Kandi 250 Viper

[worewren]

[/img]I am new to the site so I want to begin by saying that I am looking to create a reverse trike that I can ride year round regardless of the weather. My work is 60 miles one way, when the weather is good I ride my Super Glide Harley to save gas, but through most of the winter I drive a F-150.
The pickup gets 20 mpg but the cost of gas is still eating a whole in my budget. The drive is also through mountains with at least 80 curves.
Outside of the cost of gas the drive back and forth is the most fun part of my day.
Solution I checked into building a R-Trike from ground up and it is took expensive, so I am going with the Kandi 250 Viper knowing I can up the power and enclose the body for a fraction of the self build or a kit.
Viper is street legal in 49 states



Most likely when batteries catch up it will be electric.

[scooterrebel]

Your 60 mile drive, is it at highway speeds?

I'm wondering if a 250 can move a trike 55-65mph for long periods and not break down.

[worewren]

Guess we will find out I bought one and have it going through the break in period and speeds.

[scooterrebel]

I hope you have a good time with it.

Having a little experience with Chinese imports I suggest you go over it very thoroughly, change the liquids, put high quality hoses on it, check the wire connections, tighten all nuts and bolts. Then have fun. Love to see how you enclose it, post photos!

[captainamerica]

What total cost are you shooting for?

[JC]

Hey so I saw this post and have been checking these little viper buggy's out, they seem pretty sick and I'm considering selling my r6 to get one, the only thing I don't like about them is that they just don't seem to have the kind of get up and go that I would want in order to sell my rocket for... Do you guys know if there are any sort of big bore kits or ways to speed these things up without having to be a major mechanic to figure out how to do it? haha I would love one but if I'm going to get rid of my rocket I want a viper thats really gonna set me back in the seat!
Thanks for the help

[scooterrebel]

the 250cc scooter motors from China do have a over bore piston available to make it a 300cc, or what they call a 300cc anyway, it might just be a 275, I'm not sure. There are cams available and from what the 250cc scooter guys tell me the best change is to port and polish the head and drop a performance cam into it. Still would not be a rocket though pulling around a trike like this.

[Liteway]

I hope you are planning an engine replacement and not just a hop up. My son has a little off road buggy with a Chinese 16HP 250 ( Candy viper has 12 ) and CVT. It goes about 40 and that's it. Engine is very course and does not like to rev. With a good Japanese 350 or even a 700 single from an ATV, your project becomes more likely useful for a commute. You would also have much improved reliability and longivity. My sons cart has no oil filter and recommended changes are every 10 Hrs. You need a good 25 hp and 35 would be a lot better for highway use. Hope it works out for you, keep us posted.

R6 guy, keep your engine, sell the rest of the bike for parts, and put the engine in the Viper. YAAAH.

[Marv from sunny Florida]

I and a friend own one each .Iop speed a bit under 60 this is o'k for city travel but not highway. First mod is a lexan windshield using home depot cyclone fence clamps to secure to front roll bar. We both had ignition switch failures. Other failures include magneto replacement. Eventually the Chinese drive chain will need to be replaced. The engine requires premium fuel My advice don't buy one for a long commute. Save your money and get a Chevy Spark. I never go further than 10 miles from my house using streets and would probably get run over on a highway.

[Marv from sunny Florida]

Top speed on Kandi 250cc Viper alias Zhen is 55 to a shade under 60 depending on riders weight. My friend Bob got his speed up higher by using a plywood floor to reduce turbulence and he also gave me a pattern to make a sound suppressor for the engine noise which is quite loud even when stopped for traffic lights. It's a fun vehicle but reliability is suspect be prepared to replace parts. My next vehicle is a ELIO which will be coming into production soon. It's a three wheeler but enclosed w/AC radio , 3 air bags , electric door locks for $6800 and choice of AT or manual trans built in USA by Americans. BTW laws are being changed to call this a autocycle so anyone w/DL can drive one. It is capable of 100 MPH It will get 49city and 84 MPG HWY with a 3 cylinder engine like the Chevy GEO but their own design.It promises 684mile cruising range with 8 gallon tank

[darrel]

Sure Marv. I noticed they have revised the production date from mid 14 to early 15. Latest prototype has 55hp not the 70 they stated earlier. Stay tuned for further disappointment.

[Thatguy]

I really hope the elio gets built, I have followed their story from the very beginning. The delay in manufacturing is understandable, tooling isn't easy to produce. On a different note, I don't know if anybody else has seen this chinese RT, I think it would be a great seller here in the US. They are already being imported to the UK & they are street legal there already. This model has a 250cc engine with manual transmission, 4 forward speeds & reverse. It kinda looks like a big shifter kart but with three wheels.

www.alibaba.com/product-gs/587831140/EEC_250CC_REVERSE_TRIKE_MC_369_.html

Here's a video of it in action:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U2MJH-_y8M

Does anybody know if anyone in the USA imports it yet?

[Looking]

Where do you guys get parts for the 250cc Viper?

As for the Elio, I'm not holding my breath. The $6800 price tag is not guaranteed. The Viper (a Chinese product no less) costs almost that much and is WAY less of a vehicle!