Observations on the RX3

[FastDoc]

I may have ridden more CB's than most of the people on this forum. I'm thinking about 10 or more over the years, and I've owned about 4-5 so I'm in a position to say the RX3 is the best CB I've ever ridden.

Spud generously let me evaluate his RX3 and these are my observations.

The seating position is very good, although much too low for me. I'd want a higher seat. I see why ZS makes it so low to allow sales to more people, but for an ADV bike I'd be more comfortable at least 3" higher.

The handlebars and footpegs are well set up for standing while riding off road. Spud has risers on his bike, I don't know if they are stock or not.

The windshield is outstanding. Good clarity and very effective. Diverts wind blast to the upper chest, not the faceshield and does not add noise or turbulence.

The bags are small. The right one especially so, but as Spud points out, for the extra charge ($0), they are a great value ;-)

The rear shock is way oversprung and overdamped for my 165 pound frame. Very harsh.

The contour of the seat is OK but not my preference. I'm more in favor of a broad flat seat on an ADV/off road bike. I's also curved more to the sides than I prefer, adding pressure to the perineum, but I rode it after riding the DRZ about 10 hours so I was a bit pre-fatigued.

The EFI is spot on. No room for improvement.

The transmission was slick and smooth with well-spaced ratios.

Spud regeared his and it felt right for an ADV bike. I would imagine in stock gearing it was way overgeared.

Power is at the low end of fair. I thought it would be more like my KLX but it was much softer. Part of this is the extra weight which is OK. It has enough to do the job though.

Handling was excellent. I do not agree with reviews that say (the street version at least) is twitchy. This thing handled great. The old dashed white line slalom at 55 MPH was very solid and quick. I very much like the handling.

The instrumentation is some of the best and most complete I've seen on any bike, regardless of price.

The lighting is outstanding, although I think Spud added some LED's.

The overall fit and finish and detail work is on the high end of Chinese, like a 200cc ZS or a Q. You know you are not on a Honda or BMW, but you're not paying for one either :-)

The front suspension is good, but poorly matched to the rear. I thought the travel would be on the low end of acceptable for rough off pavement work. I'd say this is a fire road bike, and good single track. I'd not want it on a rocky trail; although in the right hands it would do that. You'd get banged around though.

The front brake sucked. Almost to the point of being unsafe. Grabby, non-progressive, with a major pulsation. I understand this is a known and surmountable defect. The rear brake was good.

The rack, skidplate and guards are all top notch and no extra charge! The saddlebags are good, just small. On the other hand you'll fit between trees. This would be a bigger advantage back East.

I'm happy to address criticisms of my evaluation, but I think this is fair and honest.

[2LZ]

Thanks Doc! I was looking forward to this knowing your CB history and also, being a fellow Q owner.
Fair assessment. I have yet to have the front brake issues on mine and it's working pretty well (with upgraded pads)....but I'm sure its performance may wane down the road. The bags are on the smallish side but for quick town runs, they're perfect for me. (translation: They hold beer. ;-) )

I can tell you, I spent quite a bit of time addressing the rear shock issue and got mine dialed in to be more than acceptable. It's now balanced with the front....so "adequate" is achievable.

Thanks for the write-up!

[FastDoc]

A nice thing about the RX3 for you in particular 2LZ is that with it's EFI you can ride from Volcano to anywhere in the Sierras and maintain a perfect mixture. Performance will naturally drop as you climb but the bike will continue to run perfectly. I thought the EFI was a great feature on this bike.

[detours]

Thanks for the review, Fastdoc! When did you test Spud's bike? I'm curious if it had the stock or aftermarket shock when you rode it.

[Jay In Milpitas]

Thanks for the impartial eval, Doc.

Originally Posted by FastDoc

The handlebars and footpegs are well set up for standing while riding off road. Spud has risers on his bike, I don't know if they are stock or not.


The rear shock is way oversprung and overdamped for my 165 pound frame. Very harsh.

Handling was excellent. I do not agree with reviews that say (the street version at least) is twitchy. This thing handled great. The old dashed white line slalom at 55 MPH was very solid and quick. I very much like the handling.


The front brake sucked. Almost to the point of being unsafe. Grabby, non-progressive, with a major pulsation. I understand this is a known and surmountable defect. The rear brake was good.

Spud has indeed added bar risers, not stock. As to the shock being not suited to your 165 lb. frame, how is Spud's frame? I'm not certain his avatar pic is a currant picture.

