Look

From its Chinese name “Owl”, we see the inspiration for this motorcycle design. The Owl 250 is based on a new bionic design language to present a sharp and powerful look. The color scheme makes it young and fashionable. The front face is smart and vivid, with the LED daytime running light extending upward. This independent innovative design has a high degree of recognition. As Jincheng’s first race-aping bike, we wonder if this design language will be the family style in other models in the future?

The TFT liquid crystal meter has two different styles to switch from freely, i.e sports and simple style. The meter is embedded with induction module, so it automatically turns on the low light mode in the night. The white+orange color paints offer a more athletic atmosphere. The black and white front face looks sharp. The overall color scheme emphasizes dynamic movement. In addition to the traditional stickers, color separated coating is also used. The light oil of the sticker surface is relatively thick, highlighting the brightness of the engraving parts.

The Owl 250 also uses DID chain, NGK spark plug, Timsun tire and other famous brand parts. Details like dual-wire throttle and dual USB fast charging are also commendable.

Configuration

The actual displacement of the engine is 248cc, and it is an asynchronous inline twin-cylinder water-cooled engine. According to the factory data, it is a ceramicized cylinder body, equipped with Japanese DID small chain, NSK bearing, NGK spark plug, MIKUNI water pump, and MIKUNI oil pump. The most important thing is that the engine is also equipped with temperature sensor, thermostat, and oil pressure switch, which can monitor the engine temperature in real time and keep the engine in the best working condition.

According to the book data published by the factory, the maximum power of the engine is 20.5kW, and the maximum torque is 22.5nm. The designed top speed is 140km/h. The Owl 250 comes with a sliding clutch.

The Owl 250 has front inverted shock absorber. The rear central shock absorber adopts a multi-link structure to achieve better vibration filtering.

The front brake has double discs, radiating calipers, with front and rear ABS. For more sophisticated owners, the Owl 250’s ABS can be turned off to make the bike more playable.

The Owl 250’s seat height is only 780mm, which is friendly to shorter and new riders.

With a large 18L fuel tank, the Owl 250 is basically the best of its class. The towering fuel tank echoes the front styling, with a swooping posture. The large fuel tank also benefits new race bike riders’ urban riding and motorcycle traveling. The original elevated pedal can improve the cornering limit, which also makes the riding posture more aggressive.

Riding experience

What I feel more impressive about Owl 250 is that it has a lower seat height, and the pedals are slightly backward than that of GSX250R. For a rider of 177cm like me, the fuel tank fits the legs.

The original handlebar is higher, so the upper body is more relaxed and comfortable. The whole riding posture of the upper body is stretched and the lower body is relatively sporty. The Owl 250 is more comfortable than a purer race-aping, but definitely a bit more tiring compared to 250cc street bikes.

The power output is smooth. It does not feel like a sports bike to me. The power is not explosive and the overall output is too smooth to inspire passion.

It has a continuous output from 5000rpm to 9500rpm, which is more suitable for daily street riding. After 300 hours of intensive testing and 40,000 km of road testing, the Owl 250’s engine has been subjected to multiple rigorous tests, thus improve reliability.

My weight is 70kg. The 0-100km/h acceleration through PBOX is 9.9s. Compared with the single-cylinder 250cc models that emphasize acceleration in the market, it does not have explosive power in 60-80km/h range, but for 80-100km/h, the power is relatively stable and continuous.

I felt that the handling the Owl 250 was a little heavy at low speeds, although the handlebar has been raised. The Owl 250’s has rake angle is three degrees smaller than the mainstream 250cc models, resulting in a longer towing range, so the handlebar feels heavier. This rake angle has some gains and losses. In theory, the longer towing distance would result in better high-speed stability, which is confirmed on the Owl 250 in real high-speed riding.

The front brake feels soft. The braking force is adequate. The two brake discs bring even force on both sides. The travel of the front inverted shock absorber is in line with the positioning of a street sports bike. The shock absorbers are competently adjusted, which go well with the braking system. The rear shock absorber is a multi-link structure, which increases the moment arm and the action range, offering a structural advantages in filtering fine vibration. The link rod structure can achieve good shock absorption effect at a low cost.

With a price of 18,980 yuan, this is a two-cylinder 250cc motorcycle with really high cost performance. It has smooth power and sliding clutch. It is friendly to beginners and more suitable for people with a height of 160-175cm. Jincheng has make great efforts in enhancing the reliability to make the Owl 250 suitable for entry-level riders.

Source: http://www.i-motor.com.cn