Soon to be riding in China
Hi everyone,
I wanted to introduce myself instead of just lurking like I have been for the last couple of days.... I am in Ningbo, Zhejiang and am wanting to get back into riding after a few (12ish) years off the bike (I was strongly discouraged by my now ex wife : - D).
Up to that point I had been riding for about 15 years on all sorts of machinery in OZ. GSX550, TTR250, NSR250, GSXR1100, ZX-6R, KX125, CB125, Daytona 955i, SV1000, I am probably forgetting something..... as well as working at a Suzuki/Aprillia dealership and riding just about everything.
I also spet a couple of Years in Japan riding an SRV250
I was a bit of a victim of sports bike/dirt bike fever that most young guys seems to go through and as a consequence, rarely had a bike that I was comfortable on (I have long legs) until I tried (reluctantly and only after being threatened by my boss) a V-strom 1000 which I loved. it was a real eye opener at the time but I never bought one as I already had a newly bought naked bike....
Then I came to china in 2005, sold my bike at home, met my lovely ex wife and was "strongly encouraged" not to ride bikes anymore.
No big deal as I was riding a bicycle anyway and when I came to Ningbo in 2006 I found incredible roads in the nearby mountains and a side to china that I had never experienced before. One that was a complete contrast to the city below. After a year I moved back to Oz to finish my long lingering studies, got married, lived in Palau for a few years, went back to Australia, got divorced and returned to China to work. Where? Ningbo again... So back on the bicycle I got, I found that although things had changed for the better in the city they had changed for the worse in the mountains. the nearby hills now heavily developed and traffic horrific and terrifying on the weekends. Still if I went far enough, I could find some peace and beauty similar to what I remembered.
Last year I started to develop an injury that meant an end to my life as a cyclist. Missing the "time out" that I could find while riding I started to look into getting a motorcycle. I knew that they were banned in the city but I occasionally saw one around so supposed that there must be a way to do it if I wanted to badly enough.
So now you are caught up on my saga..... this is where I am at. In the process of getting my license transferred and looking for a bike. I have already met a couple of very helpful people who have offered me varying assistance and advice but I am still finding the local licensing/ownership chicanery quite bamboozling. In search of information I came across this forum which has been both helpful and entertaining.
I am looking for a bike that can handle the mountain roads/tracks and can handle my 35" inseam and bad knees with enough comfort. Initially (foolishly) I thought "I will just buy a new or lightly used Japanese adv bike, how hard can it be?" I had visions of blasting around on a V-strom/Tenere/Africa Twin or alternatively a dr650/KTM690 or some such thing but then I saw how much they cost and how difficult they were to obtain and... holy sheeit , I nearly gave up on the spot.
I then reassessed a little and wondered if I needed all the cubes... I don't. one of the bike I enjoyed the most was my srv250, although it was powerless and a little small but it worked well in Tokyo and the surrounds. Maybe an sr400 (perhaps not enough versatility)?
I have no real interest in going fast anymore but power does help with safety and it is fun.... but with the desire to not spend the earth and at the same time to do it all legit, I find myself a bit unsure. Do I got the way of the local well offs and get a BMW (I could only afford an F800gs and then only barely) or do I go my own way with lower expectations, i.e. a 650 Versys or SWM 650 and still spend a bunch? Or jump down the rabbit hole of local bikes.............. :eekers:
I know in myself that a poor quality bike will scare me and put me off. My question is, is there such a thing as a large local bike that is well made and up to the task? I am guessing not and haven't found any real evidence of such a thing but if anyone would know it would be you guys.
Sorry for the epic venting but the more you know the better you can help :icon10:
Any suggestions? Also always happy to meet local riders etc
Re: Soon to be riding in China
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ShuBen
Long text 😂
yes, thankfully I am not charged by the word :lol8:
Thank you for your suggestions as well:thumbsup:
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Re: Soon to be riding in China
Hi and welcome to MCM
Just got back from your area riding 10 days of great riding.
BikerDoc a member on here is selling a few bikes just now and he is only 40km away from you.
Here is a link to the best one which may suit your needs.
link....http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...ngbo-Zhejiang)
Was riding with a group of other bikes and one was a Benelli TRX502 not a bad looking bike but not a true ADV bike IMO mainly because of the 17" wheels all round and street tyres? but at the price a good bike to consider. Also, the owner is the Boss of the Benelli dealer in your area?
BikerDoc can put you in contact with him.
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Mistake on my part the picture above is the Benelli 600GT and not the TK502.
Which I have not viewed.
And from what I am told it is more an ADV bike so apologies all round.
Re: Soon to be riding in China
Thanks Prince, def a no on the touring bike but thanks for the heads up. I looked at that BMW in the for sale area earlier as well. Surely a good machine but probably still a bit spendy for my liking.
What were the best riding areas in your opinion up this way?
Re: Soon to be riding in China
Hi there,
I live in Taizhou which is just a few hours south from you. Once you have a bike let me know and we can meet somewhere in the middle.
As for bikes, you might have a look at Jialing JH600 its cheaper then other 500cc-600cc options and reliable. Just ugly
Re: Soon to be riding in China
Hey Modron, yeah I know taizhou well. I used to visit a great girl there regularly :icon10: that Jialing seems to be reliable enough but it surely copped it with an ugly stick didn't it? I will consider it though because looks arent everything...
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Re: Soon to be riding in China
With the cost of the BMW talks to BikerDoc, I am sure a deal could be had, but he is away at the moment not due back until Thursday.
