FeiYing FYM 150-3 2009

[montigny02]

This bike is so simple that taking it apart takes about 3 hours tops. I wanted to open it up so I could clean the chassis, check the weldings for rust and if necessary brush/weld and coat with antirust. After being parked in the rain for one year in Chengdu, I was expecting a few serious repairs but there only was superficial corrosion and weldings were absolutely rust free. Only the box that forms the battery support was really rusty and I can't say I really care. The day it brakes, it brakes and I'll have a welder add a few metal reinforcements.

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It's aways nice being with a buddy when you take the engine down, and my friend Mike was very interested in helping: he wants to buy himself a bike and finds the prospect of maintenance overwelming. Opening a motorcycle is a good way of demystifiying maintenance operations. And all those canto-125's are glorified bicycles anyway.

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Anitrust spray here and there.

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Putting back the shocks on.

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[Zorge]

Is it just me, or is front fork slightly bent?

[montigny02]

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A bit of black on the handlebars won't hurt but it's just cosmetic as it's a non rust alloy.

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[montigny02]

And after 3 months of uneventful winter, my dearest motorbike has resumed active service in 4 kicks. Well the battery is dead but i already knew that. Anyway it looks better than ever with brand new clean chassis from last paint job and ready to enter it's fourth year. Yes i got it on March 23, 2009 and I still love her.

[montigny02]

THIS IS IT.

Well we had a good run but this is the end. My bike had been unused and dare I say, unloved for the past six months. With two baby strollers two bicycles and a e-bike in my garage, there was simply no space for my motorbike. Meaning no space either in my garage or in my schedule.

So one of my friends friends has made me an offer and I sold it this afternoon for 1200RMB. Technically it should have been sold for more but with no Jiangsu plates or insurrance, it wasn't street legal.

In the end that motorbike will have given me excellent memories and has saved me a lot of money. Total cost of ownership :
6000RMB for the bike 3500 for fuel and 500RMB in extras. Plus maybe 1000 in transportation to Shandong/Sichuan/Jiangsu. And then it saved me about 8000RMB in taxi costs when i was living in Shandong (where I used 1000 rmb taxi per months during winter). I cannot truly say this motorbike has saved me money but it has practically not cost me a penny.

As soon as my kids reach 18, I will buy a new one.