According to the .weather report today very well could be the last nice day of late summer. So i am off for a bit of a tour around south east England and make the most of the sun. See how many miles i can rack up on the clone before teatime.
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According to the .weather report today very well could be the last nice day of late summer. So i am off for a bit of a tour around south east England and make the most of the sun. See how many miles i can rack up on the clone before teatime.
Back now from my Sunday ride, warm at home drinking tea. Had my thermals on but was still a bit chilly. Clocked up 120 miles travelling out and back in a loop. I think our summer is finally over, it was sunny but chilly fiding along. Had to give the Lifan a little choke to start her first thing, after that she was fine. Think i may have to buy an oversuit if i want to ride on and into the winter.
You look a little tired in the photo. At least it is quite sunny! It was hitting 100 F here (38 Celsius if the converter did its job correctly) yesterday. I am dreading the cold mornings here, which will begin to take effect in the next month or so. My 16 mile commute starts out in the city, and heads through rural agricultural areas for the last 12 miles or so. I can leave on some mornings where it is in the high 40's, and literally feel it getting 8 to 10 degrees colder as I hit a virtual wall where the agriculture starts. The good thing is, it is clear; the bad thing is it is dark, cold, and like I just mentioned, I hit a virtual wall and it gets colder! I will have to invest in some new winter specific riding clothes like a new jacket and gloves.
My son reckoned i was a grey foxf a few years back, now i just look grey :-(
My commute is ten miles. The first six is out in the country close to the marshes, so is often foggy this time of year. The final 4 is through the city, can still be cold but not usually quite as damp. Didnt feel quite myself this afternoon, might be getting ill. We are off on holiday in one months time to The Canary Islands, so am looking forward to some warmer weather again.
I wonder if you can pack the DAX in a suitcase?? :confused1:Quote:
Originally Posted by trexuk
Would probably make the perfect island vehicle :thumbsup:
I have already checked for bike hire, one company actually rents out the Skyteam T Rex :-)
That is too funny!! :lol8: But, part of the fun of renting vehicles is getting one you have never driven/ridden, so no T Rex for you!! I had told 'Birdmove' that he should set up a scooter/motorcycle rental business on 'The Big Island' where he lives, so he could get to buy the T Rex after all :clap: !Quote:
Originally Posted by trexuk
I googled scooter rental and motorcycle rental for Canary Island, and it seems like they have several places renting out large BMW, KTM, and Harleys. I am sure there is appeal to rent out bikes one does not get to use very often, especially on vacation, but the islands aren't very big, so renting out 800cc and above bikes seems like overkill :eek2:
What company did you find the Skyteam? I have liked them since seeing them offered by Skyteam (when I look at the L.A. Craigslist under motorcycles, there is more often than not actual Suzuki RV90s for sale being offered there) so that would be a bike I would rent out if I had the opportunity :riding:
Here are two found today in the greater metropolitan area of L.A. The point I was trying to make above is that Skyteam gave me interest in a bike I had never seen or heard of until they offered them. Putting in RV90 every so often on L.A.'s Craigslist gives me one or more for sale.
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/mcy/4700038079.html
http://palmsprings.craigslist.org/mcy/4666152388.html
Of course, the Skyteam engine is based on a Honda rather than Suzuki, but I wonder if some or most parts interchange like the DAX relica's do with many of the original Honda parts?
I wonder if they use the same size tires that Skyteam uses? I think that is Birdmove's deal breaker.
I cant find which company it was now, our work internet censors a lot of internet sites, will have to check when I get home.
Not sure if the T Rex and RV parts interchange or not? The RV was a 2 stroke and the T Rex a 4. The T Rex is 12v and the RV 6v. The main importer in the UK told me that the tyres for the RV are almost impossible to get new, the T Rex ones are a different size though I believe. I never had to change much on my T Rex so I am unsure on parts interchangability?
There are quie a few Youtbe videos of te Daxs on Lanzarote so they must be fairly popular.
If there is only one company renting them, this is it
http://www.rentalmotorbike.com/motor...ntal-lanzarote
If more companies, then these are one of the companies.
These would make the perfect 'island' bike as far as images that come to mind when I think of 'island bikes,' besides scooters. I could picture 'Barnone's' side hack now that he has alot of photos of his sidecar bike :scooter:
https://flic.kr/p/pmsB2s
After a week of almost continual rain thought i would have a little local run out on the Lifan.
Love the scenery (and the bike)! I actually like rain, but I can definitely see how too much will ruin riding plans!!
Here's the most "scenic" photo I have of my Skyteam. At this point all the emissions equipment has been removed except for the air pump. Also, what can't be seen in the photo is the exhaust system. I cut and re-welded a regular $50 ebay pitbike exhaust pipe to fit this bike. It seems to have helped with throttle response and low-end. According to Skyteam, the bike is DOT and EPA legal, but Pennsylvania has extra stringent requirements for Chinese-made bikes that aren't on their approved list, so I ended-up registering it thru Vermont. The actual manufacturer is Sacin-Jaingsu. I don't have a lot of miles on this bike, but I have ridden it many hours in very hot weather up and down the aisles of the swap meet at Mid Ohio. Except for a snapped clutch cable and dry-rotted turn signal stem, it's been completely reliable.
Attachment 16320
Nice scenery on your bike.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/69460039@N07/L0Qbwy
Looks like the 4 month run of good weather has finally broken as we enter our 2nd week of wet weather and the leaves fall from the trees. I bought the Lifan at the end of May and have had a great summer on it. Probably the best value for money fun i have had in a long time. Apart from a few minor niggles its been a very reliable little bike. Wish i had bought one years ago. Now, what to do withher over winter? Stay with the fitted 110 or drop in a new 125?
