i'll ask today when i go back to the shop to get the jing b about the changes to the new version. it now only comes in gray (not white), i believe the front brake line issue that shuben brought up has been fixed, gas tank is now alum and not plastic (it's also a lot bigger, i believe 19L), hmm i'm not sure what mechanical improvements they've made. i'll get back to you guys on that. hopefully i'll rendezvous shortly with shuben on a weekend ride and we can examine the two bikes more closely for differences.

how much was the rack for your pelican fakes? i just tried looking them up on taobao, you happen to still have the links? you might have just saved me a couple grand! this nice-looking alum pannier set + rack was 3,000, saw it on another x5 and it looks great!

thanks guys for the insight on the carb and oil changes!