Keeway 250 Cruiser

[rebelgirl]

Hi, Anyone know what these bikes are like? They look great. Has anyone out there in KB land got one or knows anything about them??

[crashe]

Hi, Anyone know what these bikes are like? They look great. Has anyone out there in KB land got one or knows anything about them??

I have seen one up real close........ on a group ride.....
So there is someone on KB who rides one...... but I'm sorry I can't remember their logon name.

As to how they run and go, I have no idea.

[johnnyflash]

Yep, Ive seen one, and its basically as advertised, a entry level cruiser, will just keep up motorway speeds one up, and no hills, but as a learner bike, which is what its designed for, reasonable. but look around there are other 250 cruisers also,( suzuki, Hyosung etc) test at least a couple of brands before you buy,


Engine and transmission
Displacement:
248.00 ccm (15.13 cubic inches)
Engine type: Twin
Stroke: 4
Power: 17.70 HP (12.9 kW)) @ 8000 RPM

Torque:
16.00 Nm (1.6 kgf-m or 11.8 ft.lbs) @ 6000 RPM

Compression:
9.4:1
Fuel system: Injection
Fuel control: DOHC
Ignition: CDI
Starter: Electric
Cooling system: Air
Gearbox: 5-speed
Transmission type
final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet shoe, multiplate
Physical measures
Dry weight: 150.0 kg (330.7 pounds)
Overall height: 1,145 mm (45.1 inches)
Overall length: 2,300 mm (90.6 inches)
Overall width: 762 mm (30.0 inches)
Ground clearance: 150 mm (5.9 inches)
Wheelbase:
1,530 mm (60.2 inches)
Chassis and dimensions
Front brakes: Single disc
Rear brakes: Single disc
Speed and acceleration
Top speed: 115.0 km/h (71.5 mph)
Power/weight ratio: 0.1180 HP/kg
Other specifications
Fuel capacity: 14.00 litres (3.70 gallons)
Fuel consumption pr. 2.40 litres (0.63 gallons)

[rebelgirl]

Thanks guys, appreciate your input. Cheers for that.

[Nagash]

I honestly reckon you should go for something.

I believe Keeway are either New Zealand or Chinese made? One of the two..

Either way I've never really liked t he look of how reliable they are. I imagine as it's only a small company it'll be dead easy to get parts for it but I only tend to trust well known brand names when it comes to machinery.

Just my opinion.

[Dodger]

Had a lookie at one on the Toy run last year.
Nice looking bike, but had a few thing that made me go hmmmm.

Indicators - a switch on each hand instead of a single toggle.
Gear change was a rocker type (not sure on the right term for that)

Overall I would go for the Hyosung as an entry level cruiser, but then the Keeway is $2k less and still "looks" nice.

[dhodgso]

Hi Guys,

I actually ride one...and have just finished reviewing it on my blog, the full content of which is at Keeway Cruiser 250cc Review

Generally speaking the bike is pretty good, reliability wise it has been fine, there were some annoying settling in problems with it at brand new but as I got a decent mechanic to sort them out in 2 hours I put them down to the workshop at the service centre being less than professional in their setup!

I took it from Uruguay (where I live) across the full breadth of Argentina to the Andes and apart from getting dirty fuel and a spark plug giving up I had no problems at all. It did come back on a truck because I didnt have the tools to do anything and it was christmas time so the mechanics were closed but had I been able to resolve the dirty fuel in the carb I would have ridden it back with no qualms.

The only real downside is that the saddlebags it has fitted are too small and cheap to be of any use for touring and if you laiden it up to much the suspension bottoms out - by too much though I had 25Kg of luggage and the misses on the back so was asking a lot of an imitation tourer and it coped . I got some custom made throw over bags to replace the standard ones and it was good to go.

I would recommend the bike but if you want to do a lot of out of town riding/touring I would say that a 250 is going to struggle a bit in any model and a Chinese built imitation even more than a Virago 250 for example. I would however buy another one of these as the downside havent been enough to annoy me that much.

