Zongshen Dakar bike and RX4
 

Catching up on the CSC blog posts. This one caught my eye.

http://californiascooterco.com/blog/?p=23721

Apparently, Zongshen is going to run a 450cc bike in the 2017 Dakar. :clap:Interesting to see how that goes.

RX-4 looks to be a 2018 purchase. Will be saving my pennies:D. Check the dual front discs:).

Rojo

omg rojo. thanks for posting . my head just exploded BOOM :yay:

the new shots of the rx4 look great. not seeing too much change from those original grainy shots at the beginning of the year. no clear shot of the starboard side but seems they are keeping that exhaust routing the same from what you can see. i even like the big crash bars too! Dual front disks? they say froont provides 70% of the breaking on a m.c. looks neat.

as to the naysayers of the zong 450 engine, we can say, :shrug: good enough for dakar, good enough for me.

FAN BOY ALERT
:grr: sign me up :grr: sign me up

http://californiascooterco.com/blog/...1RX4-1-576.jpg

And it's still got a dam buzzard beck....
other than that it quit nice..
wonder what it weighs......




....

If I'm not mistaken,BMW started that with the GS line up and other manufacturers followed them. My Honda CB500X has one. I don't really mind them. They have saved me from getting a visor full of mud.

The Suzuki DRBig was the first to sport a beak back in the 1980's.

http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/D...g_blue_450.jpg

Cheers,

Dan K.

Good ol 1980's DR750/800's, the beak looked decent back then... back when "Mighty Ducks" first became popular :) ... not so good looking 30 years later IMO :hehe:

Still want a nice 'middle bike'... right now I have a 100cc 2 stroke dirt bike, 200cc dual sport china bike, and a 650cc dual sport... having something in the 300 - 500cc range will be perfect for my stable :yay:

You guys are so precious with your references to *vintage* beaks.

http://www.bultacopursang.com/images/m68_03.jpg

1968 Bultaco Pursang

yer but thats a mud guard / fender it turns with the forks/wheel..

dam nice bike...



..

Did we even get the DRBig in the US? I know I've never seen one in person, but I have read a bit about them.

Speaking of unobtainium
 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lFOzTRn0YJA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkDGBH5Sl_Y

Me thinks the Pursang front fenders were referred to as Pelican beaks. Everything else that doesn't turn with the front wheel is just wanker beaks in my book. :p :lmao: rj

what are the odds, in both of those video clips we dont get a look at the exhaust assembleyjk

It's downswept, following the R/H frame, which means it will sweep upwards to the muffler. NC450 video at 0:33

Will have to go back to see what you mean. Assume you are saying it's unchanged from the original photos released last spring?

I was hoping it would be tucked thru engine compartment like the rx3.

Me too - I am a bit unsure of the exhaust header sweeping down along the frame. That's the first point of contact, so it's a bit worrisome.

If Zongshen can tuck it up to the same routing as the RX3, then that package should be pretty solid since it looks like it largely replicates the (now) tried and true RX3

I saw the .33 second point but did not show much other than the fact that it is going on the underside. Also wanted a look at the giant potbelly cat to see if they had cleaned it up any. I'm with Rt, this is the only let down as far as I can tell now. But if they give me the prototype i will be happy to take off a month or so and test to rtkiing's house and back to see if it works. :)

ccm 450gp
 

this $12k, not for sale in the usa, bmw based 450 engine , has a nice example of what could be done with the rx4 exhaust.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...VXm3GjxNqtGgjM

450cc in rx3 clothes:
http://www.chinariders.net/picture.p...&pictureid=763

Dakar Dragon Riders
 

Looks like five riders will be on Zongshen!
http://www.dakar.com/dakar/2017/us/r...ist-bikes.html

My dream bike... and it's a Zong built for the Dakar!

130kg, 450cc liquid cooled fuel injected engine, 8 gallon gas tank... in a dual sport package :tup:

Now if they can slap some lights, a horn, etc. to make it street legal in 'Merica, and I will buy at least 2 of them :hehe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SU__125jgg

I haven't seen those specs on the race bike.:tup: Would be nice for the retail market but would be an expensive risk for North merica market. I would love to see it. I think the rx4 will be an adequate substitute. I know you are aware that all that race tech comes at a steep price, but I like your thinking. if they can carve out a desired niche in the market it might work.

Will have to go to the ol truck stop to view this one on the free wifi. ( keep laughing, I don't have the cheap city internet, it's the price I pay for living "out here" :lmao:)

I am excited that the Zong quality is finally evolving to the higher hp realm

Almost there, has headlight and brake tail. Just needs "winkers" ;)

https://youtu.be/0SU__125jgg

I noticed the prominent display of the new Zongshen "Dragon" logo.

jb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU_O2RB3nik

Another good video of the bike. Custom frame, lots of carbon fiber.
Add blinkers, horn, sub-frame to hold some saddlebags, a comfy seat and you've got a pretty sweet little adv bike.

jbfla...watched once, forgot, where these gentlemen speaking french?

i guess they are going to drop any mention of zonshein, and go with just cyclone from now on, such as Cyclone model rx3, Cyclone model rx4, etc etc.

so unless trump ruins the trade with china, my bike will be known as a Cyclone Motorcycle Company Model RX4, then rebadged as a CSC RX4... AHHHHHHH, WHAT EVER, TAKE MY MONEY!!!!

