Urgent Help Needed- YBR125K or YBR250?

[prince666]

Time permitting, will be making a similar trip after returning to Kunming from the China tour.

Hi Mr Foxy

The main reason for my trip is to find out the procedure on taking a chinese plated bike out of China into Laos and then into Thailand for other members here on MCM who are thinking about a trip to Thailand by way of Laos and my be cambodia at the end of this year , so if you are intrested PM me for details
Me and one other member just done over 15k km in Thailand this year on rental bike but would like to take our own bikes next time . so this trip is a test run for all the other heheh i don't mind have time on my side and i can't think of a better way to spend my time . i will report back to the other on route and road condition.

already crossed the border by foot from china to Laos this year so now need to do it with the YBR



thailand and hainan 2014 004.jpg

[Lao Jia Hou]

What do ya reckon?

I reckon ya have a great plan! Good on ya! Frankly, ANY bike can tour, as I'm sure you have already noticed on Chinese roads.

Also, I'm guessing you haven't been together for long with Mrs Foxy? After 20 years, or so, one's decision-making process changes. E.g., "Why don't you try this dear? What could possibly go wrong?" Joking ... just joking, of course!

Pat's ride report is a good one. Also check some RRs by Fahni - he toured around on a Jialing JH150, often with Mrs Fahni on the back. Eventually, though, Mrs Fahni acquired her own JH150.

It will be great to get some detailed, first-handed info from prince666 about the bike, and his border crossings. Both valuable & helpful info!

[prince666]

Hi foxy

If you do decide to get the YBR 125 then maybe get a re-jetting kit and have a read up on how to do ? and maybe One more to do is.

Increase the gear ratio - replace the front sprocket with one-tooth-less sprocket or the rear one with one-tooth-more.
It will not increase the power output, but will add some torque (with nearly 8%) which is needed especially on 5-th gear.
Easy to do and not expensive.

I think the new YBR has a BS25 Carburetor
have a read on rejetting here.
http://www.bikebandit.com/community/...r#.U31kYiitwmA

http://www.4strokes.com/tech/howtojet.asp

The average altitude of Yunnan is 1,980m (6,496 ft). The mountains are highest in the Northwest where they reach more than 5,000m (16,404 ft). The highest point in the Northwest is the Kawagebo Peak (main peak of the Meili Snow Mountain) in Deqin County, which is about 6,740m (22,113 ft) high; and the lowest is in the Honghe River Valley in Hekou County, with an elevation of 76.4m (251 ft)

yunnan.jpg

yunnan 1.jpg

Tiger Leaping Gorge and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain looks intresting .

[ZMC888]

Hey fellas,

Can't thank you guys enough for all this info, this is gold.

First, to clarify, the 125 I'm considering is the latest, dual-sport model, the YBR125KG, the same as prince's bike. As far as off-roading goes, this seems to be the best Jianshe Yamaha China has come out with so far.

@ZMC Thanks for those tips re. the 250- as much as I want to be spending a lot of time in the dirt, the reality is that in China most of the time will be on well paved, wide roads, so if I can set the bike up to handle a bit of both that would be ideal. To be honest, after looking fairly extensively through the information available on MCM and other places, I have narrowed my gaze to Yamaha, as the other options are many, time is limited, and YMH is known for it's reliability. I do love Honda bikes, having thrashed one in India for a year with no adverse affects except on the occasional stray goat, but for the moment I've got the blinkers on, and Yamaha is in the spotlight.

@LJH I knew the market forces were strong in the Middle Kingdom, but this even extends to rejetting mountain-bound motorbikes? All the merrier. Money is not of great concern, I probably won't have the chance to do a trip like this again for a while afterwards, but probably don't want to spend much more than 23k odd on the bike, as I will also have to fork out a bit on mods.. This would be be the best situation, in a perfect world. Unfortunately this ain't that. While 'Mrs Foxy' has ridden a motorbike a little, I'm not willing to be responsible if anything should happen out in the big bad China because her experience is limited to <50km on a village Sanling I know what you mean though, a passenger doesn't make for the smoothest ride, however Mrs Foxy is an essential

@bikerdoc Your bike is a babe, probably a bit larger that what I was looking to start off with in China though, and maybe a bit more than I was looking to spend. Good luck with the sale though, hopefully you can find someone who appreciates it for what it is. Must have taken some work to get that in and legal, unless you picked it up here? Those upgrade tips are great, I'll probs need a little more help with specifics in the future, we'll get to that tho As far as engine swapping goes, due to time, knowledge and availability constraints that might be a bit too complex.. The local PSB will be registering my bike, in my name, come what may. They didn't want to give me a licence in the first place, 'too-hard basket', but I've discovered that sustained nagging can achieve wonders, and I won't be going anywhere unless I'm fully legal (a month in Mongolia with a hand-typed 'International Licence' caused me to lose enough sweat, don't want a repeat experience in the police state that is China!).

@Zhu I saw your post in the classified section, sorry to hear about the loss. It's no consolation, but I had a 5,000yuan ebike pinched after less than a month's use when I first arrived in China, so I'll be going all-out with security installments, regardless of which bike I buy.

