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  1. #1 Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
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    Hey guys, nice to find a community like this with so many resources. It's been good to check out the posts and get an idea of what I could expect when I finally get myself a bike here in China.
    I've been in China for about three months. I'm 28 and I've been riding for about 11 years. My first (and only) bike is this one in the picture. A wonderful 1981 BMW R65/5 that I'm sorry to say I've left in Florida, where I'm from. I would really love to have it here in China but it's probably not really the ideal bike for a road trip here anyhow, though it is quite a trooper. This bike was a regular rider and really my only vehicle, year round, for about 7 or those 11 years I've been riding. There were always yearly or bi-yearly trips, usually up the east coast to North Carolina or further along if the season was warm enough. I've probably logged about 80k miles on that there bike, and it took it with ease most of the time. Of course I've dropped it several times but I've never been in a two vehicle accident, I think mainly due to being a very defensive driver. I've also never had an accident in any of my cars, having been driving the wheeled coffins since I was 15. I'm not too much of a mechanic but I've done all the work that's been done on the bike since I got it and this has included rebuilding the front end (someone backed into it, cant tell you how fond I am of whoever did that) and rebuilding the transmission, clutch and replacing other random parts and of course all the random maintenance for the various systems.

    Right now I'm going to be working for another 11 months or so and then I should have a little time I should be able to delegate to a nice trip around China. I'm thinking now that of course that's going to put me just about in the middle of winter and so of course I'm considering heading almost due south from Taiyuan here until it's not too bad.

    I've had a chance to ride around a scooter here in China (a friends) for a bit and of course I've been observing the motoring habits of the locals. Naturally I'm used to maintaining a "bubble" that is MUCH larger than what is possible here, but I think with a few weeks I could get my nerves settled enough to not have a heart attack as soon as a taxi started nosing into my lane, etc. etc. etc......

    Right now I've been checking out bikes and I'm thinking of a 200cc Shineray that comes with the decent racks and front/rear disk breaks. The nice size tank and ground clearance should get me where I want to go and the racks will let me take what I need, maybe allowing me to not load down my bags too much. I'm thinking I need about 10k for the license, bike, bags, and some other gear. I want to get the bike about two months before the outset to have a chance to run the thing around and get the kinks sorted out and have it set up about like I would like. Someone (forget the user name) has a really comprehensive post about their trip and that's got me pretty well sold on this Shineray, THANKS whoever that was, BrokenSpoke or something like that.

    I have and continue to look around on MCM, and have found some clues and may find more but still would like to ask. My basic questions in no real order are things like: Does the bike come with any tools or will I have to get some kind of tool roll? Of course I can't put the thing together out of the crate until I get some. I'm considering getting a GPS, or getting a phone with GPS, any suggestions? I want to visit the more out of the way places, mostly places that are not really tourist destinations, are there any posts someone could point me to with nice minority groups and somewhat unspoiled scenery? How reliable are the maps, hardcopy or electronic for the less traveled areas? Is it possible to mostly camp out on these trips and is camping in random (I DO have reason and discretion) on the side of the road?

    That about wraps it up for now, I'll post more as I think of it.

    If you have answers, or find the posts with answers before I do, or if you have any questions for me, just message me or respond here on the thread.

    Thanks all,
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  2. #2 Re: Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    Welcome Maux, thanks for stopping in.

    Supersignet is the guy that did a couple reports on the Shineray GY7. Some people like it, and others are not so impressed. The racks and gas tank are good, but the suspension is weak, and the engine will vibrate your fillings loose. It's a fairly large motorcycle for a 200cc bike, so it's one of the few motos that work for larger people, or those trying to tour two up. The bike comes with the same piece of crap toolkit as most other bikes, better to hit the tool market and make something you can count on.

    Camping is both fun and a bit challenging. Not really many campgrounds in the country, but roadside camping is possible if you look hard enough, doing it alone might not be such a great idea. I think most of your other questions have been beat to death here on the forum, dig around and I'm sure you will find enlightenment.

    Cheers!
    ChinaV
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  3. #3 Re: Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
    Senior C-Moto Guru euphonius's Avatar
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    Welcome, Maux. I haven't been to Taiyuan for years, but from what I remember, and what I know about geography, you've lucked into what should be a great place for motorcycling -- as long as you can get out of town. You're on the "yellow earth plain", which has a lot of open landscape but is anything but flat. I suspect you'll find fantastic mountain roads. I'll be it's bloody cold right now, but spring will be awesome.

    If your time is really limited to one year, get cracking on getting your Chinese license if you haven't done so already. If you are on a work visa, it should be possible to use your Florida motorcycle license to qualify for a Chinese one, though you'll have to pass a written test showing you understand China's many illogical laws. (No, it's not required to stop at a red light if you are turning right; you need only "check speed and yield", not that any self-respecting Chinese motorist would ever do either!)

    Would be great to know you are saddled up and ready to ride once the weather breaks a bit. Incidentally, what brings you from Florida to Shanxi, of all places?

    MCM member Slabo is also a Shineray 200 expert, and will be a great resource.

    Keep us posted as your adventure reveals itself! And don't forget to post pictures.

    cheers
    jkp
    Shanghai
    2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
    2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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  4. #4 Re: Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
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    We'll I don't really need a higher bike, and I doubt I'll be two up very much. Are there some shorter shocks I could put on it? I'm only about 5'8" and the R65 is not a very high bike really, though I can stand over it pretty easy.

