Quote Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post
Hi guys, I've been following these threads for a while, and I'm still not quite sure. It's not that I'm against the bike it's just that the bike is designed for adventure touring, whereas I'm more interested in riding down familiar roads that have lots of sharp mountain turns, so something more 'motard' would be more what I'm thinking about. Going the reverse way from you guys and unbolting as many things as possible to make it lighter instead of adding GPS and luggage racks and cases. Obviously in a western country there are plenty of bikes that suit my riding style, but here in China choices are much more narrow it seems either very expensive, 250cc or illegal! The Jialing fits into a unique place in the market, as it's affordable, legal and has more than enough power on these crazy roads.

What I'd like to know never having ridden the bike is how capable would this bike be if it were ridden hard on road? Do you think it would be possible to get your knee down on or wheelie this bike?

Or is the bike really just a bit too tall and top heavy, pegs too high, designed for too much of a specific purpose etc for any of the nonsense I'm talking about? Thanks for your input!
Hi ZM,

good approach from another but the adventure riders angle. Strip it down an make a super-motard corner eater... I think the bikes design has clearly limitations here. It was built originally - as I understand it - for sidecar use purpose. The frame therefore is heavy and strong and very wide too, especially in the seat area. This is comfy, but given also the rather F650GS style of seating position inside of the bike - makes it hard to plant a foot on the street next to the front wheel... For a nice drift - power/weight might be the next issues.
however, for me it is still fun and you can go fast with good lean angles in tight corners. It reacts well, and with a bit of counter steering I think it possible to keep up with a regular bikes, with the only limitation on acceleration and speed due to the of the lack of power. Still a good deal for me in China.

Anyway, there is surely stuff, which can be done to make the bike more sporty and lighter. Look at this:



...and the guy here didn't even take out the main stand (which is a bit weakish and at the wrong position anyway) and he could replace the aluminum rack as well with something lighter.

By the way, do you notice the steel plate at the side? This is a valid modification - even though the execution is not the best example of esthetics. The original plastics are looking good, but in the leg are are getting even more wider, that the already wide seat. When riding in standing position - you feel more like John Wayne than a motocross rider. Hard to hold and control the bike firm with the legs and keep a good stand on the pegs. This is one of my longer term projects - making more sportive plastics for improved off-road riding. Would be great to find some solutions out there (except for the one on this pic).

Other than that, if you happen to be in the Fuzhou area, give me notice and you can ride my bike for testing. I would take the boxes off for you then...

Cheers,
AW.