Patron Taker 250: made for city streets

Total information

Production of the “chekushka” under the designation “Cartridge 250 Sport” began in early 2010. Externally, the car received plastic elements similar in design to the products of European motorcycle companies.

A number of units are equipped with automatic devices, which greatly simplifies control. For example, the fuel supply valve on the Patron 250 Sport motorcycle opens automatically when the ignition is turned on.

Total

The Tucker 250 can be confidently called an example of a good Chinese motorcycle that is balanced in all respects. At a moderate—what is it, even low—price, it is really good. And one of its main advantages is that it does not try, unlike many of its counterparts from the PRC, to pretend to be something it is not, for example, a sportbike or a chopper. The Patron Taker 250 is positioned as an inexpensive, yet reliable and modern lightweight city motorcycle with a classic design, and that is exactly what it is.

Engine

The motorcycles are equipped with a single-cylinder air-cooled engine with a displacement of only 233 cubic meters, so they cannot be called full-fledged 0.25-liter machines. The engine itself has a fairly modern design with a four-stroke gas distribution circuit, which provides acceptable technical characteristics of the “Patron 250 Sport”. The engine is started under normal operation using an electric starter.

The valves (there are only two) and the drive shaft are installed in the head. The shaft drive is carried out by a chain, which has compensation systems for increasing length during operation. At the bottom of the crankcase there is a reservoir for the lubrication system, which is supplied to the engine components using a pump. In addition to its lubricating function, oil removes excess heat from components, which helps improve engine performance and increase its service life. A small radiator is installed to cool the oil. The design of the engine made it possible to obtain power of almost 16 forces at a speed of about 7500 per minute.

In the same block with the engine there is a five-speed gearbox with a foot shift lever. With an unworn clutch and careful operation, shifting is very easy. A classic chain drive is installed between the gearbox and the rear wheel. In urban driving, fifth gear is used extremely rarely. It is only advisable when driving at speeds close to the limit values.

Pros and cons of Patron Taker 250

Advantages

• General manufacturability . This is truly a completely modern and reliable bike.
• Decent dynamics . The “Chinese” accelerates to 110-120 km/h and is very confident.
• Gripping brakes . The only thing they lack is ABS.
• Attractive appearance . Chinese designers abandoned the pretentious appearance and created an ordinary-looking classic motorcycle that really looks very good.
• Impressive 16 liter gas tank . Considering that the fuel consumption of the Patron Taker 250 usually does not exceed 4 liters per hundred kilometers, this is more than enough for all occasions.

Flaws

• Build errors . On new motorcycles, there are often bolts that are not fully tightened, sometimes even in the most vital places such as wheels or the crankcase.
• Bad turn signals . They are located in such a way that they are very easy to catch just by walking up to the bike, and they are made of fragile plastic.
• Reviews of the Patron Taker 250 often mention incorrect operation of the standard carburetor . Fortunately, it can be easily and inexpensively replaced with another one.

Chassis

The basis of the machine is a conventional steel frame with a duplex design. The rear wheel suspension system uses a single shock absorber, which improves the machine's handling and simplifies design and maintenance. The front fork is equipped with two gas-oil struts. All 250 Sport models are equipped as standard with three-spoke alloy wheels (17-inch wheel diameter). Due to this, it was possible to keep the weight to just 138 kg, which ensured good dynamics of the motorcycle.

The sporty appearance of the car is also emphasized by the brake system with hydraulic drive of the actuators. The front wheel is equipped with a disc brake with a working element diameter of 300 mm. The brake design on the rear wheel is similar, but has a slightly smaller diameter (only 240 mm). Calipers with two working pistons installed on the machine allow for predictable deceleration of the motorcycle over the entire speed range.

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Specifications

Driver's seat

A full-fledged instrument panel is installed in front of the driver, characteristic of all modern motorcycles. But the design of the instruments on it is old-fashioned and reminiscent of the technology of the 80s. The shield includes two round pointer instruments for measuring the engine shaft speed and speed. Between them there is a rectangular fuel level sensor in the tank. Additional information will be provided by several warning lamps installed under the fuel level meter:

• Exceeding the engine oil temperature threshold.
• Two indicators for turning on direction indicators.
• Headlight high beam indicator lamp.
• Gear engaged indicator panel.

All devices have a bluish backlight, which, judging by the reviews, does not suit all owners. If desired, it can be changed to any other by replacing the backlight lamps. To activate the motorcycle systems, a full-fledged ignition switch is used, located below the instrument cluster. In front of the shield there is a small aerodynamic fairing made of tinted transparent plastic. This element is another touch indicating the “sporty” nature of the motorcycle.

