I also got the email, and called and ordered one.....and a t-shirt....and a front hub(to lace to a spare 19" aluminum rim I have laying around) :)

Can the 13 tooth CS sprocket be swapped in without changing the chain length?

Cheers,

Dan K.

Yes, the 13T C/S sprocket fits the stock, 110-link drive chain. However, you are going to need to tighten some slack from the drive chain after you install the 13T sprocket. ;)

Getting High Smoking Clutch in CO on Imogene Pass!
 

This tail starts with ride down south to Ouray CO to give the little Zong a real work out with a planned climb over Imogene Pass to Telluride. Climbed to the summit of 13,114' on the girlfriends XT250 just about a year ago with out much difficulty so I figured it couldn't be that much of challenge on then RX3 with 7+ more HP and only a little more weight.

Stopped in Ridgeway CO (home of the Grammy!) at CimarronEric's cool little coffee and book store. Over a fine Ethiopian blend we discussed the difficulties of getting up the steeper sections of Imogene Pass with the tall gearing on the RX. After some delicious but potent brew I headed south determined not to be denied the Summit

Through Ouray and up to Lower Camp Bird is really a none issue for the little 250 and its stock gearing. Above this point is were things get interesting. It turns to a full 4x4 Jeep road with a few pitches that are challenging to most stock four wheel drive vehicles. This is were the overly caffeinated charge for Imogen Summit glory and real clutch abuse begin. I was deterrent to power up all of the steepest assents with enough speed not to stall the engine. As grades increased my technique moved from a little clutch slipping here and there to full throttle pinned in first gear and modulating the clutch to keep it just shy of redline. This let me get max power to the ground at speeds less then 10 mph while keeping the little 250 on full boil. The down side of this is massive amounts of friction generated heat being dumped to the clutch pack.

The clutch held in there admirably and I made it a little less then a mile from the summit. The clutch felt like it was giving good drive and modulation right up until the end. I needed a little push to clear the section in the photo below with the jeep. With the help of a friendly quad rider pushing the rear rack and my self walking alongside slightly slipping the clutch in first we walked right up this section. Eric I'll admit this section was a bit of a challenge on the RX and I had a few minors tip overs trying it with out assistance. After this there is short down hill crossing a little creek drainage and then pretty much the final pitch to the summit and this is were any mechanical connection between the little 250 engine that could the and the rear wheel just went away. When the clutch was done it was done! Gravity assist down hill drive was the only way this bike was getting off the mountain.

So in your mind when you climbing a big ass hill like Imogene it's got be down hill all the way back? Well that's what I thought when I turned around and how wrong I was! So I have to give a big thanks to the mystery side by siders who helped tow me up every little incline I couldn't maintain enough speed to coast over. Also the RX has great little tow point right under the front fender where engine guards connect. After multiple coast, tow repeats I finally rolled into Ouray later in the afternoon. My girlfriend and friends were in Ouray for training runs on the pass; the big Imogene run is in early September. So they gave us a ride home and then we made late night return trip to fetch the Zong.

The next day I gave the bike a quick rinse drained the foulest smelling oil I've very had the pleasure to sample and pulled the clutch. It's actually quite easy on this bike. The friction material on the two inner most fiber plates was basically gone and the corresponding steals were throughly cooked. I ordered a whole new clutch pack from CSC for a very reasonable 74 bucks. I contemplated just replacing the fibers and then giving the steels a good sanding or bead blasting but with them only being $2.80 a piece there is no reason not to replace them. One of the real values of the moto is the very reasonable cost of parts and that CSC is stocking them all! Also just ordered the 13t front sprocket, this will help but I still feel Imogene will be a challenge on the RX. Really first gear needs to be geared to redline at about 10mph to really make technical climbs a little more doable.

My new clutch bits arrived but I haven't really been able to complete the job. The following weekend I gave my left collarbone a titanium plate up grade running the down hill MTB park in Steamboat CO. Yep over the bars at speed and fractured the left clavicle, bruised right ribs and a nasty friction burn to the shin from one of my tires. Also took out a front spoke with the chin guard on my full face helmet. So it will be a month or more before I'm back on two wheels. But hopefully I'll be recovered enough to start fixing things. Right now the list is a KTM 200 with a no compression, RX3 with a smoked clutch and a Transition Covert MTB that need tires and few front wheel spokes; about par for me near the end of any summer...

