I'm back (again) :)

[MotoKai]

Right on Ekki!

[MJH]

Hello Ekkicore and Congratulations, it’s not an ideal time of year to get acquainted with a new bike. You’re a newbie so be careful, not to be too anxious to take it out in less then ideal weather, till you get your confidence up on it.

It’s none of my business but what is taking you to Xian? The other thing is, that is also none of my business, I thought you are in Beijing and that Felix resided in Shanghais? You people sometimes make such a large country look like a neighborhood.

I think it would be an awesome experience to ride from Beijing to Xian, but it would require some serious consideration and planning. Considering your photography skills it would make a worth while thread on this site for sure. If you do it, might be worth letting Qianjiang know in advance, they may offer some support? If you do open communication with them make sure you send a photo of yourself, I suspect that their PR people would dig you.

[Ekkicore]

Frabjous day! Calooh! Callay!

But what's this about letting Felix squire your new squeazel home for you? Surely you're a legal rider by now, right? (And what's that stuff on Felix's face?)

Anyway, can't wait to see some artsier pictures, and read your first ride reports. Is this the same model that lobotomous describes in his Qianjiang 150-19A thread?

Congratulations! This has been a loooooong time in coming!

Now ride safe, y'hear?

Thanks for the congrats! It was definitely a monumental day for me yesterday :)

Unfortunately, I'm not licensed yet. I failed the last test by one question too many (got 88%.. agggh) and since then it's been a pain in the ass to schedule a retake from Xi'an as for some reason they require me to go in personally to make an appointment :/

And yup, it's the same one that Lobotomous talked about! when the weather is better and it's safe to take Squeazel out, i'll be sure to post some sexier pics of him!

[Ekkicore]

Hello Ekkicore and Congratulations, it’s not an ideal time of year to get acquainted with a new bike. You’re a newbie so be careful, not to be too anxious to take it out in less then ideal weather, till you get your confidence up on it.

It’s none of my business but what is taking you to Xian? The other thing is, that is also none of my business, I thought you are in Beijing and that Felix resided in Shanghais? You people sometimes make such a large country look like a neighborhood.

I think it would be an awesome experience to ride from Beijing to Xian, but it would require some serious consideration and planning. Considering your photography skills it would make a worth while thread on this site for sure. If you do it, might be worth letting Qianjiang know in advance, they may offer some support? If you do open communication with them make sure you send a photo of yourself, I suspect that their PR people would dig you.

Thanks, MJH! I'm definitely veering on the side of caution. Squeazel is still parked in the underground car park whilst i'm at home watching youtube videos and reading Proficient Motorcycling to while away the shitty weather. Add to that the fact that two friends in the last 3 days have had their bikes confiscated in my neighborhood and i'm even less inclined to take Squeazel out for a spin 'til the holidays are over.

Felix and I currently both live in Xi'an (though not together haha), i've been here for a few months as a resident DJ at one of the big clubs in Xi'an. My contract is supposed to end at the end of Feb but it looks like they may want to renew it for another 6 months at least..
When i'm done here, I may end up back in Beijing or staying here in Xi'an... haven't really planned that far ahead yet! I go back to Beijing once a month though and will be back again soon to sort out the whole license issue.

If I DO move back to Beijing, I definitely intend to ride back! and if I don't move back.. well, maybe i should do that trip anyway :)

[felix]

We desperately need some better pictures of this bike Ekki, get your lazy ass down to the garage and do your new baby a bit of justice (and also your signature). No excuses.

I've posted some thoughts on the bike in Lobotomous' thread as i think it's more useful there, however i'll post it here again to save people the journey.

Looking forward to getting a chance to try it out properly!

Out of the box i'm pretty impressed, you get a lot of bike for your 8000 RMB. First it's really is great looking bike, i stand by my previous statement that this is the best looking bike in its class in china, by far. The finish is very good, that deep Benelli green metallic paint is just glorious you can notice the attention to detail everywhere on the body. This is no parts-bin bike, everything was designed for it and fits well, from the indicators right down to the fuel petcock. The level of equipment you get is impressive too, i wish my bike had a handlebar mounted choke lever and a fuel gauge in the dash board. I also wish my bike had a 17L tank...

