BMS TBX 260cc Scooter - Reviews, Ride Reports

[youngsterness]

Hi Folks,
I'm very interested in this particular model and would like to hear from Actual owners what your experiences have been/are; good, bad, indifferent.

Any/all information is appreciated; from mechanical reliability to fit and finish, as I find the TBX to be a very intriguing bike.

I own a BMS 150cc retro style scoot and I'm very happy with it. I purchased from SuperiorPowerSports and did a thorough PDI knowing not to expect one from them. (No expectations, No disappointments).

I'm having a hard time finding any really detailed reviews and your input will be very helpful.

[wheelbender6]

The BMS TBX 260cc often sells for more than the Linhai 260cc. I don't know if that is an indicator of quality or not.

[prodigit]

I've had the TBX 260 EFI for just under a year, and did just under 2k miles on it.

The pre 2008 models come with carb and dual rear suspension system.
The 2008 models come with carb and adjustable rear monoshock
The 2011/2012 models come with EFI and adjustable rear monoshock

The bike itself is quite good, provided you made a good PDI on it.
I sold it after 2k miles, because I needed something bigger;
My experiences are of the 2012 model:
The 260 will do several hours of highway driving at 75MPH. Top speed is 79MPH GPS (speedometer shows 83MPH).
The speed can easily be derived from the tachometer. after 40MPH, every 10MPH added is 1000k rpms added (70MPH = 7k RPM).
The bike likes mid-grade fuel best (89). Performs worse with premium fuel (especially BP Premium seems to do no good to it).
The bike needs 10W40 engine oil, preferably 15W40, or in hot weather, the mechanic actually recommended W50 as engine oil.

The layout is about the same as on a 50cc GY6 engine. Belt, oilchanges, etc...

The bike is made to ride at 40-45MPH. At these speeds, it vibrates the least, and MPG's are the highest (80+ MPG), because the CVT is maximized there.
I always drove it gently and had an average of 76-82MPG; once dipped to 65MPG's, but that was because I was going WOT all the time, from every green light!

The scooter vibrates quite a lot, especially at lower RPM's. This could be avoided with thicker engine oil.

The tires are very good, the engine needs about 500 miles before trying to go WOT on it!

Other reports on older models have shown this bike could last 40k miles, though I find that number a bit high.

I've seen the original Suzuki Burgman 400, which the BMS260 is just a smaller clone of, with rust, because of being parked near the ocean shore, with it's salty air.
I presume the 260 would rust faster than the real deal (suzuki burgman).
The 260 uses smaller components. Smaller brake pads, smaller discs for the brakes, smaller wheels (13 vs 14 in on the Suzuki).

But the frame is sturdy, even at 79mph, frame torquing is very little when zigzagging. 79MPH is about the max I could get it to ride!

It's a bitch to change the radiator fluid; you have to de-mount the dashboard, and it just sucks doing, because the mounting points don't align very well of the screws on the plastics, and the frame. All these metal pins tend to fall down within the body, and the plastics are prone to breaking when putting too much force on it.
The handlebar is adjustable in height. The plastics of the handlebar are a bit weak. I preferred to drive without plastics.
The windshield performs admirably. Without helmet, me being 6'3", the wind would fly straight in my eyes. I had to bend forward a bit to have it touch the top of my scalp.

The bike sits very comfy, no pain after hours of driving!

Fast acceleration from 0-60. 60-65-70MPH goes normal, 70-75 goes slow, 75-79 takes forever.

Large storage space, though the only things I missed was a rear trunk (that could potentially be mounted on the passenger's back rest) for even more storage, and side storage trunks.

Bike feels very comfy, very low point of gravity makes it very maneuverable.
A 6' person can easily stretch his legs on it while driving.

When driving in sand, gravel, or wet road, the rear wheel could skid with the power of the bike; so be careful with that!

I only had 2 issues with it:
1- A front brake caliper lock up; after forcing it closed by putting a lot of pressure on the brake levers, the front brake worked again, but sounded like something inside was loose.
2- The exhaust bolts seem to be mounted with pvc sealing bolts. As soon as you fire up the engine, the plastic will melt, and the bolts fall off when driving. The exhaust gasket will get damaged, and you may hear a popping sound when releasing the throttle.
Just double bolt the exhaust bolts, it's a must, if you want your gasket to last!

Try to put corrosion x on the brake calipers (NOT on the pads, and NOT on the disk! Make sure of that!), and external bolts. most bolts are treated and should not rust, but still.

the efi version has plenty of low end torque, equal to a Linhai 300, or a 300BBK with carburetor.

The lights switch on the right handlebar, has 2 wires coming out. It's basically a working 3 way switch, but when set to middle position, both wires (I believe purple and green) will short.
You could use this to power a LED strip or alarm or something else.
Though the cables are there, connected, they are not connected on the other side. They just run to a connector plug, and stop there.

The rear mono shock is made for people weighing 200LBS and up. Tops out at 380LBS I believe.
I'm 170, so even with rear suspension at minimum, it still feels a bit sporty to me.
Front shocks are excellent! don't nosedive when front braking!

If there's anything else you'd like to know about it, let me know!

[scootnwinn]

You can buy a used Burgman for the same money. Just sayin. I am of course quite biased.

[prodigit]

The good about the BMS, is that it has hydraulic valves, so you'll never have to adjust them.

A BMS260 costs just under $3k (shipping and taxes included).
A used burgman costs just under $4k. Save up the extra $1k and get the burgman.
For some reason a lot of people are returning these bikes. They are not worth their $10k pricetag (except the 650 executive version); partly because a lot of the fun is off, with a cvt!