Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions

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Hey guys, nice to find a community like this with so many resources. It's been good to check out the posts and get an idea of what I could expect when I finally get myself a bike here in China.
I've been in China for about three months. I'm 28 and I've been riding for about 11 years. My first (and only) bike is this one in the picture. A wonderful 1981 BMW R65/5 that I'm sorry to say I've left in Florida, where I'm from. I would really love to have it here in China but it's probably not really the ideal bike for a road trip here anyhow, though it is quite a trooper. This bike was a regular rider and really my only vehicle, year round, for about 7 or those 11 years I've been riding. There were always yearly or bi-yearly trips, usually up the east coast to North Carolina or further along if the season was warm enough. I've probably logged about 80k miles on that there bike, and it took it with ease most of the time. Of course I've dropped it several times but I've never been in a two vehicle accident, I think mainly due to being a very defensive driver. I've also never had an accident in any of my cars, having been driving the wheeled coffins since I was 15. I'm not too much of a mechanic but I've done all the work that's been done on the bike since I got it and this has included rebuilding the front end (someone backed into it, cant tell you how fond I am of whoever did that) and rebuilding the transmission, clutch and replacing other random parts and of course all the random maintenance for the various systems.

Right now I'm going to be working for another 11 months or so and then I should have a little time I should be able to delegate to a nice trip around China. I'm thinking now that of course that's going to put me just about in the middle of winter and so of course I'm considering heading almost due south from Taiyuan here until it's not too bad.

I've had a chance to ride around a scooter here in China (a friends) for a bit and of course I've been observing the motoring habits of the locals. Naturally I'm used to maintaining a "bubble" that is MUCH larger than what is possible here, but I think with a few weeks I could get my nerves settled enough to not have a heart attack as soon as a taxi started nosing into my lane, etc. etc. etc......

Right now I've been checking out bikes and I'm thinking of a 200cc Shineray that comes with the decent racks and front/rear disk breaks. The nice size tank and ground clearance should get me where I want to go and the racks will let me take what I need, maybe allowing me to not load down my bags too much. I'm thinking I need about 10k for the license, bike, bags, and some other gear. I want to get the bike about two months before the outset to have a chance to run the thing around and get the kinks sorted out and have it set up about like I would like. Someone (forget the user name) has a really comprehensive post about their trip and that's got me pretty well sold on this Shineray, THANKS whoever that was, BrokenSpoke or something like that.

I have and continue to look around on MCM, and have found some clues and may find more but still would like to ask. My basic questions in no real order are things like: Does the bike come with any tools or will I have to get some kind of tool roll? Of course I can't put the thing together out of the crate until I get some. I'm considering getting a GPS, or getting a phone with GPS, any suggestions? I want to visit the more out of the way places, mostly places that are not really tourist destinations, are there any posts someone could point me to with nice minority groups and somewhat unspoiled scenery? How reliable are the maps, hardcopy or electronic for the less traveled areas? Is it possible to mostly camp out on these trips and is camping in random (I DO have reason and discretion) on the side of the road?

That about wraps it up for now, I'll post more as I think of it.

If you have answers, or find the posts with answers before I do, or if you have any questions for me, just message me or respond here on the thread.

Thanks all,

Welcome Maux, thanks for stopping in.

Supersignet is the guy that did a couple reports on the Shineray GY7. Some people like it, and others are not so impressed. The racks and gas tank are good, but the suspension is weak, and the engine will vibrate your fillings loose. It's a fairly large motorcycle for a 200cc bike, so it's one of the few motos that work for larger people, or those trying to tour two up. The bike comes with the same piece of crap toolkit as most other bikes, better to hit the tool market and make something you can count on.

Camping is both fun and a bit challenging. Not really many campgrounds in the country, but roadside camping is possible if you look hard enough, doing it alone might not be such a great idea. I think most of your other questions have been beat to death here on the forum, dig around and I'm sure you will find enlightenment.

