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I was thinking about the essentials and you are talking about the extras hahah ;)
for sure I will put on heated grips and a power outlet. Good that the new version comes with boxes as standard so the rack is there already.
I will go through this thread later to find the bearings. Ill also buy a lot of LOCTITE hah prolly the blue one (243) which is the middle strength over the low strength (purple 222) which is recommended for jap bikes
For essentials I would start with replacement of all engine bearings and wheel bearings :naughty:
During rebuilding my X2 engine I found lots of fake "japan" labeled bearings except the two main bearings for crankshaft. They came from C & U which is an acceptable Chinese supplier.
When you put fake and real Japanese bearings side by side the differences become significant. By touching and turning them you understand why the engine runs with real bearings much smoother.
Additionally once the engine is open you can check / replace the clutch which was never really smooth and measure all shifting parts such as shift forks.
I am actually wondering that my bike, described here at the beginning of this thread, never had serious gear problems. It felt and sounded like it will fall apart every minute. But its under the 3rd owner now and runs continuously since 2013.
A MUST change is the chain. I chose D.I.D. and never regret it. Put it on, re adjust once after 200km and never any further action than cleaning and lubrication.
So all the XR400 parts will fit?
I dont think I will be replacing engine bearings any time soon as I lack the skills but who knows whats going to happen. I just bought myself a rmb100, old farmers bike to learn about the engine ;)
btw... Yesterday I recieved my bike. It was the wrong color so Ive sent it back haha
Ive recieved the bike. It feels pretty good. Its tall!!! Really tall.
I didnt have a chance to ride it much yet but will do after the weekend. Will write a quick review.
Also, I changed the oil and found that it takes way more than it should. The manual says 2.1L. French manual for Mash (same bike) says 2.2L. I filled mine to the very top according to my dip stick and it took 2.45L.......quite big difference.
Do you think I should trust the dip stick or the manual?
Follow the die stick mark.
That works.
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Im unlucky with my oil and dip sticks ;) My YBR filled up with 1.15L (dip stick) and the manual said 1.35L.........
.... but 200ml less will not ruin your engine. :-)
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There is a gearing problem on my bike me thinks or clutch. Firstly the gears are too tall for my liking. 2nd starts with about 25km/h and 5th with about 75km/h. I will be putting a bigger rear sprocket. Now its 40 teeth, Im thinking 42.
The other thing is a clonk and a jerk when shifting gears. Especially down shifting at speeds above 50km/h. Dunno whats that. Thought it was loose chain so I tightened it to even "too tight", its a bit better but the clonk and the jerk is still there. Need some more time to see.
few pics for you :)
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Sounds like a Chinese made the bike for sure, good start for the full review.
Keep us updated and good luck with sorting out the issues.
I am sure you will find more.
:scooter:
Quote:
Originally Posted by prince666
most likely.
If I change the rear sprocket from 40 to 42 will there be a significant difference? Ive never changed sprocket sizes before. Taobao has 42, 44, 46, 50, 56 teeth sprockets for the X5. Im thinking if I should go with 42 or 44
If you use bigger then a 42 then a longer new chain is required.
Try 42 first.
I thought I would have to get a new chain even if I change to 42. Thanks. I will do this one first.
I will get 42, 44 and 46 since they are not expensive. When I change the chain I will try 46 first and if I dont like it 44. Unless the old chain will allow me to try 44 at that time hahah Shuben said that it stretches like a bubble gum ;)
somewhere on the internet Ive found a calculator. It said if I change to 42 it will be about 5% torque up and 5% speed down. 44 teeth 9% and 46 teeth 13%. I know There is more to it but its good to put it to simple numbers
http://www.sprocketcalculator.com/
I would be very surprised that you want to reduce the top end down on the bike knowing you will be travelling a long way on your trip to the EU with a lot of roads that will be capable of high speeds.
Haveing lower gears for off road I can understand, but how much off roads stuff will you be hitting along the way.
IMO I would change the sprockets to suit what you are looking for but to take along the old sprocket and chain to change back along the way if needed.
