NAZA BLADE 250

I'm looking for a review of this bike, found it at Asian Auto, The credit should go to Asian Auto writer not me. Hyperlink provided will take you to their site.Got to log in as a member though!

Naza Blade 250 Once upon a time, when the moon is still bright yellow and nobody talks about the AP (or theAPI), bikes are cheap.When I say cheap, I meant relatively cheap. Finance companies went around giving loans to people who loved riding or who thought they could ride. Japanese companies came down and startedtheir CKD programme, making bikes even cheaper.And suddenly the 1997 economic crisis axed everything to a halt. That was a really big axe because everything is still at halt till to day.So for the past seven or eight years, there is a big opportunity for cheap 250cc and above bikes. The only problem is nobody can throw out bikes at those prices wanted by the

market.Naza finally got the answer by rebranding Korean Hyosung bikes as a national make under their Naza Bike brand. Asian Auto has test rode their Blade 650 and found that the bike does make sense even when with a very low sticker price.Now we check their other option, the cheaper and smaller Blade 250.The 250 looks identical to the bigger 650 except for the perimeter frame. The 250 has a less radical frame, but it still makes the bike look as tough as its bigger brother. Meter panel is either very out-of-date, or perhaps very retro in design. You decide. Both the tank and the tail section are identical to the 650, making the 650 owners screaming as they pay more to get the same parts.They scream even louder when the 250 gets a pair of gold coloured front forks which looks so trick and expensive, while the 650 owners get a cheap looking silver coloured forks.Quality of the bike is generally good. We cannot be expecting Honda-like quality and ergonomics, but it is better than the China's. Unfortunately the chrome quality however is simply pathetic. On the test bike, some of the chromed parts have already started to rust. Perhaps Naza can look into this matter.Riding it around the town makes sense. It is light and nimble, making it easy to swing it around. Torque is strong enough to push you through the traffic but once you venture out to any highway, or even an empty three-lane stretch like Jalan Parlimen, you will feel a bit bored as its top speed is very low. I managed to get nearly 150 kmph and my weigh is around 85kg. For those with lesser built bodies (i.e slimmer), your top speed should be higher.Handling is okay for town cruising but if you are a fast rider, you need to revalve the forks and dial in more compression at the rear to overcome its twitchy and floaty sensation. Don’t get me wrong. The frame is good but the suspension just need a little bit extra work. Whatever it is, I have no problem riding this bike around town because it has that happy character to it. You know the bike will respect you as the rider and will never harm you in any way (most probably because it does not have enough grunt to toss you off the seat anyway) and around town, it stays nimble and willing.I also think it should make a good project bike because with some cues taken from the Suzuki SV250, the bike has already a good proven platform. Some good aftermarket parts should do justice to this bike. Another reason to rejoice is its low price, around RM15,000. Naza also offers some financing facility for those qualified and I am sure those seeking for a new 250 machine, this is the best bike for the price.

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