nice bike!!
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nice bike!!
Hi,
Lovely looking bike, and great review and pics.
Overall are you happy with the quality / fit and finish of the bike ?
What was the price of the larger tank ? and do you know if it would be available to the UK ?
Cheers
Andy
Hi Andy,
Welcome to MCM, that's a nice looking R1200GS Adventure you have :thumbsup:
The big gas tank was around $200 USD. I'm sure the guys at SMC in the UK have access to the tank, don't know if they offer it at as an option.
Overall, I think the bike is well made and offers good value. Fit and finish are above average for a China bike, but still not up to Japanese standards. My purchasing decision was heavily influenced by the fact that I live in China. Were I living in Europe or North America, I might find myself looking at used Japanese machines instead.
With the number of units we saw being made for SMC at the Galaxy factory, I'm sure you can probably find one to test ride in the UK.
Cheers!
ChinaV
Been racking up some time on the XTR, so here's a little update. Just short of 1000 kilometers on the odometer and ninety percent of that has been off road. The trails around my house are very rocky, the bike (and rider) really get pounded and the XTR seems to be handling it well.
Rally Gas Tank: I think it's actually 15 liters and not 18. I ran out fuel about 1km from the gas station and coasted into the pump, filled to the rim it was 14.96 liters. The gas cap leaks if the bike is on its side, it's not a very "robust" design. There are two petcocks on the tank and their gaskets have evaporated as they don't appear to be resistant to petroleum. The white tank is nice for monitoring the fuel level, but it quickly turned yellow. Both of the tank decals fell off without ever being touched, bad glue or fuel weeping through the plastic would be my guess. On a positive note, the tank itself seems to be quite durable as I've crashed a few times and it held up fine.
http://www.contactdi.com/2009/galaxy/XTR012.jpg
Handlebars/Controls: The handlebar clamps are a rather unusual design. Swapping bars or adding risers doesn't look that easy. I am not a tall guy and the stock bars feel too low, very uncomfortable if you try and ride in a standing position. The material used in the levers, mirrors and controls are very poor quality. A simple tip over will wipe out a mirror, lever and perch. I'm looking for some hand guard/bark-busters to fix that. The plastic and fit of the switches is very bad, a spray with the hose or light rain, and they easily fill with water. Several times the kill switch has vibrated to the off position. The handlebars are very good, I have the same ones on my QingQi and they're quite tough. You can find these easily in the MC markets around China for about 100 RMB.
http://www.contactdi.com/2009/galaxy/XTR013.jpg
The engine, suspension, and brakes are all performing nicely. Galaxy has picked some good components and it's frustrating to see them skimp on the little things like the controls. That said, I still think the bike offers a lot value for the money.
So, enough of the garage talk..... here's some picks from the last few rides. Running up the side of a mountain and got her bogged down pretty good. That's not mud, it's semi-wet concrete and it was a nightmare getting it out. :eek2:
http://www.contactdi.com/2009/galaxy/XTR011.jpg
How I managed to find a giant pile of concrete in the middle of nowhere is beyond me. The harder I tried to pull, the deeper my feet would sink into the muck. A ten minute struggle and I finally pulled free. Between my boots and knobbies, there must have been fifty pounds of concrete hanging off the bike.
http://www.contactdi.com/2009/galaxy/XTR008.jpg
A quick trip home and half hour with the bucket and hose we were back out on the trail. Only a few minutes in and the XTR decided to take a nap:rolleyes1:. It's such a light bike and easy to pick up, but this time I was on the edge of a drop off and just couldn't get the leverage to get it upright. Much cursing and effort and we were finally on the way again.
http://www.contactdi.com/2009/galaxy/XTR009.jpg
I'm getting much better in the single track stuff, but as my dad always said, "there's a difference between ability and ambition". Obviously need to work on the trials riding skills :lol8: Just couldn't quite manage enough speed around that rock to get over the log at the top. Finally got it right on the third attempt.
http://www.contactdi.com/2009/galaxy/XTR010.jpg
OK, that's all for now, I have some helmet cam footage to putz with, I'll try to post that later.
Cheers!
ChinaV
Great pics and review, it just makes me want one all the more now :rolleyes1:
Cheers
Andy
How does the bike go on the open road at say 80klm an hour?Quote:
Originally Posted by ChinaV
Brake slide bike in next to rock so your going over the log square on then double blip over log .
Or go slowly push your weight down over the front suspension when it starts to rebound pull your weight back over the rear of bike touch of throttle enough to get the front end over log. momentum should let you slide over the log.Don't have all of your weight over the back of bike when rear wheel hits log or it will kick you forward and over the bars.Should be standing absorbing everything with your legs and arms.
It goes buzz buzz buzz, whirr whirr whirr....:icon10: There's a lot of vibration and tire noise, gearing is too low for street use and the tires are off-road only.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdamo
Thanks for the reminders on technique, just got to practice more and loosen up.
Cheers!
ChinaV
Do you think it could handle steep single track up mountains of elevation gain of say 600 metres up to 2200 metres pretty much straight up using tight switch backs.Basically can it handle steep climbs?
I came to the conclusion a normal 200cc chinese trail bike would be hard pressed to do it.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...18-7-09198.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/t...18-7-09139.jpg
I think it would handle it without any problem at all, might need a tweak on the jetting, but my experience with the older QingQi, up to 2500 meters isn't usually a problem. Most of the other Chinese bikes are dual-sport designs, so they are quite heavy. The XTR is light at 115 kilos, so the power to weight ratio is much better than the other Chinese models.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdamo
Cheers!
ChinaV
Hi China V,
Was wondering if you've had any rust issues yet, or has any of the aluminium started to fizz up yet ?
Cheers
Andy