Picking up a Zongshen Sierra this week... what to look for?

[dwholler]

Well we got the Sierra today, and we found a couple issues that were easily fixed.

One seat bolt was missing. I replaced it from another bike he had on the showroom floor.

Chain needed adjusted, it was binding a bit, also oiled the chain.

Throttle needed adjusted after it got warm. No Big Deal!

Seat was not positioned on the bike correctly. Took the seat off and repositioned.

Battery was not shipped with the bike, the dealer put in a battery, it seems to be a smaller battery. Seat fit is fine with this battery.

My son put around 10 miles on it tootling up and down our street and it runs great! He really enjoyed it and its a great first street bike for him. Easy to handle and manage. I was talking to my buddy who helped me pick it up and he said its like a disposable motorcycle. If he gets 2 years out of it you could throw it away and buy another.

Talked to the owner and he is going to get some of these 400cc enduros bikes in soon. It seems patterned after the BMW F650
He said they will probably run in the $4K range. He showed me this web site that showed the bike.
http://www.atv4usa.com/proddetail.asp?prod=XY400GY-2

They had a demo unit of the sierra on the floor which had some bumps and scrapes from shipping..He said it was running rough probably from old gas in the tank. Selling for $1200! Had 35 miles on it. He also had three more good ones in the back.

The one we picked had 2 miles on it.

[dwholler]

One other thing we noticed was that the clutch spring that is near the engine case was unsprung, it had to be re-routed/attached correctly

Does anyone know where I can find an electronic version of the operators manual and/or maintenance manual?

thanks in advance,
Dave

[Reveeen]

Try here:

http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...=3393#post3393

[SpudRider]

Welcome to the “Cult of the Zong,” Dave!

Originally Posted by dwholler

…My son put around 10 miles on it tootling up and down our street and it runs great! He really enjoyed it and its a great first street bike for him. Easy to handle and manage. I was talking to my buddy who helped me pick it up and he said its like a disposable motorcycle. If he gets 2 years out of it you could throw it away and buy another…

I understand your friend’s point, but I must mention that the Zong is far from a disposable motorcycle; if your son maintains it properly is should last a very long time.

Originally Posted by dwholler

..Does anyone know where I can find an electronic version of the operators manual and/or maintenance manual?

thanks in advance,
Dave

Check out the complete listing of on-line resources I compiled near the end of the following thread.

http://www.chinariders.net/modules.p...+zongshen+prep

Spud

[dwholler]

Thanks spud for the links.

My son spent the weekend on his Zong we went it all over.. From the street, to sandy forest trails near us in Wharton State Forest. He had no trouble keeping up with me in my XR650L and My buddy in his KLR650.

However, I noticed today that when my son pulls away there is a noise from the crank case. It doesn't happen every time. I drove it and it happened to me too. If i were to describe the sound it was like a light, metal rattling sound, only happens when pulling away from a stop. It also only happens shortly after disengaging the clutch. It doesn't feel like the clutch is slipping or has any problem engaging. Clutch control and cable is fully engaging.

Has anyone had any issues like this or is there a remedy? Its not the chain.

Dave

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by dwholler

Thanks spud for the links.

My son spent the weekend on his Zong we went it all over.. From the street, to sandy forest trails near us in Wharton State Forest. He had no trouble keeping up with me in my XR650L and My buddy in his KLR650…

You’re welcome, Dave. Your son will keep up even more easily if you replace the factory countershaft sprocket with a 13-tooth, or 14-tooth aftermarket sprocket.

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...shaft+sprocket

Originally Posted by dwholler

…However, I noticed today that when my son pulls away there is a noise from the crank case. It doesn't happen every time. I drove it and it happened to me too. If i were to describe the sound it was like a light, metal rattling sound, only happens when pulling away from a stop. It also only happens shortly after disengaging the clutch. It doesn't feel like the clutch is slipping or has any problem engaging. Clutch control and cable is fully engaging.

Has anyone had any issues like this or is there a remedy? Its not the chain.

Dave

No, I must say I have not heard of any other Zongs having this particular noise emanating from the crankcase. I certainly hope other members of this forum will voice their opinions regarding this noise.

Since you purchased your Zong from a dealer, I assume you have a warranty. The 167FML engine in your son’s Zong is a faithful copy of the 196cc engine used in the Yamaha TW200 motorcycle. This engine is well designed and manufactured; Yamaha has been using it continuously in their TW200 motorcycle from 1987 to the present. If something is wrong in the crankcase, your dealer should be able to easily determine the cause and fix the problem.

