Tha Misfit!

I first read about Tha Misfit a few months ago in my favorite print motorcycle magazine, and immediately found it to be intriguing. It has a very old school standard/cafe racer look, and is a super lightweight with a single cylinder 250cc engine. At the time I just filed it away in the back of my mind as being something cool to look at should I ever happen to come across a real one, then I promptly forgot about it.
Later as I trolled the internet looking for good things to point out to you, I ran across the Cleveland Cyclewerks website, and decided to post it as a website of the month just because I liked the website and the company’s edgy attitude. Of course I had to see where the nearest dealer was and it turned out to be Carolina Fun Machines on East Independence Blvd. in Matthews N.C. a mere hour and a half away. So I emailed the owners and Mr. Tim Juntgen & I corresponded briefly setting up a demo ride for this past Saturday.
When I arrived at the place they were busy but Tim took the time to show me around the place and there in the clean well lit service area was a freshly serviced Misfit sitting on a lift ready to go out for a ride.

All serviced up and ready to ride!

The first thing that struck me was the stunning appearance of the little machine, the fit and finish was much better than I expected especially on the Lifan engine. I have repaired a few machines (mostly atv’s) with these engines, and while the engine was never the problem the appearance of them was unfinished and cheap looking. This engine looked as good as it ran. In fact the outer covers have some of the best looking black chrome I have ever seen.

Cleveland Cyclewerks black chrome engine cover

Mr. Juntgen brought it around front and went over it with me and my wife snapped some pictures of the two misfits together.

the 2 coolest Misfits you’ll ever meet!

For you to get a better frame of reference as to the size of this motorcycle I am 5’10” tall with a 29″ inseam and weigh 230 pounds. With my legs fully extended I was just able to straddle the bike while having both feet flat on the ground. One thing that was immediately comforting was that the suspension sagged, but no more than any other “normal” production motorcycle when I climbed aboard. That was definitely a sign of good things to come.

Starting Tha Misfit

Now my own Ninja 250 is a really lightweight motorcycle, but it feels much heavier than this bike. When I say lightweight I don’t mean like a current 250 street bike from the big four. Think early 70’s XL175 for comparison purposes and you will be right on the money. Since the engine is basically a modernized XL clone it just adds to the great vintage illusion. It also has two of the handiest vintage features that seem to have disappeared from most motorcycles today, a fuel gauge and a centerstand!

Tha Misfit’s instruments

As you can see from the picture above the speedo is on the left with the fuel gauge and indicator lights on the right, and the tachometer in the small pod at the top center. As a traditionalist I might prefer a the tach to be in the big pod on the right and the fuel gauge to be in the small pod, but from a functional point of view all is great, because in this style of bike, at this price I am pleasantly surprised to see a tachometer at all.

and we’re off!

After starting the engine I took off for a few quick laps of the parking to get acquainted with the brakes and handling before heading out onto Hwy 74. Immediately I was impressed by the neutral handling which was a lot more stable than I thought it would be on such a light motorcycle. The front brake lever does have quite a bit of travel and requires you to grab it with all of your fingers for a hard stop. If you are a beginner, or just one of these unfortunate souls whom has heard that you shouldn’t use the front brake because it will throw you over the handlebars or make the front wheel slide then you need to A. buy a Misfit and learn to ride a motorcycle the right way and B. get some smarter friends. If you are a crotch rocket jockey and are used to being able to pull the rear wheel three feet off of the ground with one finger on the brakes, it aint gonna happen on this bike, sorry. You just put four fingers around the lever and pull it back for safe easy to modulate stopping power. The rear disk actually works very well and was easy to handle as well.

Cleveland Cyclewerks Gas Tank Emblem

I pulled out onto U.S. Hwy 74, a nice busy six lane between Monroe & Charlotte on a busy Saturday afternoon with nearly bumper to bumper traffic. Now this bike is no speed demon, but it is fast enough to stay abreast of the 65 mph traffic I encountered. When I crossed the overpass over I-485 the upside down fork and piggyback reservoir shocks just soaked up the bumps in a most impressive manner. In fact the suspension did a great job of handling all of the bumps that I encountered with none of the bouncing that I expected from such a light motorcycle. Swinging off of 74 to ride some of the twisty backroads this little bike came into its own. The handling is terrific and totally natural, just point it where you want to go and ride. You won’t necessarily be going that fast but you sure will feel good at the speed you are going. Just remember to keep the little engine on the boil, it does not require manic rpm to make forward progress like a 250 sportbike but it does let you know when it’s not spinning fast enough. 55 mph was never this much fun on anything else, especially around 35 mph curves. 😉 This bike is a throwback to a time when motorcycling was simpler and a throbbing single cylinder engine and a twisty road were all you needed for a good time.

a classic looking single cylinder motorcycle engine.

The light flickable handling, flexible powerplant and great economy of operation also make this a great machine for dodging through traffic on your daily commute to your job. Plus you can pretend you are heading out to the Ace Café while dodging potholes, and cellphone addicted car drivers, because this bike has the right look and feel to let you indulge your inner Walter Mitty. After all even commuting by motorcycle is still way more fun than driving a car.
There are a few little nits to pick. The front brake lever could stand to have a little less travel, and the turn signal, neutral and high beam indicators are nearly impossible to see in bright sunlight. My right leg was resting on the kickstarter while riding, this did not really bother me but it might bother some people.

Upside down forks & a flyscreen, how can you possibly beat that at this price?

Speaking of the kickstarter since I am an old guy with an artificial knee I just had to see how hard the bike was to start with it. At least when it is warm, with a little throttle it fired right up on the first kick. I bet this engine would respond well to the same modifications used to perk up old XR/XL Hondas. You still wouldn’t have a ton up special but with the right work I bet you could actually make it snarl a little bit.

Cleveland Cyclewerks Misfit left side

In summary what we have here is a really cool looking little bike that is not too small. It is very light and handles well. The build quality is just as good or better than anything else new in it’s price range. And it would be a fantastic commuter for anyone looking to save some dough while still looking Rebel Without a Cause cool doing it. It’s not perfect but it is a barrel of fun. If you are a rank beginner, an older re-entry rider, or just looking to get a great value for your dollar, go for it. You’ll be glad you did.

Cleveland Cyclewerks Misfit right side

Peace Y’all
Floyd