*** 12/4/07 UPDATE SEE BELOW!
I was going through the ads of the Sunday Paper and I came across what seemed like an unbelievable deal for a brand new street legal motorcycle. The motorcycle is called the Phoenix 250cc Street Motorcycle by Baja Motorsports. The actual advertised price of the motorcycle was $1,368.99, and you can buy it at of all places Pep Boys. They also have a street legal scooter advertised for $729.99.
I could not believe what I was seeing so I decided to do some research on Baja Motorsports. Sure enough they have a website which you can get to by clicking here, and you can see the under $1,500.00 street legal motorcycle by clicking here now.
First off, I know nothing about Baja Motorsports products, or their motorcycles. Therefore, I will not endorse their product at this time. However, I will say this; I think that it is about time that truly affordable motorcycles are being made available to the public. I want to see more people get into motorcycling, and I believe that more motorcycles will help the environment by using less gas, etc. Above all, if more people rode motorcycles, there would be more bikers to help fight for bikers rights causes.
Another added benefit of such an inexpensive street legal motorcycle is pretty obvious. People who otherwise cannot afford expensive transportation can now do so!
Anyway, this is an informational article only. You can check out Baja Motorsports $1,368.99 brand new street legal motorcycle and judge for yourself.
*** 12/4/07 UPDATE!
You can see to the left an advertisement from the Los Angeles Times 12/2/07 Sunday newspaper from Pep Boys, regarding the inexpensive street legal motorcycle that I discussed in this article. One of the persons who made a comment regarding this motorcycle stated that he went to a Pep Boys in another State, and that they informed him that they had no street legal motorcycles, and that they were also rude to him. Apparently this is not the case in Southern California. I am not sure what is going on with Pep Boys in states other than California, but the advertisement to the left speaks for itself.
Again, if anyone buys one of these motorcycles, I sure would like to hear if they are any good. I am sure other people who need cheap transportation or a starter motorcycle, would also like to hear a report about these motorcycles. If you provide a report to me about these inexpensive motorcycles I will publish it on the Blog!
By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2007
i have a baja pheonix 250 and have driven the crap out of it for about 2 yrs. the gearshift is sticky, it is hard to find neutral,but overall you get what you pay for as with anything else.i love it ,it was the perfect learner bike and yes i had to take it home and tighten bolts nad screws but that is to be expected. overall well worth it
I have been riding mine for the last few years and other than the kickstand giving out and finding neutral I totally adore my bike. I learned to ride on it and it has given me a lot of pleasure cruising around. I would like to find some accessories for it to make it look cooler.
Both my ex-roommate and I bought one of these motorcycles a couple of years ago at Joe’s Sporting Goods in Washington State.
I bought the Hensim PX250S model while she has the other PX250 “crusier” model, yes, they do have 2 different types of cruisers other than the “sport bike” style.
Her bike, (other than a few adjustments)has been a fine, dependable little city bike, and I’ve had little to no problems with it,(yes, if you buy one of these bikes you had better be ready to work on it yourself, plus, you better have an idea of what your doing before you start as there are no ‘shop’ books for them that I know of.
My PX250S model on the other hand, has been giving me problems since day one. Not only did I spend an hour and a half, right outside the front door of Joe’s, wrenching on the thing just to make to safe enough to ride home,(upsetting the store manager as he didn’t like the “advertisement” for a product he was selling, to bad guy, next time check the assembly work before you give it to the customer!) but, the first thing to go was the speedometer cable, they had routed it wrong putting to much of a bend in it causing it to bind and then break,(note, the cable can be replaced on this model with an older Suzuki cable). The next thing was the starter, it had not been assembled correctly at the factory and a seal was out of place which allowed mosture in, rusting the interior case and rotor.
After fixing that, I found the battery was shot, Joe’s had not filled it fully there by ruining the battery, this part was, so far, the easiest to find.
Now, just last week, I had it out and about for a ride. After making a few stops I stopped in at a store to get a Lotto ticket, when I went to start it again I turned the key and nothing, no power at all. After checking the fuse, (yes, there is just one main fuse located on the solenoid) I found it was blown, easy fix right!, (I always carry a spare) WRONG, after changing the fuse, I turned the key and nothing again, no power at all.
After taking half the bike apart in the parking lot I couldn’t find the problem, so I reassembled it and had to push her 3 miles home. Now, a week-week and a half later I still haven’t tracked down the problem, although, now when I turn the key, after a few seconds, the neutral light will slowly come on, but, a push of the starter button and the light goes out and the solenoid won’t even click,(yes the battery is fully charged) I’ve checked all the wires with a multimeter and all seem good, so I’m thinking a switch, however, good luck with contacting Baja Motorsports for parts and pricing, I’ve been trying ever since the first problem, and while they do have a parts list on their website, it dose not include a price list, and contacting the company only gets you, “please call this,(long distance) number for price and availability”, so much for customer service.
What it really comes down to is, if you get lucky and get a good one, their great, a lot of fun to ride, IN TOWN, (these ARE NOT highway bikes) but, be ready to work on them yourself, as most shops have either never heard of them or don’t want to touch them. If you get a bad one, well!!!
If anyone wants more info or has an ideas what’s wrong with my bike, or knows where I can find parts email me. jeff_wald at yahoo dot com
I have been looking for a cheap learner bike for about 6 months now and am not sure what to get. i came across this Baja Phoenix 250 today on craigslist for $850 and just wanted to learn a little more. all of yalls comments have been helpful but i still have a few questions.
