Incoming High-Bird tomorrow!

[Trebek]

I was notified by UPS freight to expect a Hi-Bird delivery tomorrow between 1:00 and 3:30 P.M. (WoW, Just placed the order on Friday)

I went to Wally World and bought loctite, oil, grease, and other stuff I will need. I've read the lists of recommended mods to make before driving the bike, but I'm a very impatient man who wants to actually RIDE the bike within' a few hours after getting it.

I didn't buy the new bolts yet. To do that, I'll have to remove a few bolts at a time, go to the hardware store, search for the bolts, drive home, install the bolts, then remove a few more ect... All of this I plan on doing...But I got to drive the bike tomorrow for a few miles.

Can I get away with putting the bike together, putting loctite on all the existing bolts, change the oil, clean the gas tank,fuel and just ride for the rest of the afternoon?

Also, if any High Bird 200 owners (the new ones with the back disc brakes and upside down forks) can list the bolt sizes of the essential bolts that I need to replace, it would sure save me a lot of time.

Thanks,

Trebek

[jayg]

What ever you do make sure you think of your safety first. Damm I sound like a mother hen!!

[iMoose]

Congratulations! :D

And I hope the assembly goes smooth too.

Pics! In the crate, being set-up, whizzing down the road, etc.

(I need to just break-down and get a dang digital camera!)

[liverchip]

Congratulations!

[ImEazy]

Congrat's on the new arrival.

I wouldn't worry about riding it right away as I like to be thorough. Besides
it will be yours once it arrives and there will be plenty of time to ride. If you
rush it, you may overlook something that could be vital to your safety.

Take your time, do it right and the riding will be that much more enjoyable
in my opinion. Good luck and enjoy your new ride.

[Dragon]

Took me almost a week to put mine together. But I'm slow and didn't have anyone to lift the bike for me.

[Trebek]

Took me almost a week to put mine together. But I'm slow and didn't have anyone to lift the bike for me.[/quot



It could take me more time than many, for I'm a low skilled mechanic on a good day.

Yes, to those who say safety first. Keeping this bike for getting damaged is my main concern <grin>.

Thanks for the congrats all... I'll be sending pictures (and asking for advice) very soon.

[quote]I wouldn't worry about riding it right away as I like to be thorough. Besides
it will be yours once it arrives and there will be plenty of time to ride. If you
rush it, you may overlook something that could be vital to your safety. Good advise, anything specific I should especially look out for?

[shakembakem]

why are you guys replacing bolts?

[mrhyak]

why are you guys replacing bolts?

Many of the Chinese bolts are of low quality and can break. I've never replaced any of mine, but some people have.

[squire]

Congrats on the new bike. Put is together, change the oil, warm it up and let it cool off for several hours and do it again and then ride it a little. Ride it around the block several times, shifting will produce metal shaving in the oil until everything is broken in.

Short trips around the block will pinpoint any problems you might encounter and you will be close to home if you have to push it back( not likely) for repairs.

Treat it right and hopefully you will get years of fun out of it.

We want pictures!

[culcune]

Do you have a friend/spouse to help you, at least to help hold it up? Not absolutely necessary, but strongly recommended/urged.

[katoranger]

Ratchet straps to the garage rafters or tree branch work well for lifting/holding the bike up for assembly.

Allen

[red2003]

Congrats on the new bike. Put is together, change the oil, warm it up and let it cool off for several hours and do it again and then ride it a little. Ride it around the block several times, shifting will produce metal shaving in the oil until everything is broken in.

Short trips around the block will pinpoint any problems you might encounter and you will be close to home if you have to push it back( not likely) for repairs.

Treat it right and hopefully you will get years of fun out of it.



I second this. Small bursts and lots of shifts are a good thing early on. I'd fire it up and get it hot while you check it over. Drop the oil. Let it cool down while you check it over again. Fire it, let it warm up good, do the neighborhood loop a few times and drop the oil again. Check all the bolts and then give 'er heck! Congrats. Nothing like that new engine smell........

[bulldog260]

where did you buy the bike and for how much??? Keep us updated on condition of bike and Congrats!

[rigidchop]

i thought they were out of stock? good luck, post pics when ya can.

[theENIGMATIC]

If you know what your doing you can get the tires on and the lights and stuff bolted and or plugged in, should take 2-3 hours....since its probably not registered yet I dont expect you will be driving very far right away, but I would drive it around your house or the block even before the worry of changing oil etc...the bike wont blow up with the oil that comes in it, its just not the best.....

[katoranger]

I warmed mine up and then took it for about a 1 mile ride and back to the house and changed the oil. Ran it again for about 20 minutes with lots of throttle change and shifting. Changed oil. Road it normally(full throttle runs alot) for the next 100 miles and changed the oil.

From then on I have changed the oil about every 1000 miles.

Allen

[Trebek]

If you know what your doing you can get the tires on and the lights and stuff bolted and or plugged in, should take 2-3 hours....since its probably not registered yet I dont expect you will be driving very far right away, but I would drive it around your house or the block even before the worry of changing oil etc...the bike wont blow up with the oil that comes in it, its just not the best.....


Yeah, "If you know what your doing" is definately a factor in the equation.
Without assembly instructions for this bike, It's going much slower than 2-3 hours. Heck, I have several parts where I have no idea where they go, not to mention a big bag of bolts, nuts and washers
.
Fortunately there is this website which has already helped me a great deal. I'll send pics of the bike crated, and what I'm doing now. I even took pictures of the "mystery parts" which I plan to upload tomorrow, since my camera ran out of batteries. This bike is NOT the same as it's predecessor at all... Hopefully it will perform as good or even better once it's put together.

