New Zongshen RX3 (ZS250GY-3) Dual Sport

[thillskier]

Spud (or anyone) sourced sprockets for our RX-3's yet?
I want one tooth larger for after break in riding back, and a one tooth smaller for in town, local or off road riding. I asked CSC but have not gotten an answer either way yet.
I tried taobao but haven't been able to figure out how or where) to hire an agent:(.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by thillskier

Spud (or anyone) sourced sprockets for our RX-3's yet?
I want one tooth larger for after break in riding back, and a one tooth smaller for in town, local or off road riding. I asked CSC but have not gotten an answer either way yet.
I tried taobao but haven't been able to figure out how or where) to hire an agent:(.

I have searched, and I have inquired elsewhere, but I haven't found alternative sprockets for either the counter shaft (C/S) or the rear wheel. It seems the RX3 employs a 14T/44T sprocket combination in factory configuration.

Both 13T and 14T C/S sprockets are readily available at Taobao. We won't know the measurements of the rear sprocket until the bikes arrive in the United States, unless CSC, or someone in either Greece or China gives us the dimensions. The Honley and other versions of the RX3 use the original rear hub, which doesn't employ a cush drive.

The weather in East Idaho has been unseasonably warm, reaching a high temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit the last 3 days. Therefore, I have been riding my Zonshen ZS200GY-2, instead of posting the thread regarding how to order at Taobao.



However, I will endeavor to post the Taobao thread in the next several days.

[Wolftrax]

60 degrees, wah its supposed to be -2 in NE Georgia Monday night

[thillskier]

Spud, Ride on my man..I'm certainly not in a hurry, as obviously I don't need the sprocket(s) yet! hehe
I'd be riding also if I had a bike and it was 60 degrees here most likely!

Just like N Ga & Wolftrax, its going to be coldest its been all year here starting with this PM (1 " snow here tonight through tomorrow AM, weather says!!). Will be at or below freeezing all week I believe, very unusual, but it seems to happen about once a year nowdays...

Enjoy your bike, PLEASE, Spud! We can then all ride vicariously/virtually with you...that is if, when you get done and have time you post us up a few pics (like that georgous one just now posted!) I doubt anyone East coats will be able to do ANY riding for a while with the snow, Ice, and severe cold conditions forecasted for the next week to 10 days anyways...

Besides, you have already earned plenty of posting "chits" you can redeem anytime re thhe boat progress, Zong bikes info and links, your many miles of durability testing, DEALS and places to get them for the new TRX-3's, and those already riding Zongs of the prior generation(s)! I'm sure everyone else agrees 100% with that also!

[SpudRider]

Perhaps this lovely lady will, at least, warm you hearts on a cold February day. Emi Meyer performs Happy Song with the Shanghai Restoration Project.

[SpudRider]

According to Wikipedia, "during the 1920s and 1930s Shanghai became known as "The Paris of the East, the New York of the West".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Shanghai

Shanghai Restoration Project has a new album, The Classics, featuring Zhang Le.

[thillskier]

SPUD, IS THAT A 2 OR 4 STROKE BIKE? (KDX)?
Any pics handy? I alwanted a 2 stroker in the 175 to 300 cc range (before they get obsoleted by EPA, etc), as the lightweight and ease of servicing and modding them is unbeatable, IMHO. I learned a LOT of very inexpensive and easy performance mods for 2 strokes over my life, from 1970 through 2010.

My period of demo flying Earthstar ultralight type aircraft was the culmination of all the stuff I'd learned, as it DEMANDED reliability as the # 1 and absolute REQUIRED consideration. Efficiency was next, as UL type aircraft have a 5 gallon fuel capacity limit for single seater true ultralights, and the "trainers"/training exemption granted 2 seaters had a 10 gallon max capacity allowed.

