New Zongshen RX3 (ZS250GY-3) Dual Sport

[SpudRider]

I would much rather take my Zongshen ZS200GY-2 than my RX3 for that ride. I think the TT bike would be a better bike to showcase under the likely riding conditions. I believe the TW200 riders are going to stay in motels every night. Therefore, I suspect they are going to travel light, and ride roads/trails which are ill suited for an adventure motorcycle.

Conversely, the TW200 bikes would have had a very difficult, if not impossible task, keeping up with the RX3 bikes on the recent, 5,000-mile tour of the western United States. I think the fellow who made the initial offer actually deleted his post.

[MattyBoy1976]

So my bike arrived with 36 miles on the odometer, and I just changed the oil today, at 333 miles.

So far, here are my impressions:

While Roadrunner Freight is probably a great shipping company, their local contractor (Colorado Motor Express) dropped the ball. However, I blame that on the lady who called to set the delivery appointment, as she was going on vacation the next day-she had a case of vacation brain. When it didn't show up on Thursday between noon and 5 like they said, I spent 50 bucks on a Uhaul trailer and went and picked it up myself Friday morning. So if anyone in the Denver Metro area is thinking of ordering one, make sure you nail down your delivery date with CMX!

The hardest part of putting together what was left to put together was installing the windshield-the nuts are hard to hold. I used the closed end of a combination wrench with a 3M foam mounting square holding the nut in the wrench, and that seemed to work. I also put blue Loctite on the bolts, as well as the bolts for the top box.

The next hardest part was having the bike sitting there looking at me all weekend, and not being able to ride it! I planned on getting it registered on Friday, but due to the shipping mixup, that didn't happen. I went in Monday and was able to get a temporary registration while Arapahoe County tries to figure out a four-character code for CSC-not sure how that's going to work, but until they do, I can't get a permanent plate.

As far as riding it goes, you must remember that all I have to compare it to is about 1200 miles on a TW200-that's the sum total of my riding experience. However, it's night and day-what a difference! I've never ridden a fuel injected motorcycle, so the throttle response is phenomenal compared to the ol' T-Dub. It shifts smoothly, marches right through the gears, and for the first time, I actually have to be careful not to exceed the speed limit!

Comfort-wise, I bought the sheepskin gel pad, and it came already attached to the saddle. I rode almost 175 miles yesterday, and I'd never even know it. I rode T-Dub 150 miles once, and felt it in my sitter for a week!

I agree with some of the other guys-it's a bit louder than I thought it would be. It's not unpleasant, though, and I always ride with earplugs, so it's not a big deal. I would like to make it a bit quieter, though-I've been watching that other thread with some interest.

The speedometer reads 3 MPH fast up to about 45, and then 4-5 MPH fast after that, with a 19 inch front wheel, as compared to my GPS. I can live with that-I'd rather have it read fast than slow, I guess.

The stock tires are just fine on pavement, but on some of the gravel roads I was on yesterday, the rear tire in particular wanted to come out from under me when the road got a little soft or sandy, especially in the outside of curves. I never hesitated going around those curves with the big knobbies on the T-Dub, but I had to be very careful yesterday. I think some more aggressive tires are in order, for sure.

I changed the oil today while it rained-I'm a fair-weather rider! The service manual says it's not necessary to remove the skid pan to change the oil, but I will next time-I think that skid pan holds about a quart of oil! What a mess! Oh well, live and learn. I noticed that the oil screens were both installed backwards from what the service manual specifies, too-I triple checked, and yep, they were backwards.

I purchased a set of heated grips on Amazon, and will install them next week, I guess. I go back to work tomorrow, and it's just as well, as the weather is supposed to be cool and rainy for the next few days, and then warm up just in time for my days off next week. I hope to put on another few hundred miles then. I'll have to remember to keep my face shield down, or I'll get too many bugs in my teeth-it's hard not to smile while riding this bike!

I made it into Pikes Peak country yesterday...rode through Aurora, Parker, Franktown, Elizabeth, Kiowa, Elbert, Colorado Springs, and then back to Aurora via Black Forest, a bunch of dirt roads that spit me back out in Elbert, and then back through Kiowa, Elizabeth, and Parker to home. About 175 miles, and never once stopped for gas.

[rtking]

VERY nice, Mattyboy1976! And thanks for sharing pics as well. The bike looks great! Interesting (and good) to read the comments about the tires on sand. I guess it's a 90/10 tire, so perhaps knobbier (as you stated) would be better for that type of riding? At any rate, at 175 miles, that's a great first ride!

BTW, my AAA office in California found my bike under Zongshen instead of CSC. Maybe have your DMV check against the Zongshen name?

[Weldangrind]

Glad to hear that you're enjoying your new RX3, Matt. Do you still have the T-Dub?

[detours]

Great pics and congrats on your new bike! My wife and I ride almost every weekend and we'd love to meet up sometime. We're northwest of Denver near the foothills.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by MattyBoy1976

So my bike arrived with 36 miles on the odometer, and I just changed the oil today, at 333 miles.

So far, here are my impressions...

Thanks for posting your initial impressions, and the beautiful photos. The blue bike looks great, even if orange is fastest.