@MJH The Qingqi 250 seems like a good ride, I've had quite a geeze at Pat's 'Beijing to Kunming- A Commute to Work' ride, but I think I'd like to stick with Japanese reliability this time. Cheers tho

@Prince I think ZMC was referring more to the fact of switching engines, rather than commenting on the quality of the YBR125 per se.. Your input is great, as I'm considering the exact same bike. From what you've posted, looks like it can really stand up to a lot. A question, will you be taking the missus along for the SEA ride, or just you, the bike, and luggage? As stated, ultimately Mrs Foxy will be riding on the back of Mr Foxy Esq., what's your opinion. I'd say we'll be taking the bike up to 4,000m at least, quite probably 5,000m, any thoughts? BTW good luck for the upcoming ride, sounds like a beauty. If you have the chance to put up an RR as you go that would be fantastic. Time permitting, will be making a similar trip after returning to Kunming from the China tour.

All in all, after considering the different opinions, I'm thinking like this- I'll go ahead and buy the YBR125KG in Kunming, soon. I know I can get it for 10,000, possibly a little less. I'll make the necessary adjustments, and use this for travel to Chengdu. The route will include, if everything goes to plan, some very rough riding, some very high riding, and certainly quite a lot of riding in total. I'm planning to go via northwest Yunnan into western Sichuan, along the big T border, so the 125 will definitely be put through the motions. Upon arrival in Chengdu, the latest model of the YBR250 will have been released. If we've found that the 125KG is really not up to the task, we'll sell and buy bigger before heading up into Qinghai etc.

I would go for the 250 straight off, and adjust it for the dirt, but it is not available now in Kunming, possibly not in Yunnan (bike market here seems rather limited), and won't be until just before I want to leave. It also seems like purchasing in a different jurisdiction could add unwanted mafan in terms of registration. Bureaucracy in China is already mafan to the maximum without seeking it out, and I'm reluctant to buy a bike I haven't seen yet, so I'd require a trip up to the north to check the bike before purchase, and then would need to have it shipped down; mafan, possible damage, extra costs, you name it.

What do ya reckon?

Sounds like a good plan, but buying new and selling and buying again is a tad uneconomical, because of the 2nd hand market and Chinese culture used bikes even with a few kms can lose about a third of their value, and more if you want to sell quickly. I think you'll lose 3-4K doing it this way.

I'd be inclined to sit it out or not take 'no' for answer in terms of the YBR250. There must be a way to source one in your region. My 2nd tier city has five Yamaha dealerships, just because one guy says no doesn't mean that's the end of it surely. If not I'd buy a 2nd hand 125 and get the YBR250 later. For example well cared for Chinese 125s stick at 2-3000 yuan for ages, once they hit 3-5 years old.

I just don't think a 7.5kw carb single is going to be any fun for two and baggage in the mountains. I really advise getting the YBR250 and retro-fitting it to your needs.

I don't really want to get into an internet war but putting a YBR250 engine in a YBR125 is surely one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. I could go on about to why, but I'd be straying too far offf topic. Also why one member owns a 55KW tourer but is going touring on a 7,5kw 125 is beyond my comprehension too.

[prince666]

Also why one member owns a 55KW tourer but is going touring on a 7,5kw 125 is beyond my comprehension too.

Well its like this please tell me ZMC888 have you done a ride into Yunnan Province yet ??? going only on the minor roads ??? are you sure the roads are all well suited for a TR bike because i don't and because my TR is still in Longkou and will cost about 3000 RMB to ship down and the TR drinks fuel and i have time on my side and i don't think the TR would make it with out some break down of some sort and if it does can a find a TR dealer ?? now with the YBR at 90 RMB a full tank and 600 km on a tank and if it does have a problem i am sure it will be easy to sort out the then TR . you are the one who keeps saying how bad the CF are and i think to some degree you are correct . And wont need to worrier about it of a night so much as you would worrier about the TR . So i hope your comprehension my view my reason in a different light now

And yes if all goes well at the end of this year i will take the TR on the same trip but with knowledge i have gained on this trip

[ZMC888]

Well its like this please tell me ZMC888 have you done a ride into Yunnan Province yet ??? going only on the minor roads ??? are you sure the roads are all well suited for a TR bike because i don't and because my TR is still in Longkou and will cost about 3000 RMB to ship down and the TR drinks fuel and i have time on my side and i don't think the TR would make it with out some break down of some sort and if it does can a find a TR dealer ?? now with the YBR at 90 RMB a full tank and 600 km on a tank and if it does have a problem i am sure it will be easy to sort out the then TR . you are the one who keeps saying how bad the CF are and i think to some degree you are correct . And wont need to worrier about it of a night so much as you would worrier about the TR . So i hope your comprehension my view my reason in a different light now

And yes if all goes well at the end of this year i will take the TR on the same trip but with knowledge i have gained on this trip

You are perfectly entitled to ride any bike you like, the fact that anyone else doesn't understand why you buy one bike then ride another is not your problem, you've made your decision you don't need to justify it to me, it's your money.

[prince666]

You are perfectly entitled to ride any bike you like, the fact that anyone else doesn't understand why you buy one bike then ride another is not your problem, you've made your decision you don't need to justify it to me, it's your money.

