Hello folks, just a little update on my Korak. It's been like nearly eight months since I had this little bike. Granted, it's not my daily ride... but for something not sold by a major brand, it is still going strong.
It's not perfect, that's already a given for a cheap bike from China, and bits and pieces got loosened along the way. The horn went silent after a few days. A brief sleuthing and the culprit was revealed, a loose contact due to a too short wire. You get a longer wire but a friend simply did some bending and voila! Contact was back on.
And the bolts, man! That little bike can shake, specially at maximum revving, and who really wants to go crawling along at 50KHP on a Korak? If something can turn loose, it will turn loose. It pays to have a mechanic tighten all the nuts and bolts. Cough up the 200.00 pesos plus tips. Peace of mind is without value. Squirt some shoe glue for good measure where applicable.
I lost one of the fancy bolts holding the pipe to the engine. Replaced it with a tempered one with a lock washer and two nuts. That was six months ago and the whole fix kept its integrity. No more regular tightening.
The only things I changed was replace the side mirrors with low profile ones for pogi points and the front sprocket with a high-speed one to minimize the vibration at top speed. A plus benefit is that my Korak can now do 75KPH at flat stretches and downhill.
A bit of caution for those who are planning to squeeze maximum speed from the tiny bike, the stock fat wheels are not grippers. Be careful when there are some sand or loose gravel on the road or on wet asphalt.
I've already ridden the Korak on mountain jaunts. It can hold its own going up winding paved roads just don't expect extra burst of power for over-taking. I also brought the bike on trail last summer. I was all smile but it was easily snagged by tufts of grasses and low-growing shrubbery.
After eight months, I can confirm that what it lacks in stature, the Korak more than made it up in fun.
No regrets.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Saturday, July 16, 2016
The Rusi Korak
I was looking for a bike for city errands. I had three main considerations; (1) costs less than Php50,000.00 (cash price), (2) small and nimble enough to weave through traffic, and (3) a gas sipper. I was thinking about the TMX 125 Alpha at first, due to its anecdotal rave reviews. This little brother of the TMX 155 Supremo sure has classic lines and light enough but it's too long for tight corners and slipping between cars.
I have already seen the "obvious" china-made mini-bikes (seems like a lot of people doesn't know that most Honda parts are already made in China and the motorcycles are assembled in the Philippines) zipping around my city and they sure looked fun. The nagging feeling to get off the beaten path and shift into a different gear (I’ve already have ridden Hondas, Suzukis, Kawasakis, and Yamahas) finally won and I went to a Rusi sales center to get close to a mojo or a gremlin. The Skygo Pony was cute, especially the pink one, but I was determined to get a fun bike and a fun bike must be fun-looking, like a gag. The Mojo has the miniaturized curves of a Ducati, including a false trellis-frame tacked on for looks, while the Gremlin is a caricature of a Honda Grom.
When I got to the Rusi sales center, I immediately spied a shiny new Mojo. Beside it was another red mini-bike which I thought was a Gremlin, seen from a distance. Upon closer inspection, it definitely is a new animal in Rusi’s stable of mini-bikes. The sales person informed me it is the Korak, the midget version of racing machines with forward sweeping wings. I liked its cleaner lines than the Gremlin’s Grom Styling. By the way, the sales person confirmed the korak and Mojo shares the same 110cc engine.
So I went through an hour’s worth attempting to read the documents, listening to the assistant manager, and making squiggles on paper. Taking out a loan at Rusi is not for the faint of heart. I already got a migraine before I was done. I even have to sign that a document that I will have a oil changed after the first 500 kilometers and every month thereafter. I told the assistant manager that I use Top 1 synthetic motor oil for my bikes, which doesn’t need to be changed after a month. After an eternity, the assistant manager finally took the papers and asked me to check my new bike (They have a checklist which I have to sign as well).
Since I was already busted, I requested a buddy to check and verify if everything is in order and take the Korak around the block. My buddy was all smiles when he returned and the mechanic (who was friendly and helpful with the checking) told me to take my bike. I was surprised because I thought it’ll take a week to process the papers but the sales person confirmed it so I rode my shiny new red mini-bike into the sunset…errr, the office.
Got to give readers a warning. If you don’t want people at the office swarming around your shiny new red mini-bike, resist the temptation to buy a Korak. Just a few meters from the Rusi sales office, an XRM stopped right in front of my Korak, with the driver and back-ride staring at my shiny new red mini-bike. At the office, a buddy announced that he’s going to buy his daughter a Korak too (and he did call her the next day).
I have already seen the "obvious" china-made mini-bikes (seems like a lot of people doesn't know that most Honda parts are already made in China and the motorcycles are assembled in the Philippines) zipping around my city and they sure looked fun. The nagging feeling to get off the beaten path and shift into a different gear (I’ve already have ridden Hondas, Suzukis, Kawasakis, and Yamahas) finally won and I went to a Rusi sales center to get close to a mojo or a gremlin. The Skygo Pony was cute, especially the pink one, but I was determined to get a fun bike and a fun bike must be fun-looking, like a gag. The Mojo has the miniaturized curves of a Ducati, including a false trellis-frame tacked on for looks, while the Gremlin is a caricature of a Honda Grom.
When I got to the Rusi sales center, I immediately spied a shiny new Mojo. Beside it was another red mini-bike which I thought was a Gremlin, seen from a distance. Upon closer inspection, it definitely is a new animal in Rusi’s stable of mini-bikes. The sales person informed me it is the Korak, the midget version of racing machines with forward sweeping wings. I liked its cleaner lines than the Gremlin’s Grom Styling. By the way, the sales person confirmed the korak and Mojo shares the same 110cc engine.
So I went through an hour’s worth attempting to read the documents, listening to the assistant manager, and making squiggles on paper. Taking out a loan at Rusi is not for the faint of heart. I already got a migraine before I was done. I even have to sign that a document that I will have a oil changed after the first 500 kilometers and every month thereafter. I told the assistant manager that I use Top 1 synthetic motor oil for my bikes, which doesn’t need to be changed after a month. After an eternity, the assistant manager finally took the papers and asked me to check my new bike (They have a checklist which I have to sign as well).
Since I was already busted, I requested a buddy to check and verify if everything is in order and take the Korak around the block. My buddy was all smiles when he returned and the mechanic (who was friendly and helpful with the checking) told me to take my bike. I was surprised because I thought it’ll take a week to process the papers but the sales person confirmed it so I rode my shiny new red mini-bike into the sunset…errr, the office.
Got to give readers a warning. If you don’t want people at the office swarming around your shiny new red mini-bike, resist the temptation to buy a Korak. Just a few meters from the Rusi sales office, an XRM stopped right in front of my Korak, with the driver and back-ride staring at my shiny new red mini-bike. At the office, a buddy announced that he’s going to buy his daughter a Korak too (and he did call her the next day).
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