You were wise to install the oil screens the correct way. The oil screens are designed with a wide opening of 11 mm, and a narrow opening of 9 mm. The wide, 11 mm opening is designed to slide over the nipple of an oil journal which feeds the oil pump. You can feel the oil screen seat onto the nipple when you install it properly. Both ends of the oil screen are 14 mm in diameter, and either end will make a friction fit inside the oil screen plug, which seals off the end of the oil screen.

I highly recommend the Shinko 244, and Kenda K270 tires. After 11,000 miles, its time to replace my Kenda, K270 front tire, because of uneven wear. Next time I will flip the tire after 4,000 miles, and extend the mileage even further. Amazingly, the Shinko, 244 rear tire still has usable tread after 11,000 miles, thanks to the superb cush drive on the rear wheel.

Indeed, remove the skid plate before draining the engine oil. I can now drain the engine oil while making very little mess. I will soon post a thread on this topic.

[SpudRider]

Incidentally, it is much easier to install/remove the windshield, if you remove the headlight assembly first. It isn't difficult to remove/install the headlight assembly with the windshield in place.

[DanKearney]

Originally Posted by MattyBoy1976

The next hardest part was having the bike sitting there looking at me all weekend, and not being able to ride it! I planned on getting it registered on Friday, but due to the shipping mixup, that didn't happen. I went in Monday and was able to get a temporary registration while Arapahoe County tries to figure out a four-character code for CSC-not sure how that's going to work, but until they do, I can't get a permanent plate.

Glad to read your bike arrived in good nick and ready to ride. CME delivered mine also, up in Gilpin County. The pallet was broken in two when it arrived, but the bike was OK.

I'm surprised Arapaho County DMV is having any issues. We other Colorado owners had no problem getting our plates immediately. Weird.

Cheers,

Dan K.

[Grandfather Frog]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Here's a nice walk-around video of the Zongshen RX3 being sold in Greece. This video shows some nice closeup views of the bike, and I like the Greek music.

Actually, this is my RX3...

I am the guy with the grey polo t-shirt an the long hair...

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Grandfather Frog

Actually, this is my RX3...

I am the guy with the grey polo t-shirt an the long hair...

Welcome back! Where have you been? I though you had disappeared forever.

[MattyBoy1976]

Originally Posted by detours

Great pics and congrats on your new bike! My wife and I ride almost every weekend and we'd love to meet up sometime. We're northwest of Denver near the foothills.

One of these days I'll get brave and drive across the metro area and head west. One of my coworkers refers to I-225, I-70, and I-270 as the "thunderdome," and if you're a local and you've seen the movie, you know why! When I wanted to ride my T-dub in the mountains, I loaded it on the back of my truck and hauled it across town, and then rode when I got to the hills. This RX3 inspires confidence, however...maybe I'll be brave sooner than later, anyway.

Thanks for posting your initial impressions, and the beautiful photos. The blue bike looks great, even if orange is fastest.

It seems that the consensus is that the orange is fastest, and red has more torque, so I guess blue seems to go best with the amazing blue skies we enjoy about 340 days out of the year here in Colorado...yep, I'll go with that!

I highly recommend the Shinko 244, and Kenda K270 tires. After 11,000 miles, its time to replace my Kenda, K270 front tire, because of uneven wear. Next time I will flip the tire after 4,000 miles, and extend the mileage even further. Amazingly, the Shinko, 244 rear tire still has usable tread after 11,000 miles, thanks to the superb cush drive on the rear wheel.

Sounds good to me-after putting new tires on my wife's car this spring, I'm pleasantly surprised at how relatively inexpensive motorcycle tires are. Too bad they don't sell them at Costco, though!

I'm surprised Arapaho County DMV is having any issues. We other Colorado owners had no problem getting our plates immediately. Weird.

I wish you could go to the DMV twice in a row and get the same answer. I'd guess that it's a little more laid back in Gilpin County-the average time I've had to wait down here in Arapahoe is 2-2.5 hours, and it's a pain! Makes me think it might be time to move to a more rural area, for sure. I got a call from them saying I can come get my plate, and I don't even have to wait in line this time, though, so I'll be interested to see if they came up with the same vehicle make abbreviation as the rest of the counties-kind of awkward if they're all different!

[detours]

Mattyboy, I'm glad your plate is finally ready. Yeah, be careful in the thunderdome! I've ridden I-70 and I-25 down to the tech center a couple of times, but it's no cakewalk.

[G19Tony]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Thanks for posting your initial impressions, and the beautiful photos. The blue bike looks great, even if orange is fastest.

Such a kidder!

[Co2]

The rx3 have Rpm clock/Tachometer , i interested where measure that rpm data coming ? , from statör? or ignition coil? (my moto have speedometer, but not have RPM , and need all parts replacement after running in again rodaj, )

[ElectricCircus]

Originally Posted by Co2

The rx3 have Rpm clock/Tachometer , i interested where measure that rpm data coming ? , from statör? or ignition coil?

Hi Co2.

The manual states that the RPM signal for the tachometer is generated by the CDI module, Y/B (yellow/black?) wire.



My suggestion: remove the seat and look there for any loose connector, specially those at the CDI module. Will help doing that with the engine running at idle, looking at the RPM indicator while moving the cables: if the RPM needle jumps or becomes alive again, you'll got the point of faulty connection.