Any questions let me know.

Dave

[slofox]

I believe Keeway are either New Zealand or Chinese made? One of the two..

Not so. They are distributed in New Zealand by Keeway NZ (www.keeway.co.nz) but are made in Europe - Hungary it would seem.
I rode in a group ride with one yesterday...they seem to go just fine - light, low to the ground, easy to handle - great beginner bike.
You could PM Murray on KB for more info.........

[Bruiser]

Hi Guys,

I actually ride one...

.......

Dave

Excellent report Dave. Realistic, informative and I'm sure has the goods for those looking at a low-cost cruiser on the way up.

Bruiser

[dhodgso]

Just saw this one:

I believe Keeway are either New Zealand or Chinese made? One of the two..

I know my one came from China originally, the guy I bought it off is the main (only) importer in Uruguay and distributes them to other dealers, I saw it roll out of the crate with Chinese labels on it, the manuals and all the promotional material comes in Mandarin...handy . They seem to sell a lot in Eastern Europe as well so may well have a factory over there as well.

[shrub]

Not so. They are distributed in New Zealand by Keeway NZ (www.keeway.co.nz) but are made in Europe - Hungary it would seem.
I rode in a group ride with one yesterday...they seem to go just fine - light, low to the ground, easy to handle - great beginner bike.
You could PM Murray on KB for more info.........

I used to sell them, and they're made in China. They're a cheap copy of a Yamaha Virago, and like most Chinese stuff do their job fine and the engines are as tough as nails, but the finish is a little marginal at best and they need to be kept in the shed. If you want a Keeway I suggest the Supershadow which has the same engine and chassis, but is a lot lighter and a grand cheaper.

[woodyracer]

250cc v-twin 17hp......man thats slow

[Gone Burger]

I ride a Keeway Super Shadow - the smaller lighter version of the cruiser.

I know they are very similar in performance to the cruisers. Apart from some very annoying running in problems, I really like my bike. It started to settle down at about 3000k with regular servicing etc. Not I've done 5000k and its running really well. Have just been up country on it with my partner who also has one (we are both on our restricteds). No real problems. We kept up with traffic o.k in good weather, but had difficulty overtaking trucks etc that were going about 90k. It did seem that we were on full throttle the whole time and I was expecting the bike to blow up. But it proved me wrong, just one chain tighten and that was all.

I would say that it's a challenge riding in the wind. We had gale force winds on the way back to Wellington, and because it was so light without the extra grunt, we were pushed all over the road and couldn't cut through it.

I had ridden the cruiser too and found it handled much the same way. I would say absolutely perfect for around town and short commutes on motorways etc (my supershadow can easily sit at 120), but if on a long trip, just expect to be over-taken quite a lot. I would still reccomend them. Great look, and decent price too.

[temaori]

I ride a 2009 Keeway Cruiser. She's a great bike, I've dropped her twice. The only problems is its serious lack of power. From what I can see, the engine is Yamaha v-twin clone. Chuck that on an oversized frame, and I'm doing 80 kph up the Bombays. Though that could come down to the way I ran her in (this is my first bike and I can only hope I didn't do any damage) and the fact that I haven't had her serviced since I bought it (she spent a long time in storage and my nearest Keeway Dealer is across the harbour bridge.

Get it if you want a cheap cruiser that looks great and if you like the free saddle bags. I'm actually looking forward to ditching the bags for some decent boxes and making a custom top box mount (universals won't fit mate).

I really love my bike, but you do get what you pay for. If you have a bit more money, look into the Kymco Venox Cruiser. She's got more power and comes with a 2 year instead of one year warranty.

The Keeway is a headturner, and a great learner bike. I wanted one because I didn't want to be a big guy on a small GN250 or Supershadow. Another thing to bear in mind is the availability of parts. The factories are in Hungary and the company is Chinese owned. These bikes are well-known in Hungary, but not anywhere else.