A sunny Shanghai afternoon on a CJ 750

It's hardly a ride report but i've just had the pleasure of an afternoon riding around Shanghai in a sidecar. My first time in a sidecar and what an experience.

The CJ 750 is a beast of machine! :thumbsup:

... I've never seen an engine as big in my life, the sound is deafening. Plenty of low end pull, and a surprisingly comfortable ride. I thought i'd be bouncing around all over the place in the sidecar, but it was smooth on some really uneven roads. We drew plenty of attention as the bike's a proper looker and really roars.

The owner is an American guy i met in my complex last week as i was taking pics of a Harley parked in our garage. Turns out he's also a bike enthusiast with 3 China bikes and he lives only 5 mins away. I told him about this site so i reckon we'll have a new member soon.

Anyway, we went out riding through the Minhang District of Shanghai today and found some decent countryside right on our doorstep. There are plenty of sites out that way that i never knew about. We found camp sites, big lakes and rivers, and a strange tennis villiage that seemed to be abandoned. Kinda spooky walking through it. :eek2:

We also found big mansions tucked away in forested areas and i was surprised to see a big swimming pool and bowling complex right out in the middle of nowhere. I'm guessing they catered for the mansion owners. We also spoke to a Chinese family who were out fishing in a rickety old boat. The guy had a gret haul of fish. :clap:

It's amazing what adventures you can get upto on such a short trip. I'm now looking forward to a long summer of riding in China and discovering new places. :naughty:

Anyway, here are some pics if your interested...

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The bike was that good i'm worried my terrible camera doesn't do it justice.
Here are a few more pics. Not bad for a 50 year old bike...

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look at the size of that engine...

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dew,
Beautiful hack rig and your photos are very good.
Thanks

I'm no aficionado, but I think that's the first Changjiang I've seen with a front disc. That bike gets a lotta love!

Thanks for posting, and look forward to hearing more from today's pilot.

cheers

sweet comment, the bike likes to hear that... yes, she gets lots of love and her bolts polished often... and is ridden daily.. Weel from Xinzhaung

Awesome man! I look forward to riding with you too!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Weel

sweet comment, the bike likes to hear that... yes, she gets lots of love and her bolts polished often... and is ridden daily.. Weel from Xinzhaung

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Hello, Weel, and welcome.

So what else is in the stable besides this thoroughbred? Dewsnap says you've got quite a collection!

As it happens, I was at Xiao Fan's CJ shop in Honggu Lu today and saw quite a few very nicely maintained CJs. None to rival yours, though.

Look forward to seeing and reading more about your motoring life.

cheers

Weel,
Does your CJ have two calipers on the front disk? Beautiful bike.

hey man, nothing to top the black iron machine i have fell in love with from the day I put my deposit on the old iron...and she was an old rusted POS when I got her. I got in the garage a nice CB250 with the inline 4.., no legal plate so hardly ridden. a Sachs Madass with some love into her, and a family 50cc scooter which has the most around the town use. I ride everwhere I can, even a quick ride at lunch makes the afternoon go by so much better... once I got the sidecar, my road trips just got all the better..longer and more interesting.

Ya, thats two..but it really does not do more then one.. just it was something a bit different and brings a lot of conversation.

A very nice looking bike, thanks of the pics. Good classical looks.

Wow nice specimen Weel! That's the first time i see a front disc setup with TWO calipers! Nice. Did you have only one at first or go straight for the double? I've the same setup on mine but with only one caliper. It does beat the drum brake but doesn't blow me away...

Why do so many foreigners in Shanghai (or even China in general) have these?

Bit of a loaded question there. The CJ is a "love it or hate it" bike. We all know that technologically they're dinosaurs, but it's fun to ride a piece of history around. Some people like classic bikes, some think they're pointless. Some people like chrome, some like rust. For me i just think it's a fun bike to ride, i keep mine dirty and shitty so i don't mind thrashing down a dirt road or scraping the walls in a narrow lane. Say what you will about the CJ, i doubt that in 70 years the Shineray GY7 will have as big a fan club.

Oh and one last thing: fuckin Party Bike! whether you're bringing 10 people back from the bar or carrying 4 with camping gear, bbq and booze for a weekend in the mountains, the CJ's game!

I think they're great. Weel said he spends as much time fixing his as he does riding it but i'm sure that's all part of the 'CJ' experience. I'd defo get one if i could get it plated in Shanghai.

Went out with Weel again today to break in my new bike. Weel and his friend were both on CJ's and i was on the Raptor DD250G-2N. My wife didn't trust my newbie skills so she jumped in Weel's sidecar. Loads of fun had by all.

A few more pics.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by felix

Bit of a loaded question there. The CJ is a "love it or hate it" bike. We all know that technologically they're dinosaurs, but it's fun to ride a piece of history around. Some people like classic bikes, some think they're pointless. Some people like chrome, some like rust. For me i just think it's a fun bike to ride, i keep mine dirty and shitty so i don't mind thrashing down a dirt road or scraping the walls in a narrow lane. Say what you will about the CJ, i doubt that in 70 years the Shineray GY7 will have as big a fan club.

Oh and one last thing: fuckin Party Bike! whether you're bringing 10 people back from the bar or carrying 4 with camping gear, bbq and booze for a weekend in the mountains, the CJ's game!

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Haha hey now! Don't hate on my baby. No I totally understand, but it just seems like it has none of the advantages of being a motorcycle (you get stuck in shitty Shanghai traffic) and all of the hassles (getting it legal to ride in Shanghai). But I can totally understand the charm of it. Didn't know that you had one, too. Might have to check it out when I'm back.

Is there a club for all you guys? You should organize big group rides, that would be pretty exciting. There's a super platinum blonde guy who always rips the wrong way up my street (Wu Yuan Lu Yong fu Lu, near Shelter) on one of 'em.

Welcome over anytime mate! Or you can see my CJ here. You know, i used to completely not understand the point of sidecars either. Same as you, i thought they have all the disadvantages of cars and bikes combined. After owning one for 4 years though i totally get it now. You can use it to haul shit around such as friends, boats, bikes, furniture, you'll even get stuff onto it that won't fit in a car (i once went to buy a couch with it); and the whole time you still get to be riding a motorbike with the wind in your face instead of being stuck in a box. Yes, being stuck in traffic sucks, but until i moved to shanghai that wasn't really an issue. Add to that the unparalleled comfort level for your darling passenger, after 10 hours of riding when you pull into a hotel for the night you will immediately notice the difference!