hey coolingtower…
There’s a Hornet 250cc up for sale in the Forumosafieds … the asking price is exactly your budget it seems… worth a look…
plasmatron,
Good thinking!! I may look into that bike. Thanks.
mungacious,
Does your Ego have a light that comes on when the seat is unlatched that says “MET-IN”? My Dink has that and so far I haven’t found anybody who knows why “MET-IN” means “SEAT OPEN”. I’ve tried to think of every possible abbreviation or acronym… Do you know?
Hey coolingtower…drop me a PM so I can email you some pics of the Venox, if you still are interested.
[quote=“coolingtower”]Does your Ego have a light that comes on when the seat is unlatched that says “MET-IN”? My Dink has that and so far I haven’t found anybody who knows why “MET-IN” means “SEAT OPEN”. I’ve tried to think of every possible abbreviation or acronym… Do you know?[/quote]Well, Met-In refers to the existence of the light itself. But I’ve no idea why it’s called that either.
[quote=“coolingtower”]plasmatron,
Good thinking!! I may look into that bike. Thanks.
mungacious,
Does your Ego have a light that comes on when the seat is unlatched that says “MET-IN”? My Dink has that and so far I haven’t found anybody who knows why “MET-IN” means “SEAT OPEN”. I’ve tried to think of every possible abbreviation or acronym… Do you know?[/quote]
Yes, MET IN means seat is cracked open. I don’t know what language it is - for me it means seat storage area has not been closed.
why MET In, why not MET OUT or SEAT OPEN?
anyone on here work for the big three local bike companies? Sanyang, Kymco, Yamaha? Are they mom and pop operations?
If anyone knows of a used Venox for sale could ya give me a PM?
Thanks
Would you please tell me a little more about the Venox. This is a bike I was interested in purchasing after it first came out and even test rode one from the factory. It was an O.K ride with nothing to write home about, but it is the best looking Taiwanese bike I have yet seen. I am still rather interested in one and I have a garage to stop the rust from building upon it, but would love to hear more about your experience with it.
Venox
Would you please tell me a little more about the Venox. This is a bike I was interested in purchasing after it first came out and even test rode one from the factory. It was an O.K ride with nothing to write home about, but it is the best looking Taiwanese bike I have yet seen. I am still rather interested in one and I have a garage to stop the rust from building upon it, but would love to hear more about your experience with it.[/quote]I moved your post to this, the Venox opinions thread. There are some varied opinions as you can see.
I’m sure they can be fun, but I don’t think I’d get one as I’m afraid that after a few months I’d start to feel that it was a bit overweight, underpowered and not terribly practical. Still, as Cooling Tower has both a zippy little scooter and a Venox, he has the best of both worlds and can keep the latter for relaxed mountain cruising.
I’ll +1 to that… it IS the best looking taiwanese bike… not the best in the performance category, but decent still… they sound decent for a little engine, and they do seem to be comfy. If I was not doing well financially, and wanted a cruiser, I would definately consider one.
So… what happened to that hornet in the forumosafieds? Who bought it? I’d be interested in meeting another foreigner who rides one 
How much is a new Venox these days? They have the Honda Phantom 200cc cruiser here now, which is a much nicer bike altogether and a shade under 200k.
[quote=“sandman”]How much is a new Venox these days? They have the Honda Phantom 200cc cruiser here now, which is a much nicer bike altogether and a shade under 200k.[/quote]I think I’d prefer a Phantom as it’s three quarters of the weight of the Venox and looks as if it would feel more torquey (16.3 Nm at 6,500 rpm compared to the Venox’s 19 at 8000). On the other hand, it has less than two-thirds of the power (nearly 17hp at 8000 rpm compared to the Venox’s nearly 27 at 10,500).
Also, I’m not sure if the superior Honda build quality would be a factor here, as I think the Phantom is a Thai import. I’m sure it’s put together well, but then I hear that Kymco are alright in that regard too.
A good use for the Venox engine would be in a very reasonably-priced “standard” motorbike (not a fake cruiser or sportbike) with a lightweight frame and wheels. That would be fun, and Kymco could do it, though I’m sure they won’t.
The Venox is great. I ride it 56km round trip per day (Mon to Fri) when I work in the science park. I ride the scooter in the daytime in the city. Parts are as you would expect: cheaper than parts for imports, but more expensive than Dink parts, for example. Using the choke, it started up with no problem during that horrible cold spell we had last week. It can be a bit rough on rough roads. In the mountains it’s fairly easy to drag the exhaust on the ground in right curves, but not too bad. This is my fourth Kymco and I’m very happy with it. You can easily cruise at 110 to 115 and get up to 130 fairly quickly. The only thing that constantly bothers me is that the key goes in in front of your left knee and it seems that the position is such that I always have the rear-view mirror in my face when trying to put the key in. The clutch and brake handles are made of aluminum (I think) because my hands are black after riding. I don’t like wearing gloves unless it’s really cold.
