I’m thinking about getting another motorbike, as my scooter isn’t up to proper mountain trips. There’s no way I’m spending hundreds of thousands on one, but the Hartford 200s are priced reasonably at around seventy thousand (not bad if you consider that any new 250 motorbike is more than double that).
Anyone had one of these bikes for a while? I’d like to know how they are after a year or two.
If I do get one, which one should it be? I’m quite short but I’m told that the VRs come in “short-arse” versions. So the choice is between the supermoto-styled VR-200XK, the enduro styled VR-200HK, or the HD200S road bike. I’m tending towards the supermoto style one. The height would be good and the small wheels would make it turn quicker. Those things are still alright for a bit of not-too-serious offroading, I guess, which is the only kind of offroading I’m up for anyway.
Don’t those supermoto thingies sit so high that it takes a weekend to make an emergency maneuver? A bit too scary looking if you ask me. I’d always stick with the road bike version. And the road bike version at least looks like a decent girl would dare get on the back of it.
That Hartford site is terrible. THe writing is so small I can’t read it and the bike pictures are grainy and unclear.
[quote=“sulavaca”]Don’t those supermoto thingies sit so high that it takes a weekend to make an emergency maneuver? A bit too scary looking if you ask me. I’d always stick with the road bike version. And the road bike version at least looks like a decent girl would dare get on the back of it.[/quote]My guess is that the small wheels would help with the handling. Anyway, if what I heard is right, there’s a version available for shorter fellows like me.
Passenger comfort’s a factor, though, you’re right.
The thing about the supermoto style is that at least I’d have the option of a bit of offroading sometime if I wanted.
i ride the supermoto-style VR for a little over 2 years now and I’d like to offer you a ride before you decide. its a looker - you don’t see too many of those on the streets or in the mountains, especially in red that always is an eye catcher. when i bought it it was my first bike ever and i am quite contented with it. if you ever had a bigger bike, anything above 200cc, you won’t like it though.
let me explain: i was looking for a bike in that price range - there was only one. i needed a bike big enough not to make average sized people look like a giant with wheels attached to the hands and arse. i needed a bike that can comfortably carry me and my girl with luggage for a weekend around for hours. and i needed something that when it breakes down in any village it can be fixed with minimal efforts. so there we go, there was only one choice. i didn’t like the enduro version, because of stability in the wet and to be honest: when do i really go off-road? its like an SUV in the city. these are the up-sides of the bike. big enough for 2 plus luggage, powerful enough to carry you up any mountain, cheap, easy to maintain, good looking and even a decent commuter bike.
here are the down-points: its is and will always be a budget bike. if you ever rode something bigger you’ll always have the itch to modify the engine for more power (~15hp, 15Nm). you will need to adjust the suspension, the front is way too soft and the rear is gone after 6 month. it’s not built with average sized westerners in mind. upgrade that with a rpm-rear shock with nitrogen reservoir and you’ll be trouble free for the rest of the bike’s life. you will also need to soften the bench a little (500NT job) and you will suddenly go long distances only interrupted by a pee-break and for refill. the tank range is somewhere at 4l/100km - so at east 200km. i had the mask (cowl) and tank of the 150cc mounted for the looks along with brush guards to keep the elements off my hands. the maxxis mounted on the 17’ wheels are good but i found them to make the bike wobbly. i now have battlax instead and they are great in dry and wet conditions with a huge leaning angle. i’m now looking into the Contitwist SM but i need a bit more research on those. add a givi top-box and a magnetic tank bag for the rain gear (i use nankai for everyday without removing the plastic side panels and a bigger one where i have to remove them) and you are good to go. don’t forget to replace the brake line with braided steel (front) and you will also have a decent stopping power. anything else? oh, the price of these mods… well, altogether a lot, one by one over 2 years of learning and making experience, bearable. I’d reckon somewhere between 20-30K. quite a lot actually when you see the original price of 90K, but all in all worth every dime. and no I’m not looking for a bigger (capacity) bike. with all those mods you get something very good and reliable, fun on twisty roads even 2 up and cheap to run. see here:
oh, and as for maintenance: don’t go to hartford dealers. by it there but do the service with someone you trust and who actually knows what a clutch is. had a lot of bad experience in that field recently. change oil every 1000km, go easy on the engine at first and it will reward you.
will be interesting to read what other owners will say.
have fun and hope i could help. if you wanna have a ride pm me.
Thanks for the very helpful post, Stefan. Nice looking bike. I think the height would be really useful in the city, as long as I could still put my feet down at red lights!
Sounds like I wouldn’t need to do too much to a new bike at first. Even budget brake lines are OK for a while, before they get spongy.