1) is it a reliable bike for a broke college student who has to travel about 20 miles to school everyday… 15 of those miles highway?
and
2) i am a pretty tall guy, about 6 foot 5 or 6’6″, do you think this would be comfortable for a person of my stature?
Thanks
Kevin,
1. No – I have one of these bikes and half of my commute has a highway in its way (I ride 20 each way). I ride the service roads. Its pushing it a bit to take it highway speeds for prolonged periods.
2. I am 5’8″ and I think I am maxing out it’s comfort zone. If I were any taller I think the bike would be too small.
I have owned my bike for about a year and it’s a good bike as far as reliablity. The only problems I have had were due to assembly at the dealer (bolts not tightened properly, the speedo cable guide set so it bent and broke the cable, etc).
Over all its a good bike, but not the most easily supported. I think I am going to go riding right now.
My son was interested in this, so I decided to take a look. Thanks for the link. I will check it in a bit and see what I can learn about it.
North CA. This bike resembles the TANK 250 KAHOS that i bought in Sep 08; KTM-MEX on frame neck. I also owned a SunL ‘KUNG-FU’ 250 w/ same engine. clutch basket exploded on that one. I got parts O.K. Since, TANK Motorsports declared bankruptcy Jan 1 2010. I had alreday sold both of these good looking but poor performing motorcycles in favor of a HD Sporty and a Ninja 250R.
Was this for real? These were my biker days. Man, this would have been superb. Glad that I had this blog bookmarked. Always good to learn about deals like these.
Thanks Gary, it is good to be writing again.
I have never seen the days of a $1,500 new dealer bike let alone a $1,368.99 brand new bike from Pep Boys
It is only 250CC but what is amazing is that it is street legal? I have no clue how they got the price so low but it does make you think about why the prices of other bikes are so high!!
Take Care,
Norm
Hell look at gas! I am paying $3.70 a gallon for 91 octane gas for the Electra Glide! Unreal. The prices of everything are through the roof right now. That is why I posted the article about the cheap motorcycle. I hope someone buys one and reports back to me how it runs.
Norm
Thanks Stephen, I will check it out.
Norm
Federico where are you located. The advertisements I saw were in Southern California. I will look out to see if it is still being advertised.
Norm
There used to be an old saying; you get what you pay for. I am interested in the Spyder and the Phoenix to see if they are decent motorcycles. Let me know how it goes. By the way, Pep Boys does sell the Phoenix here in Southern California and it is street legal.
Take Care,
Norm
Well that would explain it!
Norm
Let me know. I am curious to see if we finally have a decently priced street legal motorcycle that everyone can afford!
Norm
Thanks for the info Federico. I am sure the Biker Law Blog readers will appreciate it!
Norm
Thanks for your comments Brendan. You have provided some great info!
Norm
Thanks for the report.
Norm
Thanks for the review Steve. It sounds like the Biker was probably not assembled right. Screws on any motorcycle work themselves loose. The dealer must check everything and locktight screws that need to be locktighted.
Any thanks for the review and Happy Holidays,
Norm
Sounds like you got a lemon Tom. I hope they fix the damm thing for you. Others have reported good experiences with the Baja. Sounds like Baja better get some decent dealers out there who can assemble and deal with motorcycles!!
Norm
Thanks for taking the time to write such a great review Joe. Enjoy the ride. Now maybe Baja will think about using vendors who actually have experience setting up and servicing motorcycles.
Norm
Sounds good Steve! Good luck with your new Motorcycle Dealership. What is the name of your new company?
Norm
With the price of gas these days it appears that these inexpensive motorcycles are the ticket!
Norm
Let me tell you Denis with the speed limit being 70mph on the freeways and highways of Arizona, even riding a Harley can sometimes be intimidating! I have ridden Highway 40 many times through the State on various motorcycles each with over 1000 CC’s and it got hairy at times!
Don’t feel bad about the gas; we are paying $4.25 a gallon for regular unleaded right now. My Harley Electra Glide takes premium which is about $4.50 a gallon right now. I have heard that we will be up to 7 bucks a gallon by the end of the summer. We are screwed. I sure hope someone steps in and goes after those that are causing our gas to be so high.
Anyway………,
Norm
Well Misty I would not mind talking to you about motorcycles. You may call me at my office anytime.
Norm
Well if it were me Sean, I would probably go with the Kawasaki Ninja 250 if it was only $700.00 more. Kawasaki has been around for a lot longer and they have established motorcycle service centers nationwide and in Southern California.
If you were talking thousands more that would be different. However for $700.00 more, well I would go with a proven brand name.
Just my humble opinion.
Norm
That sucks Lance. Well price is one thing, but if they won’t give good customer service, well…….
Norm
I suggest that you email some of the guys on here who bought one and ask them what they think!
Norm
I have a 2009 Johnny Pag Pro Street with the 300 engine. Is it normal for the engine to vibrate excessively around 2000 – 2500 rpm? During this rpm range, or 35 – 45 mph, I can barely see the reflections in the mirrors.
Can someone help me out here ? I would like to make an oil change – but which oil should I get for that bike ? And where can I get a filter ?
Is there maybe a video that shows how to do ?
On YouTube I saw a video about the Baja phoenix 250cc – and the owner was talking about the motor – what I could understand the motor should be a Honda motor which is the same on the Honda Rebell !?
If so, wouldn’t any Honda service and dealer ship have the possibility to make a full service and getting all kind of parts if needed ?
Thx a lot for every info !