Thanks for posting the ride report from Imogene Pass. I hope you heal quickly. :)

That picture is exactly the spot that finished my ride. What you can't see is that there is a sharp left, followed by loose rocky steps, then a sharp right to where 3banger's bike is. Impossible to maintain momentum. I ordered the 13t and a whole new front engineguard setup as mine has been thoroughly "used". The engine is still running like a champ though.

I'll be ordering a 46t and maybe 48t rear sprocket since this type of riding seems to be the norm for me. :yay:

This is where the engine guard give out when you push the limit every day and the bike spends a bit of time on them. It's great exercise lifting it up a dozen times per ride though.:hmm:

Super happy to have the guards. Replacements are way cheaper than a replacement engine too.

Attachment 3123

You are immediately going to like the improvement in torque and acceleration you get from the 13T C/S sprocket. :) Did the larger rear sprockets arrive at CSC?

Great writeup; get well soon.

Moar geers niidud
 

You both sure have been giving the Cyclones trial by fire. Seems an eight speed transmission is needed. One gear lower than first, one above sixth.

Between the Baja Bash, the West State Samba, and the Imogene Invasion, these machines are serving notice that quality and value CAN be gotten from China.

Sure glad Steve & Joe have made this a go.

No. CSC is having them manufactured in Taiwan so we've got a bit of a wait.

I couldn't possibly use a higher gear. I hardly use 6th as it is now.

I like the thought of a higher 6th for the highways, and a lower 1st for the off road...but it would need the power curve to drop a bit in the RPMS, so would have a few less HP, but more torque to pull......My 2008 XT 250 only has a 5-speed with 17 hp (I think that is correct) and it'll pull "Almost" the same top end MPH as my RX-3, but it has WAY more bottom end for the off road situations.

Are a Suzuki G-Strom 250 and a Kawasaki Versys 250 being developed? The following article speculates that Suzuki and Kawasaki are planning to enter the market for 250cc adventure motorcycles. ;)

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-...red/28029.html

With about 6,500 miles on the odometer, I replaced the drive chain on my Zongshen RX3. I installed an RK 520EXW drive chain with 110-links. This is a drive chain I originally purchased for my Honda XR650L.

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...G-Chain?v=3726

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/i..._x-rin_cha.jpg

Here are a few photographs from several rides in July and August. :) I have now recorded about 7,250 miles on the odometer, and my RX3 is running great. :tup:

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psbgwuhvwk.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps1cpwfzhp.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...pseifzcoec.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...pscicp2aja.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psiekdwpjs.jpg

Great Pics as always Spud ! :)

Thank you, Huck. :)

I can't wait to get into the mountains like you guys to really push the RX-3. Too much pavement around here.

I'm not too taken with the idea of a Ninja-derived AT. I would like to see KTM build an AT version of the Duke 390. That could be impressive, but it would be thousands more than the RX3.

Being built in India:

http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread...ture-is-coming

https://rideapart.com/articles/ktm-3...-testing-india

https://cdn.rideapart.com/wp-content...-photoshop.jpg

Cheers,

Dan K.

Seems like smaller bikes are making a comeback. If these rumours are any indication, I would bet manufacturers are watching the RX3 closely.

Dan,
Thanks for sharing the photos. That is exactly the bike I'm looking for. I like the idea of utilizing KTM's 300+/- engine in a dual sport/enduro type bike. I like the idea of a little more hp and torque than a 250cc bike can offer. And I like the build quality of India's mfgs over Chinese mfg's.
:thanks:

I have just over 4,000 miles on mine and can't keep the chain adjusted. Thanks for the recommendation.

You're welcome. :) The single, 4-inch piston of my XR650L punishes the drive chain, especially because the rear wheel lacks a cush drive. The RK 520EXW chain takes this punishment, and gives good service. I do highly recommend this drive chain, which I also installed on my Honda CRF250X. :)

Benelli is an Italian motorcycle company which was bought in 2005 by the QianJiang Group of China. The Chinese plan to re-introduce Benelli motorcycles to the U.S.A. later this year.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/04/17...i-motorcycles/

Benelli motorcycles are designed in Italy, and manufactured in China. One of the company's latest designs is the BN600GT, an adventure bike with a 600cc, inline, 4-cylinder engine which produces 82 horsepower.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2013/11/06...t-look-review/

http://www.cycleworld.com/wp-content...li-BN600GT.jpg

Here is a link to a written review of the Benelli BN600GT.