I agree on the handling. Not sure if the RX and RC share the same frame, but the specs show the RC using 17" rims front and rear, so it's sure to have reduced trail if the frame is the same.

Reports on the front brake have been all over the scale. By ritual, I cleaned my discs and pucks right out of the crate before riding, in case any "goo" was on them. I'm satisfied with the performance on mine, good grab, progressive feel, no pulsing, and have locked it up twice. Once as a test, the other under duress on the road. Others have reported pulsing, weak grip, and such.

Overall, you now understand the fervor of the followers.

[rtking]

Originally Posted by Jay In Milpitas

Once as a test, the other under duress on the road. Others have reported pulsing, weak grip, and such.

Thanks Doc! As other have said, we appreciate the fair, educated review.

In terms of the brakes, my experience has been that they're not strong with the organic pads. With the sintered pads, they were much, much better. But with the big brake rotor kit, it makes for a very strong braking package... though I've not yet been able to lock mine up. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough. But I can certainly feel the bike pitch forward and compress the forks and lighten the rear wheel when I brake hard.

I believe Spud has the 13T counter sprocket on his bike? That should make the bike feel more lively. And unless I'm mistaken, Spud has the Progressive rear shock and spring on his bike.

I also agree the street handling on the RX3 is very good and very assuring. I had read Motorcycle.com's review of the RC3 and they felt that it was twitchy. I have no such complaints about my RX3... it's stable and just a hoot in the twisty stuff.

[FastDoc]

I just rode Spud's bike a few days ago. I believe that he has a different spring on it, but I think it is the same shock absorbency. You'll be able to verify that once he checks in on this thread.

And yes, I do understand the excitement about this motorcycle. It really has to be one of the best dollar to fun ratios in a new motorcycle.

It seems to me that whatever problems I found, or for the most part easily correctable. The only things that I would want to change if it was my motorcycle would be the seat (much higher and much flatter for my preferences) and the rear shock absorber.

Spud had mentioned that the front brake is a problem that some people have, some people don't. It feels like a severely warped rotor, but he says that it is actually varying width.

[FastDoc]

As such, I would imagine it could theoretically be machined, but I am sure that would not leave enough material and it would just warp. I would not say that it is weak on his bike, it's just that it pulls is severely, and would certainly grab riding off-road, or a panic stop on road. It would be interesting to see what other motorcycle brakes could be used instead. It is also interesting that this is not a universal problem.

Spud, I am sure, has more miles on the bike than most people. I don't remember, but I think he was somewhere around 18,000. I do not know when the problem started.

[pyoungbl]

A new disc is only $50. You would pay a decent machinist that much to run the old one through a surface grinder.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

As such, I would imagine it could theoretically be machined, but I am sure that would not leave enough material and it would just warp. I would not say that it is weak on his bike, it's just that it pulls is severely, and would certainly grab riding off-road, or a panic stop on road. It would be interesting to see what other motorcycle brakes could be used instead. It is also interesting that this is not a universal problem.

Spud, I am sure, has more miles on the bike than most people. I don't remember, but I think he was somewhere around 18,000. I do not know when the problem started.

Has spud been on vacation from the forum, haven't seen a lot from him here of late?

Take care of that perineum

[katoranger]

Weather is nice. He is riding I am sure.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by katoranger

Weather is nice. He is riding I am sure.

Thanks kato, saw the other threads just after I posted.

Wish I had some terrain in my neck of the woods, it all private and fenced in here in texas with a shotgun welcome if you venture too far. Been searching however and have found some good dirt roads so far.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting your review, Doc.

I have installed the aftermarket shock absorber from Progressive. However, FastDoc tested the bike with the heaviest spring, which is far too stiff for his 165 pounds. This spring is also too stiff for me, so I am going to switch to the lighter shock spring sometime later this week.

My original, front brake rotor started to pulsate around 4,000 miles. I replaced it with a new brake rotor from CSC, and the problem disappeared, only to reappear around 15,000 miles. I got another replacement rotor from CSC, and I am going to install it later this week.

[detours]

Spud , is the spring marked so you can tell which weight you have?

I wonder if I got the heavier spring. My progressive shock rode like a rock and reducing preload did nothing but lower the seat because the spring is so short there was nothing to decompress. I put the stock shock back on with zero preload and it's better than the progressive.

[FastDoc]

11,000 miles per $50 rotor not so bad