Just thought I’d throw in a review here. I was looking to buy a Kazuma 250 but could not find and reviews on them...... so here’s mine.

I just received my 250 Cougar last week. I opted to get it from a local dealer unassembled (tires off, still in a crate), to save some money. I admit that I was a little uneasy about what $2700 could get me but I am impressed. Everything fit together great. I was impressed with the overall look of the machine. In a lot of the pictures (every Kazuma dealer seems to use the same crappy pictures [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] they looked a little cheap. This is not the case! The machine ( I opted for yellow) looks just like any of the Japanese machines. There were a few minor scratches where the tires rubbed into the plastic during shipping but not bad enough to complain. Got my tires on and battery filled (first problem found..... battery leads could be 2" longer and save A LOT of time!). Filled with gas, checked the oils, and I was riding in less than 45 minutes.

The starter switch and kill switch feel like they are a bit weak and could easily be broken. The multifunction display is very nice. Speedo, tach, fuel gauge, trip odometer, lcd gear display, all work very nice but hard to see in direct sunlight. Neutral safety light is not accurate at all! Just about smashed my SuperDuty and garage door while in "neutral". Probably an easy adjustment will correct this. No big deal.

The engine (a 2 cylinder, side by side) takes a while (about 1-2 minutes) to warm up and takes a good deal of choke during that period. I noticed a nearly violent vibration above 4000 rpm. I am still in my break-in period so these problems may smooth out with time. The reverse gearbox uses a second chain (not visible but you can sure hear it at about 30mph. Must be turning 10,000 rpm!). It uses a small automatic oiler that keep the reverser chain lubricated. Kinda' strange I thought.

The machine drives great. Just like the Japanese ATVs I’ve had. The 250 is much larger than most of the other 250s. It seems to have plenty of power and shifts nicely. The single rear disc brake and dual front drums stop quickly. On my first fill-up, I noticed a little smoke coming from under the seat. The fuel tank was cracked where the fuel sender was screwed in and fuel was pouring out on the exhaust pipe. I called Kazuma and they, without hesataion, said they would send me a free replacement. For the record, my 2002 Polaris watercraft had the same problem so it is not just a Kazuma issue.

That is all I have to say now. I keep posting as I go. Hope someone finds this useful.
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I also bought a Kazuma 50cc Meercat for a friend. That little thing is impressive. It came completely assembled. Just put in the battery, added gasoline, and went. OK, I’ll admit, I looked a little silly, a 200LB guy on a ATV that is less than 3 feet long. It had plenty of power even though I was 125 lbs overweight. I has a very smooth and quiet 4 stroke engine. I think the quality of components was a little better than the 250. Very nice machine. I only wish I was about 30 years younger!

 

Post some pictures, I am sure we all would love to see them. There is starting to be more and more nice stuff coming out of China and at great prices too...Hope you have fun with your new toy.. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Got my tank fixed! I dont know who invented RTV silicone but they are geniuses! My new tank is on the way but I had to get riding this weekend so a temp. patch job will do. It is a bummer to get to the fuel tank! I had to remove the front rack, handlebars, instrument cluster, and front fender assembly to get to it. The threaded moulding where the fuel gauge screwed into just broke off flush with the tank. 3 hours of lost riding time.

Havent got to do much riding yet. Just at 4 miles now but the 250 is very stiff. I dont know if it will soften out as it breaks in or not. You can really feel every bump and the adjustable shocks are set on the softest position. I guess it is a utility machine with a 450lb weight capacity. I really like it that way though because it feels very solid and tough. Lots of vibration at about 15mph. I have noticed a couple of bolts vibrating loose on my rear rack but I LockTite'd them. So far so good!

The little 50 Meercat is doing even better. It just seems to be built a lot better for some reason.

 

Can you determine what is causing the vibrations? Is it the engine or something on the drivetrain? I would love to see some pics if you have them. I have been looking at this ATV myself, but did not know of anyone that had one. I would like to hear anything else you have to say about it, good or bad. I was also looking at this ATV: ATV
It looks a lot like a Polaris and has shaft drive and liquid cooling. If anyone has one of these, please chime in. Thanks.

 

I think I determined that the cause of the vibration was the engine. The way that I found this out is- when the engine locked up at 40mph- the vibration quit. What a ride! Glad there was no traffic coming in the other lane. I hope that I just got one of the bad machines. There is no way they could be in business if that werent the case. I only had 9 (thats NINE) miles on it! After it siezed, I looked the engine over good. There was oil coling out around where the cylinders are bolted to the crancase on both cylinders. There were numerous bolts loose or missing all over the machine. I checked everything at about 7 miles and there were no problems. I called Kazuma and they wanted to send parts to me when they got them in. NOT. I informed them that I WAS sending it back and just needed the address. I have a little extra leverage because I paid by credit card and I can dispute the charges if it came down to it.

I hate posting this because they are really neat machines. I am sure that the majority of them are not this way.

The little Meercat is still running strong. I heard that Kazuma doesnt manufacture those. You can really tell the difference! I really would recommend them!