Taken from jinlunowners website written by Paul Mannering
Ithink it was John Cleese in "The Life of Brian" who said those immortal words "What have the Romans ever done for us?" As I remember one of the many answers that came had to do with building Roads. Indeed they were very good at it..
Except that is when it came to corners! Oh yes they could go for miles and miles without finding the need to turn a corner. Things would be knocked down or moved in order to facilitate the straight Roman road.
Now some may say that this was to enable their troops and traders to make the quickest possible journey from A to B. There may be many other reasons why this may have been the case but I have a very different theory.It seems obvious to me that Romans were the forefathers of the Jinlun Owners, and in some Roman ceremony saw a glimpse of the future and thought"That thing won't get round corners!
But were they right?
When I graduated from the JL125-11 to the JL250-5 I was told in no uncertain terms by the man selling it to me "It's twice the bike that the 125 is". Amazing I thought, a mathematical fact, I thought. But both he, and I, were wrong, because it's NOT twice the bike at all.
It's three times the bike!You see the problem with the 125-11 was that no matter how much you loved it when you got to a slight incline you had to thank God for the tinted visor so that no one could see you. As the mopeds and the bicycles passed you, you had to make the most of the styling and the chrome and the comfort in order to get the journey over with.
Not so with the 250-5. No, this is a much different animal indeed. And you can tell from the second you press the ignition button.
The frame is exactly the same size and so the dimensions are the same also. But your whole heart seems to tell you that this is bigger as soon as you get on. As soon as you open the throttle the pull of the machine is something altogether different.
But what about those corners.?
It is fair to say, I think, that when you buy a cruiser you want to cruise down long straight roads with the chrome glinting in the sunlight and with other "less fortunate" motorists staring longingly at you. All of this is possible with the JL250-5. But if life throws a corner up now and then don't sweat it. These babies go round it just fine!
So why have I made such a big deal about it? I'll tell you. A 125-11 owner recently said to me "These things don't go round corners do they, 'cos they're cruisers" Not to put too finer point on it, he was wrong. Most cruisers I agree won't go round corners easily. Mostly this is purely down to their sheer size and weight, (Ok in the case of the Harley it is usually because it has broken down before it gets to a corner) But the Jinlun is a lighter machine because, so far, it is a maximum of a 250cc. The thing is, on a 125 the gear ratio is different and to push it round the corners you sometimes need to drop into a higher gear, whereas on the 250 it is much less effort. Jinny has become responsive to your command, eager to please and although she is still no sprint queen she is much more nimble!.
She is a liar though. After about 70K the fuel gauge will be sounding the alarm bells and doing it's dying swan act. DON'T FALL FOR IT!. She is good for 300 on one tank of fuel. You may need to gain confidence before you let it go that far but trust me, it's possible.
All in all the 250-5 is pretty much everything that you want in a cruiser. It looks fantastic. It goes well, it is better round corners than most other cruisers and it is economical (80-90 mpg without a problem). The downsides are much the same as the 125-11. The Stand cut-out switch is a pain in the rear and as standard they are not quick. The electrics are a little messy too but if you spend some time taping up the connections and making sure everything is tight you'll be fine.
I have seen a good few customised versions of the 125-11. The 250-5 will be a bike that is much more worthy of the time. Let's see what you've got out there!
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