Cheers!
ChinaV

Welcome, Maux. I haven't been to Taiyuan for years, but from what I remember, and what I know about geography, you've lucked into what should be a great place for motorcycling -- as long as you can get out of town. You're on the "yellow earth plain", which has a lot of open landscape but is anything but flat. I suspect you'll find fantastic mountain roads. I'll be it's bloody cold right now, but spring will be awesome.

If your time is really limited to one year, get cracking on getting your Chinese license if you haven't done so already. If you are on a work visa, it should be possible to use your Florida motorcycle license to qualify for a Chinese one, though you'll have to pass a written test showing you understand China's many illogical laws. (No, it's not required to stop at a red light if you are turning right; you need only "check speed and yield", not that any self-respecting Chinese motorist would ever do either!)

Would be great to know you are saddled up and ready to ride once the weather breaks a bit. Incidentally, what brings you from Florida to Shanxi, of all places?

MCM member Slabo is also a Shineray 200 expert, and will be a great resource.

Keep us posted as your adventure reveals itself! And don't forget to post pictures.

cheers

We'll I don't really need a higher bike, and I doubt I'll be two up very much. Are there some shorter shocks I could put on it? I'm only about 5'8" and the R65 is not a very high bike really, though I can stand over it pretty easy.

Of course I could always get another bike and fit with aftermarket racks, they are not a deal maker and neither is the tank really. The posts I've seen about them is just that their pretty reliable and come stock with just about what I think I would need. I would rather just focus on

Sence I'm used to the orizontally opposed boxer engine I doubt I'm going to be anything but shocked at the vibration produced by the thumpers I'm bound to end up with.

I'm checking out gear on Tao Bao now and I think my 10k guess is about right before daily expenses.

I'm here in Taiyuan teaching English and I have got my residence permit, z visa, and a motorcycle license from Florida (Florida just has an endorsement on their regular license, like most other states, but there are field tests required). I'm hoping I can get that sorted out without too much trouble (yeah, right? lol!).

Thanks for the info and the welcome guys, I'll keep you posted.

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Originally Posted by Maux

I'm here in Taiyuan teaching English and I have got my residence permit, z visa, and a motorcycle license from Florida (Florida just has an endorsement on their regular license, like most other states, but there are field tests required). I'm hoping I can get that sorted out without too much trouble (yeah, right? lol!).

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You've got everything you need for a Chinese license. Just spend a week or so studying the questions, and you'll be licensed in no time.

Good luck!

I moved Roadrunner's post to here:
http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...adrunner-intro

Hi Maux,
Sorry for the late reply, been away for more than a week now. Can't see your bike, image not attached properly. Upload to some hosting service like http://host.fotki.com/ and paste the link between [img] and [/img] tags.

I’ve had the Long March for a little less than a year now, approaching 10k now. I basically chose the bike believing that I’d have problems with any china bike. I might as well start somewhere and learn how to do my own repairs. You consider a big fat tank and the rack not to be deal makers, but I’ve had very hard time customizing anything in China. Once I called up some suppliers for aluminum pipe, and they said sure, how many tonnes do you need? Never heard from them when I said I just want 20 meters total. The basic DIY stuff you could find down at the local hardware store are more than difficult to get in China. But then again, your millage might vary; I haven’t toured all China yet!

Tank, racks and the WWII bike messenger basic looks were the deal maker for me. That, and also when I tried the Qingqi 200 Enduro, I found it to be tiny (I’m only 176 cm tall). I don’t know about the 250 Enduro. Till today, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the bike. It takes me everywhere, runs for 16 hours a day no problem, but overall it’s much less of a bike than should be. Even if it’s just a 200cc. Small things that add up like the shift lever getting stuck going from 2nd to 3rd sometimes. I just have to push it back to 1st, then still with the clutch pulled in go back to 3rd. The seat doesn’t sit securely on the bike. It’s bolted on and relies only on the torque of two bolts to hold it from going back and forth. The rubber mounts that should reduce vibrations are getting torn off from the seat moving back and forth all the time. Seats on other bikes just click in, have just enough space. I had to change the seat as the stock padding was way too soft. Small things like that, I just need to know a few friendly mechanics or have my own tools to sort out. But really, I think all China bikes will have same problem.

