Using The Zong for what it was purchased to do

[Riceburner]

As many know I've had a slow start to being able to use the bike but it seems to be doing good now and I have begun using it for the purpose it was purchased for. The old YBR just doesn't have the power to get me where I need to go sometimes and it's got a lot of kilometers on it now so I got the RX3 (The Zong) to replace the YBR as a work vehicle, the new Face Hunting Mobile.

I got my riding buddy Nixon back up front riding point again. He's been with me for (I really don't remember how long) maybe 15+ years now and hundreds of thousands of miles (more than 400,000), been to Mexico, the great State of Canada (Port Hardy, Bella Coola Valley, in British Columbia; Jasper National Park and many more, Nixon loves Canada) and all over the Western US; it's his fault we went up to Hellroaring Plateau, Montana and I almost got eaten by a Grizzly Bear (honest, really, no lie), but with all those miles and years on him at point, he need some reconstruction surgery and now that he's recovered and just in time for point on the The Ziong, we started delivering the vitamins two days ago.

Nixon, The Zong and I help a non-profit group here, Medical Mission Matters / www.medicalmissionmatters.org that provides free surgery to the very poor kids with Cleft Lip and Palate. Nixon and The Zong's job is to get me way out into the back country and find the kids, we deliver vitamins to them first (I'm not a Doctor so no Medications unless I have a prescription), the idea is to get them healthy prior to Lab work and then to our medical mission. The next one here on Panay is October 25 - 30 in San Jose, Antique.:tup:

So here are a few pic's of Nixon and The Zong and just one of my many patients, he's Mohamed Ali, 2 yrs old, had his Cleft Lip done in May 2015 and gets his Palate done in October, he's one of those “every where” kids, tons of energy. :yay:

Oh, SpudRider, Nixon is from Caldwell, Idaho...;)

[Riceburner]

Here's Mohamed Ali, 3 yrs old, had his Cleft Lip done in May 2015 and gets his Palate done in October, he's one of those “every where” kids, tons of energy. :yay:

[SpudRider]

I'm glad your Zong has become a functioning workhorse. :tup:

How did Nixon get his name? ;)

[Riceburner]

I'm glad your Zong has become a functioning workhorse. :tup:

How did Nixon get his name? ;)


He had been on point for a week or so with no name, just nothing hitting, can't remember but we were headed to work one morning and for some reason "Nixon" hit me, don't know why, so when we got to the office I asked him what he thought of the name "Nixon", he thought for a moment and then say's "Cool Beans"... and so Nixon is it.

Man the attention he got when we pulled up and parked at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson, WY, three weeks on the road and trails, dirty BMW F650GS and he's in the middle of all those fancy Harley's and yet people were taking pictures of Nixon...:lmao:

Yes I talk to Nixon, a lot, when you ride thousands of miles as one person then "yes" I end up talking with Nixon. He gives me a real bad time if I do something stupid on the bike, like take a turn in the road too fast and especially if I cross the center line, man does he give it to me.

We play a game on the highway from Tiolas, Iloilo to Hamtic, Antique, the fun winding stuff is about 20 Km, if I cross the line Nixon gets 10 points, if I do things right I get 5 points... Yes I have been riding by myself too long:crazy:

[SpudRider]

...We play a game on the highway from Tiolas, Iloilo to Hamtic, Antique, the fun winding stuff is about 20 Km, if I cross the line Nixon gets 10 points, if I do things right I get 5 points... Yes I have been riding by myself too long:crazy:

:lol:

[Weldangrind]

...the great State of Canada

Ha ha. Very funny. :wtf:

Mohamed's cleft lip procedure went remarkably well! He looks like a very happy little boy.

[rtking]

Ricerburner - seems you (and Nixon) are doing good things out there! I'm sure the kids and their families appreciate all that you and your team does. Ride safe... and don't let Nixon accrue too many points!

[Riceburner]

TheZong and Nixon getting ready to deliver vitamins to the very poor children prior to their surgery Oct. 25 - 30, 2015, www.medicalmissionmatters.org. Late start, waited for the rain to stop. vitamins, free to the patients. :clap:


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All this because of the Founder of www.medicalmissionmatters.org, Larry Mally and Laurence Mally :tup:

[Riceburner]

Kent Jay, 13 months old, had his lip done last year, now his palate.

Kent Jay's house, they are the very poor, the indigent — at San Jose, Antique.

[Riceburner]

Gracebel, age 3 now, lip done last year, now her palate, Her lip was very bad at first, this is a good job to fix it but many patients need two surgery's to fix it correctly, we will re-do her lip in about another year, this allows her face muscles to develope prior to the next operation. We keep going back to make sure they are taken care of correctly.
www.medicalmissionmatters.org

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Gracebel's father on the right at work
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Gracebel's house
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[Riceburner]

Aniano, age 8, he's shy and was hiding around the corner. Lip done last year, now his Palate. Very under weight and size for his age. Lives near Gracebel, same neighborhood.