[HiBirdRed]

Trebeck,

I just spent about 11 hours today putting together my new Hi-Bird 200 (got it from Anamcycles in OKC on 5/21) - funny how we're both doing the same bike at the same time. I have it pretty much put together - fenders, bars, wheels. I also took some time to strip and repaint all the covers today too, so that ate up some time. Also replaced stock bars with some new Tusk Aluminum and added Bark Busters. (I'll post some pics tomorrow)

I know my way around a bike a little, but I'm leaning heavily on this AWESOME group of guys on China Riders for insights. Having said that...I'll PM you with my phone # - call me if you have any questions as it will be fresh in my mind. I might be able to help identify some of those mystery parts.

Tip 1 - Look over all the connecting lines (both electrical and mechanical) REAL good - mine had some disconnections - biggest surprise was the fuel line from the tank to the Carb. No mention of connecting it in the instructions. I recommend stripping everything off (seat, tank, covers, etc.) so you can get a good look at things.

Tip 2 - Kickstand - hook the spring on FIRST, then use leverage of the stand to wiggle/pull the holes to line up and insert the bolt. I found it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to pull that spring apart after I'd put the stand on first.

Tip 3 - A regular Heavy Plastic 5 Gal Bucket (like paint comes in) flipped over works as a great stand to work on the bike. Center the skid plate on the bottom of the bucket.

Bolt update: (Mine was shipped missing a rear suspension bolt, so I had to make a quick run to Home Depot ) The bolts on the lower rear suspension are 12mm Metric - 80mm Long

I too also noticed that the new bike seems to have "upgraded" components whereby earlier posts mentioned things I didn't encounter. Bolts actually seem fairly reasonable - I pounded one to see its durability and it held up well.

Later & Good Luck!

[Trebek]

I agree High-Bird Red: If it wasn't for This site, I'd be totally lost. Appreciate the tips from you and all the others. I looked up some close ups of the front controls from the Anam site, and I now know much more about the sequence of the controls and how to hook them up.

I agree with the "up graded components" theory. To me the bolts all look pretty strong, as do most of the other components. It's not quite up to par with my last dirtbike (Honda 650), but it's fairly close. I think the Chinese are on the right track. It's nice to be able to get a fairly decent bike for $1200.

[Trebek]

Bike in Crate

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/albarnes707/may2508003_320x240_1.jpg

MonoShock installed



http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/albarnes707/may2508005.jpg

Mystery parts (I have figured out the black parts on the bottom)

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/albarnes707/may2508006_1.jpg


Where the hell does all this go with no instructions (got it installed today thanks to High-Bird Red)

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/albarnes707/may2508008.jpg

What the hell are these?
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/albarnes707/may2508009.jpg




I only had an hour to work on the bike today before the rain hit and I had to cover her up. I'll take the latest photos on friday and try to photograph it step by step.

Cheers,

Trebek

[Cerviperus]

The black plastic pieces are the hand-guards that will protect you from rogue branches should you take your bike offroad. If you don't plan to do any offroading, I wouldn't bother putting them on. Most of the mystery parts are mounting hardware for them.

The Choke cable mounts to the right-hand handlebar clamp.

The speedo assembly and ignition switch mount underneath the handlebars, on the bottom side of the fork "tree" (the big grey metal block that holds the top of the forks). There should be holes there than line up perfectly.

[Trebek]

Thanks got the speedo, choke, ignition, done. I'll put on the front wheel and go from there when I get home from work today. And of course, take a few more pics as the bike gets together.

[lego1970]

I would still put the bark busters on. They help protect the levers in a spill, protect your gloves from bug juice and more importantly for me is that they keep the wind off your hands if you drive in cold weather.

[Trebek]

I would still put the bark busters on. They help protect the levers in a spill, protect your gloves from bug juice and more importantly for me is that they keep the wind off your hands if you drive in cold weather.

Not to mention keeping your hands safe while driving through the sticks.

But the main reason to install them, is that they look cool!

[winnipegmike]

C&P from esrlier post:
A regular Heavy Plastic 5 Gal Bucket (like paint comes in) flipped over works as a great stand to work on the bike. Center the skid plate on the bottom of the bucket


I used to do that also. One time the bucket broke (when I wasn't there) The bike fell onto my Z-50, denting the tank (on the z-50) and breaking the front fender and clutch lever on the chinabike. Just thought i'd mention this.

[AZ200cc]

Milk crates are a godsend.

[Trebek]

C&P from esrlier post:
A regular Heavy Plastic 5 Gal Bucket (like paint comes in) flipped over works as a great stand to work on the bike. Center the skid plate on the bottom of the bucket


I used to do that also. One time the bucket broke (when I wasn't there) The bike fell onto my Z-50, denting the tank (on the z-50) and breaking the front fender and clutch lever on the chinabike. Just thought i'd mention this.

I use the bucket method. The height is perfect, makes it real easy to lift the bike 1 inch off the ground. With the 21" front tire this bike is tall.

[IronFist]

My honda comes with a center stand. It would have been nice to get one for the chinabike.

I wanted to say, hey Squire thats how to break in a bike, but Red2003 already did. :lol:

Milk crates are way better than 5 gal pait buckets.

[Trebek]

My honda comes with a center stand. It would have been nice to get one for the chinabike.

I wanted to say, hey Squire thats how to break in a bike, but Red2003 already did. :lol:

Milk crates are way better than 5 gal pait buckets.

Yeah I tryed the milk crate but it was way too short.