After I changed the 56tooth rear sprocket to a 46tooth, bike doesn’t vibrate that much. RPM stays at ~5k cruising comfortably on the highway. But I haven’t compared with GPS yet. Also, I haven’t tried it off tarmac yet. But overall the bike feels much better already. Accelerates nicely out of traffic, speedo needle doesn’t wobble anymore, at least not too much. Still, for a bike from made in 2010 it should be smother that it is. But that doesn’t really bother me now. If I’m happy with cruising speed on the flat highway, and still have some low end torque for the trails, I’m more than happy with the bike as is.
No rust so far and it’s been in the rain a couple of times. But I always store it out of the rain. Seems paint quality and coating is good.
Planned Improvements:
• redo the wiring
• fit HID lights
• get better tires
• spark plug
• mirrors
• exhaust

About camping on the side of the road, remember that most of the land you see is not owned by the people living on it. Farmers rent the land, or give part of their crop to the owner in return for the use of land. I've camped on the side of the road a few times, never had a problem. Not really by the side of the road, i find a trail, go on it and find a small patch hidden from the road. I've always felt safe in China whereever I am, I just get away from the main road to find a quieter spot that's all. I've went further than camping. Passed through a cherry field one time, and boy I was hungry. I ate all I could eat, farmers there too, no problems. So long as you don't jump over fences and barbed wire, you should be ok.
About maps everything moves in China. Don't expect to find the same road/cafe/motorway/mountain/river... even 6 months later. What I've done is just list the towns I should be passing through as checkpoints, and follow the signs and road numbers marked. When I get to big towns or cities, I ask the locals how to get to my next checkpoint. This is where it gets fun and you meet nice folks.

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Originally Posted by slabo

Planned Improvements:
• redo the wiring
• fit HID lights
• get better tires
• spark plug
• mirrors
• exhaust

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With what you have done already, that is almost a new bike mate!

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Originally Posted by jape

With what you have done already, that is almost a new bike mate!

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That's why I say it's a love-hate relationship with the bike. So much work to do to get it to be a decent bike, and it's being really difficult for me to do any mods here. Somedays I just want to sell it, get rid of it for any price, and get a new Qingqi. The grass is always greener on the other side?

Slabo, thanks for your honest impressions on the Shinray, I always try and listen to people when they are honest, even if it's not what I would love to hear. I expect I would have some kind of issues with any bike, my R65 always had something or another that could use some fixing. I've never even sat on a chain driven bike, LOL.

I'm pretty happy to see that your basically my height exactly and are OK with the bikes height, as this has been my biggest concern. As per the availability of after market or scratch parts I did not consider that it would be very hard, but come to think of it, I also haven't seen the first decent screwdriver since Ive been here.

I'll try and also post some pics of the R65 also with this post.
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Nice bike!! I can see why you're attracted to the Shineray.
With my height, the bike is just right. Another reason why I didn't go with the Qingqi then.
I'm not saying it's a bad bike, but pay a bit more and you could get a Qingqi or a Galaxy and but you get a much better bike. I looked around, I couldn't find anything I like as much as the Shineray. No test ride, and I was relying on forums and anything I could find online to decide, so I went with the Shineray. 8800rmb and another 1200 for registration and insurance. But maybe I'm not doing a fair comparison. When I talk of the Galaxy or Qingqi, I'm talking about the 250cc bikes, and price is 14000 without registration. Now I remember why I got the Shineray, I couldn't afford anything else and thought all China bikes are equal!
Today I fixed a small issue with the chain guide.

We tested with GPS, now, with two up, getting a decent cruising speed of 75 Km/h with strong head-on winds. It's very windy in Kunming during the winter.