STock at cruise used 5.5-6 GPH, fully modded, (but still carbed) I was using a bit LESS than 4 GPH at 95-100 mph cruise! Huge difference. Ceramic metallic tech is primarily what allowed this to happen. It allowed much higher cylinder gas temps (without detonation), faster burning of the mixture and more complete burn, (again raising gas pressures, critically earlier in the piston stroke, thusly allowing (for a longer time period) a smoother push down of the piston. Also, due to piston not absorbing the heat of combustion as much, leaner jetting (significantly, at 4!! jet sizes leaner!) at same EGT's and CHT's (exhaust gas and Cylinder head temperatures) as prior to cermacic coating application.

Figuring out how to get the coating on and to STAY ON was the million $ question, of course, AND TOOK A COUPLE YEARS, AND lots AND lots OF BROKEN PISTONS, CYLINDERS, Piston pin (upper) ROD BEARINGS, craked/broken rings, blown out and or melted ring lands and opistons themselves melted! Lots of fun! (and spincter tightening exercises also!!)

I'm guessing here but probably close to 20-25 off field and or emergency type engine out or engine at idle power output IF still operating on one of the 2 cylinders. For 6 months or so, I always carried a spare cylinder, a couple spare piston sets (rings, pistons, piston pin and uncaged needle bearings(caged failed erribly, sending hardened steel pin bith throughout the engine intake and exhaust paths...NOT good! !!

God was doing overtime on taking care of drunk and or fools deal back then for sure! I definitely did not driink and fly, EVER! but was probably a bit of a fool to develop the parts while flying them. However, those flying them along with me (Beta testers back then), were well aware of issues and risk, AND within 5 hours of when to expect a failure (and what would fail and how).

Hopefully, whomever develops mods for the RX-3 will take this same approach, and document their development miscues and failures on the path to getting it figured out and eventually "right"!

Any mods on the KDX?

I still have the Kiln setup and all parts tools to do coatings correctly. If you want to do your bike, let me know. I'll see about maybe doing a "evaluation" for you "free". (You'd need to buy the ceramic material(s) you wanted applied, of course. I'd recommend the cylinder skiert (with the moly added cermet material. Many pistons have that applied nowdays to reduce side load wear and friction/mpg loss from that friction. It lasts the life of the piston, also, and is non critical if it fails.

The piston top is what really gets you the boost in power and efficiency in a 2 stroke, especially. It really CAN be 20-25%! pretty damn amazing, I think. The older, less efficient (piston port type charging engines) respond the most when coated. I think its due to the inefficient burning and exhaust mixing with the fresh intake charge, low compression ratios, and necessary rich air fuel ratios for piston and head cooling preventing detonation. (vs 4 stroke).


Tests show anywhere from a low of 5% increases in power and efficiency, to approx 11% is max I've seen in a 4 stroke. The newer more efficient designs are less of an increase as they are already very clean burning and very efficient, especially if FI, and multihole injectors. DI (into cylinder) would really be difficult to improve efficiency of, I'll bet.

If I need to pull my bike down (RX-3 for whatever reason, I will probably coat everything in it while I have it apart, to see what differences it makes in fuel mpg and or tq/hp. If significant, I may offer it to owners on here, if there is interest. I have some people wanting me to do a Honda Insight hybrid car as well, (which is another "project" and my daily at this time... Its already pretty amazing efficient, IMHO, at honest 50+ mpg all around, and 65 mpg regularly on the 60 mile trip to my old office in Montgomery and where (elderly parents and family live). Thats even using the crappy 10% ethanol gas thats less powerfull than the 100% gasoline we used to get.

ANyway if intested, let me know and I can link you info and testing results re the process.

[thillskier]

Anyone out there thought about fuel use in our new bikes?
I always use 100% gas when available in all my motorcycle, boat, lawn mower, chainsaws, golf cart, etc. unfortunately, expensively seen what the alcahol and water it causes to appear in our gas, wreaks havoc on fuel systems!

I see the "requirement from Zongshen" for fuel is just stated as 87 octane. Nothing I've seen mentions alcohol or alcohol % maximum, or oxygenated fuels, even. If anyone has this info, or knows where its stated in Zongshen literature and or manuals, please link it...Probably needs a "sticky", really, IMHO.