How about the seat comfort for rider and pillion?
Regarding the HD road bikes, I know Truant’s on an HD150, but does anyone have the HD200?
Stefan, what make and model is the helmet on the left in the pix of your bike? It looks like a Twn copy of a Nolan 100. It is shaped for Western crania?
yes it does fit. a snug fit and i am happy with it for over two years now.
when i was shopping for a decent helmet i came across this little gem, and as far as i can tell it is genuine. it is a Nolan N101, and the only one i saw and tried that would fit me (flip helmet). not that i have such a misshapen had, mind you, but it was just the right size - which, apparently, is hard to come by. or at least was then. i really can recommend it. but only with the additional sun screen. looks weired but does make sense. and you get used to it in no-time.
Stefan, thanks. I thought it looked like the Nolan flip helmet. I, too, like them. I have one (here in Hawaii), with the “XPS” or whatever they all the sun shield, and love it. I wear eyeglasses, and the flip feature means an easy on, easy off helmet with eyeglasses on, that nevertheless has a massive chin bar. The nearest alternative is a Schuberth for about 4x the price (USD 600).
I’m looking at the Hartford HD-200S for all the same reasons as the original poster. Right now I have a SYM 125 motorcycle (the blue one you see all the old men driving). My main complaints are the uncomfortable seat and the vibration on the handlebars. Plus, my wife and I haven’t taken too much luggage with us on our trips yet, but we’re planning to on some longer excursions, so I’ll need some sort of luggage rack. I’m not interested in the off-road VR style, just the HD-200S. Does anyone else have anything to say regarding this bike?
[quote=“ca01007”]I’m looking at the Hartford HD-200S for all the same reasons as the original poster. Right now I have a SYM 125 motorcycle (the blue one you see all the old men driving). My main complaints are the uncomfortable seat and the vibration on the handlebars. Plus, my wife and I haven’t taken too much luggage with us on our trips yet, but we’re planning to on some longer excursions, so I’ll need some sort of luggage rack. I’m not interested in the off-road VR style, just the HD-200S. Does anyone else have anything to say regarding this bike?
Thanks.[/quote]I’m not sure that the HD200’s seat would be much more comfortable two-up, or the vibration less. As regards seats on small motorbikes, the Yamaha SR150’s is one of the most spacious. And I think most single-cylinder machines have a bit of vibration.
I ended up buying a Hartford HD-200S. The seat was rock hard, so we had it padded up at a seat shop; I think he made it wider, too. However, I’m seriously considering some different shock absorbers, in addition.
There is noticeably less vibration on the handle bars than my old SYM 125 (but the 17,000 kms may have been responsible for that; maybe the fact that it was quite possibly a pieced-together second-hand bike when I bought it). The handle bars are wider and further forward, making me sit up more (which it good).
The dealer said don’t go over 60 km/h for the first 3,000 kms.
It has an international gear box (one down, four up), which is different from a lot of others here which are more circular.
I’m not sure I’d agree with that. Whenever I’ve run in engines I’ve tried to give them time at all ranges of speed and revs…i.e. generally riding them normally, and avoiding sitting at the same speed for too long.
The important thing is that you don’t over-rev the engine and (more importantly) you don’t labor the engine by having it in too high a gear for the speed.
3000km is a way too excessive a run in distance in my opinion.
[quote=“ca01007”]I ended up buying a Hartford HD-200S. The seat was rock hard, so we had it padded up at a seat shop; I think he made it wider, too. However, I’m seriously considering some different shock absorbers, in addition.
There is noticeably less vibration on the handle bars than my old SYM 125 (but the 17,000 kms may have been responsible for that; maybe the fact that it was quite possibly a pieced-together second-hand bike when I bought it). The handle bars are wider and further forward, making me sit up more (which it good).
The dealer said don’t go over 60 km/h for the first 3,000 kms.
It has an international gear box (one down, four up), which is different from a lot of others here which are more circular.
So far it’s okay, but I only have 50 kms on it.[/quote]Sounds like a nice machine. Yes, replacing the shocks sounds like a good idea, but make sure you get something half-decent. Maybe ask Stefan what brand he got on his Hartford?
About not going over 60km/h for 3000km, that seems a little over cautious. Most people seem to reckon that 1000km is enough for a break-in. And if you do go over 60km/h occasionally during that time, I wouldn’t worry too much. What would probably be a good thing is riding it in the city for most of the break-in period. Many people feel that varied rpm and speed is the key to a good break-in. City riding gives you that.
