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  1. #11 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    Every bearing on the bike. Wheels, suspension, swing arm, steering head. Grease the shit out of everything.
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  2. #12 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
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    Quote Originally Posted by humanbeing View Post
    Ref to shop manual http://www.comunidadmotoquera.com.ar...E_SERVICIO.pdf 3-16/17
    Most mainland Chinese mechanic uses kg/cm². Minimum limit is 10.5 as in the pdf


    Ill look for a mechanic with the gauge but if cant find will buy that thing and check by myself. thanks

    Quote Originally Posted by ChinaV View Post
    Every bearing on the bike. Wheels, suspension, swing arm, steering head. Grease the shit out of everything.
    I will get new bearings, rear shock and linkage fitted so a ton of grease is already being delivered ;)

    Quote Originally Posted by W3HS View Post
    Firstly, good luck with your trip....................................
    I thought about it long time ago but the mechanic I usually go to simply wouldnt do it cos its a long job and he is very busy haha Anyway, there is a new bike center opened up in my town so I will go there and check or I might do iy myself. Id like to replace/upgrade springs too but all I can find on taobao are these 40kuai springs which Im not sure are genuine. I know that the spring should be 480.4mm long but not sure of the diameter so cant really find anything. I might buy the above spring, measure it then send back and try to find some better aftermarket ones.

    As for the photocopies I know its a good idea to have many and its also a good idea to scan your documents and put somewhere secure online.
    I plan to go to Mongolia and then back to China as Russian visa is nearly impossible to get. Then Kirghistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan then cross the sea into Azerbaijan, Georgia Turkey and to Europe. Now this is a rough plan but that can be adjusted if needed ;)
    Last edited by modron; 01-08-2016 at 04:36 AM.
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  3. #13 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
    Senior C-Moto Guru bigdamo's Avatar
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    "are these 40kuai springs". There fork springs and for $6.00 US I'd be very wary. Anyways You need to match the the fork springs with the rear shock spring. Ok you need to set your sag. Load your bike with all the shit your taking put your riding gear on get on the bike rest yourself against a wall or a mate then set/ check your sag. Go from there on what weight springs and valving needs to be.I'd say you will need heavy springs.

    Ps If I'm replacing the cam/timing chain I would be doing a top end rebuild and checking the piston slop and what the barrel is like(probably pull the barrel off and see how the big end bearing is holding up as well). Thats just me though. I wouldn't trust any local legend Chinese mechanic to do this job though. Past experience has taught me they can't even do a wheel alignment and service on a car with out f### ing it.

    or just get on the bike and ride the damm thing. Plenty of people have done that for many miles watch all the Chinese hop on crap bikes load beyond the max put new wife aboard and head home next month and most make it.Classic one is when they tie rope around tires and rims when they hit snow on the trip home to Northern China.Hats off to them.
    Last edited by bigdamo; 01-08-2016 at 07:36 AM.
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  4. #14 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
    Senior C-Moto Guru Zorge's Avatar
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    About those "electrical thingies" I mentioned: buy rectifier, CDI (or it is TCI on YBR?), ignition coil, starter relays, etc. and stuck them somewhere under the seat. Those you can not find easy on all of those "-stans" on your itinerary. Also, I think that some voltmeter (or some multi functional... "thingy") would be nice addition for instant observation of electrical system.
    Quote Originally Posted by modron View Post
    What compression should this engine have? Google says that healthy engine should have above 120psi
    Those 120 psi are 8 Bar and change - too low. As "Humanbeing" wrote, 10,5-11 Bar is bottom line, but you can use "old school" trick to check worn of the cylinder/rings - do first measuring by the book, and after that, squirt some oil (lets say - 20 cc) through spark plug hole into cylinder, hit the engine start button for a sec or two and after that do another compression measuring. If these two results are significantly different (one Bar, for example), then... things are not ideally good.
    Quote Originally Posted by modron View Post
    Are there any downsides of having a big cooler that Im not aware of?
    Of which you aware of?

    IMO, whatever you decide to do, you should use oil cooler hoses with the same type of fittings on both ends. Why? If cooler start to leak or one of the hoses bursts, you can simply make bypass with the good hose and cut off rest of the oil cooling system.
    Ask me nothing - I DO NOT speak english. Really...
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  5. #15 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
    Senior C-Moto Guru humanbeing's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zorge View Post
    As "Humanbeing" wrote, 10,5-11 Bar is bottom line
    1 bar = 1.0197 kg/cm² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_atmosphere
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  6. #16 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
    Senior C-Moto Guru Zorge's Avatar
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    That... that is significant difference.
    Ask me nothing - I DO NOT speak english. Really...
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  7. #17 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zorge View Post
    About those "electrical thingies" I mentioned: buy rectifier, CDI (or it is TCI on YBR?), ignition coil, starter relays, etc.
    I changed ignition coil few months ago when it was stalling in the rain, I will take starter relay as there is no kick start on that bike (or will replace before the trip). I will leave that bike in Europe (sell it prolly) so I dont need lots of extra parts laying around.

