Picked up my Jialing 150 in Beijing

Hi everyone,

So, I picked up my Jialing 150 dual sport bike from the shop a few days ago and now I have a bit of time to share!

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p...1225165659.jpg

It's not blue!

I've put about 50km on it so far. It's not a bad bike at all, and I'm actually impressed with how comfy it is.

The bad:

-The gearbox is quite stiff and clunky. Riding in sneakers really hurts my left foot because it takes quite a bit of force on the shift lever to shift gears. I hope the gearbox will loosen up a bit as it breaks in. (The clutch had quite a bit of drag initially, and it took a bit for me to get the clutch cable adjusted properly, that's sorted now...)

-The brake light is always on, and it's probably due to how the rear brake light switch is set up. I'll play with it more when I have time, looks like a stupid design flaw to me (where the spring for the brake switch mounts to the brake lever has very little movement...)

-Once warmed up, it idles too high. (without a tachometer, I'd guess that it's idling somewhere around 2000RPM) I looked for an idle adjust but didn't find one in the first minute of hunting...)

-The brakes aren't brembos, or even close

The good:

-The engine starts easily warm or cold. It's a smooth, predicable motor with plenty of power for what the bike is.

-The suspension is lanky and soft, but it's a dual sport... the bike has no trouble hopping curbs or taking on whatever large nasty potholes or other bumps to be found on Beijing's roads. But, I'm curious how many kilometers it'll take before the rear shock is blown and has no more damping.

-The bike has some pep for being a wee 150 cc's... it loves revving up quickly, doesn't have any dead spots in the power band, and cruises comfortably at 70-80km. I feel totally confidant that the engine could easily handle swapping the rear sprocket for a smaller one.

So, first impressions are good. I need to spend some more time with the bike to get a few things sorted... fix the damn rear brake switch (whether that means disable the switch or make it work properly), find the idle adjustment and adjust it, and hopefully the transmission will smooth itself out... if not, I can't be riding this bike in sneakers!

I'll post some updates when I get more seat time!

First I must say I like my feet too much to wear Sneakers riding a moto...the motors are the best thing to most chinese bikes, and chinese motos are like most bicycle manufacturers,,,all the parts come from someone else, as for bicycles it shimano or an italian manufacturer... Having said that , its all about price point' the moto was built to sell for about 8000 kuai, and mostof the money goes to the engine.


Side note,,Mercedes used to build a car then decide how much to sell it for to make a profit,,,,when the started to build cars to a 'price point' their cars were crap!!

Congrats on your bike!!

I do think these bikes are the proverbial Chinabike workhorses based on the few people who have posted about them. I think I had mentioned, 'Crazy Carl' who founded Chinariders had one and took it on a long tour of China and the little 150cc did not seem to miss a beat, including fording through deep enough rivers and the 3000 or higher meter mountains he rode through. I am disappointed they never threw in a 200cc or 223/229cc and certified them for the US because I would have bought one based on the posts about them. PM Carl and see if you can get him to chime in here since he would probably get all nostalgic about his. I think he sold it closer to when he was moving out of China because he got in good with Qingqi who set him up with a Liger 250, not because he no longer liked his Jialing.

YOu need to change the oil which I am hoping the dealer did before you got the bike. It will loosen up all over. Check the brake fluid since these are light enough to be stopped easily--if you feel it is not stopping well, you might need to top off the fluid.

Jialing is a pretty solid choice I think, loads around, they have a pretty good reputation, congrats.

If I were you give it a hot oil change with good oil (elf or shell mineral asap) remember don't rev it over 4000 rpm for the first 1000 kms. Check the torque on all the bolts. If the brakes are a bit crap check they are properly bled and think about switching to western pads, also check the tire pressures if you haven't already, locals tend to over-inflate to seat the bead and then not drop the pressure back.

Congratulations on a great Christmas gift { at the right price } and hope the BJ weather allows you some early season biking !...
For the Jialings . ' over the past month - a few of us from the Shanghai bikers group have dedicated some time to investigate motor bikes for China and SE Asia touring . Plus MCM and China Riders have amassed an awesome amount of experiences and thoughts .
We are concluding this bike , along with its good price points , history and service points has strong value . We 'know U always get what U pay for in China & most of the time LESS ..We have talked to two dealers and both are connected to the China motor biking scene and well informed .
We will visit Hainan Islands top dealer next week . Can add some current info on Jialing for 2015 .
Happy 2015 motoring to all !...

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I have a little list of things to do now :)

I want to pull the bike outside today or tomorrow and pull the plastics and seat off to inspect everything and become more familiar with the machine. Hope I can find the idle adjustment.