I think one issue is sitting in many small engine powered vehicles or tools, which allows the condensation to accumulate enough to pool in quantities that cause problems. I also have seen it eat up "rubber" and plastics, except "tygon" hose, which costs $! and PITA to install, especially chain saws and smaller engines.

I plan to swap all hoses to "tygon" or similar, on my RX-3, as I see cracks and other issues of deteoriation on the bike. Maybe we can source a larger roll of hose and offer it at a good price for thse wanting to swap over before riding a long trip etc. I will before my second ADV ride, for sure!

So, on the road, I'll HAVE to just use the crap gas, mostly, I guess.
What are yall's plans re this fuel issue? Suggestions?
THANKS!!

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by thillskier

SPUD, IS THAT A 2 OR 4 STROKE BIKE? (KDX)?
Any pics handy? ...

Yes, my KDX 220 has a 2-stroke engine. I also flew an ultralight, powered hang glider. I owned an Air Creations Buggy. However, I much prefer 4-stroke engines, so I plan to sell my KDX 220 this year.

[Mudflap]

I've been flying an ultralight (PPC) for 18 years and over 1400 hours. It's powered by a Rotax 582, 2 stroke, rotary valve, liquid cooled, 65 hp. The engine is all original and has had zero failures except for numerous bouts of carb icing. Rotax recommends a complete rebuild every 300 hours, including a new $1500 crankshaft but my engine shows no significant wear with the original piston rings end gaps still in the new assembly range. I burn the cheapest 87 octane car gas I can find, and Pennzoil 2 stroke oil in the oil injector. I too prefer 4 stroke engines but a good 2 stroke is reliable and long lasting.

The little spec in this pic is me flying over the Three Sisters Wilderness near my home in Central Oregon.



This is my flying buddy Harv flying over the Alvord Desert at sunrise.

[SpudRider]

The Minben has reached Nantong, which has a population of over 7 million people.









The vessel will soon pass under the Sutong Bridge, which is the longest bridge in China, with a span of 26,923 feet (5.1 miles). The Suton Bridge has reduced the 4-hour ferry trip to Shanghai to a 1-hour ride.

[Weldangrind]

Katflap, thanks for the pannier mount pics. That gives me ideas about my little China bike.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by detours

Don't know if you're looking to buy one, but you'll like it ... just be prepared for some TLC. The 125 suffers from some build quality issues (and yes, it's chinese-built). The carb is cheap, with a plastic throttle tube guide and wonky floats. The switchgear is brittle plastic. And the frame bolts and lock washers are low quality steel with poor threads, so the nuts loosen and break under torque.

You just described the condition of all of the early China bikes. Once you give them some loft and sort out the details, they can be terrific machines.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

The vessel will soon pass under the Sutong Bridge, which is the longest bridge in China, with a span of 26,923 feet (5.1 miles).

That's one thing we have on 'em in Canada. The Confederation bridge in Eastern Canada is 8 miles long.

[thillskier]

Seriously, those engines are very conservatively set up from Rotax. They last a very long time. I have an original (never modded or repaired 503 DC off Earthstar Aircrafts trainer/Demo plane that was replaced by Mark B (owner) with a HKS 700e 4 stroke a few yrs ago.
I plan to check it out, measure all tolerances (vs new, or "in service acceptably"), and write another Kitplanes article on it. That plane/engine was very well known and documented during its life, and HARD use on the dirt, short "runway" Mark built at Earthstar.

It was running very well, still developing (if less than delivered hp), close enough to take off at approx the same place as when new.

Should be interesting. Unfortunately, its now (waited too long) a discontinued engine for Rotax.

The only issue/area I'd change or especially check on the 582 is the water pump seal. They had some failures, but can be spotted usually before they leak badly enough to overheat. There is a very good upgraded seal available, and its not expensive.
If you want me to research this for you, I will (no charge, of course.
May even have one buried in 20 yrs + of parts and stuff from when I was actively building those engines and flying.(which would look MUCH better on your U/L than in my shop! hehe