare (read CRAP) for minibikes, as are the levers. I've already replaced them with ASV copies.
Throttle action is VERY light, which is nice to see, but that could be related to the fact most watches have stiffer springs than the slide spring in the JinGkai carbies...
The frame was the biggest drawcard for me. It's big, low and long. Great for inherit stability, and if the geometry is remotely similar to the bigger Blitz and Kuda Pro, then this thing will be rock solid in a straight line. I dont jump much big stuff anymore, and this bike was purchased with the idea of it being a build platform for something epic in a mini, and not to remain stock, so the frame is perfect for what i want, and very few people will bend one, going by the strength of the Blitz/Kuda pro frames. The Mountain broke one, but it sounds like his Blitz was whored out pretty badly.. ha ha!
Wheels are 17'' front, 14'' rear, with the usual average quality rubber, so this one classifies as a "Bigfoot" mini.. How i dont know, cause it's massive for a mini.. Think Honda CRF150R, and you're on the mark with the size of it. overall height and seat height (850mm) is about the same as a midsize pitbike, (my 140 is 840mm at the seat), but this is physically a much bigger (and heavier!!!) bike. Wheelbase, to put it into perspective is 1300mm long. My monster-framed 140, is 1100mm along the wheelbase... (getting the picture now? same height as a Midsize, but 20cm longer... lots more stable...)
Forks are 37mm diameter upside downers, with external compression adjustment in the top fork caps. How well, or even IF they work, remains to be seen come testing.. The forks also offer 210mm of travel.
Rear shock is your very basic gas charged, oil damped boinger, with no external rebound or compression adjustement, and only has provision for spring preload adjustment. without touching a thing, it seems ok for my weight (92kg) just cruising around the yard, and the sag seems ok, so the basic shock and spring weight might be ok. Quality of damping and actual build quality will be tested in the coming weeks... The shock is 280mm long, running on a loooong swingarm, without any linkages. Mikilon obviously learnt from the joke that is the linkage set-up on the Blitz/Kuda Pro, and made this one a direct-mount set up. The other thing they got right, is the shock and swingarm mount is VERY solid, with no freeplay or rattles apparent so far..
The brake rotors are massive for a mini, measuring 240mm at the front, 205mm at the rear. To put this in perspective, my 06 YZF450 runs a 240mm front rotor... Grouped with a Yamaha/Nissin copy caliper, and the usual XR250 copy master cylinder, brakes feel pretty epic so far...
It's a big bike for a mini by any stretch of the imagination, and sadly the inherit strength of the frame, adds to the weight. My 140, i can pick up and sling around like it's a tool box... The MiniBlitz requires a little more forethought before you pick it up to put it on the stand... I'm guessing it comes in at around 85kg... with little options for reducing weight.
Apparently the D8 comes in either 125 or 150 guise... sadly the 150 wasnt offered on ebay, so i got the 125 model. This makes little difference in my case, as this engine will be used as a doorstop as soon as i can get my hands on a lifan 150... But anyways...
The engine is a 154FMI Zongshen, which if i have my engine designations right, is a 1 down, 3 up 124 cc start in neutral only engine... so it's pretty obsolete as far as pitty motors go... So far the gear shift action is very positive between gears, so i'm guessing the shift star is rather pointy, but it is a little tricky to find neutral, as the gears are pretty close together physically in a shift-sense... Hopefully this will loosen up a little as the motor gets a few more hours on it...
Carby is a pissy little 19mm JinGkai roundslide with one of those terrible butterfly-valve chokes. So far the choke hasnt been required to start it, but the plan is to source a 26mm OKO as soon as possible, and see if that can be tuned to run on a stock 125... Exhaust is a 28mm header running into a 37mm straight through muffler. The carby makes it sound a little fluffy at idle, and a bit foofy, but when the revs come up a bit, the large diameter of the muffler lets her bark pretty well.. Time will tell if the muffler needs upgrading. Having only ridden it up and down the driveway, it's not a firebreather, particularly with the 85kg of bike, and 92kg of Thump it's pulling, but it is pretty torquey, which is probably attributable to the piddly little 19mm carby... Starting is kick-only, and fired on the second kick after the initial set-up was done.
Seeing as i havent ridden it yet, i cant say how well, or otherwise, it performs. as soon as it's put through it's paces, the review will continue much like my Blitz thread has, with updates on life with the MiniBlitz... what breaks, what doesnt, what it does well, and if so, how badly it sucks as a bike...
In the meantime, here's a few pics...
Found this on ebay last week, and hadnt seen anything like it. Definately a new model to me, and from what i understand, i've got the second one in Oz. That may however be a salesman feeding me bull$hit..
Paid the grand total of $825 for it, plus $130 postage, and it arrived at my work the day after i paid for it, so massive props to Cobb and Co for their postage time... that's right up there with DHZ as far as delivery times go... But i digress...
I havent been able to ride it any further than up my driveway so far, so this wont be a full review like my Blitz thread YET. Once i've ridden it, i'll throw up a proper review, akin to my other one. See if the epicness flows on.. ha ha..
In the meantime, a little info on the D8-125.
