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Bailey 4v 200 v Bailey v5?


Bobbyf

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Hi chaps,

As per the title really, what are the main differences between the 4v 200 and the v5? I know the 4v is an older model and have read a bit about them online but I wondered if any one had first hand experience with either of them? I'm considering a second hand Bailey at some point and am trying to do as much research as possible.

Thanks, Rob

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Hi Rob,

There was a phase of time in the last few years that saw many bailey customers un-happy :-(

The few people that I know, best suited to answer this question for you would rather not comment.

I know this does not help, but just letting you know why people may not be inclined to reply. (based on the, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all teachings of all our mothers) :-)

I don't know enough about either of them to comment accurately as I have never been into 4-strokes on Paramotors.

Pete B has a V4 for sale, and there is currently a V5 zenith for sale here too. :-) :-)

SW :D

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I'm very happy with the performance of my V5, but less so the customer service.

The last I heard Paul Mahoney took over as office manager and was providing a customer contact role. Telephone them and see how you get on.

The V5 is virtually the same weight as my old Fresh Breeze Solo engined 2 stroke, so I don't have any problems on that score. The swing arm arrangement and harness are very comfortable on take off and in flight plus the fuel economy is superb.

General flight is just over 2 litres per hour, more climbing or playing does increase this.

Starting is easy with the over the shoulder pull start plus you can swap from right to left hand throttle in seconds as it takes your fancy (not in flight).

Not had any experience of the V4.

Alan

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Hi Bobby.

I've had a V5 for the past 18 months or so. I've done 130 hours on mine. I can't comment on customer care because I haven't needed it. This motor has been the most reliable machine by far that I have owned, and I have owned many. I still have a Fresh Breeze Sportix Simonini engine and a H&E 120. I have no financial interest in motors and am non bias.

When my V5 arrived I was pleased with the weight and power. Slightly heavier than my 120 but more power. I have taken off from smaller areas like car parks, grass verges, country roads etc with the V5 because it feels small and light on your back and I have more confidence. On my GTX 26 It still maintains / climbs on fast trim full speed bar but does need full revs (see below). The economy is fantastic. I weigh 97kg naked, 110kg fully dressed not including reserve parachute and flight deck. On my Revo wings I get 2.25 to 2.5 litres an hour. Worst economy is on my GTX where I get 3ltres an hour fast trim. I plan my long flights on 3 litres an hour which works well with plenty of reserve. It's a 12 litre tank.

It's nicely designed compact simple and reliable. Very clean, sounds nice, easy to start in the air giving confidence to stop the motor in flight and low maintenance. I havnt touched the carb and only removed the spark plug twice in 130 hours. For most flights I chuck 8 to 10 litres in and I don't have to think about fuel. I've flown many engines Simonini Black Devil Parajet etc. For me and my weight most use about 6 litres an hour. The Polini versions a bit less but you will not get to 50 hours on most of them without unexplained hole piston or seizure. That's my experience only. Comments welcome. As they say "if your 2 stroke motor seems to be running really nice it means it's about to seize up" LOL

Negatives.

The frame is lightly built, if you are new to Paramotoring and likely to fall over it will cost you. Power is less than the bigger Polini or Simonini but equal to Smaller Polini 110. Probably doesn't like long full rev full speed bar flying (see below). This is how I always used to fly but have adjusted my flying these days in keeping with my age.

The fuel tank detaches which is good for out refuelling but is a bit tight and a bugger to get in. Also the fuel line leaves the tank underneath via a plastic L shaped connector which is unguarded and vulnerable. I've never broke mine but doing so when landing out to fuel will be troublesome.

The fuel tank markings were inaccurate and the tank takes more fuel than indicated, probably because the tank was tight fitting and the sides bowed out. Because of this for the first few flights it seemed I was using much less than 2 litres an hour. I realised this when fuelling at the garage and 6 pump litres + my existing 2 litres = 7 ???

The V5s is much the same I believe but a bit lighter again. I prefer the look of the V5. The V5s has plastic head cover and different exhaust which I am not so keen on. I like shiney bits. I'm not sure on all of the differences.

The early Bailey 4 strokes were heavier and had some trouble with cooling on hard flying. Increasing oil capacity and fan cooling has fixed this. However with this in mind my first few flights were all gentle slow trim on my Revo 30. I have since learned that more distance is achieved without speed bar and full revs. As per the manual instructions I avoid prolonged full revs / prolonged speed bar.

The ideal motor would be a Bailey on the early volution frame which looked nice and was solid, but the one with netting. This might be a bit heavy tho.

Bailey should give a titanium frame option. Although expensive would be better for new pilots.

Bit of a long post. My experiences only. Hope this helps.

Whitters.

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I always fancied a fourstroke but didn't fancy the drop in thrust from the 70 to 80 kg thrust that I 've had in the past. Whilst on holiday, in Cornwall, Whitters kindly let me have a fly of his v5 from the beach near Falmouth. I used my small Nova Mentor and I weigh over 15 stone. Got off no trouble. About 2 litres an hour burn rate. Scanned the ads for a s/hand v5 and bought one a month later. I concur with what Richard said. Spot on.

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Thanks for taking the time to let me know your thoughts gents, it's much appreciated. I think a V5 would suit my type of flying. I weigh 72kg on the bathroom scales so power shouldn't be a problem. I need to see one in the flesh now. Anyone fly one up north?!

Rob

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Hi Rob,

I've had a V5 for 4 years. It's the only machine I've owned, so I can't really give you any kind of comparison.

For the most part, I have been happy with it. It has never let me down in flight, has always started easily. It has plenty of power, it's easy to assemble and disassemble. It's comfortable and has great fuel economy. (Oh, and you don't have to mix your fuel).

The only down side is that it has had a persistent oil loss problem that Bailey have not been able to fix after 5 trips back to their workshop. I have heard of other owners with the same issue, but I'm assuming that after 4 years, Bailey's new machines probably don't have this tendency.

Happy flying!

Dave

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