My new JH600

[moilami]

KTM UFO - that may be - BUT... ever ridden one oft those 990s? Very addictive I can tell ya. The UFO look is one thing, which doesn't make me switch over from GS boxers... Based on your taste you must be rather in my age-group I guess. One thing we have to get used to: The XT500 times are over. Material has technically improved a lot and we all appreciate quality. Therefore we sometimes need to compromise a bit and get away from the old looks. Not really true because having said that, this is the ride I built recently with my friends in Germany and went to Iceland on it:





Together with my wife:





"Old stuff" still rules...

AW.

(This is my post no. 100 - so it has to be special hahaha)

Yes, airhead GS rules, and it will take tens of years if ever anything can beat the sheer authority of tastefully modded GS like yours here. I liked a lot of your versions, BMW badge white/blue colour scheme on the chassis and on the bench and that reflector on the fork. Too much praise so have toi criticise too, I would had liked to see a bigger headlight, it could contribute to the utilitarian authority and give some "all seeing eye" punch to the bike :) In addition to giving more light.

Some day I am gonna buy a book which tells me everything of develepment of GS BMW. I want to know what the engineers thought.

EDIT: Those two GS are more than bikes, they are like faithfull assistants with strong personality and character made to serve well in both good and bad times xD

[Pfaelzer]

Yes, airhead GS rules,... have toi criticise too, I would had liked to see a bigger headlight,....

Absolutely agree. As usual with me, the game never ends and no project is ever really finished. We went to Iceland, in summer... headlights on this trip were only necessary for the traffic authorities. I have seen a nice mod, where someone has installed a larger headlight from a different beemer, which doesn't change the original look of the R80 GS Basic - it's gonna come at time...

BMW engineers thought and built aircrafts before they - kinda - had to give that up and started to build bikes.

Cheers, AW.

[Pfaelzer]

Hi TexasAggie,

this update is for you - some more details on the hand-guards here:

HAND GUARDS - edited 05-01-2010

any other questions to that let me know. I hear your suspension system has been ordered. I hope it will really come with all discussed changes.

Cheers, AW.

[TexasAggie]

Thanks as always AW. I hate to say but I am in the wait for delivery mode to accomplish much more. I did find a possible good link to local support today. Seems the PLA version of our bike is popular here in Nanjing. There are several leads on good support from some of these guys. I am looking forward to receiving the bike and doing some riding.

[euphonius]

Dear Aggie,

You're saying there are Nanjingers who are riding a two-wheeled PLA version? That's interesting indeed. Here in Shanghai, all five JH600s that have been sold are olive drab with sidecars, i.e., JH600B. Their referred to as the "police model" by locals. If there is in Nanjing a cohort of olive drabbers who cherish the interplay of speed, gravity and centripetal force rather than three-point stability, that would certainly be a cohort worth exploring! If they are in Nanjing, maybe they can be found near Shanghai too!

Keep us posted.

[Pfaelzer]

Hi,

I have updated the post on wheels and tires. See the link below:

WHEELS AND TIRES - edited 05-02-2010

hope you like it. I am excited...

Greetings, AW.

[moilami]

Job done. Looks great I think. Now I feel more and more, that this black plastic chain-guard has to be replaced with something better looking...

I just made one test ride so far. The feeling is different of course and more to the direction I am used to. A clear difference made the larger rear sprocket (will post on this separately). The bike feels now more like dual-purpose and now I think that I have to sit a little higher. I ordered a new seat and plan to play around with the seat-cushioning later.

One modification seems to always ask for more. I am still enjoying doing it. Going pout for a ride adventure is of course the best thing to do. But if time doesn't allow for big adventures all the time, then some wrenching is good too.

Guys, let me know your thoughts on this modification.

Cheers,
AW.


...back to modification list.

Dunno I have to say like a miracle it now looks much better than before. Been puzzled how it can be so, does the new relative proportions of wheels and the rest of the bike affect or is it those black wheel rims or the sum of everything.

In my opinion the black plastic mudguard is fine. What interferes my eye is that squared metal fork thingy under the chain guard, especially as it is longer than the chain guard, but maybe the lenght is okay because of how the front fork is designed. Your bike have some carved curves in it, which are in harmony with the painted curves on the fuel tank fairing, the curves in the fuel tank itself, and with the plastic chain guard. All in all the bike looks kinda curvy now, it begins to look like some mature lady with certain dignity and abilities I can say now I am pretty eager to take a ride with that bike, or take another closer look if I saw it somewhere. Great job therefore! The pearl detail still in my eye is the engine guard.

[TexasAggie]

Euphonius,
Regarding the Nanjing Jialing riders, alas, I was lost in translation as is often the case. My source thought I was talking about the CJ750. I am already in that loop. My new bike is the first JH600 to come Nanjing just as yours is the first in Shanghai.

This is China, where the impossible is easy, and the easy is absolutely impossible.

Looks like we are establishing the JH600 beachhead in the North East Central part of China. Maybe our friend in Wuhan will get sucked into the JH600 phenom after reading and seeing Pfaelzer's upgrades! I am glad he and Franki have established the process and contacts to get components specified, suppliers identified, and a process to get things in country. I look at it positively that at least we have started to adventure and have something to look forward to. I just wish i had started 4 months ago.

DT

[euphonius]

Dear DT,

thanks for the clarification. yes, i suppose we are the bleeding edge. but we are not alone. as franki notes frequently, there are actually quite a few JH600s in the wild supporting adventurous chinese butts, and i know of at least two more expats in this area who are on the brink of pulling the trigger. my bike should be ready for me to fetch on or before 10 may, so i'm champing at the bit to run up to chongqing for this. should i be bothered that i've still not got my chinese drivers' license? i'm boning up on the regs today and tomorrow, and may go in for the exam as early as wednesday. but i'll fetch the bike whether i have the license or not, and take my chances with the pox.

indeed, each post by pfaelzer gets me even more juiced.

oh, and this: four months ago I was riding a motorcycle for the first time in all my 52 years. better late than never...

cheers

[TexasAggie]

I have to return to the USA on the 10th to appease the accountants for mid year internal audit. I will return to China on the 24th. My bike is supposed to be deliverd the same week. I am sure you will already have launched into the fun full throttle. I rode around Nanjing for 4 years without the license. I was always treated nicely by the police. They mainly got upset I did not have a plate after 6 months. I have to admit, I would have caught more grief in Texas for the same offense. Just be nice and it usually woks out with the cops and do not give up on the license. Keep us posted.

I am the same age as you. You picked the right style of bike to ride at this youthful age.
DT