Chinese Built 250cc Adventure Bike Coming to the US  CSC Cyclone RX-3 expected to pass 50-state US certification by year end.

A long-range touring capable 250cc Adventure Bike will be on its way to America soon. But is America ready for a Chinese built Adventure Bike?

The Chinese built Zongshen RX3 250cc Adventure Bike is on its way to the U.S., now rebadged as a CSC (California Scooter Company) Cyclone RX-3. CSC is known for small custom styled motorcycles built in their factory in Azusa, California. Now the company plans to certify the Zongshen RX3 for the United States market and rebrand it as their own.

CSC felt there was strong demand for a small, inexpensive Adventure Bike in the US market and spent some time reviewing the prospect of bringing the Zongshen to America. “The big adventure bikes are nice, but they are huge,” said President of CSC Motorcycles Steve Seidner. “We think they weigh too much, and we think they are not a good solution for exploring the world when riding off-road.” Convinced that the Zongshen RX3 met their quality standards, the company made the decision to invest in certifying the bike for street use in the US.

The Cyclone RX-3 is an inexpensive, low-seat height, relatively light Adventure bike with modern styling.

Earlier this year, another company took the same plunge and re-branded the Zongshen RX3 as the M1nsk TRX 300i for the European market. The reception to the bike on social media channels was very positive but the M1nsk company only expressed mild interest in bringing the bike to the US.

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It looks like CSC beat M1nsk to the punch and will likely be the first importer of the Zongshen RX3 to the US. “We’re proud to be the company taking it through the [US] certification process,” said Steve Seidner.

CSC has announced a very low price tag on the Cyclone RX-3 at $2,895 for pre-sale customers only. Once the first shipment of bikes has sailed from China, the price will increase to $3,495. That is still quite a bargain for a bike that offers fuel injection, water-cooling, 6-speed transmission, adjustable suspension, tall wind-screen, wire-spoked rims, electric start, panniers, top box, modern styling and a 1-year warranty, all as standard equipment. At that price, we expect many will overlook the “Made in China” badge on the bike and be willing to give the RX-3 a try.

CSC will not be taking orders until the bike passes the US certification process, but you can put your name on the waiting list and they’ll notify you when orders begin processing. CSC says the completion of US certification should happen before the end of the year and the bike will be street legal in all 50 states. Questions still remain about how the bikes will be serviced around the country, but CSC has confirmed they will be shipping a large amount of replacement parts for the bike to handle service orders.

Specs Comparison

Adventure Bike Models HP Torque

(lb.-ft.) Dry Weight

(lbs.) Top Speed

(mph) Seat Height

(in.) Price

(US $) Honda CRF250L 20.0 14.2 314* 84 34.7 $4,699 Yamaha XT250 17.5 13.7 277 76 31.9 $5,190 CSC Cyclone RX3 24.8 16.5 359 84 31.3 $3,495 CCM GP450 40.0 31.6 287 90 35.0 $10,863** Kawasaki KLR650 37.0 33.4 386 95 35.0 $6,499 BMW G650GS 50.0 44.0 392 105 30.3 $7,900

** Based on UK price before taxes

For more information about the CSC Cyclone RX3, check out the CSC Blog and the Cyclone RX-3 page. Also check out our Cyclone RX-3 visual inspection and test ride review.