Learned to ride on a van van 125 and loved it. Passed my test in 2018 age 72 and upgraded to a Triumph Street Twin. Decided it was too heavy for me and have gone back to a van van 200. It arrived yesterday and first run out - I friggin’ love it. Might change the exhaust but am loving this easy to handle bike. Such fun fun.
@@moto-coupeI have a jap import 2003 van van 200 , I have had lots of VV 125’s but they are a slug . The 200 is not a lot faster top end , about 60 mph , but the torque is much better , hardly and shifting uphills .
I agree the bike is a fantastic little gem. Definitely a keeper. I ride a big beefy Triumph 1050 Speedy but one of these appeals to me for "just jump on it" instant local transport. 😊 My Speedy is way to cumbersome and heavy for quick blat to corner shop. 😅 I'm sure the "old man"😊 would approve of these sensible upgrades too.
Hiya, It was great to receive a notification saying you were back, it's really good to see you again and looking so well. I agree with you, the mods look great. Can't wait to see more videos from you. Take care and see you soon.
Great to see you back!! Very impressed with the mechanical skills and the bike looks even better! Good work John and looking forward to seeing more of your interesting adventures!! All the best from Hull! 👍🏍🏍👍
Good to see you back 🙌. You wanted to get rid of some of the chrome look, then you added a chrome looking pipe lol 😆. I was surprised and a bit disappointed you didn't start her up so we could hear it, now all you have to do is add some gear for a bike camp. thanks for sharing and see you on your next adventure ✌️ 🤙 🤟 😉
Thank you! Good to make a vid again. Life’s quite manic at the moment so not a lot of time for adventures at the moment. I’m sure I’ll get round to it! Bike sounds the same as it did before really. Loud and obnoxious 🤣 I thought everyone would have had enough of it over the 4,000 miles and 12 episodes of Me, Myself & Dad!! 😅 My ears are still ringing! Hope you’re having fun and enjoying the sunshine ☀️
Some worthwhile mods there John every one an improvement especially the front pipe its a thumbs up from me. Get out there and enjoy with plenty of filming. Ride safe Martin
A good mod is to fit an alloy bash plate and lower frame from a sinnis apache / lexmoto Adrenaline , it bolts on easily as the Chinese bikes are based on the Suzuki models . It really finishes the bike off and protect the lower crankcase , I have fitted this to my van van 200 .
@@moto-coupe I brought a cheap Royal Enfield Scram and the previous owner had dropped it. So just a straight swap with some nice powder coated black bars. Very similar to what you fitted.
Hi, i was wondering what you set the front fork pinch bolts at in newton meters. I've just fitted some gaiters on the front forks and they look great 👍
Hey thanks 🙏 I used to have a bandit 650 which was lovely. Super low milage and looked/went well. But just love the VanVan! I’m sure I’ll have something more sensible in the future, but I’ll keep the VanVan for life! Personally I wouldn’t see a bigger bike as an upgrade, it’s just statistically better, but I probably wouldn’t prefer it…. 🧐
Hey! I couldn’t tell you what they’re called? I just searched for scrambler bars on eBay and these came up. The rise was a little lower and stock but the width is pretty much the same so knew they would fit well. Measure twice cut once 👍
uuuh, 0:23 I really like it - it's got that 70's beach bike look. 0:29 there's an awful lot of chrome on that front end - that needs blackening out..... 0:48 the BLACK header I'm replacing with Stainless steel - see 0:23
Hi! No performance difference at all. It’s a 4 stroke 125 so there isn’t really anything you can do to this bike to make it quicker. I added this part to match the rear muffler that came with the bike (300mm can) and to provide corrosion resistance as the old downpipe was rusting.
Love it, how do you find the kenda tyres compared to the dunlop k180's/also as regards to a bash guard, i believe the sinnis 125 fits the vanguard, i saw this on another van van bikers channel, i think it was A very British Biker, hope this helps
I second this question about the Kenda's. Here in the states, I believe we get a similar Shinko version of the tires. The current Dunlops terrify me in the rain. Great looking mods!
Thanks for the tip on the bash guard, I’ll look into that! Regarding the tyres, they’re…. Ok…. The tyres are on par with the K180’s I would say. I have used them in the wet and I found them pretty slippy. The rears have a very wide tread pattern which I don’t think helps. Front feels pretty ok though. Tough to find great tyres for the VanVan
What fork gaiters did you get and how are they holding up? I put some on mine a couple years ago and they are breaking up. They never fit tightly to begin with.
@@Dave-sw2dm - Hey 👋, they’re just some that I measured up from Amazon. Nothing special. They’ve been on for a year and are perfect. I don’t have the order details so can’t send a link. Although I carefully measured them I still had to buy a couple of sets before getting some that fitted well.