    Going back to that cooling system,
    I had a closer look at the radiator and there is no way to install a bigger one without taking some airflow from the cylinder. Is it ok for the engine to cover the cylinder partially? Im thinking, whatever benefit Ill get from bigger radiator Ill loose overheating my cylinder.....is that so?
    Im talking about something like on the pic here
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  8. #18 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
    Senior C-Moto Guru Zorge's Avatar
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    IMO, it doesn't matter when you fitted brand new ignition coil, some relay, rectifier or something else. If something of aforementioned details suddenly breaks in the middle of nowhere, because of being exposed to a moonlight, exhaust fumes of Klingon's "Bird of Pray", delicate cobweb on a wheel spokes, or some other better or worst reason - you will lose your hair almost instantly. I would take with me those vital parts on a such a long haul.

    About oil cooler: it looks to that you have more than enough room on a "YBRahim" to fit pretty big chunk of "honeycomb", just above exhaust port, in front of the frame. That way, nothing would interfere air flow to the engine's head and at the same time, cooler will get his portion of the cold air. Only lack I see is cooler's vulnerability - I would make some sort of sturdy frame/crash-bar/guard for the cooler oneself. So, you attach this contraption on a frame, oil cooler on a contraption and drop your bike as much as you like - cooler will stay intact.

    Or you can fit one or two oil coolers sideways, also with mandatory guard.
    Ask me nothing - I DO NOT speak english. Really...
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  9. #19 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    I wouldn't waste my time with an oil cooler. I've given this pitch before....

    You should run oil like Spectro Platinum 4 Full Synthetic 15W50 Oil @ USD$18.00 per liter. Or some other insanely expensive MOTORCYCLE oil designed for air cooled engines.

    http://www.spectro-oils.com/platinum-full-synthetic/

    I think your YBR250 needs 1.5 liters. Your trip will probably be about 15-20,000 Kilometers. If you change the oil every 5000~7000 Kilometers, you will only need 6 liters of oil for the entire trip. If you follow this plan, you will make minimal oil changes and be assured of having high quality oil.

    Get two of those 1 Liter MSR fuel bottles, carry 2 liters of oil with you (don't carry it in plastic bottles). This will give you extra for topping off if your bike burns a little, which is not at all uncommon when you are pulling long rides day after day. I've also seen people lose a few cc's from tip overs etc. It also gives you one complete oil change if something happens. You're going to need it later on anyway. Purchase a couple of high quality oil filters and don't forget to purchase the o-rings and crush washers that are used when doing an oil change.

    Oil Change 1 - At home the night before you depart.
    Oil Change 2 - Western side of China. Send the oil ahead via post and have it waiting for you.
    Oil Change 3 - 5000 Kilometers after change #2. (This is that change of oil you have been carrying)
    Oil Change 4 - Upon arrival in Europe at a reputable shop.

    Lot's of people I know seem to enjoy changing their oil every 3 days at pikey little shops as they meander across China. Don't do it! It wastes time, you never know what you're going to get for oil, and the more often you change, the more likely the chance something can go wrong. Read the ride reports here... people have had MAJOR problems with stripped oil drain bolts and over/under filling.

    Air Filter:
    Brand New the night before you leave.
    Remember what I said about sending oil to western China? Send a brand new air filter with it and change it.

    Chain:
    Get brand new OEM sprockets. Don't f*^& with gearing too much. You're probably going to be slightly overloaded, so taller gearing for highway speeds is not going to help things.
    Spend ¥800 ~ ¥1000 On the most insanely awesome Tsubaki X-Ring Chain you can get. Put it on the week before you leave and adjust it the morning you depart (check alignment!). If you keep it lubed correctly, you can probably make it all the way to Europe without another chain adjustment. Yes, you read that correctly... Maybe 1 or 2 chain adjustments the entire trip.

    Buy 2 cans of super awesome chain lube NOW, you won't find it on the road. Carry one with you, send the other to western China with the oil and air filter.

    So let's re-cap. There are 5 things you really need to worry about on a long trip, and the route you're traveling is not going to have a great selection of quality replacement and maintenance products. A huge chunk of your trip is going to be crossing China, so why not freshen up your bike at the Western border.

    #1 Tires & Tubes - I would ride China on one set and change at the western border. I even cary a little baggy of grease for the bearings and axels in case you change the tire or remove for a flat.
    #2 Brake Pads - If you get high quality EBC/SBS/Ferodo etc. you can probably make the whole trip on one set. I would carry a set for the disk on the bike and send a set of rear shoes to western China.
    #3 Chain & Sprockets - A high quality set will last the entire trip. Every evening as you approach where you're going to stay. Stop, lube the shit out of the chain while it's hot. Let it sit overnight. Lubing a cold chain in the morning is not as effective as hitting it when it's warm and letting the lube work its way in.
    #4 Oil & Filter (plus o-rings and crush washers).
    #5 Air Filter - A clean air filter will help prolong your oil changes.

    Perform all these maintenance tasks by yourself at home. When you're done, notice all the tools you used to do it, this is a good start on what you should carry for a tool kit.

    TL/DR (Too Long Didn't Read) = Buy very expensive high quality parts to start with, they will save you time and money. Find a place you can send a "freshen up" package to in Western China and plan a day of maintenance before departing the country.

    Cheers!
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  10. #20 Re: Another China to Europe thread. How to prepare old"ish" bike for this trip 
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    One other handy tip... Check your cables and buy an extra set. Zip tie the extras onto the existing cables. If you break a cable, the replacement will already be routed in place and all you have to do is connect it. Also saves room in your luggage.
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