From what I understand "you" are the only one
Who has made a comment on this subject
No I was not just justify my reason to you please don't
over estimate youself, but to Post my reason for other
people to understand.
And I could ride my CF Jetlux or my Suzuki swift car
Or as you pointed out the TR. . But with all
The different choices I have for this trip
The YBR is still the best one ! IMO

[foxy88]

Sounds like a good plan, but buying new and selling and buying again is a tad uneconomical, because of the 2nd hand market and Chinese culture used bikes even with a few kms can lose about a third of their value, and more if you want to sell quickly. I think you'll lose 3-4K doing it this way.

I'd be inclined to sit it out or not take 'no' for answer in terms of the YBR250. There must be a way to source one in your region. My 2nd tier city has five Yamaha dealerships, just because one guy says no doesn't mean that's the end of it surely. If not I'd buy a 2nd hand 125 and get the YBR250 later. For example well cared for Chinese 125s stick at 2-3000 yuan for ages, once they hit 3-5 years old.

I just don't think a 7.5kw carb single is going to be any fun for two and baggage in the mountains. I really advise getting the YBR250 and retro-fitting it to your needs.

I don't really want to get into an internet war but putting a YBR250 engine in a YBR125 is surely one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. I could go on about to why, but I'd be straying too far offf topic. Also why one member owns a 55KW tourer but is going touring on a 7,5kw 125 is beyond my comprehension too.

I took this advice onboard, I called the 2nd tier city, no go, so got onto the 3rd largest city in Yunnan, very helpful lady tells me that they have one, as well as the Suzuki GW250, I believe. Any she calls back a while later, unfortunately the bike has already been reserved. I've asked her to look into ordering another one for me, she would need a guarantee of some sort，I offered to transfer a deposit, so she's going to find out if its possible to get one in and call me back.

prince from what you and ZMC have said perhaps I am expecting a little too much of the YBR125KG, considering the heights we will be going up to. I think, despite the possible loss in value, I will still go ahead and get it, try it out, then swap it over in Chengdu if I absolutely can't get hold of a 250 in Yunnan, but I'll exhaust all avenues doing that first. So you think that it shouldn't be too much of a problem to have the bike fully licensed in my name, in Kunming, if I was to get it in another province and have it shipped in?

Your upcoming ride sounds fantastic, jealous you've got that amount of time to play around with. I took the bus down into Laos from Kunming last year, some beautiful jungle scenery along those roads on the way down to Luang Prabang, would be blissful on a bike. Will certainly let you know if joining you for the ride at the end of the year is possible.

@bikerdoc Why would you wait out for the latest model? Do you think there will be much difference between the two? Obviously I'd prefer to have the latest tech but the difference would probably be being able to buy a bike in the next week or so, ride and get accustomed to it, smooth out any issues, mod it up and have it ready to roar (maybe there won't be so much roaring on a 250) come mid-July. If I wait for the latest model it probably won't be available until start of July, which will delay the trip departure. Also I may well be able to get the current model at a lower price..


EDIT: Just received a call back, they're able to get a grey YBR250 in for me as early as tomorrow (I was sort of more hoping for red.) The lady seemed to think it was fairly urgent that I decide now though, and she said it's priced at 26,000. This seems very high- I gave the dealer in Kunming a call and he said the normal price is 23,800. I'm not sure what her rush was, or why the given price is so high, but I told her I would definitely be looking for a cheaper price. She said get back to her and let her know what price I had in mind, and wanted me to see about making a deposit. All seems a bit quick.. If I can't have the auspicious red, and if I have to buy the current model a couple of months before the latest one is released, I'd want to be paying closer to the 22,000 mark, does that seem reasonable?

[prince666]

Your upcoming ride sounds fantastic, jealous you've got that amount of time to play around with. I took the bus down into Laos from Kunming last year, some beautiful jungle scenery along those roads on the way down to Luang Prabang, would be blissful on a bike. Will certainly let you know if joining you for the ride at the end of the year is possible.

You me a like i took the bus from Kunming to Xishauangbanna then over the border to Laos
even the roads from Xishauangbanna to Laos was great to ride on a bike i think, yes would be nice to see you on the trip later this year i have many years and KM riding in north Thailand with loads of friends and contacts .
But here are a few pictures taken in Laos from the bus last year

thailand and hainan 2014 005 - Copy.jpg

thailand and hainan 2014 006 - Copy.jpg

thailand and hainan 2014 007 - Copy.jpg

thailand and hainan 2014 008 - Copy.jpg

thailand and hainan 2014 009.jpg

[prince666]

I don't really want to get into an internet war but putting a YBR250 engine in a YBR125 is surely one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.

Do you know the bikerdoc ???? have you met him before ??? because i have and he is one of the nices guys you would every like to meet who has a lot a good things to say on MCM . i can call him many things but to say "surely one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard." The guy is not DUMB ?? For sure not the route i would take but if it could be done it would make the YBR G into a very nice bike to have and ride in China , so therefore worth considering but not dumb ??? and coming from a moderator on MCM you are out of line IMO