My parents are in the UK as their final stop before heading back to L.A. They are staying at my aunt's home in Faversham and mentioned all the rain. Not good weather for riding, but neither of my parents ride...
I would drop in a 125cc just because...so I encourage you to do the same!
Favershm is a nice area, its about 20 miles further east than i am and into a more picturesque part of Kent. Yesterdays rain was biblical, i am glad i took the jeep to the station.
I like the 110 and its been a very reliable and wi!ling engine, but not sure its worth trying to extract any more power from it. The only issue with the 125 is that my insurance company may not want to cover me anymore. And they can be reluctant to accept home fitted engines. Instead insisting that its done by a garage and comes with an engineers report. The alternative is to do it and not tell them. The downside to that though is your insurance would be void.
trexuk,
Bummer about the insurance insisting on having a shop do the 125 installation. Is the 125 that much more powerful?
We have also been getting biblical rains off and on here in Western North Carolina for several weeks. Going to be the wettest October in history if the rains continue. My steep driveway keeps washing out and the tractor is earning it's keep doing the repair.
Looking at the online reviews the Skyteam 125 Dax is listed as having a top speed in excess of 65 mph, which should mean it could cruose at 50. That was my thinkinking behind fitting a 125.
I have one in 125 and I can't imagine it would do 65mph in present form. Maybe w/ different gearing and fully tucked-in going downhill? Honestly, I'm not sure I'd want to ride it that fast, since it's not the most stable high-speed platform.
I have a 110 pit bike and power-wise, I don't think the 125 gives you a lot more. If you're going to the effort/expense, I'd vote for a 140 or 150.
Another mod I've done to my Skyteam Z50 and CT70 clones that I keep forgetting to mention is grinding down the steering stops. From the factory, I found the turning radius to be far too wide. Grinding down the stops gives me a lot tighter turning radius when putting around swap meets or tight wooded trails. The stock setup was pretty ridiculous.
What size sprockets have you got on yours Scottro?
I'll have to count the teeth. I just have whatever came on it from the factory. It works really well for riding around swap meets at a walking pace, cruising campgrounds, tight trails etc. I can ride it around the housing plan I live in because the speed limit is 25. It probably tops out about 50-55.
Taking it out on the main road would be too dangerous. The speed limit is 45, but most people drive 60-65 and there are lots of hills and people driving giant SUVs while sending txt messages etc. Some brave soul riding a bicycle just got hit the other day. A 250 is about the smallest bike I can ride on the main roads around here and survive.
Texting and driving is a real problem over here in the UK. Drivers know its wrong but the fines are so small no one worries. The penalties dont match the devastation it can cause.
Yeah same here. The US is also the land of "Bigger is Better" so motorcycles often go unnoticed and their right of way is often disregarded. Riding something as small as a Dax puts your head at hood level or below on many of the vehicles on the road. Thus, I stay on the side streets and trails. lol
There are some Youtube videos of a guy riding a Skyteam CT70 clone thru Brussels. Looks like fun. The cars are a lot smaller than average on our streets !
Shame about the hassle of installing a 125cc vs. the stock engine; I have a feeling there won't be much difference, although with the 125, you might be able to maintain the top speed better than the 110. I had a 2005 GY200 enduro years ago, and it came with a barbaric 56 tooth sprocket. Changed to a 44, and not only would it hit a few more MPH faster, but it was not screaming and torturing the bike and rider--it was cruising nicely. I have a few relatives in Faversham, so if I ever get out that way again (last time was in 1994), we will definitely have to have some pints of Shepherd's Neame!!
Scott, I hear you on the speed limit--my final stretch of road to work in the morning is posted at 50, but the commuters want it to be 70+! This time of year, agriculture has picked up, so there are a lot of cars heading in the opposite direction from Mexico--there have been days when I had to move all the way to the right three different times on the same day to avoid head on collisions. 3 in one day, and that happened on about 5 or 6 random days last year!! Most of the time it just happens once on the commute. The 200 with 48 tooth rear sprocket (which I had to order from the UK--long story behind that) gets me to about 65 max, but I still fill like a sitting duck sometimes from the rear (besides the oncoming menaces from Mexico).
There is a monkeybike tuning company here in Kent, called Ooracing, ( www.ooracing.com) so i may speak to them in regards to extracting a few more mph from the 110.
Generally drivers in the UK want 10 to 20 mph more than the actual local speed limit, we are a nation where the car comes first, second and third in the drivers eyes. The frustrating part of it is thst you often catch them up again a mile down the road. They are impatient to get to their next traffic jam. I cannot go on motorways as i dont have a full motorcycle license, so stick to the more minor A roads, which i prefer anyway. I like the small back roads, often classed as B roads over here. But where ever you ride car drivefs are generally inconsiderate and drive too close.
Since changing the sprockets to 17/32 i have noticed that the Lifans engine is running at lower revs and doesnt sound so strained. Although it takes a bit longer to reach full speed and needs a longer stretch of straight road. I think i might just be able to squeeze a 18 tooth on the front. But would have to fit a specially machined down hub on the rear to fit a 28 tooth on the back.
I'm running 17/32 on my CT70 clone. My next step is to install a size larger tires on my CT70 clone. Hopefully that will give me the final gear ratio that I want.
I just went from 3.50-8 to 4.00-8 tires on the Z50 clone monkey hack which gave an increase in circumference of three inches (from 47" to 50"). Should also correct the speedometer a bit.