It has so fuel gauge, but a light to indicate low fuel. I once carried a bottle of fuel with me to see how far it could go with the yellow light on solid. I went from the middle of Kaohsiung to my Tainan home, plus another 9km before it completely ran out, so I think that’s pretty good. Good cruiser simplicity.
Apparently they sell very well abroad. That’s easy to believe because Venox is kind-of in a “marketing hole” in Taiwan. It’s too heavy and inconvenient to carry things for average Asians and the enthusiasts want much bigger bikes. That’s fine. I got what I wanted.
I just checked out the Phantom on a Thai website. Pretty nice. It has a lot of similarities with the Venox. It’s narrower at 73cm. Only 1 cly–hmm–I’d still rather have two. It has a rear disc, whereas the Venox has a drum brake. Sissy bar is good for passengers.
Someone asked how much a new Venox costs. Up until last May, I had searched off and on for a new Venox under the list price (like maybe overstock, etc.) Nope. A new one at that time was $185,000. I’m not sure about now. Kymco probably figured they wouldn’t sell many in Taiwan and judged their production accordingly–I don’t know. If the Phantom is “a shade under $200k”, that’s quite a bit less bang for your buck. And what about the cost and availability of parts? For a white-plate cruiser, I’d still say the Venox is a better value. The Phantom would interest someone who really wants something “different”, or maybe Taipei residents because it’s narrower and easier to park. The Venox is a pretty stiff ride, which can be tiring for passengers on long trips. If the Phantom suspension provides a softer ride and has a sissy bar, I think it would be a better choice for couples to take on long trips. (Just my opinion). You’d have to test one out to know for sure, though.
[quote=“coolingtower”]I just checked out the Phantom on a Thai website. Pretty nice. It has a lot of similarities with the Venox. It’s narrower at 73cm. Only 1 cly–hmm–I’d still rather have two. It has a rear disc, whereas the Venox has a drum brake. Sissy bar is good for passengers.
Someone asked how much a new Venox costs. Up until last May, I had searched off and on for a new Venox under the list price (like maybe overstock, etc.) Nope. A new one at that time was $185,000. I’m not sure about now. Kymco probably figured they wouldn’t sell many in Taiwan and judged their production accordingly–I don’t know. If the Phantom is “a shade under $200k”, that’s quite a bit less bang for your buck. And what about the cost and availability of parts? For a white-plate cruiser, I’d still say the Venox is a better value. The Phantom would interest someone who really wants something “different”, or maybe Taipei residents because it’s narrower and easier to park. The Venox is a pretty stiff ride, which can be tiring for passengers on long trips. If the Phantom suspension provides a softer ride and has a sissy bar, I think it would be a better choice for couples to take on long trips. (Just my opinion). You’d have to test one out to know for sure, though.[/quote]I was thinking about this, and if someone wants something similar to the Phantom – i.e. fairly light but still with a little more grunt than regular 150s – they should consider one of the Hartford 200s, which are less than half the price .
Guys,
I owned a Venox from June 2005 to June 2006.
Actually…I got several (some serious) complains. The quality is definitely not there (the service/support neither!!!) despite I agree with most of previous comments/posts…
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Chromes:
Mines got rusty after 3 month of use. I use it only on week ends, send it to wax it every 2 weeks, stays in garage all time…
Kymco accepted to change the chromes (almost full handle bar + tank) after almost a month of talking…
then theengine cover shows small bubbles all around…great. -
Clutch/Gear:
- I miss the 1->2 sometime and stays in neutral…but if you get used to it usually it goes through.
- but once…around 80Km/h, my gear started to make a very strong noise and the back wheel just stopped for about half second (like jumping from 5th gear to 4th?)…hopefully I opened my clutch right away and avoided a disaster. The bike was sent back to warranty at that time (August 2005).
- Gear very VERY crunchy on the down.
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Secondary cooling tank (huh…the one under the seat) was leaking and needed to be replaced.
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My engine stops under the rain. Can you believe it ? That was the most serious issue.
Sent to warranty again. they didn’t fix anything. Sent again, the problem was still here, sent again …finally in december 2005 I decided to sue Kymco. -
Carburetor were wrongly tuned by kymco while trying to fix the “engine stops under the rain” problem which sometime give no power to the bike at all. Dangerous when passing a car but I can’t blame the bike for that!
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Valve pushers are very noisy when getting lose (…no big deal, just noise!)
The bike went back to warranty 4 times. including a trip back to the factory in Kaoshiang. I couldn’t ride the bike for almost 2 month.
Kymco eventually refounded 185K in June 2006.
I then owned a shadow 750 for 10 month. Now I got a Yam FZ6. No rust, not any problem. Nothing to complain about.
