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#1 JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run06-23-2011, 04:24 AM
West Suzhou Tank Run
After searching around Shanghai for off-road venues to test out the JH600 on a bit of rugged terrain, I finally found a challenge for the bike.
During "(No-)Bike Night in Shanghai" at Boxing Cat Brewery, Felix suggested the West Suzhou Tank Grounds as a nearby (2hr ride from Shanghai) location. I was all-in! (I just didn't know how deep in I'd get.)
Upon entering West Suzhou, you see the first small mountains start to appear from the flat landscape that stretches from East China Sea in Shanghai thru to Suzhou.
I made my way into a farming area where there was a typical 2m-wide concrete "农村” slab that serves as the road linking farmers' homes and connecting them to the main road. Off of this concrete slab I found some fun little dirt and mud runs, that wound and connected back around. Then there were the kick-ass dirt mountain runs for the tanks to practice. I didn't see any tanks that day, but Felix has been involved in a chase (he never told me who was being chased. My guess is that it must have looked like a scene from a "Tom & Jerry" cartoon).
As June is China's "Plum Rain Season"*, it's been raining almost everyday for the last 2 weeks. This would add to the wet/muddy conditions and truly test out the bike with the stock tires which are most suited for mountain twisties on dry tarmac!
Check out the JH600 Tire Comments from Yunnan Ride 2010
* Wikipedia:
The East Asian rainy season (Chinese: 梅雨 miyǔ; Japanese: 梅雨, tsuyu, baiu; literally plum rain; Korean: 장마, jangma) is caused by precipitation along a persistent stationary front known as the Meiyu front for nearly two months during the late spring and early summer between eastern China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. The wet season ends during the summer when the subtropical ridge becomes strong enough to push this front north of the region.Last edited by MotoKai; 04-01-2012 at 03:18 AM.
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嘉陵 JH600-A (Upgraded)
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#2 Re: JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run06-23-2011, 04:37 AM
Okay, enough with the intro...on to the pics:
Enter The Dragon
Dry Rock Road - Suspension takes it all in. Fahrvergngen!
Red Clay - She starts to swim from the backend. Where are my knobbies?
Signs of the Plum Rain - She's an okay mudder when it's packed and hard. Bring on the puddles!
Be careful what you wish for! I'll go around this guy.
Up to a dug-out clearing for a break and to check out the tires
Tread is caked with mud & grass. Zero traction, which is why she just kicks out all the time on the backend.
I wouldn't do much worse with racing slicks on her.
Last edited by MotoKai; 06-23-2011 at 09:35 AM.
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嘉陵 JH600-A (Upgraded)
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#3 Re: JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run
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#4 Re: JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run
- Join Date
- Nov 2010
- Location
- Beijing
- Posts
- 407
06-23-2011, 05:40 AMThey work better in wet mud at night when it's raining, since you can't see where you're going to in the first place!
I drove them in hard rain on the road faster then I should have, not a single moment where I felt like I lost traction.Kawasaki Versys 650
Shineray X2
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#5 Re: JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run06-23-2011, 06:30 AM
Agree! And the fun was only starting to begin.....
I decided the test was over. Better to come back here after we get the new Kenda Enduro Tires on her and check the difference. Then I saw this:
The Right Of Passage!
...and of course she needed to see what is over the hill (the ever so curious Jialing).
This hill just shoots straight down - about 60+degrees on the left side.
The Lake.
What was on the other side of the hill was something like a small lake. I pulled up to it thinking "No way!" I got off the bike and grabbed a stick to test the depths. It was a water-filled gully, not any ordinary puddle. The depth was about one-half meter deep in the middle, adding some sinkage do to the bike weight, and I'm completely underwater (over the engine). Fun is over, time to turn back. I tried to push the bike back, but due to the the incline on the soft mud, she wouldn't budge. I sat there for a few minutes thinking of audibles. There were none, I had to go thru. I powered forward, kept her steady and we went in deep. I was submerged almost up to my knees, with the entire engine underwater. I was wondering if she'd cut out, but she keep plowing thru - hard and steady. You know you're all-in when your engine takes on just a murmuring sound and it's the feel of vibration under your seat that let's you know she's still breathing.
I got to the other side and stopped. Steam was rising up in all directions and she was still running like nothing had happened. My first submerged crossing! Around the next corner things just got worse, so had to turn back and run thru the water once again. Another successful crossing with the JH600!
On to find more adventure!
King Of The Hill
Bring On The Tanks!
Last edited by MotoKai; 06-23-2011 at 09:38 AM.
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嘉陵 JH600-A (Upgraded)
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#6 Re: JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run06-23-2011, 06:51 AM
More Mud Fun
Did I really say "All-in"?
When attempting to turn around and head back out to the mainroads I landed in this. What I call "Sleeper Mud". Top surface is hardened over with debris - looked like solid dirt from a distance. Get over it, and down you go fast and hard. Like quicksand.
Notice no need for the kickstand?
Sleeper Mud
All-in
What's in China-V's Toolkit?
I can tell you what's not (and surely wasn't in mine!). A big shovel.
I hiked to the nearest home where I borrowed a shovel (铲, chan). Always a chance to learn new vocabulary. Then it was digging time.
As the bike was stuck so deep that she was standing on her own, I needed to first dig out an area for the kickstand.
After 60-mins of digging, pushing and rocking.
Always shovel with your gloves on!
It was so hot and sweaty I took my gloves off for the first 20mins of digging. Lesson learned.
Last edited by MotoKai; 06-23-2011 at 09:42 AM.
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嘉陵 JH600-A (Upgraded)
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#7 Re: JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run
- Join Date
- Nov 2010
- Location
- Beijing
- Posts
- 407
06-23-2011, 07:33 AMI'm enjoying your thread, but this has more to do with hands that haven't been used for hard labor than warm sweaty weather. Else you would have had a layer of hard skin and this wouldn't happen in just 20 minutes.
Some advice for using a shovel (I speak from experience):
- try to make sure the inside of your hands is as dry as possible before picking up the shovel
- don't try to go pro, wet sand/mud is obviously much heavier than dry sand/mud, a half full shovel will finally get you there as wellKawasaki Versys 650
Shineray X2
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#8 Re: JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run06-23-2011, 09:50 AM
Haha - Thanks Barry! Maybe you're right. Last bit of hard labor I had was on my visit to New York this past January (time served was one month) when it snowed every other day. This was my first time shoveling in years - but I wore gloves! Anyway, parents were happy I was around during one of New York's heaviest snowfalls on record. But nothing compares to MUD!
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嘉陵 JH600-A (Upgraded)
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#9 Re: JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run06-24-2011, 06:08 AM
The other eventful moment occurred on the ride back to Shanghai.
After getting back out on the S230 and picking up up some speed the bike started to shake. As soon as I hit 80kph the shaking became considerable. The alignment I thought - but I couldn't imagine the JH600 suffered any damage from this off-road experience. I was hoping that the caked-on mud was throwing my tires off balance and therefore kept the speed down until I reached the first car wash. After a thorough rinse, I was back on the S230 and she was riding true once again!_____________________
嘉陵 JH600-A (Upgraded)
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#10 Re: JH600 Off-Road: West Suzhou Tank Grounds Run
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
- Location
- mostly Shanghai, sometimes northern California
- Posts
- 3,222
06-24-2011, 06:45 AMGreat report, Motokai!
When I saw this picture...
...I thought that maybe you'd bought one of those gyroscopic stabilizers from Felix's buddy in Kaohsiung.
jkp
Shanghai
2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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