I will change the oil and attempt to fix the rear brake switch. I need to go buy a basic socket set and some hand tools, and a tire pressure gauge, and WD40 and chain lube, a chain brush maybe, an oil pan, etc...

Anyway, here's a youtube video of my first day on the bike (basically for my friends back home so they can see what kind of bike I'm riding):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmHxHSnj76M

Welcome to the jialing club! I've enjoyed mine the last couple of years, here's to many happy miles.

I just watched the video--I could not see a reason for anything bigger than a 150cc if you ride through that traffic all day!! :eekers:

I got out for a little scoot yesterday around Beijing Botanical Gardens and Fragrant Hills... little Jialing did great. At one point I noticed that it seemed to be losing power, and couldn't even pull 5th gear anymore. I stopped to find that the rear brake was stuck on! The adjustment bolt on the brake lever had backed itself out from vibrations and was applying pressure to the rear brakes! Well, I had a 10mm wrench so I readjusted it on the side of the road and torqued the lock nut on it pretty tight (I think I will add a lock washer to this arrangement)-- all to the amusement of a small peanut gallery of curious construction workers that had wandered over from their site. Afterward we chatted a bit, in my limited mandarin anyway, about motorcycles. It seems that random roadside motorcycle small talk is just as popular here as it is in the States. :)

It sounds like you had your first 'roadside motor bike situation . You handled it well and enjoyed the experience ..Cheers to you ..:thumbsup:

Vibration , poor torqueing & substandard nuts & bolts are common in Asia . Best to get some Loctite 'thread locking liquid from USA . We use the blue , as it is not as difficult to remove ...also get an assortment of flat and spring washers or even some rubber washer / O rings. Last 'do a periodic check of all items affixed to the bike . If relationship is good with the mechanic...ask him to keep checking items , especially when U R with him .

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I just watched the video--I could not see a reason for anything bigger than a 150cc if you ride through that traffic all day!!

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I have a sportster and a 200 Qing qi and it works pretty much the same as to getting through traffic, only difference with open pipes, other bikes move over.

How much was the bike?

It was about 8500 rmb out the door... including all tax, license plate, etc. The shop threw in a hard luggage box that mounts behind the seat, and a helmet and gloves.

Thats pretty reasonable... Without plates it would've been heaps cheaper yea?

What sort of riding did you do on it? City or real country riding?

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Originally Posted by xjridr

Thats pretty reasonable... Without plates it would've been heaps cheaper yea?

What sort of riding did you do on it? City or real country riding?

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About 7200 I think was the base price without plates and registration. But what are you going to to with a bike that has no plate?

See my ride report here to get an idea what kind of riding I do! With Video :)

http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...-6th-Ring-Road

I only asked because I assumed plates in Beijing would cost more than plates in another province. E.g. If I bought that same bike in Urumqi or Nanjing the plates may be cheaper.

Awesome, I'll read through it! =)

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Originally Posted by xjridr

I only asked because I assumed plates in Beijing would cost more than plates in another province. E.g. If I bought that same bike in Urumqi or Nanjing the plates may be cheaper.

Awesome, Ill read through it! =)

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Ahh, gotcha. Yeah, I have no idea about other provinces. I do know that Beijing is actually more motorcycle-friendly than a lot of other cities in China... in some cities you can't register bikes at all and/or they are outright banned. Here in Beijing motorcycles can use the expressways, and that's not the case for a lot of China. etc etc.

Great post. Just wondering if we could have the first bi-monthly update.... How's she running? Have you managed to iron out the original niggles you had with the bike?

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Originally Posted by xiao.baba

Great post. Just wondering if we could have the first bi-monthly update.... How's she running? Have you managed to iron out the original niggles you had with the bike?

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Welcome!

The bike is approaching 1000km. A few days ago I had a problem with the motorcycle sputtering and cutting out at speeds above 60 kilometers per hour. See here for more info: http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...-Monday-Feb-23

I'm not yet sure if the problem is resolved as the sputtering was intermittent. I hate intermittent problems! But, I have enough faith in the bike that I'm going out for a ride this Sunday to test it out.

My thoughts on the bike now: The gearbox loosened up a little bit (or I just got used to how stiff it is?). That's no longer a complaint. I adjusted the rear brake light switch so that it works properly. The brakes themselves now seem adequate. The rear shock is barely adequate... this is probably my biggest concern right now regarding rideability. I am thinking about swapping it for a better shock, but I haven't begun to look for a suitable replacement. This will come into play if I want to carry saddlebags with camping gear/food/beer/gasoline over long distances. Or a passenger.

Fuel range sucks. I'm getting about 200 kilometers per full tank (reserve included). I want to get a bigger tank. Alternatively, I could carry a gas can and strap it to the bike somehow.

I added hand guards which help a lot with keeping my hands warm during these winter months, and of course if I crash I hopefully won't break a lever. I also added a 12v cigarette lighter power outlet with two USB ports. I have a mount for my phone, too, so I can charge my phone while using the GPS. And I carry a 12v air pump with me "just in case."

Lots of videos of this bike on my youtube channel, too! https://www.youtube.com/user/galen0yzf600r/

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Originally Posted by galenernest

I want to get a bigger tank. Alternatively, I could carry a gas can and strap it to the bike somehow.

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if you ever go that route, do report back on the progress filling a jerry can at a Beijing municipality gas station please.

Ride safe! PAL

Thanks for the update. The Jialing site specifies <1.8L/100km. So on a full 9L tank would equal 500km. I know in 'real world' riding you're not going to get that but I certainly would have expected more than 200km. I hope you can track down the reasons for that so you can at least extend your journeys without worrying about fuel too much.

Have fun and I hope the 'sputtering' has been eradicated.

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Originally Posted by Pal

if you ever go that route, do report back on the progress filling a jerry can at a Beijing municipality gas station please.

Ride safe! PAL

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Oh, are gas stations reluctant to fill a jerry can? I have heard stories about gas stations refusing to fill a motorcycle directly, instead requiring the use of a "teapot" style can to fill the bike while it isn't near the pumps... but haven't personally had anything like that happen to me. So far getting gas has been really easy.

Well, worst case scenario is that I empty my motorcycle's tank into the jerry can and then have them fill the it back up, :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by xiao.baba

Thanks for the update. The Jialing site specifies <1.8L/100km. So on a full 9L tank would equal 500km. I know in 'real world' riding you're not going to get that but I certainly would have expected more than 200km. I hope you can track down the reasons for that so you can at least extend your journeys without worrying about fuel too much.

Have fun and I hope the 'sputtering' has been eradicated.

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Yeah, it's a bit disappointing. My service manual for the bike specifies 2.75L/100km (with a disclaimer that actual results may vary) but I'm seemingly burning 4L/100km. I didn't do a fuel usage check on my last trip (lots of highway) but I'll check fuel consumption on my ride this Sunday and get a very accurate figure. (I'll just have to remember to get a xiaopiao at every gas stop.) I'm taking my bike in to the shop tomorrow to swap the sprocket; that should help with fuel consumption on the highway anyway. I'll ask about a bigger tank. :icon10:

My tank according to the service manual is 8L, not 9L... so not sure which model you're looking at on the Jialing website. Mine's the JH150GY-3

Xiao baba, are you thinking of buying one of these? What part of China do you live in?

I looked here:
JH150GY-3
I'm not surprised if it's different to the manual, this is China hehe.

I'm in Jiangsu, but soon to be in Zhejiang. As for buying one, probably not, but who knows? I just like to keep an eye out in case I decide to get myself something to just tide me over for a year until I can get something better.

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Originally Posted by xiao.baba

I looked here:
JH150GY-3
I'm not surprised if it's different to the manual, this is China hehe.

I'm in Jiangsu, but soon to be in Zhejiang. As for buying one, probably not, but who knows? I just like to keep an eye out in case I decide to get myself something to just tide me over for a year until I can get something better.

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I've been to Hangzhou, nice city but way too hot for me in the summer! What kind of bike do you want to get? I'll probably ride my 150 for another year and then hopefully buy something bigger...

Actually I've not had a proper motorbike for some years, can't really class my old couple of e-bikes I had in Henan as proper bikes, nevertheless, they were fun and I love the 'freedom' bikes give you.

I used to ride bikes back in the day, a Yamaha DT125 trial bike (on|off road) was my last one. All these new bike reports and trip reports on this site are great, really gets the blood flowing again. I'll be moving to south Zhejiang, my new boss has a lovely Honda 600cc scooter and has a bunch of fellow motorbike friends who like to get away and have a ride in the mountains and the like.

I'll probably just settle for something cheap and nasty at first until such time I can make a better choice. I think something around the size of a 250 - 300cc would be about right for me eventually. To be honest, anything bigger would scare the sh*t out of me! :icon10:

Any update on fuel consumption? Are you burning less than 3.3l/100 km yet? I plan to ride these bikes in Africa in June and have a 300 km stretch with no fuel stops. I will be carrying an extra 6 liters - but that still may be cutting it close. The bikes will be brand-new when we pick them up.

I'm a Jialing 250cc owner in Beijing looking for some local riders. I haven't had a chance to take it outside the city yet