My new JH600

[TexasAggie]

Good problems to have.

DT

[TexasAggie]

jape,
Just so you know, I found your hit on red cars and mid life crisis funny. I traded in a perfectly good highly customized Honda Valkyrie and bought a red BMW GSA for my 50th birthday and I spend less than 7 weeks a year in the USA to ride it! I just got tired of the old dual sport Honda 650L and wanted a new better dual sport. I then went stupid.

Pfaelzer, Franki, ChinaV, and Euphonius are evil and have me going down the same path here in China. Of course I am loving it like I was still in my 40's. Hardest part is waiting. I am actually glad I have to travel for a few weeks back to the USA so I can ride "The Red Beast" and not think so much about the new "Big Blue"

DT

[moilami]

Hardest part is waiting.

You said it! I have been waiting three months for my XTR. At times I feel like rage cancelling the order, but manage to cool myself down by promising to never do it again (to order a China bike).

[culcune]

Maybe we can organize a tour similar to the Edelweiss guys. Using a support truck that can you can fly and meet the motorcycle after it has been sent to a location such as Western China or other long distance and then having the support vehicle available is a great way to focus on the actual ride that is worth while.

You are on to something. I remember seeing an online article last year or two from the L.A. Times about a company offering trips in China. The interesting thing was the article mentioned them offering the JH600 as well as BMW's (not sure of the other brand brand, but I remember the writer who took the tour mentioning Jialing JH600s).

On the international site, Horizonsunlimited.com in the "hubb" section (the forums), there are always members insisting on riding China on their own bike as part of an international tour they plan to take. They always reach out and ask what others have done to ride China as a tourist, and often won't take people who have tried and failed answer that it is near impossible. Without ever having tried it, from what I understand, unless China has eased tourists bringing their own bikes in, it is near impossible to do so, and the best and most efficient way is to buy one, or join an orgnaized tour.

I know there are a few of you connected members who could probably organize a rental business or a tour operation. I would think that a rental/purchase would be a good deal in which a bike is sold at a predetermined amount to someone, and promised to be bought back at a predetermined amount provided the miles and condition are good enough. Of course, the purchase part is if it is wrecked or stolen, or the buyer could sell it for more, possibly to another tourist or to someone in China.

I have a feeling that one of you in China could come up with something, especially with the JH600.

[bikerdoc]

hey all. Just back from a long weekend of riding with 4 riding companions on TaoHua Dao (Island) off the coast of Ningbo. Caught the ferry Saturday morning and spent the afternoon and following day riding round the island. Photos and info to follow in a post shortly. There was a Suzuki M1800R, Ducati 600 and Yamaha Dragstar 1100's made up the rest. The reason I'm posting in this thread is that the guy riding the Ducati 600 also owns a JH600 (one of the first models) he bought it new, and it cost him 元6000. When I told him the new price of the current model he laughed. He basically said that he would never pay the kind of money >元30k even with the improvements he'd want since the original model was released. As he said, he'd rather spend three times the current asking price of JH600 for a new HD 883 sportster in PRC. I just thought it was an interesting perspective to throw into the discussion.

[euphonius]

I remember seeing an online article last year or two from the L.A. Times about a company offering trips in China. The interesting thing was the article mentioned them offering the JH600 as well as BMW's (not sure of the other brand brand, but I remember the writer who took the tour mentioning Jialing JH600s).

Here's that LATimes story...

latimes.com/news/printedition/highway1/la-hy-throttle28nov28,0,1676739.story



THROTTLE JOCKEY

China's Jialing JH600 dual sport is not quite ready for the U.S.A.

It's a nifty ride, but China's Jialing JH600 dual sport bike would need refinement and a price cut before cracking the U.S. market.

By Susan Carpenter

Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

November 28, 2007

KASHGAR, CHINA


Riding 1,700 miles in eight days isn't anything I'd normally brag about. But I was riding a Chinese motorcycle. In China. Over pavement and gravel. Across the Tianshan mountains and the Taklamakan desert. From elevations of 13,400 feet to sea level. In temperatures from freezing to 100-plus degrees. So forgive me if I seem a little self-congratulatory for trekking the Chinese wilds on a Jialing JH600 dual sport.

Considering my stateside experience riding a few Chinese death traps and China's recent mishaps with poisoned pet food, lead-tainted toys and bad tires, my expectations when I saddled the bike were so low as to be underground. I really didn't think the JH600 would survive the trip with anything more than the handlebars intact. I wasn't sure I was even going to survive, but I was curious.

