Road trip in preparation!
Hey guys!
As the concretisation of a ever-been dream, I'm currently planning a bike road trip all around China this summer (like, something really serious, thousands of km planned :D ).
I don't have much experience in bikes, although was riding a 50cc supermotard when I was younger and a 150cc this last year in Beijing (and have few years experience with cars back in Europe).
Anyway, I'm currently looking at the procedure to get a driving license here (any advice on this? I've never take any bike driving exam, though have a european car driving license), and thinking about which bike to buy.
I was hesitating between 3 bikes:
- Yamaha YBR 250
- Suzuki GW 250
- Zongshen ZS250GY-3 RX3
I've looked more carefully at the Zongshen, which look better for what I want to do, and cheaper than the 2 other ones. Seems like it's quite easy to get if fixed in China as well. However, I'm wondering about the quality. What you guys think? Which one of those you'd prefer? Any other bike you could advice?
I was thinking that 250cc is a good choice for China and for my budget (20-25k).
Cheers!
Re: Road trip in preparation!
As discussed in another thread, the RX3 seems to be rather heavy for a 250 according to its specs.
Other option would be looking into 2nd-hand:
X5 for sale in BJ: http://bj.58.com/danche/15417840782210x.shtml
Re: Road trip in preparation!
Hey!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
csmik
Anyway, I'm currently looking at the procedure to get a driving license here (any advice on this? I've never take any bike driving exam, though have a european driving license)
With a valid european (motorcycle!) driving license you dont need to take a driving exam, just a theoretical exam. There's plenty of info on the web and on this board, so long story short:
-get the medical examination at a hospital (simple eye test)
-translate your license into chinese
-go to DMV with those, your passport, your registration form and schedule the test
-pass the test
To prepare for the test either buy a textbook (don't know where & whether its available in english, saw some people at dmv with chinese books), get the iphone-app or learn with http://www.chinese-driving-test.com/
Be aware that there have been new questions since 2013 so a lot of material you find online maybe old.
Re: Road trip in preparation!
I am sorry, my mistake, the license I hold is a car driving license.
Concerning the bike, I'm a little bit worried to buy a second hand to make a roadtrip ... I don't know if I can trust it :s
250cc seems fine to me as we're in China, I don't plan to drive faster than 110/120kmh at any point, and I think 80 will be an average maximum. Well, what else could be the problem with a too heavy bike?
And the bike you show me doesn't seems really good for read trips in term of comfort (including bad roads), what do you think?
Thanks guys!
Re: Road trip in preparation!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
csmik
Concerning the bike, I'm a little bit worried to buy a second hand to make a roadtrip ... I don't know if I can trust it :s
250cc seems fine to me as we're in China, I don't plan to drive faster than 110/120kmh at any point, and I think 80 will be an average maximum. Well, what else could be the problem with a too heavy bike?
And the bike you show me doesn't seems really good for read trips in term of comfort (including bad roads), what do you think?
You're in China, can you trust a new bike for 100%? Whatever you finally decide to buy, you will buy it a while before your planned trip anyway to see if any modifications need to be made and/or make sure there's no issues with the bike?
Since you already pointed out in your first post that the RX3 seems to be most suited (of the 3 bikes you mentioned) for what/where you plan to use it. I think you want a bike that is off-road capable right?
So that narrows down the choice quite a bit already:
I can comment on the Jialing JH600 and the Shineray X2 from my own experience. Though I have taken the JH600 off-road, it's top heavy and therefor hard to handle when off-road circumstances get tough. The X2 is definitely capable for off-road, even with the super motard setup. But the original seat is not comfortable for long distance, but supposedly much better with modified seat like Milton did. Only 8 liter tank on original setup, range is only 150-200 km. With some modifications and add-ons I'm sure it makes a nice bike for traveling China.
The Shineray X5 is definitely off-road capable, larger engine but heavier obviously. Bigger range and more comfortable than X2. Weight seems to be similar to the specs of the RX3.
Then there's still the Galaxy XTR Adv, which before could be registered in Hebei but not in BJ. No idea about the current registration situation regarding that bike. You can find plenty coverage about the bike itself here on MCM.
Then there's some 150's like:
Jialing JH150GY-3 (Some info can also be found here)
Piaggio BYQ150-8 Offroad: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...id=36497726120
Cheers,
Barry
Re: Road trip in preparation!
Your points definitely make sense! Thanks for your answers, I'll do my research this way.
Oh, about the 150. I had the feeling that they might be not reliable and pretty shit. Maybe I'm wrong, but even if I said that 110/120 max speed is fine, 90 isn't. I'd like to be able to take the motorway, and I'd like to not have to drive at max speed all the time.
Cheers!
Re: Road trip in preparation!
The 150s are fine, although the 250s are definitely better. In most places you won't be allowed on expressways, regardless of bike size, so you'll be topping out at 60-80 kph anyways. Smell the roses :)
Filip just solo'd >20,000 kms on a Jialing 150, with only one major repair (very low cost). Several other guys have used/abused 150s (and 125s), and the bikes have been ok. One VERY important consideration is whether Dr. Zhang, the village "mechanic", can repair your busted bike. Ride what the locals ride.
YBR250s are great, especially because of the large gas tank, and the light weight. GW250s are also great, but more of an asphalt bike than a mucky road bike. Used YBR250s, in great shape, are selling for about 15K right now. Used GW250s, in great shape, are selling for about 20K. Both have been proven, extensively, on long trips through China, and elsewhere.
Re: Road trip in preparation!
I rode my YBR250 around China and the bike was great! No mechanical problems apart from changing gears when hot. Back suspension is also not great but this is perhaps because my baggage was to heavy and the center of weight was too far back. It would bottom out quite often and I needed to be careful on rough roads. If I was going again on a trip like this Id take bags instead of those fake pelican boxes and lighter rack.
Oh and get some extension for the front mudguard, after few km on a muddy road the cylinder is completely full of mud and this can cause few problems when its hot ;)