I wont be going to Europe any time soon and I wouldnt take this bike. Afraid. Hell, Im afraid of going to Huangshan next week and its only about 500km away hahah
Oi! Show some adventure spirit. Only my last Offroad trip in the grassland I lost 4 rear spokes on the X2 with fully loaded bike. ... Got nearly a heart attack on each unprepared pothole hit... But! I made it :-)
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After reading this Ive gone ahead and bought some spokes ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by ShuBen
So I had the bike now for some time. I have only broken it in. Im exactly at 1500km now.
For most parts it feels pretty solid but there are some cheap and tacky bits. I like how tall one is riding this bike, I can see over the traffic. The engine is not smooth at all. While engine breaking the bike shakes a lot and I really mean shakes a lot! It feels like one of them 20 year old washing machines spinning on uneven surface. While accelerating it vibrates but while decelerating it shakes. Brakes feel spongy but adequate, maybe rear wheel locks too easily but not much complains here. I like the fact that the pillion pegs can be removed easily and are not connected to riders pegs. Id prefer one muffler tho to save some weight which take me to another thing I dont like. Its too loud for my liking. It sounds great but loud as hell. Its a bit annoying on long rides.
THE GOOD:
-Tank size (19l should give me about 475km range)
-Suspension (I dont have a lot of experience and a lot of bikes to compare it with but it feels great. It comes a little soft from the factory but its fully adjustable so no problem. I had not adjusted it yet as I was braking the bike in so didnt do much off-roading. Its very comfortable on roads)
-Seat (I thought its gonna be much worse but its actually not bad. I found myself riding for 4h without brakes and my arse was fine)
-Rack for the top box
-2 light bulbs ( 35W each, absolutely adequate. Cant wait to see what it would be like with HIDs)
-Side boxes (they are included in price)
-Windshield (it keeps the wind of my chest well and at 110km (top speed for now) the wind didnt shake my helmet)
-Its incredibly comfortable to ride standing up (I did add 30mm bar risers but it was good before also)
-Quick access to air box
-Tires are good but take long to wear them in (so great in the wet tho)
THE BAD:
-Clutch (Like I mentioned in a previous post. Changing gears was rough, there was a clonk and a jerk. I did adjust the clutch a bit and about 90% of the problem is gone unfortunately the clutch is very short now. From new the clutch is hard to pull)
-Gear ratio ( Its too tall. 2nd struggles at 25km/h which is not great if you are planning to ride off-road much. 5th struggles below 4300rpm. I will be putting a bigger rear sprocket)
-No oil cooler (they removed it from the first version for some mysterious reason. There is a perfect space for it and there are even 2 useless bolts still there. The existing oil hoses do not have standard connection points so installing an oil cooler is not as easy as it could be)
-Side boxes (they are cheap and have PLASTIC nuts)
-Plastic on a display is cheap (after 1500km its already scratched. My old YBR had no scratches after 70000km and the dash was more exposed)
-Vibrations (its actually quite amazing how much it vibrates)
-Mirrors (vibrate a lot but it has prolly something to do with the above)
-Controls feel a bit cheap
-Bolts/nuts/screws sizes (example: rear axle is 27mm on both ends which mean you need two 27s in your tool kit which is rather heavy not to mention that you have to buy one more 27 wrench. Another example: front axle is 10mm allen key, which is also big and heavy and there is no other use for it on the bike. Could have been a hex bolt 17mm or 19mm or even f***ing 27mm so I wouldnt have to carry so many tools)
I probably forgot to mention something so I will, most likely, update
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What do you guys think of these tyres?
Im thinking about them spring rides already. 60/40 riding, mostly wet. A set would cost me RMB370 so pretty good deal
https://gd4.alicdn.com/imgextra/i4/5...!533067190.jpghttps://gd2.alicdn.com/imgextra/i2/5...!533067190.jpghttps://gd4.alicdn.com/imgextra/i4/5...!533067190.jpg
Invest in a tried and tested set of tyres from a mainstream manufacturer.
Or go with the set posted and hope you make it through the day.
370 RMB sounds like a great deal.
But you can understand you "pay peanuts you get monkeys"
Your Bike.
Your money.
Your life.
Ride safe.
