QingQi 200GY Sponsor Bike Thread...
Come May 17th, ChinaV and I will head out on a three week trip around SW China, both on QingQi's QM200Gy's and carrying too much camera gear. Beisdes photographic opportunities, the sponsor bike will be returned to the factory for examination. I hope they pay attention to some of the modifications made on the bike which will be mentioned in a later post.
A few weeks ago, QingQi's sponsor bike arrived at my place in Chengdu, Sichuan. As I've only spent around 3,000 kms on a 200GY I don't feel like there's enough experience to do a full report yet but I can share a few quick impressions, offering some good, bad and ugly of the 200GY. Hey, it can't be ALL good right?
- The delivery man helped un-crate the bike -
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-01.jpg
- Warming in the sun -
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-05.jpg
The frame, wheels and suspension are of proper DR200 stock and despite earlier reports of loosening and snapping spokes, I've seen no signs of this on either of my QingQi's - results from improved QC efforts.
- Big Wheels -
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-09.jpg
Styling
QingQi worked with a Brazilian design firm for the overall style of the bike and made gave it an "edgy" appearance which seems to be a popular trend set by manufacturers such as KTM and BMW. The plastics themselves are sturdy, not painted and, unlike many C-Motos, decently thick so light is minimally translucent and doesn't add to the "Wow, I can see my hand through the panels" effect.
-Front -
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-25.jpg
I'm specially critical on aspects that contribute to reliability, comfort and safety. The front end sports a KTMitation fender which wins points on coolness but looses points on functionality. The short narrow style front fender doesn't effectively stop spray from the large 21" tires and the faster you go, the more spray you ultimately get in your face. The small "winglettes" on the very tip do nothing except provide a place for water to collect before the stream off towards your knees.
In certain parts of the world like Eastern Europe, South America and China, a more standard version of the front fender is available which should provide better protection. The Supermotard version has a totally different design and may not suffer from spray as much but for real long distance riding or commuting in bad weather, every bit of water that doesn't land on your clothes is a good thing!
The headlight is a real H4 class bulb and is easily upgraded to HID's for super candle-power. I've not yet experienced any problems with the plastics themselves but would like a larger reflector (round is my personal preference) to make the bulb output more useful.
The rear fender is of ample length and has no problems with water spray. The "edgy" styling is well built and looks nice but is neither very unique or functional. The small rear tail light is easily covered with grime and becomes almost useless after some time in the dirt. A quick wipe with your gloves or rag can solve this once in a while but it would be nice not having and extra task on the pre-ride check list.
Also, a small but important detail is the rear turn signals are mounted on a stand-off adapter when the rack is installed. The adapter is not properly designed and will point your turn signals 45degress towards the ground. Alternatively the signals can be mounted into the plastic but that requires extra drilling and wire re-routing. Small details like this are important to customers and take very little extra effort to correct.
-Tail -
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-13.jpg
For some reason, the narrow saddle and tank are sculptured in a way that reminds me of old WWII fighters which I used to build models of when I was younger. While the saddle does flatten out quite a bit in the back, it's a little too narrow and stiff in the rider section when new. The foam and material feels solid but will take some time to break in. It's nice to have extra room between the legs when riding on technical terrain but for general every day riding and long distance touring, a wider more rounded design would be a welcome change.
- Saddle and Tank -
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-32.jpg
Here again is a form over function aspect of the 200GY which I though could be improved. Considering the narrow profile of the QM200GY, the tank capacity is a respectable 10.6 liters which should keep you in the saddle for at least 300kms fully loaded. If the tank and seat could be widened while keeping the same basic shape, a rider could easily have a 450 km (~270mile) range with all day comfort. Changes like this could increase the initial reaction to the bike which is a fundamentally very sound platform.
- Rack -
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-14.jpg
Although not oversized, the rear rack is strong and well built mounting to the frame at four points with 12mm bolts. As a habit, I immediately put a removable rear box on my bikes and this gives me a nice flat plate for mounting soft luggage should it be needed.
At the Heart...
Perhaps the most attractive feature about the QM200GY is its Suzuki DR200 derived engine. The engine outputs about 15hp at 8000RPM and when mounted on a bike only weighing 123kg (~270lb) there plenty of pep to get you going at least 40km/h with two people and luggage up steep switchback to 4000m (~12,500 feet).
- 200GY Engine-
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-33.jpg
Looking closer into the bike I found a real Mikuni carb from Japan with dual cables. Choke is actuated by a small lever on the left side (not pictured below) and can be a little difficult to find from the riding position. At first I was a little weary of these bikes because in China they don't come with a kick start. Much to my happiness, the electric starting system has never failed me and even in sub-zero temperatures at 4,000m to having sat for a winter month while I was away, the engine has always started up immediately.
- Mikuni Carb -
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-15.jpg
The carb, engine and transmission seem to be well matched. With stock gearing, cruising 90kmh only has the engine working at about 5,700RPM in fifth gear. Red line on the 200GY is at 9kRPM and power starts to teeter out just after 7k making 100kmh (64mph) cruising possible but not recommended for extended periods of time without dogmatic regular maintenance.
Between the Two
With two QM200GY's I've had a short chance to compare the two samples for consistency and see only minor variations between models mostly dealing with the fit, finish and choice of material of the exhaust system.
- Looks like Moto-Checkers! -
http://photos.imageevent.com/mychina...ed200gy-23.jpg
Although still far from perfect machines, the QingQi 200GY is one of the best options in the current world of C-Motos if you're in the market for a dual-sport or light trail-bike. All of them have problems but this is a step in the right direction and the real test will be how well the bikes prove to be when loaded, over varying terrains and for long distances in the mountainous dirt roads of South West China!
More coming soon!
CC