Personally I don’t recommend the venox…again, quality ain’t there.
Sly,
I’ve had some of the problems you’ve had.
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The chrome on mine IS rusting in some places and the front sproket guard chrome has peeled and blown away. This would really bother me if I had bought it new. My logic is that keeping it in good working order, and only “fairly clean”, it’s less likely to be stolen.
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Shifting. The good thing is that you can find neutral when you’re stopped with the clutch open. My Zing was terrible about that. The only way to get in neutral when you’re stopped was to kill the engine and rock it while searching for neutral. My FZ wasn’t the greatest with this, either. I missed the 1->2 when I first got it, but discovered that when I wore decent shoes with tied laces, the problem nearly disappeared. (I have a habit of often wearing a crappy slip-on run-down pair of Doc Martens shoes that are 6 years old with a lot of holes, etc.) I guess the bike has taught me how to shift it properly.
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I haven’t had the cooler leak.
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No rain problems.
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When I bought the bike, it had been sitting for quite a while. It seemed a bit boggy on my way home with it. A friend introduced a guy who is very good with carbs. He fixed it up and it’s been fine since.
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Valve lifters getting noisy? Same here.
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I lost ignition on my rear cylinder. There’s a long narrow transformer that boosts the ignition signal from the CDI to spark voltage. They told me that it’s not uncommon for this to happen on the rear cylinder and not the front.
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I finally dumped the factory original saddlebag after it got more holes in it than my DM shoes!
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The front wheel guard cracked at the side due to vibration–same as my DINK.
I changed the drain plug to the kind that has a magnet on it. It barely pulls out any shavings. This is unlike my Dink’s final drive gears, which looked like mercury coming out every time. I changed the gear oil every 700 to 900km, but it was supposed to be every 2000. Terrible.
[quote=“coolingtower”]My FZ wasn’t the greatest with this, either.[/quote] 
Well, the gearbox on your old FZ didn’t get any better, but it didn’t get any worse, either. There was a definite knack to it. But when I messed it up sometimes the best thing to do was to hit the kill switch and start again!
If having to kill the engine to find neutral seems to become more and more of a problem, this is often an indication that the clutch cable is about to fail. This seems to be the case on a lot of bikes.
This might be useful for anybody with a clutch-equipped bike.
[quote=“coolingtower”]If having to kill the engine to find neutral seems to become more and more of a problem, this is often an indication that the clutch cable is about to fail. This seems to be the case on a lot of bikes.
This might be useful for anybody with a clutch-equipped bike.[/quote]That wasn’t the problem for me. The clutch cable was one of many parts I replaced after I initially managed to get the bike back to Taichung. I guess it could have been a problem with the clutch itself. I think the FZs tended to have this problem, anyway.
Ah, so I’m not the only Waiguoren riding a Venox here. Coolingtower, it seems we have even been through the same bikes: My FZ is still running through Taizhong (but someone else riding it), and next to the Venox still stands a Zing down in the basement. So my comments regarding the Venox…
I got mine second hand with a few modifications already applied: higher handlebar, brake and gear pedal moved a bit forward for more leg space, foot boards and an aftermarket exhaust pipe (or shall I say pipes?). I installed a Givi hardcase set (side and topcase) plus necessary mounts.
What I like:
- a very comfortable riding position, good for 250+km rides a day
- enough acceleration to get rid of “unpleasant” company
- finally a real headlight
- nice look and feel (As I said, I don’t have the original pipes.)
- nice sound (The pipes, you know…)
What I don’t like:
- no centre stand and no way to lift the bike (rear) for maintenance
- no backrest available (only in the US, AFAIK)
- no helmet lock
- only 13cm clearance (I learned this the hard way…)
- front suspension not adjustable
Backrest and helmet lock are of no concern if I have the topcase attached.
Rust is (so far) not a big issue for me, since I try to take care of that about every weekend, a really good thorough wash would be needed more. Oh, the rear wheel has “darkened” a bit on the left, thanks to grease and dirt from the chain. The next bike has to be shaft driven.
I had problems with my FZ once not firing up in/after rain, but that was due to a faulty spark plug cap. The garage told me that’s common and the cap I used wasn’t the best anyway. Got both replaced and had no problems anymore.
Switching to neutral while stopped was no problem on the FZ, partly difficult on the Zing (have to rev the engine a bit or kill it) and is somehow OK on the Venox.
Only on two occasions have I seen another Venox in Jiayi, but that was all some time ago and also the garage does not know of any other Venox around here, so I may be the only one in Jiayi. Not good if a special part is needed, since they have to be “flown in” from Gaoxiong, which takes a day or two. But the bike is reliable enough not to cause serious trouble. So, overall, I like it.
Btw, coolingtower, oil change is required after 3000km according to the manual.