I was staying in the Beilun area and I headed south towards the Dongqian Lake area, very nice not a large area but a good starting point.
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After you have had a ride around here try the Xiaojiang mountain area much bigger with some great roads.
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Now a must but will take a day to ride there is the 1000 island lake area around Jiande.
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Just off the coast to the east is loads of islands 1 is called Taohua Doa island 1 of the very few you can get a ferry across to on a motorbikes.
only cost 50 RMB very very nice ride stay the night.
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Just a few pointers for now but get in contact with Bikerdoc he has been riding the area for 14 years now.
Re: Soon to be riding in China
@Prince, great info mate, especially the islands.... I live on the Dongqian lake side of town, 8ks away from memory on the treadly. that area was a tiny village on one edge of the lake 12 years ago and nothing but forest and farms beyond.... magical. nowadays you need to go further to strike gold but its still nice
Re: Soon to be riding in China
there is a wind farm in that first map that was great on the pushbike. great views east to the islands and west over the mountains. easily my favourite place in eastern china
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Re: Soon to be riding in China
thats an eclectic mix of bikes
Re: Soon to be riding in China
Quote:
Originally Posted by
prince666
After you have had a ride around here try the Xiaojiang mountain area much bigger with some great roads.
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+1
and if you go on a small X road directly south from that pin it will be jaw dropping (on a no smog day ;)
Re: Soon to be riding in China
I am with Modron, look at the JH600. I rented one and we drove it 9 days straight for a motorcycle tour. It was completely loaded down with gear. Bike ran great and was surprisingly comfortable. Also, the bike was old and the other tourists were all on the same bikes. None of them new. It is also a pretty standard police bike in China. You can find side cars for them really easy too, if you are into that sort of thing or want to bring someone along on a trip.
Re: Soon to be riding in China
The JH600 does exactly what it says on the side of the tin? But that's the problem with the JH600 it's an old tin of beans in your grandmother house.
It's just old hat IMO.
I still have the opinion that CFmoto are the best Chinese made bikes and the new CFmoto 650 MT nearly ticks all the boxes.
And for 43.000 RMB for the ABS version, it's not a bad deal.
Re: Soon to be riding in China
The closest dealer to me is a CF Moto/ktm dealer. I have been down there a couple of times to look at the CFs. Ergonomically they seem to be ok although my legs are quite cramped, giving me cause for concern.
They look ok. They are sold in Australia now too and get some reasonable (but surely biased) reviews. I haven't read or seen a review from someone who has owned other bikes to compare it to.
Does anyone on here own one?
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Re: Soon to be riding in China
I have owned 3 CFMoto now with my current one being the TR-G which I used to ride from China to the UK and back in the process of covering 60.000 km of trouble free riding, visiting 26 countries on the way.
The bike was spot on when I got out of China but is not ideally suited for a lot of the bad roads in China.
IMO I think the MT will be more suited, hoping to set up motoerbike tours in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces so my bike of choices will be the MT.
Hope to buy one in the next month or so when I can give a better report on how the bike performs.
Link to review...... http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...50-TR-G-review
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Re: Soon to be riding in China
Quote:
Originally Posted by
prince666
I have owned 3 CFMoto now with my current one being the TR-G which I used to ride from China to the UK and back in the process of covering 60.000 km of trouble free riding, visiting 26 countries on the way.
The bike was spot on when I got out of China but is not ideally suited for a lot of the bad roads in China.
IMO I think the MT will be more suited, hoping to set up motoerbike tours in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces so my bike of choices will be the MT.
Hope to buy one in the next month or so when I can give a better report on how the bike performs.
Link to review......
http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...50-TR-G-review
thats some legit distance covered! ok, they are now on my consideration list :thumbsup:
Re: Soon to be riding in China
Made a mistake in an early post..... pictures were of the Benelli 600GT and not the TK520???
So my advice like ShuBen have a look ???
Re: Soon to be riding in China
Quote:
Originally Posted by
prince666
Made a mistake in an early post..... pictures were of the Benelli 600GT and not the TK520???
So my advice like ShuBen have a look ???
No dramas....
I will take a look. I went to the nearest Benelli dealer (as best I can tell its the closest) and they had none. They look ok in the pics for sure
Re: Soon to be riding in China
So my first hurdle has been overcome. I am now the proud holder of a C1E! next step is to start looking more seriously and demoing a few bikes.
I have decided to be open minded about all bike classes and see what comes of it.
Re: Soon to be riding in China
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ShuBen
Congrats! Now you should come up to BJ and buy ShuBen's perfected X2 ..... If your height is 180+cm ��������
Sent from my GN8003 using Tapatalk
I prefer your SWM :lol8:
Re: Soon to be riding in China
If I made my bike purchases all over again, I would be looking at an Enduro. I did some pretty long trips on my Duke and some country side exploring and I really wish I had something built for more rough roads, slick clay, potholes, rocks, grass and sand. However for Commuting or jumping on the highway and shooting to another city. The KTM Duke is sweet! You can slice through traffic like a ninja!
So...overall I would look into a comfortable enduro or adventure bike if possible. One with a decent tank size. I have an 11L tank and if it was any smaller I think I would of been stranded between gas stations here and there.
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Re: Soon to be riding in China
The Kawasaki Versys-X 300 when available in China ticks a lot of boxes IMO
http://www.advpulse.com/adv-bikes/ka...0-test-review/
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