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These people are the very, very poor, the indigent.
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We have been under a Typhoon for several weeks (off and on), much of the trash washes down the rivers and then there is their own trash, it all collects here.
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[Riceburner]

TheZong and Nixon headed home, between Hamtic and T. Fornier, Antique, South West Panay, about 68 Km to home.

It rains here, a lot, multiple shades of green...
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Rain is easing up, clear the rest of the way home.
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From Anini-y, Antique towards San Joaquin.
I love this section of the Highway, not many houses or dogs. This trip there were more dogs on, along and too close, more than usual, couldn't have counted them all, 100's
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[Riceburner]

Check out the pic's in Ride Reports, "TheZong (RX3) Face Hunting in Leon, Iloilo, Panay, Philippines"

I posted some pic's of my 10-9-15 ride in the mud... Only 88 Km door to door for the day but 31 was nasty tough stuff, steep hills, rocks, and mud (deep, slippery mud) and it was all a stand on the pegs ride. I have the bars rotated forward a bit but may need to go a bit more, the bar risers help a bunch but I felt my hands were back a bit or that I wasn't as comfortable in the shoulders as I could be. Just a bit more fiddling and adjusting, a little here, a little there and maybe just a little everywhere...

And then about 20+ of other dirt road stuff and not necessarily smooth, much of it was washed out ruts and small bomb craters (that's what I call them anyway).

I need to get the gearing changed, got the 13 C/S yesterday and the 45 rear is in the mail. The conditions I was in yesterday were just too much for the stock gearing, very hard on the clutch and me. Killed the bike way too many times.

But, in all the bike did well, pleased, very pleased.

[SpudRider]

Don't delay waiting for the 45T rear sprocket to arrive. Install the 13T sprocket as soon as you can. ;)

[Riceburner]

Don't delay waiting for the 45T rear sprocket to arrive. Install the 13T sprocket as soon as you can. ;)

Got my Taobao order on Thursday, opened it Friday morning and all was good with the other items I ordered but they sent 14 tooth not the 13's I ordered. I didn't think to ask www.engtaobao.com to take pictures like you had mentioned, bad me :doh:. Waiting for response from them on what to do, this sucks >:(. My 45 is in the mail but maybe 15 days to arrive.

And I just went through another day of sticky, gooey mud yesterday :).

[3banger]

How do you feel your lutch is holding out? I only bring it up because I killed a clutch climbing some steep techy stuff with excessive clutch lever slipping on my part. But since changing the clutch out I will be carrying a few spare fiber plates and I don't think a field plate change out would be overly difficult. Something to consider in the remote but important journouries you are venturing on.

By the way how did you come to pick the RX3 for your orginazation? Are there others using the bike to make medical supplies deliveries your area?

[Riceburner]

How do you feel your lutch is holding out? I only bring it up because I killed a clutch climbing some steep techy stuff with excessive clutch lever slipping on my part. But since changing the clutch out I will be carrying a few spare fiber plates and I don't think a field plate change out would be overly difficult. Something to consider in the remote but important journouries you are venturing on.

By the way how did you come to pick the RX3 for your orginazation? Are there others using the bike to make medical supplies deliveries your area?


I do find the bike is "working" harder than I'd like. I ordered a 13 tooth counter sprocket and a 45 rear, I think that will do it and should have the parts before the end of the month. :D

I liked the horse power and torque of the RX3. The panniers and crash bars are important to me, had to add them to the YBR. I like the look, not happy with the weight, I like the fuel tank size. The windshield is nice, had them on all my bikes in the US. As I'm now getting some Km's/Miles on it I'm getting comfortable and then these trips have put me and the bike to the test but I still need to become more comfortable and skilled with it as you can tell from the road conditions.

I'm the only one with an RX3 in our group, one rides a Suzuki, Thunder, several have Honda XRM's and couple of Yamaha YBR's, all 125's (like my other bike a YBR 125G). The YBR just doesn't have enough power to do what I do; have burned three clutch sets in the past two years.:tdown:

And I don't let anyone else in the group ride with me to the tough locations, the ones like I have posted here, nobody has the riding ability for this so Nixon and I ride alone; no one else does anything like I do, they ride and deliver vitamins but they stick to the main roads and hard pack dirt roads. The kids I find and help would never have the opportunity for this life changing surgery if I didn't go find them. Plus no one goes fast enough for me on the highways (or the dirt for that matter); they ride so slow the mosquitoes build up in my face shield (LMAO) or I fall asleep... :doh: Nixon and I have an inherent problem of riding too fast, that's why I could never have a Hayabusa, I'd learn to ride it and I'd go full throttle:D.

There is only one other RX3 here on Panay Island, many in Manila from what I here but Panay and Iloilo are not as big as Manila or Luzon Island. The other RX3 owner is more a street rider from what I have gathered and he hasn't offered to come with me to find the kids.