I didn't get to open it up, just a 20min ride through some heavy traffic. The bike is very well balanced, the seating and steering feel neutral and it happily tips into corners. All the controls are easy, the clutch is light enough, the front brake (which has an adjustable lever) only needs two fingers. The rear drum brake is perfectly adequate, i'd go so far as saying it's better than the rear disc on my Qingqi which just locks up as soon as i touch it, which is useless. I'd happily trade some braking power for a bit more feel. The power is what you'd expect from a simple 150cc engine like this, nothing spectacular but enough to have fun with at lower speeds.

I don't dislike the RTW gear pattern, in fact in traffic it's quite handy to go into neutral straight from 5th. You can get used to either easily, but i'd hate to have two bikes with different patterns and constantly have to readjust.

Overall i'd say it's good bike at a great price. If they made a model with a bigger engine there would probably be one parked downstairs at my place!

[Ekkicore]

okay, after work I TRIED to go downstairs to take pictures but my DSLR is outta battery and the battery spring is broken so it doesn't just pop out like it usually does..
after 10 minutes of pushing, pulling, prying and shaking, i decided to forgo the photography and went to practice finding the friction zone of the clutch then starting and stopping the bike.

unfortunately, 10 mins into this, the security guard came down to ask me what i was doing, enquire if i was drunk, and tell me to go home and get some rest (it WAS past 3am, after all). instead of doing as i was told, I took this as motivation to leave the car park and hit the streets for some real-life practice!
i roamed the (practically) empty streets for 45 minutes, weaving in and out of the city wall and getting used to switching gears. i got up to 3rd gear but didn't really go much faster than 40kph.

my thoughts? well, since i'm not exactly a seasoned rider, I don't have much to compare it to. first thing that struck me though (and the biggest thing i noticed), was how much "softer" the clutch felt compared to the dual-sports / dirt bikes i'd previously had a try on. this made the riding a lot smoother and less intimidating, and i was comfortable with shifting up and down the gears. sometimes I got momentarily confused when i tapped down, expecting to downshift but instead finding myself in a higher gear (thank god for that gear indicator haha!).. i suspect i'll have a difficult time adjusting to a regular gear pattern after this bike!

this bike has a super low seat-height, and being able to flatfoot comfortably definitely boosted my confidence a lot!

I also only stalled 3 times, once when a bunch of taxi's were blocking the road ahead at an apparently 24-hour mechanics shop. I had to maneuver my way through the taxi's and i guess i didn't give it enough gas so i stalled. 2nd and 3rd times were when i unintentionally stopped at the top of my car park entrance, on a slight bump, and was afraid of giving too much gas that would send me zooming over the bump and tumbling down the ramp. first try was too weak and i stalled, not making it over the bump. my second shot was better, and i managed to get over the bump before stalling, but by then it was all downhill so i decided to coast down the ramp before starting the engine haha..

I guess that's all i have to say for now. i enjoyed my first ride on the streets on my own brand-new, very first bike and I hope to have many more rides to come! :)

[euphonius]

Dear Ekki,

Damn, now we're talking! What a brilliant first ride report -- candid, honest and detailed. I could see the green of your squeazel reflecting the moonlight against the Xi'an ramparts, and I think I sensed a smile. Very much admire your courage and determination!

More!

cheers

[ShuBen]

For all who want to know about the trip condition Xian - Beijing here are the links to a 7 days ride in Oct 2011:

part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEk91n_f3Do
part2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj8HA6-IS8g

[Astroboy66]

Congrats on the Bike I was deciding between one of these of the honda 150 but admit for looks and value the QJ is about there.

My constant moving around China Shanghai - Beijing - Wuhan has been knocking back my ability to finally buy one but although Wuhan is not so bike friendly I still wanna get a QJ like yours in Benellli Green ( best colour) as soon as possible.

Anyone have any details on if there is a shop or dealer in Wuhan selling this bike I have a license already but would like the bike And plate to be legal

Any one have any ideas? Or info please let me know I am set on getting this bike in the next month if I move again I will drag it with me:-)

Look forward to more reports and photos Ekki

astro

[humanbeing]

http://www.qjmotor.com/qjmotor/yingxiao/salenet.jsp