Its not that I want to save money, I simply cant get here what I want.Quote:
Originally Posted by prince666
Can get Pirelli that are 90% dirt but Id imagine they are worst on road than this ones. If I could get a 50/50 good brand tyre I would
So you are saying money is not the issue?
Then ship a good set in from the UK.
Quote:
Hi Modron
Let's look at what is fitted to the Honda CRF 250L.
Make IRC.
Size. Front 3.00-21 51P
Rear 120/80-18 62.
Now guys in Thailand who are looking for better grip off road fit
Dunlop D606
I have covered over 43.000km on the IRC tyres and I like them very much not great off road and when I mean off road far worst then what you will need in China.
And I find them very good on the tarmac.
Yes, the back is smaller than what is fitted to the X5 but look at the kw of the X5 and the KG compared to the CRF.
Well I hope this helps
All the best.
Shipping from Thailand not going to be too bad
Well if I have to may 200% of the original price it might be an issue but even if I wanted to, its illegal to ship tyres internationally....apparently. Most shops wont ship tyres. Id have to ask friends or family and even then I dont have a guarantee they will reach me. too much hassle if you ask me ;)
There is a set of Weerubber tyres in taobao for about RMB850. They are not ideal but I might end up buying those
Quote:
Originally Posted by modron
It's called Vee-rubber made in Thailand.
A lot of the bike rental shop who rent out CRF use them but I am told not great in the wet?
But I still think there are better than the set you posted.
ShuBen
I had a set fitted to my Yamaha YBR been happy with them. (set of Knobbis)Quote:
I was quite satisfied with the Kenda tires. Just the wet grip is performing bit lower.
I used it for 10k km All terrain travel.
Only thick mud is closing the profile completely, but for that condition u need knobbis anyway
Them Kendas are ok on the road but slide a lot off-road in wet and I live in a very wet area.
Here are the Veerubbers, https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...u=t2dmg8j26111
the size is not ideal but I hope it will do
I installed that 42teeth rear sprocket and it feels great. I believe that bike should come with 42t sprocket stock. It feels miles better than the 40t, very natural. Its still not good for off-road use but its rather perfect compromise, or at least it feels this way for me. Maybe I just couldnt get used to tall gearing but now I never get that engine struggle moment which would happen quite often with the 40t sprocket.
I will be installing 44t but I will wait a little to get a new chain.
The 42teeth sprocket from taobao is a tad imperfect. The inner diameter (that hole in the middle) is 130mm while the stock is 126mm so there is 2mm gap after installing. The bolt holes are in the right places. 44teeth sprocket can be found with 126mm inner diameter.
also, I have a question of a different nature
Is it ok to run a tubeless tyre with a inner tube inside? I have a chance to get some good tyres but they are tubeless and the rear is 140/80-18 (stock is 130/80-18)
I did google and it would seem that riders say one can run tubes in tubeless while professionals (revzilla. bike magazines) say do not do it.....
The size difference should be ok me thinks
yes, you can run tubes in tubeless tires. Normally you do that in emergency cases only.
e.g. when your tubeless wheel hit a pot hole that deforms your rim so badly that you cant keep pressure on a tubeless tire.
I can only speculate what could be the problem to run a tube in a tubeless tire! Maybe it's the same one as running car oil in a bike engine?!Quote:
Originally Posted by modron
Anyway, if it's a problem, I wonder how supermoto guys get tubed road tires and slicks, or how they manage to isolate their spokes to run tubeless? Hint: they just don't!
P.S. I've ridden a road supermoto for some years now, and I've always ran tubeless tires with tubes. I just "sprinkle" the inside of the tire and the tube with talcum powder to prevent them sticking to each other.
Thanks lads for a quick answer.
Shuben, I was thinking of running tubs in tubeless permanently as the choice of tires is so limited. Krasi does it and nothing happens so should be fine :)
I can get Shinko E804 front and Pirelli scorpion rally rear but they are both tubeless I just have to make sure I can fit that extra 10mm
It should work without problems. I would only consider potential wheel balancing problems on high speeding bikes.
On specific suitable rims for tubeless tired I prefer stay tubeless as a puncture repair is fast and easy.
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