http://www.therideadvice.com/2015-be...-600gt-review/

Here is a video review of the Benelli BN600GT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqU-IezALhc

Here is another video review of the Benelli BN600GT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7OXjyBGbb4

Here is a walkaround video of the Benelli BN600GT taken last December at the 2014 EICMA Milan Motorcycle Exhibition. Pay no attention to the model seated upon the other Benelli motorcycle. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFY1-IZE5sI

Benelli is also selling the BN302, a nice street bike which is competing with the Ninja 300 and Honda CBR300R. If you are interested in learning more about this bike, I posted a thread concerning the Benelli BN302 at the following link. ;)

http://www.chinariders.net/showthrea...961#post189961

http://therideadvice.com/wp-content/...2-1024x627.jpg

I'm waiting to see if they import it here, and of course, what the price will be.

Cheers,

Dan K.

I installed my 13T front sprocket today and went for a test ride. I love it! The 13T spreads out the power band from the 14T's very narrow 5000-7500 RPM, to a very usable 3500-8000 RPM.

On the low end, I have power in 1st gear at 3500 RPM, instead of at 5000-5500 RPM with the 14T. This will really help starting out on hills and on trails. I was even able to start in 2nd gear, which would stall the engine before.

On the top end in 6th gear, I saw 5500 RPM at 50 mph, 7000 RPM at 60 mph, and 8000 RPM at 70 mph. I still had throttle left at 70, but would probably downshifted to go faster.

I didn't try it tonight, but with redline at 9000 RPM, 75 mph should be easy and 80+ should be doable. This test was up a mild incline, but certainly not a steep mountain pass. I will be testing that by this weekend :)

I don't think I lost any top end with the 13T. With the 14T, I usually found myself cruising at 65 in 4th gear. I almost never used 6th because it had no power. But with the extended power band from the 13T, all the gears are more useful.

Indeed, I have obtained identical results from the 13T C/S sprocket. ;) Thanks for reporting your experience. :)

During my 20 mile commute this morning, I got to test the 13T on a lot more hills and highway, and I still love it. I have to say, if you live over 4500 feet (or intend to rid a lot there), you need the 13T. It really transforms the performance.

Some more notes ... although there is still some throttle left at 70 mph in 6th gear (8000 RPM), there's not much. The flow of traffic didn't allow me to go any faster than that, but I still believe 75 mph won't be a problem.

Also, I'll note that I live over 5400 feet elevation and I have the larger 130/80-17 rear tire, which is about 1.5" taller than stock (diameter), so I'm pushing a bigger wheel. The smaller stock tire could show higher RPM at the same indicated speeds.

RPM's vs. MPH's
 

I always believed that the cam profile, valve sizes, fuel delivery, ignition profile and exhaust design determined the power band, and not the gearing. The engine should have the same RPM power band, just at a different MPH, regardless of the size of the sprockets? The sprocket size just determines the MPH's where the power band will appear. :hi:
That's why we have multiple speed transmissions?

All true, PCG. The variable is the amount of torque that is produced by the engine; there is a tipping point, where the torque of the engine will no longer be able to carry the vehicle at the same speed.

Put another way, if you slowly raised a gear ratio (which means lower numerically) one rear sprocket tooth at a time, you'd observe a faster and faster top speed, and then it would begin to drop off. There will be a certain final drive ratio that provides the max speed for a given combination.

That's why they oftentimes have to push (or tow) "Land Speed Cars" to get them started, because they have a huge gear, that even their high HP engines can't overcome at slow enough speed to even get started out of first gear.

But the "power band" RPM range of the engine does not change with each tooth of change in the sprockets? That is the job of the multiple speed transmission, to match the power band RPM's to the desired MPH's.
And yes, it takes more engine torque to turn a bigger gear ratio.

It's true that an engine's power band (efficiency) is independent of its gearing. But whether the power it generates is accessible to do work depends entirely on the gearing.

For example, in first gear on level ground the 13T sprocket allows the amount of torque that exists at 3500 RPM to move the bike. Using the 14T, there isn't enough torque at 3500 to get moving ... you have to get above 5500 RPM to find enough torque. On a hill, you may have to hit 6500. On a really steep hill, there may not even be enough torque to start moving with a 14T sprocket.

So strictly speaking, the engine's power band didn't change with the 13T sprocket ... it just feels like it because the lower part of the band is now usable.

Exactly
 

Exactly my point.
:thanks: