Buying 2 Jialing 150s in Zambia - looking for advice on spares

Hello;
I am very glad to find this forum as it is the only one so far with ANY information on the Jialing JH150 GY3. I am planning a moto trip in Zambia, Africa this June and plan to buy two of these dual-sports for the trip. We will donate them to a non-profit group at the end of the trip.

The bikes will be brand new and we will load them up with camping gear in Giant Loop Coyote bags. I'm looking for advice on any relevant spares to carry.

I've heard some negative comments on the spark plug reliability? I'd like to bring two new ones from the US. Anyone know the model number?

I am also very curious about fuel range. Any experience with this? We will be riding mostly on dirt roads at speeds under 80 kph.

I look forward to hearing from anyone with experience moto-camping with these bikes.

I've put about 1000km on my Jialing so far. So, I'm no expert. Here's my advice:

I carry a small set of tools because the toolkit that comes with the bike is pretty much useless except for taking out the spark plug. So, you'll want to put together a nice little toolkit.

For spare parts, I don't carry much: spare clutch and throttle cable, spark plug, and spare tubes for the tires. I think those are the only spares I actually carry with me right now. I need to add some wire and electrical tape to my spares that I carry, though... quite possible a wire could sever and cause problems while out on the road. I would maybe carry a spare brake and clutch lever, but I have handguards so I'm not concerned about those breaking. The tubes won't do you any good unless you carry a pump with you, too... I carry a little 12v pump. Now I'm thinking that I might carry a tube patch kit which would be an easier roadside repair than swapping out the entire tube.

Fuel range isn't great on my bike: I'm burning about 3.3L per 100km. (I calculated this on my trip yesterday, which was a blend of highway, twisty mountain roads, gravel roads and single track, so certainly not representative of easy highway miles). On an 8L tank, that doesn't get me very far. I'm working on an apparatus to carry additional fuel...

There were a few guys on this site that had them a few years ago, but they don't seem active anymore. Maybe they went home? Good luck and be sure to keep us informed of your adventures!

Sorry, about the spark plugs:

The original plug is a Torch D8RTC. I swapped mine for an NGK D8EA. The actual cross to NGK is a DR8EA. The "R" designates that it's a resistor plug. So, if you want a perfect cross, get the DR8EA or the DPR8EA-9, but in actuality the non-resistor plug D8EA works just fine and it's what most shops here in China seem to keep in stock.

galenernest;
Thanks for the reply. At 3.3l/100km, I think I will need to carry some extra fuel. My plan is to bring over a Rotopax mount for their 1.75 gallon can for gasoline and another for water. This will give me another 6.6l and another 200 km for range.

I'll throw and extra plug in the tool kit: thanks for the numbers.

Have you had to use a spare cable yet?

I haven't used my spare cables yet. But, when I had the tank off to route the wires for my 12V and 5V accessory plug, I noticed that the throttle cable plastic shielding (the black plastic that coats the metal shield) had been rubbed off at one spot along the cable where it appears to have been pinched between the frame and the gas tank. The cable has almost no slack; it's barely long enough to reach the carb from the handlebar... So, it seems that it's only a matter of time before it fails.

The reason I carry the extra cables is that they're light and small and if the throttle cable snaps, there's really not a lot you can do out in the woods without a spare...

Extra chains. Read this thread from about mid-page 6 to page 7--the writer's friend flew in to S. Africa to meet the writer, bought a Chinese-made Bashan 229cc bike, and they rode for over 6000 miles, with the only issue on the Chinese bike being a chain that stretched beyond usefulness and they could not find a replacement on the route they were on. INteresting read otherwise, and might be relevant (cannot remember if he entered Zambia, but he has gone EVERYWHERE, so you might want to read through his threads), but if I was to go to Africa and buy Chinese bikes, I will now remember to carry extra chains!

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...fboard-72401-6

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Originally Posted by culcune

Extra chains. Read this thread from about mid-page 6 to page 7--the writer's friend flew in to S. Africa to meet the writer, bought a Chinese-made Bashan 229cc bike, and they rode for over 6000 miles, with the only issue on the Chinese bike being a chain that stretched beyond usefulness and they could not find a replacement on the route they were on. INteresting read otherwise, and might be relevant (cannot remember if he entered Zambia, but he has gone EVERYWHERE, so you might want to read through his threads), but if I was to go to Africa and buy Chinese bikes, I will now remember to carry extra chains!

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...fboard-72401-6

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Great feedback!! Perhaps I can get my dealer to upgrade the stock chain with a "proper" chain even before I pick up the bike. A DID X-ring chain (arguably a good choice for durability) is ~$80.