A little history

If you look closely, you can see two names on the tank – Patron and Yingang. Most likely, these two names will tell little to most Russian motorcyclists. To clarify, let's dive headlong into historical facts.

The city of Izhevsk is known throughout Russia thanks to the Ural motorcycle company with six years of experience in withstanding competition in the sales market. For the last two years, the Izhevsk company has been importing motorcycles from China. She also changed the direction of production. Instead of lightweight scooters, powerful “iron horses” are now being produced. What is Jingang? This is probably the least known Chinese company. It is not widely popular among consumers. Motorcycles produced by the Yingang company have either clones of Izhevsk engines or lower-shaft Honda engines with a volume of 200 cubic meters. And there are only a few dozen such motorcycles on the market.

"Tucker" became a real gem in this entire collection of "good" motorcycles. By the way, the original name will sound like this: YC250NF Tracer 250. And the most interesting thing is that the manufacturers from Izhevsk have been persuading their management for a long time to put the Tucker into wide production and send it to the market.

Operating data

Thanks to its low weight and fairly flexible engine, the technical characteristics of the “Patron 250 Sport” are at a completely acceptable level. The maximum speed of the motorcycle does not exceed 110 km/h, which, of course, does not correspond to the loud name “Sport”. But considering that the car is designed for beginners and inexperienced motorcyclists, this figure can be considered sufficient. But owners will be pleased with the low consumption of A92 or A95 gasoline, which will not exceed 4.5 liters. A fuel supply of 12 liters is located in a tank mounted above the engine on the top of the frame.

The big advantage is the simple design and minimum of electronic components. Due to this, repairs and maintenance of the motorcycle can be carried out independently.

Technical characteristics of Patron Taker 250

Of course, there are no innovations in this motorcycle, but compared to other handicrafts of Chinese designers, it looks more than worthy. Apparently, craftsmen from the People's Republic of China meticulously studied the popular Japanese small-capacity models, diligently copied successful solutions, made some changes to reduce the cost and offered the Patron Tucker 250 to the public. The experiment can be considered successful - both the technical characteristics of the Patron Taker 250 and its appearance are excellent are in harmony with each other. This is a typical urban street bike, light, maneuverable and surprisingly peppy .

Of course, the Chinese didn’t shell out money for a light-alloy frame, but an ordinary steel frame will suffice for us, right? Moreover, it houses a good 1-cylinder 4-valve liquid-cooled engine capable of producing 25 hp. and 22 Nm of torque . It is mated to a completely modern 6-speed gearbox , which, it should be noted, works without the slightest complaints. At the same time, the dry weight of the Patron Taker 250 does not even reach 150 kg , and its center of gravity is low, so subjectively the motorcycle seems very light. The maximum speed of the Patron Tucker 250 is 140 km/h , and it is really capable of developing it.

The pendants are also worthy of attention. An inverted telescopic fork is installed at the front, and a pendulum with two energy-intensive shock absorbers at the rear. It seems that the Chinese designers managed to find a balance between comfort and controllability, and it’s impossible to find fault with the Patron Taker 250 suspensions even if you wanted to. The brakes are also good - discs with calipers are installed both front and rear. The only pity is that the injector was not delivered; instead, it was decided to install a conventional carburetor. However, even without an injector, the Patron Tucker 250 can be called a motorcycle that is fully in line with the modern technological level, especially in the budget segment.

Comfortable trips

The shape of the fuel tank allows you to feel incredibly comfortable when driving. Even how the knees should be positioned can be determined by the presence of special bulges. This ensures a correct fit. But there is also a clear drawback. This convenience is designed exclusively for short people. However, the Chinese auto industry will correct this shortcoming with the release of the next series of motorcycles. The modified shape of the gas tank will allow you to fill it with fuel, which will last for 500-600 kilometers. Moreover, the consumption per hundred kilometers is only 2.5 liters.

The instrument panel and buttons on the steering wheel, as well as the entire motorcycle, are made in a spartan style. The combination of neat execution and ease of use makes this iron horse incredibly convenient.

The only thing missing is the usual red buttons to stop the engine and turn on the hazard lights. The dashboard is an example of a minimum product range. But in addition to the usual speedometer, tachometer and odometer, there is a fuel gauge and a digital display for monitoring the gear engaged. There are no tricks or bells and whistles - everything is done in the “classic” style.