If you're interested, I'd sell you mine. I'd let it go for 6000rmb. You will need new front brakes in 3000km, and new tires in 5000. Bike has 9500km on it so far. I change the oil regularly (every 1000 to 1500 km). Everything else is new. Parts for this bike are dirt cheap. Also, replaced the headlamp with a new one that doesn't leak. Replaced the seat with a harder red seat from Lifan. New chain and sprockets too. I put rubbers under the speedometer so it doesn't rattle itself to pieces. Also replaced the spark plug with an NGK one.
If you want it, I could renew the insurance for a year, then you have a legal and insured bike for a year. Then I could start cursing another bike!

Dear Slabo,

your bike sure sounded sweet when we met in kunming last month, and it looked great with the new seat. If you really are keen to get something else, surely you can find a buyer in Kunming if Maux doesn't bite.

All I can say is, as you and Chen rode off into the (frigid) night, I saw a smile on both of your faces! You are a blessed man!

cheers

Yeah, our Slabo has got the bug! He's looking for a new toy, I bet it is a cooool cruiser type next time?

Seat height is more important than people realise, my Kinlon is a too high seat for most people but perfect for me at 6 foot plus, and especially as Chinese bikes are quite heavy you really need the two-foot-down ability. Makes such a difference in traffic going slow, at junctions and a lot in the bush where you have to stop and dab or kick or climb. Makes me a lot more confident.

A true 75 kph with a headwind, 2 up is pretty good for these 200cc bikes. You've certainly improved it with the sprocket. I get about the same on the Kinlon 200cc.

Jape,

Both of my dual sports are tall bikes -- the KLR650 even with 2" lowering links, and the stock JH600 -- and at 180cm but with a long torso and relatively short legs I can both feet on the ground, but only the balls of my feet, not my heels. Initially this made me uncomfortable, but I've gotten used to it.

Almost.

I had one doozy of a bike drop (somewhat akin to ChinaV's during that fateful puke-soaked day) when I was riding along a 20cm wide edge of a raised roadbed whose main roadway had been jackhammered into unrideable rubble. One of my boxes clipped a steel stake, and this pitched me to the right. There was nowhere to put my foot, as it was a steep embankment! As luck would have it, there was a tree there, and positioned just such that it caught my bike and allowed me to roll free, rather than getting sandwiched between tree and bike. The bike fell to lower than horizontal, so it was really really a bitch to lift it upright, which I managed with the help of two passersby.

So now I'm usually more aware of just how much room there is for me to plant a foot on either side. I try to avoid such embankments, narrow bridges and the like!

I can't see Slabo on a cruiser, to be honest. He's as safety conscious as I am (having witnessed my getoff in Kunming), and a cruiser would be a bad idea in a traffic choked city like Kunming, and would have little or no use in the wonderful mountainous terrain of Yunnan province. I'm guessing he'll step up to a better dual sport...

A final word about kunming -- and apologies if I've already told this story. On the last day of my visit last month I and my two travel companions gave ourselves 2.5 hours to reach Kunming airport from the university district. We lost 20 minutes waiting for a taxi, then finally got a public bus that took us into downtown -- albeit through thick slow-and-go traffic. Once on the airport side of town, with 25 minutes to spare, we commandeered a "black car" -- an unlicensed cab -- and urged him to make haste to the airport. We made it maybe 300m in that vehicle, and started thinking about alternate means to get to Xishuangbanna, assuming we'd miss our flight. Then we saw them: Two "modi" on the side of the road. "Mo" is short for motorcycle (motoche), and "di" is short for taxi (dishi). We bailed out and used only a few seconds to negotiate our last-ditch ride to the airport: "50 RMB if on time, nothing if late." I, with suitcase, jumped on one, while my two mates hopped on the other. It was sheer bliss! We carved our way through traffic for the final maybe 4km to the airport, and covered the distance with about 3 minutes to spare. We got our flight.

Next time I'll skip the bus and cab, and just go straight for the modi! Such is life in Kunming.

cheers

Cruiser? No, difinately not a cruiser. And 'cool' is the last I would think about. Function over form for me.