Hi, I also have a van van and absolutely love it. I'm looking to do some upgrades myself and really like the bars you fitted, where did you get them from if you don't mind me asking.
Hey! Sorry for the late reply. Good choice on picking up a VanVan!! I got the bars from eBay. Just searched for black tracker bars and checked that they fitted. All the best! 😎
@@sham27007 - this is the 300mm version. Probably the most popular version in the UK. In my opinion it’s a bit too loud but most love it. I have a replacement from Powertech that I had on a previous VanVan which is really nice looking/sounding. I’m going to make a vid about it before the year is out. 👍
Learned to ride on a van van 125 and loved it. Passed my test in 2018 age 72 and upgraded to a Triumph Street Twin. Decided it was too heavy for me and have gone back to a van van 200. It arrived yesterday and first run out - I friggin’ love it. Might change the exhaust but am loving this easy to handle bike. Such fun fun.
Great choice!!!! Would like to have a go on a 200 to see the difference. 😎
@@moto-coupeI have a jap import 2003 van van 200 , I have had lots of VV 125’s but they are a slug .
The 200 is not a lot faster top end , about 60 mph , but the torque is much better , hardly and shifting uphills .
I agree the bike is a fantastic little gem. Definitely a keeper. I ride a big beefy Triumph 1050 Speedy but one of these appeals to me for "just jump on it" instant local transport. 😊 My Speedy is way to cumbersome and heavy for quick blat to corner shop. 😅 I'm sure the "old man"😊 would approve of these sensible upgrades too.
Do it!!! Just do it!!!
Yeah I have an old R1100Gs but I usually jump,on my old van van 200 because it’s so light and fun.
It's a very beautiful vanvan200!
I also bought vanvan200!
Let's enjoy the fun vanvan200 life together 😊👍
Wow. You did it. Now it looks even better! Well done!
Hiya, It was great to receive a notification saying you were back, it's really good to see you again and looking so well. I agree with you, the mods look great. Can't wait to see more videos from you. Take care and see you soon.
Fantastic job av seen all your videos and really injoyed them all well done on the successful trip around the uk
Great to see you back!! Very impressed with the mechanical skills and the bike looks even better! Good work John and looking forward to seeing more of your interesting adventures!! All the best from Hull! 👍🏍🏍👍
A great improvement without ruining it. Great video
Nice one, some nice additions without altering the steed too much 👍
Good to see you back 🙌.
You wanted to get rid of some of the chrome look, then you added a chrome looking pipe lol 😆. I was surprised and a bit disappointed you didn't start her up so we could hear it, now all you have to do is add some gear for a bike camp. thanks for sharing and see you on your next adventure ✌️ 🤙 🤟 😉
Thank you! Good to make a vid again. Life’s quite manic at the moment so not a lot of time for adventures at the moment. I’m sure I’ll get round to it!
Bike sounds the same as it did before really. Loud and obnoxious 🤣 I thought everyone would have had enough of it over the 4,000 miles and 12 episodes of Me, Myself & Dad!! 😅 My ears are still ringing!
Hope you’re having fun and enjoying the sunshine ☀️
If you get the extended mud guard it defiantly prevents the rusting of the down pipe 👍
Some worthwhile mods there John every one an improvement especially the front pipe its a thumbs up from me.
Get out there and enjoy with plenty of filming.
Ride safe
Martin
Nice tyres. I have the same on my Skyteam V-Raptor (Vanvan Replika)
A good mod is to fit an alloy bash plate and lower frame from a sinnis apache / lexmoto Adrenaline , it bolts on easily as the Chinese bikes are based on the Suzuki models .
It really finishes the bike off and protect the lower crankcase , I have fitted this to my van van 200 .
There will be a VanVan mods part 2 later this year. Although I don’t have a Sinnis bash plate there maybe something similar sitting in my garage 😉
@@moto-coupe ok , I got another mod , a GN 125 tank goes straight on and holds a few litres more , looks good too 👍🏻
@@allseeingotto2912 that would have been good for my tour of the UK 🤭
@@moto-coupe That’s right , the original tank is tiny , particularly on a 200 cc version
You did a great job on the van van bars make it look so much better an the chrome exhaust looks cool be good when you take it out for a spin good vid
Thanks 🙏 Yea really happy with how it turned out and I love the bars!! I’m sure there will be a follow up vid at some point 😉
I agree. Do away with the chrome. The bars look miles better. You know what you're doing. Looks good.
By the way - You can get split gaiters so you don't have to disassemble the whole front end to put them on.
One additional thing you could add is the engine guard (with or without bash plate), I think it completes the look pretty well!
