My new Long March, XY200GY-7

[felix]

So its open or closed, but there are three settings. there is a middle setting, why?

Hi slabo, don't worry too much about it, i never use the middle one. Choke to start it and then open when you're running.

As for the sprocket, 56 is loads of teeth and i'm sure you could afford to lose quite a few. Maybe ask supersignet, he's had a couple of these bikes.

[ZMC888]

check the engine mountings

+1
Check exhaust system tightness too. I find that tightening every bolt I can find helps the bike run smoother on my China machine.

[Supersignet]

I sold my GY-7 to a good friend of mine because I won't be able to ride it this summer. He's planning on taking it up through inner-mongollia this summer. The gearing from the factory is pretty bad. 1st and 2nd gear are pretty much usless on all but the steepest inclines. We dropped to a 46 tooth sprocket on the rear and the bike is doing much better around town and is getting a little bit more top end, but the bike isn't near the sweetspot yet. It's going to take some trail and error to get it right. I'd be tempted to try ChinaVs Galaxy 230 gearing on the bike as the engines are basically the same.

Make sure you tighten all of the bolts... My first GY7 didn't vibrate badly, but maybe that's because all the vibs were getting sucked up by the tripple clamp. My second vibrated, but after tightening up all the bolts and changin the rear engine mount bolt and sprocket it is a lot better

[slabo]

Thanks for all the precious advice.
I went to the dealer and they replaced my brand new dead battery, now i don't have to kick start my bike anymore. They took it off another "new" bike, so good luck to the next guy buying the same bike. They also replaced the cable to indicate what gear i'm in, it was pinched during factory installation.
I also added an extra mud guard in the front, pictures below.

About replacing the rear sprocket, the bike felt underpowered going up bad trails. No problem with one person, but two up with ~10kg camping gear, it was a struggle. I had to stay in 2nd or 1st gear, ~20km/h and I stalled one time (1st gear) and dropped the bike; passenger was not happy about that. But I can't blame it on the bike, I think I still need more practice. I'll try to drop a few teeth and try again.

[jape]

I think you have to add teeth to get more low gear power, not drop teeth, unless I misunderstood something? Good to see you are out and about on it, don't trust the battery for long, I went through a couple from the manufacturer on my Kinlon 200GY before I bit the bullet and purchased a decent one! Your passenger needs educating, in return for not walking they act as stabiliser, rear airbag, two-sided adjustable prop stand, cigarette lighter, neck scratcher, chocolate unwrapper and tent erector. And they keep the rain off your back. If a GF, they get to keep their hands warm too but tell her not to hold on there too tight ...

[slabo]

My original complaint was that the bike was vibrating way too much at ~90km/h. Fixed that after tightening a few bolts. But I also wanted a smaller sprocket in the back to be able to cruise ~100km/h easier.
After I tried it in no road conditions, I am having second thoughts about changing to a smaller sprocket. I think it's worth trying, i can always put back the old sprocket.
Take the chain off, replace the sprocket, then put the chain back on, how do you do that? Can someone describe the process? I'm still trying to find the service manual for the original Honda XL185.
Judging they way they worked on my bike so far, i think i'm better off doing the work myself instead of just trusting these wrench monkeys.

[sabertooth_buterfly]

Hi Slabo
To get a lower gear ratio (more response down low, lower top speed) either get a larger rear sprocket or a smaller front. down 1 tooth on the front is almost equal to up 3 on the rear. It is easier to change the front sprocket than the rear on most bikes, the other advantage is that often you can change one tooth size on the front without having to get a longer chain or shorten your existing one.
To get more top end (faster top speed with lower revs, less responsive down low) is the opposite up size on front sprocket or down size on the rear.
Hope this helps
Tina

[joe]

Hi slabo
This may sound strange as i only have a 125 lifan ,but that would vibrate at speed 50 -65 mph,way hay,But i bought some alloy rims and had them rebuilt buy a chap near me who restores british bikes and lo and behold the vibration has gone(even thrashing it doing 70mph on the clock).so you never know maybe try tuning the wheels,i did notice before the new rims that the spoke tension was a bit hit and miss,but now they are nice and evenly tensioned,it may be worth a go

[slabo]

Thanks for the advice joe. On my last trip, i found out that i'm going 60km/h from my GPS, when the speedo was showing 100km/h !!!
That convinced me to throw out my tires, it's just ridiculous cruising at 45 km/h, even scooters were passing me. Shame, shame.. But maybe with new tires bike will feel more balanced. Report coming soon of my trip from Kunming to Chengdu and back.
I made 5900 km on the bike so far, and no major problems so far, but shifting does not feel as smooth as before.
battery dead again! I'm buying a new battery, not from dealer. Anyone has an idea what's a good battery brand in China?

Thanks

[humanbeing]

http://www.yuasa.com.cn/English/main.asp | http://www.tongyeebattery.com.cn/en/
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Btw: Pls photo the DEAD battery's brand when installing new battery.