What’s quite important, however, is that you don’t stress the engine too much during the break-in period. Try to limit the amount of riding you do with a passenger, for example. And avoid riding up hills with the throttle wide open! If you do have to do something like going up a hill with a passenger, keep in a low gear with the revs relatively high but the road speed fairly low. All within reason, of course.
Thanks Truant and joesax for the advice. I suspect the dealer was padding the numbers a bit. The varied RPM and not laboring the engine sound the most important. However, we’re planning a trip into Nantou next weekend, so I’ll have to be constantly choosing different speeds.
Regarding the shocks: We loosened them off as much as we could and reduced the air pressure to 25 lbs in the back tire and 15 lbs in the front tire. My wife said it was MUCH! more comfortable.
ok, here’s my 2 cents of wisdom (although i don’t know much about the 200S…)
anyway, the rear shock i had put in there was a rpm item, with external gas (nitrogen) reservoir. the original one was flimsy and quite often bottomed out, especially when 2-up. so i had it replaced (for 9K) and never never had any further problem.
it raised the bench quite considerably, but that was kinda good so the bike felt better too. and of course the rear shocks come in different sizes. so there will be something for the smaller-size 200S as well. i see many guys on one with new shocks… i had a trusty mechanic once who gave my that one, sadly he moved his business too far away from me. i reckon da-zham in cheng-de rd in taipei is a good address to go to. i made bad experiences in the hartford dealership - the only thing i let them do was to change oil. it was too much of ‘cha-bu-duo’ - if you know what i mean. good, but not lasting.
all in all i loved my bike, regret the day i sold it but had very memorable good and very good experiences. well, time to move on.
[quote=“ca01007”]Regarding the shocks: We loosened them off as much as we could and reduced the air pressure to 25 lbs in the back tire and 15 lbs in the front tire. My wife said it was MUCH! more comfortable.[/quote]I don’t know what the recommended pressures are, but you should be increasing pressure, not decreasing it, when you have a passenger. Same with the shocks – you need them harder, not softer, to avoid bottoming out on the bumps.
[quote=“ca01007”]Thanks Truant and joesax for the advice. I suspect the dealer was padding the numbers a bit. The varied RPM and not laboring the engine sound the most important. However, we’re planning a trip into Nantou next weekend, so I’ll have to be constantly choosing different speeds.[/quote]If it were my bike I think I’d want to leave it a bit longer before doing a longer journey like that with a passenger. How many kilometers have you done on the bike so far? I’d want to do a minimum of 100km of solo city riding before doing anything more demanding for the engine.
i agree with joe on that one, take your time. the engine needs time. true, they are idiot and bullet proof in their simple design and actually quite indestructible, but still, don’t overstretch.
i found that my engine needed almost 10.000km (!) :loco: to run smoothly. after that many clicks i could rev it higher and in general it was pulling stronger and better by every kilometer after that magic number.
im not saying it took that long to run the engine in, but it could just be that. i don’t suspect Hartford to have the highest quality standards and best available materials. so i’d take it slow.
of course the engine will be capable of doing the long tour, and it will run well after that too, but think ahead of long-term riding fun and re-sale value. if the engine appears toothless it is not much fun pulling out of corners and you will be disappointed by the (already hampered) power delivery.
my advise: ride the bike for as long as possible with diff rpm and diff speeds alone, at least for a 1000km.
i also found that using diff gas made a big difference. i used 98 for the last view month and the engine seemed to like it better and the km/l figure looked better too. change the oil every 1000km and thats basically all you need to do.
if you should be unhappy one day with the top speed or top power - forget playing with a diff can or even diff sprockets. i looked into it and aside from high costs what i would have gotten was not worth it.
a diff can will boost maybe 10% in power, means 1.5hp extra. would you feel it? i doubt.
a tooth less in the front plus 3 more in the rear will increase the power by 6% but reduce the top speed by 10%. (also rendering your tacho worthless) is that a trade that looks ok? i doubt. plus you would need a new chain.
but that is only on the side, my 2 cents worth of wisdom. its all been said before on diff threads.
i hope that you have as much fun w/ your new bike as i had with mine and all the other guys here with theirs. wish i could join you to the south.
As of this morning, the trip to Nantou has been postponed by a couple of weeks, so it looks like that was for the better anyway.
Once again, thanks for the advice.
The changes in tire pressure and to the shocks were to make it more comfortable. My wife wasn’t able to ride on the back with the suspension so tight and hard. That wasn’t an option, that was a necessity.
I have just over 100 kms on it now, but most of that has been two-up. My wife and I work at different jobs, so most of the kms that I’m going to put on it this week will be solo.
yes it does fit. a snug fit and i am happy with it for over two years now.