I would love one but I couldn’t find one of the RV125. If you know where to get a good one let me know 😎
@@moto-coupe search for SKU QM125GY-2B-C1-09, it is made for a different bike but will fit the vanvan just fine.
Lexmoto adrenaline or sinnis apache guard will fit,lovely bike mate!
Looks fab! I’ve got a handle bar change this weekend 😮
Thanks Mark! Good luck with your bars! What have you gone for?
@@moto-coupe I brought a cheap Royal Enfield Scram and the previous owner had dropped it. So just a straight swap with some nice powder coated black bars. Very similar to what you fitted.
All ready for her next adventure, but we didn’t hear how the new exhaust sounded ! 🤔 I’m sure we will soon 👍🏻
Won’t be long 😎
I think the wobbly clutch lever might be a design feature. Mine is wobbly too. Luckily for me it doesn't bother me at all :D
For sure, the second new one I have wobbly too. 🤣
Mine too
Hi, i was wondering what you set the front fork pinch bolts at in newton meters.
I've just fitted some gaiters on the front forks and they look great 👍
I can’t remember now? I just followed the Haynes manual. Good job for fitting, they do look very cool!! 😎
Good to see you back and still out riding. Nice changes made to your bike. Do you think you will ever upgrade to a bigger bike?
Hey thanks 🙏 I used to have a bandit 650 which was lovely. Super low milage and looked/went well. But just love the VanVan! I’m sure I’ll have something more sensible in the future, but I’ll keep the VanVan for life! Personally I wouldn’t see a bigger bike as an upgrade, it’s just statistically better, but I probably wouldn’t prefer it…. 🧐
Hi what bars did you fit the cable lengths seemed to work out well cheers
Hey! I couldn’t tell you what they’re called? I just searched for scrambler bars on eBay and these came up. The rise was a little lower and stock but the width is pretty much the same so knew they would fit well. Measure twice cut once 👍
nice machine
uuuh, 0:23 I really like it - it's got that 70's beach bike look. 0:29 there's an awful lot of chrome on that front end - that needs blackening out..... 0:48 the BLACK header I'm replacing with Stainless steel - see 0:23
Hi did the exhaust make any performance difference? Also what size is it?
Hi! No performance difference at all. It’s a 4 stroke 125 so there isn’t really anything you can do to this bike to make it quicker.
I added this part to match the rear muffler that came with the bike (300mm can) and to provide corrosion resistance as the old downpipe was rusting.
Love it, how do you find the kenda tyres compared to the dunlop k180's/also as regards to a bash guard, i believe the sinnis 125 fits the vanguard, i saw this on another van van bikers channel, i think it was A very British Biker, hope this helps
I second this question about the Kenda's. Here in the states, I believe we get a similar Shinko version of the tires. The current Dunlops terrify me in the rain.
Great looking mods!
Thanks for the tip on the bash guard, I’ll look into that!
Regarding the tyres, they’re…. Ok…. The tyres are on par with the K180’s I would say. I have used them in the wet and I found them pretty slippy. The rears have a very wide tread pattern which I don’t think helps. Front feels pretty ok though. Tough to find great tyres for the VanVan
What fork gaiters did you get and how are they holding up? I put some on mine a couple years ago and they are breaking up. They never fit tightly to begin with.
@@Dave-sw2dm - Hey 👋, they’re just some that I measured up from Amazon. Nothing special. They’ve been on for a year and are perfect. I don’t have the order details so can’t send a link. Although I carefully measured them I still had to buy a couple of sets before getting some that fitted well.
Hi, I also have a van van and absolutely love it.
I'm looking to do some upgrades myself and really like the bars you fitted, where did you get them from if you don't mind me asking.
Hey! Sorry for the late reply. Good choice on picking up a VanVan!!
I got the bars from eBay. Just searched for black tracker bars and checked that they fitted.
All the best! 😎
I can highly recommend the Cymarc tail tidy, bash plate and chain guard as a mod👍
@@grahamhigby4372 - there is a chance I have this kit and a video will be on the way soon 😉
Which version of the black widow exhaust is it?
@@sham27007 - this is the 300mm version. Probably the most popular version in the UK. In my opinion it’s a bit too loud but most love it. I have a replacement from Powertech that I had on a previous VanVan which is really nice looking/sounding. I’m going to make a vid about it before the year is out. 👍
@moto-coupe oval or round?
@ oval
Looks great 😊 Does the crossbar impact the view of speedo at all ?
Thanks! Not at all, I’m sure I’ll do a ride vid soon so you can see 👍
@moto-coupe I hope so I'd love to see that
how deep can it go into the water ?
No idea? Up to the air box I imagine.