Picked up my Jialing 150 in Beijing

**galenernest** · 12-26-2014, 02:25 PM

Hi everyone,

So, I picked up my Jialing 150 dual sport bike from the shop a few days ago and now I have a bit of time to share!

It's not blue!

I've put about 50km on it so far. It's not a bad bike at all, and I'm actually impressed with how comfy it is.

The bad:

-The gearbox is quite stiff and clunky. Riding in sneakers really hurts my left foot because it takes quite a bit of force on the shift lever to shift gears. I hope the gearbox will loosen up a bit as it breaks in. (The clutch had quite a bit of drag initially, and it took a bit for me to get the clutch cable adjusted properly, that's sorted now...)

-The brake light is always on, and it's probably due to how the rear brake light switch is set up. I'll play with it more when I have time, looks like a stupid design flaw to me (where the spring for the brake switch mounts to the brake lever has very little movement...)

-Once warmed up, it idles too high. (without a tachometer, I'd guess that it's idling somewhere around 2000RPM) I looked for an idle adjust but didn't find one in the first minute of hunting...)

-The brakes aren't brembos, or even close

The good:

-The engine starts easily warm or cold. It's a smooth, predicable motor with plenty of power for what the bike is.

-The suspension is lanky and soft, but it's a dual sport... the bike has no trouble hopping curbs or taking on whatever large nasty potholes or other bumps to be found on Beijing's roads. But, I'm curious how many kilometers it'll take before the rear shock is blown and has no more damping.

-The bike has some pep for being a wee 150 cc's... it loves revving up quickly, doesn't have any dead spots in the power band, and cruises comfortably at 70-80km. I feel totally confidant that the engine could easily handle swapping the rear sprocket for a smaller one.

So, first impressions are good. I need to spend some more time with the bike to get a few things sorted... fix the damn rear brake switch (whether that means disable the switch or make it work properly), find the idle adjustment and adjust it, and hopefully the transmission will smooth itself out... if not, I can't be riding this bike in sneakers!

I'll post some updates when I get more seat time!

**kikikillercat** · 12-26-2014, 04:10 PM

First I must say I like my feet too much to wear Sneakers riding a moto...the motors are the best thing to most chinese bikes, and chinese motos are like most bicycle manufacturers,,,all the parts come from someone else, as for bicycles it shimano or an italian manufacturer... Having said that , its all about price point' the moto was built to sell for about 8000 kuai, and mostof the money goes to the engine.

Side note,,Mercedes used to build a car then decide how much to sell it for to make a profit,,,,when the started to build cars to a 'price point' their cars were crap!!

**culcune** · 12-26-2014, 11:54 PM

Congrats on your bike!!

I do think these bikes are the proverbial Chinabike workhorses based on the few people who have posted about them. I think I had mentioned, 'Crazy Carl' who founded Chinariders had one and took it on a long tour of China and the little 150cc did not seem to miss a beat, including fording through deep enough rivers and the 3000 or higher meter mountains he rode through. I am disappointed they never threw in a 200cc or 223/229cc and certified them for the US because I would have bought one based on the posts about them. PM Carl and see if you can get him to chime in here since he would probably get all nostalgic about his. I think he sold it closer to when he was moving out of China because he got in good with Qingqi who set him up with a Liger 250, not because he no longer liked his Jialing.

YOu need to change the oil which I am hoping the dealer did before you got the bike. It will loosen up all over. Check the brake fluid since these are light enough to be stopped easily--if you feel it is not stopping well, you might need to top off the fluid.

**ZMC888** · 12-27-2014, 05:49 AM

Jialing is a pretty solid choice I think, loads around, they have a pretty good reputation, congrats.

If I were you give it a hot oil change with good oil (elf or shell mineral asap) remember don't rev it over 4000 rpm for the first 1000 kms. Check the torque on all the bolts. If the brakes are a bit crap check they are properly bled and think about switching to western pads, also check the tire pressures if you haven't already, locals tend to over-inflate to seat the bead and then not drop the pressure back.

**Mega In Shanghai** · 12-27-2014, 07:57 AM

Congratulations on a great Christmas gift { at the right price } and hope the BJ weather allows you some early season biking !...
For the Jialings . ' over the past month - a few of us from the Shanghai bikers group have dedicated some time to investigate motor bikes for China and SE Asia touring . Plus MCM and China Riders have amassed an awesome amount of experiences and thoughts .
We are concluding this bike , along with its good price points , history and service points has strong value . We 'know U always get what U pay for in China & most of the time LESS ..We have talked to two dealers and both are connected to the China motor biking scene and well informed .
We will visit Hainan Islands top dealer next week . Can add some current info on Jialing for 2015 .
Happy 2015 motoring to all !...

**galenernest** · 12-28-2014, 02:55 AM

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I have a little list of things to do now :)

I want to pull the bike outside today or tomorrow and pull the plastics and seat off to inspect everything and become more familiar with the machine. Hope I can find the idle adjustment.

I will change the oil and attempt to fix the rear brake switch. I need to go buy a basic socket set and some hand tools, and a tire pressure gauge, and WD40 and chain lube, a chain brush maybe, an oil pan, etc...

Anyway, here's a youtube video of my first day on the bike (basically for my friends back home so they can see what kind of bike I'm riding):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmHxHSnj76M

**thedannywahl** · 01-03-2015, 02:36 AM

Welcome to the jialing club! I've enjoyed mine the last couple of years, here's to many happy miles.

**culcune** · 01-03-2015, 04:34 PM

I just watched the video--I could not see a reason for anything bigger than a 150cc if you ride through that traffic all day!!

**galenernest** · 01-05-2015, 03:13 AM

I got out for a little scoot yesterday around Beijing Botanical Gardens and Fragrant Hills... little Jialing did great. At one point I noticed that it seemed to be losing power, and couldn't even pull 5th gear anymore. I stopped to find that the rear brake was stuck on! The adjustment bolt on the brake lever had backed itself out from vibrations and was applying pressure to the rear brakes! Well, I had a 10mm wrench so I readjusted it on the side of the road and torqued the lock nut on it pretty tight (I think I will add a lock washer to this arrangement)-- all to the amusement of a small peanut gallery of curious construction workers that had wandered over from their site. Afterward we chatted a bit, in my limited mandarin anyway, about motorcycles. It seems that random roadside motorcycle small talk is just as popular here as it is in the States. :)

**Mega In Shanghai** · 01-08-2015, 04:06 AM

It sounds like you had your first 'roadside motor bike situation . You handled it well and enjoyed the experience ..Cheers to you ..

Vibration , poor torqueing & substandard nuts & bolts are common in Asia . Best to get some Loctite 'thread locking liquid from USA . We use the blue , as it is not as difficult to remove ...also get an assortment of flat and spring washers or even some rubber washer / O rings. Last 'do a periodic check of all items affixed to the bike . If relationship is good with the mechanic...ask him to keep checking items , especially when U R with him .