Does the dealer sell them? Perhaps you can get them thrown on as part of a deal? :deal: If not, I would think you could take them on the plane in your checked in luggage? I would imagine if the dealer doesn't carry them, he would at least install them (but keep the stock ones as spares, as well as a new master link). Come to think of it, you should write to the guy in the Horizonsunlimited thread (he has the same postings on advrider as well) and see what he would recommend. His friend did not need anything in the 6500 miles he had his new bike (besides a chain!) but surely the writer, who had already traveled all around the continent, would suggest things his friend carried? Extra spark plugs, chains (your stock ones), CDi (cheap but necessary), and probably inner tubes couldn't hurt as well as a tire patch kit (motorcycle tire removal kit as well). small pump. On the other hand, if you are staying specifically in Zambia, you might not need to be as proactive as I imagine there are repair shops available?

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Originally Posted by culcune

Does the dealer sell them? Perhaps you can get them thrown on as part of a deal? :deal: If not, I would think you could take them on the plane in your checked in luggage? I would imagine if the dealer doesn't carry them, he would at least install them (but keep the stock ones as spares, as well as a new master link). Come to think of it, you should write to the guy in the Horizonsunlimited thread (he has the same postings on advrider as well) and see what he would recommend. His friend did not need anything in the 6500 miles he had his new bike (besides a chain!) but surely the writer, who had already traveled all around the continent, would suggest things his friend carried? Extra spark plugs, chains (your stock ones), CDi (cheap but necessary), and probably inner tubes couldn't hurt as well as a tire patch kit (motorcycle tire removal kit as well). small pump. On the other hand, if you are staying specifically in Zambia, you might not need to be as proactive as I imagine there are repair shops available?

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Maybe my son and I should wear the new chains around our neck as jewelry on the flight from Detroit to Zambia!

Our dealer ("Best of Bikes" in Lusaka, Zambia) has been very helpful. He will swap out the production chains for more durable ones for less than I can buy them in the US. We should be all set. I doubt we will have trouble on our 5-day ride, but I'd feel more comfortable that they will live longer with the charity organizations after we leave.

I'm checking on plugs and cables as well.....

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Originally Posted by John Smallberries

Maybe my son and I should wear the new chains around our neck as jewelry on the flight from Detroit to Zambia!

Our dealer ("Best of Bikes" in Lusaka, Zambia) has been very helpful. He will swap out the production chains for more durable ones for less than I can buy them in the US. We should be all set. I doubt we will have trouble on our 5-day ride, but I'd feel more comfortable that they will live longer with the charity organizations after we leave.

I'm checking on plugs and cables as well.....

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:lol8: I can imagine wearing the chains as jewelry!! I didn't realize it is only 5 days!? You probably have nothing to worry about at all! But it would be nice that you can give extra parts to the charity as they could and will most certainly use them! This model is apparently very durable from all the posters who have had them, including galenest who is our most recent posting 'resident' Jialing owner. If you go waaaaaaaay back to the this site's origins (it was a spinoff from chinariders.net) the founding father Crazy Carl (who finally came out of hiding a couple months ago and posted here) had a Jialing 150 and rode all over China when he went to live and work for a few years. If was his bike in his travel video which I urge people to see. It was like a tank in that it forded rivers, rode thousands of miles, was featured in the calendar for one of the bigger motorcycle apparel companies (Carl took a photo of his loaded down Jialing in front of a very tall, scenic mountain somewhere in China), and he even had a pretty bad accident on it (brought up in his video). I had wished that Jialing would sell them in the US in 200cc or bigger form, but not going to happen!

Oh, and please, please, please, take photos of the Jialings in Zambia--there are numerous Chinabikes all over Africa, but we never get the owners as members. Oh, and one more thing; I belong to Horizonsunlimited.com/hubb, an international adventure motorcycle group (I urge you to post there with questions), and many members have gone to Africa on large expensive BMW and KTM adventure bikes, and have found themselves getting passed by locals on 150cc Chinese bikes. Many members have given the little bikes 'props' for actually being better suited to the various African terrains than their large 800cc and larger bikes!

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Originally Posted by culcune

Oh, and please, please, please, take photos of the Jialings in Zambia--there are numerous Chinabikes all over Africa, but we never get the owners as members. Oh, and one more thing; I belong to Horizonsunlimited.com/hubb, an international adventure motorcycle group (I urge you to post there with questions), and many members have gone to Africa on large expensive BMW and KTM adventure bikes, and have found themselves getting passed by locals on 150cc Chinese bikes. Many members have given the little bikes 'props' for actually being better suited to the various African terrains than their large 800cc and larger bikes!

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Thanks for all the helpful comments. I plan to do a ride report on ADVRider after the trip and will also post my photos here. In fact, here is my first photo of the trip: my motorcycles in their boxes coming out of the sea container in Zambia:
http://crenneker.smugmug.com/Motorcy...4_121425-M.jpg

I have ridden on sandy roads with my big BMW 1200GS and my little Yamaha TW200: there is no question which provides the more enjoyable trip. Little is better.

Have a great trip post the link to your RR on ADrider if you can also please could you tell my wife "Little is better." !!!!