Spud

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by dwholler

...However, I noticed today that when my son pulls away there is a noise from the crank case. It doesn't happen every time. I drove it and it happened to me too. If i were to describe the sound it was like a light, metal rattling sound, only happens when pulling away from a stop. It also only happens shortly after disengaging the clutch. It doesn't feel like the clutch is slipping or has any problem engaging. Clutch control and cable is fully engaging.

Has anyone had any issues like this or is there a remedy? Its not the chain.

Dave

I have pondered your problem a little more, Dave, and I have a suggestion. In stock form, my Zong was geared much too high with a 15-tooth countershaft sprocket. I strongly encourage you to switch to a 14-tooth, or better yet, a 13-tooth countershaft sprocket manufactured by PBI.

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...+sprocket+info

The smaller countershaft sprocket will give your son much better performance as he pulls away from stop lights in urban traffic. The smaller countershaft sprocket will also help him maintain his speed against inclines and headwinds. Finally, the smaller countershaft sprocket will put much less strain on the clutch plates, and it might eliminate the noise you are hearing from the crankcase.

If you plan to do any maintenance on the Zong’s countershaft sprocket, you will need to remove the entire left crankcase cover! Therefore, I suggest you plan ahead, and perform the left crankcase cover modification at the same time your replace the countershaft sprocket.

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...case+cover+mod

To minimize your down time and frustration, order a new left crankcase cover from Phil, or Zongshen America, and have it on hand before you change countershaft sprockets. Get a local machinist or shop teacher to section the crankcase cover for you. Also, remember to order a left crankcase cover gasket; you will probably tear the original gasket when you remove the left crankcase cover. This modification is inexpensive, and it will allow your son’s Zong to perform even better than it does now. Also, it will be much easier for you to inspect, and replace, the countershaft sprocket in the future.

Spud

[TheRealWorld]

You have received some great advice, but I feel it is necessary to point out it could be a little vibrations on a panel or something else. Just worth looking!

[Welle417]

HA this is really funny DW- i went to the Same dealer- in Englishtown, NJ - about 20 mins from my house, and i have a deposit on the VERY LAST Zongshen Sierra they have in stock- and i told them i wanted it unassembled and they still wanted 1495 for it IF I PICKED IT UP so i got them to knock off a hundred bucks and i have it on layaway... my only problem is i really don't have the money right now, and im joining the AirForce and going active in January, so i don't know if its practical to buy it before or wait to till after and ship it maybe where ever i end up haha WHO KNOWS but let me know if somebody wants it and ill transfer the Layaway agreement to you with them They are very respectable guys and a good dealer for sure, just a bit spacey with the pricing decisions :P

[FastDoc]

Originally Posted by Welle417

HA this is really funny DW- i went to the Same dealer- in Englishtown, NJ - about 20 mins from my house, and i have a deposit on the VERY LAST Zongshen Sierra they have in stock- and i told them i wanted it unassembled and they still wanted 1495 for it IF I PICKED IT UP so i got them to knock off a hundred bucks and i have it on layaway... my only problem is i really don't have the money right now, and im joining the AirForce and going active in January, so i don't know if its practical to buy it before or wait to till after and ship it maybe where ever i end up haha WHO KNOWS but let me know if somebody wants it and ill transfer the Layaway agreement to you with them They are very respectable guys and a good dealer for sure, just a bit spacey with the pricing decisions :P

God bless you and thanks for your service to our country.

[Welle417]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

God bless you and thanks for your service to our country.

thank you very much for your kind words... god bless all those that serve our country and make freedom stand

I wish i could say im joining the cult of the zong soon, but who knows! I don't think it will happen this year with my lack of funds- even with how good a price this motorcycle is! Thank you to all though

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Welle417

thank you very much for your kind words... god bless all those that serve our country and make freedom stand...

Amen! Thank you for your service to the United States of America.

Spud

[dwholler]

Spud,

before reading your post today i was thinking about this! I really do think the gearing is actually too short. It seems that when you accelerate from a stop, in my opninion you are shifting to 2nd too quickly.

I am really wondering what gearing to get if i want 1st gear to run out longer and also have more top end. Torque doesnt seem to be much of an issue I think the engine can handle it.

[Welle417]

Not trying to jack the post or anything, but i just wanted to let you guys know that unfortunately i won't be getting that Zong i was hoping for from the same place DW got his... I just figured i'd let everybody know that there is a dealer in central jersey with a brand new Sierra - assembled and warrantied for about 1,395 - - im heading to basic training in about a month and a half and i ran out of money and can no longer hope to get it - but i can get my 350 dollar deposit back if somebody else buys it! Haha - - but anyway - thanks a bunch guys for the forum support and all the knowledge you've shared!

[TheRealWorld]

Is that an 06?