    Of course I could always get another bike and fit with aftermarket racks, they are not a deal maker and neither is the tank really. The posts I've seen about them is just that their pretty reliable and come stock with just about what I think I would need. I would rather just focus on

    Sence I'm used to the orizontally opposed boxer engine I doubt I'm going to be anything but shocked at the vibration produced by the thumpers I'm bound to end up with.

    I'm checking out gear on Tao Bao now and I think my 10k guess is about right before daily expenses.

    I'm here in Taiyuan teaching English and I have got my residence permit, z visa, and a motorcycle license from Florida (Florida just has an endorsement on their regular license, like most other states, but there are field tests required). I'm hoping I can get that sorted out without too much trouble (yeah, right? lol!).

    Thanks for the info and the welcome guys, I'll keep you posted.
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  5. #5 Re: Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
    Senior C-Moto Guru euphonius's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maux View Post
    I'm here in Taiyuan teaching English and I have got my residence permit, z visa, and a motorcycle license from Florida (Florida just has an endorsement on their regular license, like most other states, but there are field tests required). I'm hoping I can get that sorted out without too much trouble (yeah, right? lol!).
    You've got everything you need for a Chinese license. Just spend a week or so studying the questions, and you'll be licensed in no time.

    Good luck!
    jkp
    Shanghai
    2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
    2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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  6. #6 Re: Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
    grumpy old sod jape's Avatar
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    I moved Roadrunner's post to here:
    http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...adrunner-intro
    Kinlon R/T KBR JL200GY-2
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  7. #7 Re: Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
    Senior C-Moto Guru
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    Hi Maux,
    Sorry for the late reply, been away for more than a week now. Can't see your bike, image not attached properly. Upload to some hosting service like http://host.fotki.com/ and paste the link between [img] and [/img] tags.

    I’ve had the Long March for a little less than a year now, approaching 10k now. I basically chose the bike believing that I’d have problems with any china bike. I might as well start somewhere and learn how to do my own repairs. You consider a big fat tank and the rack not to be deal makers, but I’ve had very hard time customizing anything in China. Once I called up some suppliers for aluminum pipe, and they said sure, how many tonnes do you need? Never heard from them when I said I just want 20 meters total. The basic DIY stuff you could find down at the local hardware store are more than difficult to get in China. But then again, your millage might vary; I haven’t toured all China yet!

    Tank, racks and the WWII bike messenger basic looks were the deal maker for me. That, and also when I tried the Qingqi 200 Enduro, I found it to be tiny (I’m only 176 cm tall). I don’t know about the 250 Enduro. Till today, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the bike. It takes me everywhere, runs for 16 hours a day no problem, but overall it’s much less of a bike than should be. Even if it’s just a 200cc. Small things that add up like the shift lever getting stuck going from 2nd to 3rd sometimes. I just have to push it back to 1st, then still with the clutch pulled in go back to 3rd. The seat doesn’t sit securely on the bike. It’s bolted on and relies only on the torque of two bolts to hold it from going back and forth. The rubber mounts that should reduce vibrations are getting torn off from the seat moving back and forth all the time. Seats on other bikes just click in, have just enough space. I had to change the seat as the stock padding was way too soft. Small things like that, I just need to know a few friendly mechanics or have my own tools to sort out. But really, I think all China bikes will have same problem.

    After I changed the 56tooth rear sprocket to a 46tooth, bike doesn’t vibrate that much. RPM stays at ~5k cruising comfortably on the highway. But I haven’t compared with GPS yet. Also, I haven’t tried it off tarmac yet. But overall the bike feels much better already. Accelerates nicely out of traffic, speedo needle doesn’t wobble anymore, at least not too much. Still, for a bike from made in 2010 it should be smother that it is. But that doesn’t really bother me now. If I’m happy with cruising speed on the flat highway, and still have some low end torque for the trails, I’m more than happy with the bike as is.
    No rust so far and it’s been in the rain a couple of times. But I always store it out of the rain. Seems paint quality and coating is good.
    Planned Improvements:
    • redo the wiring
    • fit HID lights
    • get better tires
    • spark plug
    • mirrors
    • exhaust
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  8. #8 Re: Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
    Senior C-Moto Guru
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    About camping on the side of the road, remember that most of the land you see is not owned by the people living on it. Farmers rent the land, or give part of their crop to the owner in return for the use of land. I've camped on the side of the road a few times, never had a problem. Not really by the side of the road, i find a trail, go on it and find a small patch hidden from the road. I've always felt safe in China whereever I am, I just get away from the main road to find a quieter spot that's all. I've went further than camping. Passed through a cherry field one time, and boy I was hungry. I ate all I could eat, farmers there too, no problems. So long as you don't jump over fences and barbed wire, you should be ok.
    About maps everything moves in China. Don't expect to find the same road/cafe/motorway/mountain/river... even 6 months later. What I've done is just list the towns I should be passing through as checkpoints, and follow the signs and road numbers marked. When I get to big towns or cities, I ask the locals how to get to my next checkpoint. This is where it gets fun and you meet nice folks.
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  9. #9 Re: Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
    grumpy old sod jape's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slabo View Post
    Planned Improvements:
    • redo the wiring
    • fit HID lights
    • get better tires
    • spark plug
    • mirrors
    • exhaust
    With what you have done already, that is almost a new bike mate!
    Kinlon R/T KBR JL200GY-2
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  10. #10 Re: Taiyuan rider, 200c Shineray questions 
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    Quote Originally Posted by jape View Post
    With what you have done already, that is almost a new bike mate!
    That's why I say it's a love-hate relationship with the bike. So much work to do to get it to be a decent bike, and it's being really difficult for me to do any mods here. Somedays I just want to sell it, get rid of it for any price, and get a new Qingqi. The grass is always greener on the other side?
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