MotorStar Xplorer 250R

Most bikes in this segment look more or less like copies of each other, with the same design aesthetics. But there is no denying what the MotorStar Xplorer 250R’s designers had in mind when designing the bike. Still, that is not a bad thing in itself. Elements like the dual front fenders, tall windscreen, and the overall shape of the bike, which have become standard in the adventure touring segment are all present. The headlight gets a dual projector light setup with the lights stacked on top of each other. These are surrounded by LED DRLs and flanked by slim high mounted LED indicators. There is a large curvy and deep seat that makes decent space even with the factory supplied hard cases. Three hard cases can be mounted which hide the high mounted and angled exhausts behind them.  18” front and 17” rear wheels are spoked and use 100/90 front and 120/70 rear knobbly tube tires. The instrument display uses an analog tachometer and a digital speedometer which also displays extra information like the gear position indicator and the time. The bike is also provided with a 12 V socket up front along with a USB plug point. The dimensions of the bike at 2130 mm (L) x 868 mm (W) x 1260 mm (H), keep the bike from becoming too large, as bikes in its category often do. Overall the bike comes with everything you’d expect from a bike in this segment. The underside of the bike is protected with hard plastic shielding and the foot pegs provide good grip for off-roading maneuvers. This bike then undoubtedly provides a lot for its price.

Rear gets an adjustable preload monoshock with 5.6” of travel. Front comes with inverted forks. The bike is slightly heavy at 175 kg. The seat height of 795 mm is manageable for most people and 210 mm of ground clearance makes it well suited for off-roading. The bike’s dimensions make good for urban use just as well.

The engine powering the MotorStar Xplorer 250R is a liquid-cooled and carbureted SOHC and 4-valve, 250cc single cylinder that is mated to a 6-speed transmission. The maximum power from the engine is rated at 22 hp at 9000 rpm while peak torque is rated at 22.5 Nm at 7000 rpm. This gives the bike a top speed of 135 kmph. The petrol tank comes with a fuel capacity of 16 L while the mileage is rated at 30-35 kmpl on average.

The bike comes with petal disc brakes both front and rear with a dual piston caliper setup up front and a single piston setup for the rear. These provide the bike with ample braking for all conditions.

The MotorStar Xplorer 250R is a surprisingly well-equipped bike in the adventure touring segment. But the bike’s Chinese image does not bode well at such a low price. The quality of materials can be better and ending up with lemon can be very bad with unpredictable parts availability and reliability. The Xplorer 250R is, however, slowly gaining more traction with the Philippine customer base. Only time will tell whether the Xplorer 250R is better than its Chinese image suggests.