Mikilon are the manufacturer, and they've basically downsized the M96. (aka Blitz/Kuda Pro) From what i can tell, the brakes front and rear, and fork guards are pure yamaha copies... Plastics are obviously scaled down versions of the latest KTM's... I like the look of the front end, but the rear end is yet to grow on me... looks a bit lardy around the back, and the long seat stretching back over the rear wheel looks a bit wrong... it will be good however, to move back on the bike, and remain on padding, not rear guard.
The seat is also a great KTM copy, as it's rock hard, and will no doubt be the cause of much monkey butt for owners..
Stock bars are the usual fare (read CRAP) for minibikes, as are the levers. I've already replaced them with ASV copies.
Throttle action is VERY light, which is nice to see, but that could be related to the fact most watches have stiffer springs than the slide spring in the JinGkai carbies...
The frame was the biggest drawcard for me. It's big, low and long. Great for inherit stability, and if the geometry is remotely similar to the bigger Blitz and Kuda Pro, then this thing will be rock solid in a straight line. I dont jump much big stuff anymore, and this bike was purchased with the idea of it being a build platform for something epic in a mini, and not to remain stock, so the frame is perfect for what i want, and very few people will bend one, going by the strength of the Blitz/Kuda pro frames. The Mountain broke one, but it sounds like his Blitz was whored out pretty badly.. ha ha!
Wheels are 17'' front, 14'' rear, with the usual average quality rubber, so this one classifies as a "Bigfoot" mini.. How i dont know, cause it's massive for a mini.. Think Honda CRF150R, and you're on the mark with the size of it. overall height and seat height (850mm) is about the same as a midsize pitbike, (my 140 is 840mm at the seat), but this is physically a much bigger (and heavier!!!) bike. Wheelbase, to put it into perspective is 1300mm long. My monster-framed 140, is 1100mm along the wheelbase... (getting the picture now? same height as a Midsize, but 20cm longer... lots more stable...)
Forks are 37mm diameter upside downers, with external compression adjustment in the top fork caps. How well, or even IF they work, remains to be seen come testing.. The forks also offer 210mm of travel.
Rear shock is your very basic gas charged, oil damped boinger, with no external rebound or compression adjustement, and only has provision for spring preload adjustment. without touching a thing, it seems ok for my weight (92kg) just cruising around the yard, and the sag seems ok, so the basic shock and spring weight might be ok. Quality of damping and actual build quality will be tested in the coming weeks... The shock is 280mm long, running on a loooong swingarm, without any linkages. Mikilon obviously learnt from the joke that is the linkage set-up on the Blitz/Kuda Pro, and made this one a direct-mount set up. The other thing they got right, is the shock and swingarm mount is VERY solid, with no freeplay or rattles apparent so far..
The brake rotors are massive for a mini, measuring 240mm at the front, 205mm at the rear. To put this in perspective, my 06 YZF450 runs a 240mm front rotor... Grouped with a Yamaha/Nissin copy caliper, and the usual XR250 copy master cylinder, brakes feel pretty epic so far...
It's a big bike for a mini by any stretch of the imagination, and sadly the inherit strength of the frame, adds to the weight. My 140, i can pick up and sling around like it's a tool box... The MiniBlitz requires a little more forethought before you pick it up to put it on the stand... I'm guessing it comes in at around 85kg... with little options for reducing weight.
Apparently the D8 comes in either 125 or 150 guise... sadly the 150 wasnt offered on ebay, so i got the 125 model. This makes little difference in my case, as this engine will be used as a doorstop as soon as i can get my hands on a lifan 150... But anyways...
The engine is a 154FMI Zongshen, which if i have my engine designations right, is a 1 down, 3 up 124 cc start in neutral only engine... so it's pretty obsolete as far as pitty motors go... So far the gear shift action is very positive between gears, so i'm guessing the shift star is rather pointy, but it is a little tricky to find neutral, as the gears are pretty close together physically in a shift-sense... Hopefully this will loosen up a little as the motor gets a few more hours on it...
Carby is a pissy little 19mm JinGkai roundslide with one of those terrible butterfly-valve chokes. So far the choke hasnt been required to start it, but the plan is to source a 26mm OKO as soon as possible, and see if that can be tuned to run on a stock 125... Exhaust is a 28mm header running into a 37mm straight through muffler. The carby makes it sound a little fluffy at idle, and a bit foofy, but when the revs come up a bit, the large diameter of the muffler lets her bark pretty well.. Time will tell if the muffler needs upgrading. Having only ridden it up and down the driveway, it's not a firebreather, particularly with the 85kg of bike, and 92kg of Thump it's pulling, but it is pretty torquey, which is probably attributable to the piddly little 19mm carby... Starting is kick-only, and fired on the second kick after the initial set-up was done.
Seeing as i havent ridden it yet, i cant say how well, or otherwise, it performs. as soon as it's put through it's paces, the review will continue much like my Blitz thread has, with updates on life with the MiniBlitz... what breaks, what doesnt, what it does well, and if so, how badly it sucks as a bike...
In the meantime, here's a few pics...