It seems to me, that they would want name recognition worldwide and continuity of name/brand. I don't think that it should be rebranded or rebadged in every country it is sold in. But that is just me

AD, I agree. It seems that if Zongshen wants to compete in the world market, and differentiate themselves from the dozens of other Chinese motorcycle manufacturers, they would promote their name on all their products.....like the other companies do.....


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...sosfuuvfw.jpeg


According to an article in China Motorcycle News, Zongshen has adopted the name Cyclone and the dragon logo as their worldwide motorcycle name... :hmm:

The dragon logo is not bad, but few people will know what company it represents; same for the Cyclone name.

I still prefer the old Zongshen logo:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psgvi8c9gs.jpg


jb

Once upon a time nobody knew what the profile wing (Honda) stood for. Same with that prancing horse car emblem.
All in good time.

I can kind of understand not wanting to flash the Zongshen name up front and going with "Cyclone" or something more generic. The biggest stumbling block of success Zong faces isn't quality, price or global market saturation, it's the paranoia of the American buyer that it's "Chinese".

All of us face that comment every time we take a bike out and it's been that way the entire decade I've owned CB's. What IS selling the bikes is us taking them out and getting exposure. We've all heard, "Nice looking bike! It's really Chinese?"
One person at a time is a rough way to market.

It's not only the American buyer.

Another article in China Motorcycle News mentioned that the Zongshen motorcycle factory in Thailand stopped building motorcycles, and converted to ATV manufacture due to the Thai attitude that buying a used Japanese bike is better than a new Chinese bike.

I 've received a lot of kidding from my riding buddies about my Chinese motorcycle.

But when they see it in person are pleasantly surprised.....but not enough to buy one.

jb

On advrider, folks are going nuts over the upcoming Versys. 300 release. I think if our bikes compared comparably with a lower price point, it will be a shot in the arm for the cyclone. I do think that worldwide, they need to market it better and I agree with dropping the Chinese name. It needs to compete on reliability, finish and durability rather than country of origin... which, right or wrong does seem polarizing and it does scare people away.

And that little hiccup you had with the rx3 will give your riding buddies all the ammo they will ever need to downplay the Chinese motorcycle. But of course forgetting the good faith policy by csc that covered the repair.

The nameless badge will still be an issue. In our society, and I suspect in most cultures, the brand determines who you are (identify). We have to be able to know who and what you are. (And what you ride). In riding circles, I can predict the question, "What is THAT" (as though speaking of some area 51 creation), because of the absence of the Cyclone name on the machine.

The cyclone moniker may be a good move from Zongshen. The name Honda was easily pronounced by Americans back in the 60's, and thus accepted by the 70's (of course quality played a huge part in it). Even today the name "Zongshen", may not be easily accepted due to the mysteries in chinese language pronunciation by Americans. This is, I believe, the reason zongs have so many identies worldwide (csc, honley, etc.etc.).

Imo, as they say... it's worth what you paid.

About the dragon Cyclone logo... look what I saw in the last issue of Rider magazine:

^^^That's a new one...someone ripping off the Chinese:tup:

Yep, that dragon definitely won't fly here in the states. Someone will be getting the phone call.

Nice catch Juanro

Inroads...:hehe:

I was just catching up on posts. Wow the RX4 looks beautiful! The dual front brakes is a better way to go. However, that's double the parts for a brake job! I don't even have dual rotors on my Harley Dyna! Thank God I don't, cause that would turn a brake job that costs under 70 bucks to one over hundred.

Anyways, this would probably be a better option for my husband. The RX3 goes really slow with him on it uphill. With me, it does a bit better of a job. :hehe:

Not only that but you can only disperse as much inertia as the friction patch on the ground will link up and allow. I had a buddy who built a custom HD and he wanted a dual disk on a 21" skinny front tire with a SPRINGER! I told him he'd regret it but no.... He ended up skittering the front end out in an intersection. That skinny tire had a little over a dime size friction patch attaching it to the pavement. WAY too much braking power with the duals. That's why you usually only see them on the big fat FLH's and like my old Vic TC.

'Launching shortly' ?
 

From Dakar web site
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b.../IMG_0020.jpeg
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b.../IMG_0021.jpeg

And Zongshen FB

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b.../IMG_0019.jpeg

Did they mention a "range of off road bikes" coming soon? Interesting.

450 adventure
 

Wouldn't it be interesting if Cyclone made a KTM 390 adventure alternative? I'd buy one...