I'd signed up for a motorcycle tour of the Silk Road and noticed that the tour group -- Edelweiss Bike Travel -- was offering a Chinese bike in addition to the usual BMWs. If one of the world's largest motorcycle tour companies was using the bike on one of its most challenging trips, it couldn't be that bad. Could it?

Like most people in the U.S., I'd never heard of Jialing. It turns out Jialing is one of the oldest and largest motorcycle manufacturers in its home country. China Jialing Industrial Co. makes 20% of China's motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, or 2 million vehicles a year.

Like most Chinese motorcycles, Jialings are made in the Southeastern city of Chongqing, an area best known for its panda bears and hot-pot cooking. Jialing is the name of the river that runs through the city. What the JH stands for in JH600, that's not clear, but it could be Jialing Honda. Since 1981, Jialing has been working with Honda Motor Co. on its technology, and it shows on the JH600. The 600 cc single has four valves and is liquid-cooled. It gets about 60 mpg and meets Europe's E3 emissions standards.

Because Europe's standards are tougher than the Environmental Protection Agency's or even California's, the JH600 could, in theory, be certified for sale in the U.S., but Jialing hasn't tried that -- yet. According to the company's U.S.-based rep, Jialing hasn't figured out whether the cost of meeting U.S. government requirements will pay off in sales. Jialing bikes are relatively small, and Americans, who are significantly larger than people elsewhere in the world, continue to want large-displacement bikes.

It's just as well. When you buy a motorcycle in the U.S., you aren't just buying its technical capabilities or its fit or its style. You're buying into a culture and a brand's rep and status. Riding a Chinese motorcycle in the U.S. has zero status. Basically, you're telling everyone you're cheap.

A growing number of people don't seem to care about that. While the Motorcycle Industry Council doesn't track sales of Chinese bikes, per se, it's seen a 4.3% increase in sales of non-MIC brands in 2002-05. In 2005, they accounted for 13.7% of the market.

The JH600 is a surprisingly good bike, but it costs too much. The JH600 sells for about 30,000 Yuan in China, or $4,000. To succeed here against dual sport faves like the Kawasaki KLR650, which costs $5,350, it would have to come down in price by at least half or seriously ramp up the refinement.

The JH600 is a dual sport, but the suspension is not adjustable, unless you want to take the fork apart and futz with the oil. The styling is passable, but it won't win you any compliments. Then there's the name and the logo, which both look as cheap as the packaging on a toy from the 99-cent store. If I were in charge of the world, I'd change the make and model names to something more playful, bold and provocative. Anyone for the CJ Taskmaster?

New for 2007, the JH600 is one of the largest-displacement Chinese bikes on the market. It may also be the first Chinese bike with fuel injection, which worked perfectly, adapting to dramatic changes in altitude and temperature, though the idle speed setting seemed off. Whenever the bike slowed to stop, it conked out. It did, however, start right back up again every time.

My biggest issue with the bike was its lack of power. It wasn't at all fun trying to keep up with the autobahn-loving Germans in my group, who all had 1200 cc BMWs. The JH600's maximum torque is just 12 pound-feet, and horsepower is only 40 at 6,500 rpm. Claimed top speed is about 100 mph, but I only got it up to 94 mph, which is faster than I should have been going anyway. In the province of Xinjiang where I was riding, you can break the speed limit by 50% but you'll say goodbye to your Chinese driver's license if you go any faster and get caught.

By the time I got the JH600 up to this sort of speed, it had pretty much won me over. It didn't shake at high revs as I raced toward mirage after mirage on desert freeways. Taking corners in the majestically snow-capped mountains bordering Tajikistan, it didn't flop.

Dodging the numerous taxis, donkey carts, scooters and veiled pedestrians that strayed into my path on the streets of Kashgar, Korla and Urumqi, it was agile. And stopping, the single-disc front brake with the dual-piston caliper was sufficient for the numerous times I was forced to slow for goats and other livestock.

For the 100 or so miles I rode through dirt, the suspension also worked well. I wasn't taking jumps as I did battle with soot-spewing dump trucks, but the fork never fully compressed as I barreled through ruts. Even better, the pegs didn't snap off.

If my 1,700 miles with the 2007 Jialing JH600 proved anything, it's the adage that expectations are your worst enemy.

FOR THE RECORD:
Motorcycle review: In last week's Highway 1, a torque figure for the 2007 Jialing JH600 was incorrectly listed as 12 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm. The bike's maximum torque is actually 37.6 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm. —


susan.carpenter@latimes.com

2007 Jialing JH600

Base price: 30,000 yuan, or $4,000

Powertrain: SOHC, four-stroke, single cylinder, four valves per cylinder, fuel-injected, water-cooled, five-speed

Displacement: 600 cc

Maximum torque: 12 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm

Maximum horsepower: 40 at 6,500 rpm

Seat height: 32 inches

[TexasAggie]

After 6 years here in Nanjing. I will take my chances with the RMB 35,000 new JH600. I went cheap with the CJ750 and then doubled the price redoing it to get some reliability. I did not save anything long term and had lots of headaches. I looked at several "grey" market used bikes. They were trashed and rough condition for more money. One guy was selling a Suzuki Storm that had jury rigged the lighting to be able to turn it off. When I asked why, he stated the cops could not see him coming on the illegal bike with the lights off until it was too late. I am not interested in that type of excitement. A New BMW650 is US$20K here in China. That is more than I paid for new R1200GSA fully loaded in Texas. The GSA is over US$40K here in China. If I fail with the JH600 I might go the way of the BMW650 but it was worth the gamble for me personally for that kind of savings for a toy. Especially after reading Pfaelzer and Franki's threads, I am optimistic I will enjoy the JH600.

The adventure begins.....
DT

[moilami]

The adventure begins.....
DT

Well said. And thanks Euphonius of the interesting article. I will for sure comment more later on when I have time, it is nice to talk about bikes, especially when anxiously waiting for one and thusly talking is all you can do.

[moilami]

As he said, he'd rather spend three times the current asking price of JH600 for a new HD 883 sportster in PRC. I just thought it was an interesting perspective to throw into the discussion.

Alright, that was an opinion of some Ducati driver, and Ducati's aren't very famous in doing enduro bikes. If someone says he would rather buy a cruiser than enduro, I would at first think fine, it is his choise, hope if works out good. But if someone says buy a cruiser rather than enduro, I would ask what for? For me personally a cruiser is not an option since it would severely affect how I can drive. I like to see well around me and to be seen well, and most of all I like to be able to do agressive and effective maneuvers with my bike if needed, and there is no way I would accept gimped performance on gravel or trails. So a cruiser is not an option for me, even if it would be of superior quality, and especially it is not an option for me if it is three times more expensive and the only thing I get for that premium is higher build quality. There is tons of "no no" answers and only one "yes" answer, which is regarding the quality, and regarding the quality there comes a question "is the china bike good enough?" Does it get me there and back? If positive, then I would say hello to the china bike.

(I wanted to comment on that because one of my many perversions is theoretical decision making.)

It gets about 60 mpg and meets Europe's E3 emissions standards.

Because Europe's standards are tougher than the Environmental Protection Agency's or even California's, the JH600 could, in theory, be certified for sale in the U.S.,

(Just a side note: we have in Europe now E5 emission standards, got them at the end of 2009. E4 was what we had before that since 1999 to 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europea...sion_standards. This can be the reason why EMC bikes had carburator in Great Britain and Galaxies now have EFI.)

Jialing bikes are relatively small, and Americans, who are significantly larger than people elsewhere in the world, continue to want large-displacement bikes.

xD Alright, I feel so uneducated now, I have heard everything is so big in the states, but uh, Americans are significantly larger than people elsewhere in the world? Huh, woot??? what does that word "larger" mean? Height? Or weight? If height, then Americans aren't that large, Dutch, Germans, Australians, Finnish, Danes, and Swedish among other are significantly taller on average. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height If she meant weight, then...........okay I can agree xD

// More to come later, need to go now, that article is so hilarious and begs to be talked about. And sorry of the OT, I could not resist to pinch strange misinformation xD Still laughing at it.

[Pfaelzer]

.... When I told him the new price of the current model he laughed. He basically said that he would never pay the kind of money >元30k even with the improvements he'd want since the original model was released. As he said, he'd rather spend three times the current asking price of JH600 for a new HD 883 sportster in PRC. I just thought it was an interesting perspective to throw into the discussion.

Hi bikerdoc,

three times 35kRMB would be around 15kUSD. Is it really possible to get a brand-new HD 883 on the road in China for this money? I understand there is a 100% luxury duty for importing bikes plus some other expenses to get a bike legally registered. Anyway, I'm not the specialist for these things but I checked out the BMW prices a while ago in Shanghai and they are just beyond of what I want to pay for a bike unless I had some real serious touring plans and the funds of course.
The JH600 has similar power than for example a Kawasaki KLX250 - maybe a bit more (I just rode one of those in Indonesia). The JH does the job for me - a Duc rider and surely a bunch of other people here might see it different, which is alright. Cruisers, crossers or road-bikes - all can be fun, depending on personal taste.

So for my side, until imported bike become more affordable, I'll bother you a bit more with my JH600 enthusiasm.

Cheers,
AW.