Also, I I have tendancies to get lost, and then I take the trails that seem to be pointing in the right direction. I've never used a map(can't find anything decent in pinyin and can't read hanzi yet), but getting lost in China is really fun. Surely, that puts me in places a cruiser can't manage. I always bitch about the bike but really it has never failed me, and i've been in some tight spots. I'll post my Kunming-Chengdu-Kunming ride report soemtime. I can't imagine making it on a cruiser. Once, after missing a turn, I ended up in some abandoned area, first time I've been somewhere in China with no people. There was a school, a police station, and some shops and small houses... but the whole village was abandoned. I had to cross streams.. all in the rain.. after 20 km, i gave up.. i turned back on the same trails. Going back, someone stopped and sprayed my wheels, like he was trying to disinfect them or something. I didn't see a sign and no one stopped me going in!!

I want to ditch the Shineray because I'm spending alot of time on the road, and I'd like something smoother, more comfortable, and a bit more powerful. Maybe I'll convince Chen to go on longer trips then. I'd say a 250 is the sweet spot. Still light enough for me to toss around, and can cruise all day at 100km/h without sounding like an angry bear. I'm not sure I've seen a 250 that would fit me. I want something oil-cooled, DS tires, and prefer a big tank like the one on my bike. ChinaV's Qingqi seems too small for me, I'm not sure yet, also it comes with a motoard tires. Motorad tires are actually a better choice for me, given I commute daily on tarmac. But I have a recurring nightmare of being stuck somewhere in the mud and my wheels spinning in place.

I haven't posted anything in the local kunming forum because I'm not sure when I can afford a replacement bike yet. I'll have to fork up an extra 8k for that. But if Maux takes the bike, it's a good excuse for me to get on my road bike and ride a bit. With the motorbike, i'm becoming very lazy.

Hi slabo, I think I fully understand what you are looking for, my wife dont like the bike as well. I'm seriously looking into a sidecar for the "two up rides" to get that issue solved.
From your requierements I immagine the Yamaha YBR-GY, but with the 250 engine - Yamaha is too stupid to put this bike on sale. That would be commfortable for two up, has the tires and upright seating position you need.

I dont see any QingYi, Shineray,...that fullfills this, may the Galaxy SUV???

Following questions come to my mind, Would it be possible to modify a normal YBR250 to a "GY" version? What would it cost? How much costs a used YBR 250?

You are always welcome to try the punch of the X2 engine - I'm very happy with it for myself, but dont want to punish Yan with this. 2500km without issues - same as you only complaints because to western, but no reliability things, only nice to have, never let me down. Great bike for "one up"!

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The Qingqi QM250GY-B that ChinaV has is perfect if it could be setup for taller riders.

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scratch that, I just took a look at the Qingqi again, same narrow seat as the Galaxy! Maybe time to develop an iron butt?

I have no idea how to go raising the Qingqi though. It's a comfortable tourer, and a capable off-roader if swap to DS wheels/tires.

Thanks for the offer to try your X2, but I need to wait to grow another 10cm to be able handle it.

http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/217_151/224_117/13.jpg

What the equivelant of a Baja 250 in China? Ahh, I wish life were so simple here. A Baja 250, is that too much to ask for? A 10 year old bike!

Slabo, thank you, I do love that old bike of mine, it means much more to me than the sum of its parts for sure.

Hymmm, it sounds interesting if you still want to sell it. However I don't think I'll be getting the bike for a while yet. I want to wait and buy it a few weeks before my trip would start. I have to admit that there is a lot of appeal in getting a bike that has already had most of it's kinks and oddities sorted out. Would the price be before or after shipping? I don't even know where I could have a motorcycle delivered, I guess the train station?

Also, I've been talking to people at work and other folks and they say that here in motorcycle hostile Taiyuan they don't even issue a motorcycle license and that I should just go "freeballing" without a license. Of course I would rather have the license for obvious reasons and I would think it would be possible to get someone to do it for me in a nearby town, seems plausible enough. I've told them that I'm not interested in driving IN Taiyuan but around in the country side where motorcycles are permitted, and they seem to think it won't make a difference.

If you have any pictures of the bike I would defiantly like to see it, sounds like a nice bike.

At any rate, even if I don't buy it, thanks for the offer.