Yamaha R1-Z Yay or nay?

[kiamo]

I'm really liking the idea of this bike:
http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/mod...r1z%201991.htm
Yamaha R1-Z 3.JPG

I see second hand ones for around 10k rmb. I'm totally in love with it's looks and wondering if anyone has experience with it. Or experience with servicing classic bikes in China?

What say thee MCM?

[Nuhaus]

There are a lot of Yamaha TZRs here in Shanghai as well. A friend of mine had one for a while, and kept it strictly for track days at Tianma. Problem was that the 2 stroke motor needed constant maintenance. If you're a mechanic yourself, then you know what you're getting into. Also, keep in mind that old bikes can't be registered legally.

Also, pretty bike that. :)

[kiamo]

Oh? I'm not a mechanic, but I'm capable and interested enough to learn, although there are obvious limiting factors (I don't have a proper workshop). Also, the taobao listing I found seemed to indicate to me (via google translate) that the dealer handles licensing and plating. Thus leaving me with the presumption that I could make it street legal. This bike would strictly just be for trips in the mountains and countryside, and perhaps longer multi day trips. So I would really like it to be street legal and not run the risk of getting nicked in an area I don't know my way around.

I got stopped in Wuzhou this summer doing a longer trip. They just let me go after I smiled and asked if anyone speaks English, but it's not a risk I particularly want to be taking now that things are tightening up around here. I see checkpoints almost every day now! :O

[ZMC888]

Kiamo, that bike categorically cannot ever be legal in China. All two strokes are absolutely illegal and if someone is telling you it can be they are lying and they'll be selling you a fake plate.

[kiamo]

Kiamo, that bike categorically cannot ever be legal in China. All two strokes are absolutely illegal and if someone is telling you it can be they are lying and they'll be selling you a fake plate.

I'm really glad I discovered this place, thanks for the info :)

[zhu]

cool bike kiamo
could you post the taobao link?

[kiamo]

Sure,

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...id=12638731082

[bikerdoc]

I'm really liking the idea of this bike:
http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/mod...r1z%201991.htm

I see second hand ones for around 10k rmb. I'm totally in love with it's looks and wondering if anyone has experience with it. Or experience with servicing classic bikes in China?

What say thee MCM?

Most Taobao sellers are far from true legit dealers, other than most of these "sellers" will say or do anything to get a deal, and the same can be said of the few that actually have a bricks and mortar building presence too. Not to be confused with real legit dealers who won't play the dodgy bike/plate games. A new Benelli 'dealer' out near my neck of the woods also does shady deals, including the usual plate games, but he was already trading and doing dodgy stuff before he got a Benelli dealership which says a lot about due diligence that Benelli/Qijiang do. Kiamo if that Taobao seller could really get a genuine plate for the legally imported bike, the price would be far higher than what it is. An easy method to calculate whether any bike is legally imported it to basically take any overseas branded bike and double or triple it's MSRP (new price) and that will give any perspective owner a rough price which in turn can indicate likely importation method (legal vs grey or smuggled in).