Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2 CDI Failure at 10,800 Miles

[katoranger]

You may want to consider converting the other lighting over to LED to free up power for the baja lights. It would be less drain on the battery and a pretty cheap mod. Plus they don't burn out easily.

Ask Spud for sources. The work has already been done for you.

Also it really may not be your battery, just that the stator cannot keep up with the drain from those lights. If you park the bike right after using the baja lights and do not give the battery a chance to recover it will be low the next morning and not able to crank the bike. The battery can recover in the morning ride without those lights on and then will start in the afternoon because it was recharge by the stator.

That is my theory. The little float charger would probably be enough to recover the battery after your night ride for a morning start. Or maybe run a second UPS battery to run the lights.

Allen

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Dahamaster

…I used Krylon's Fusion spray paint. Only prep I did with the plastic was to remove all the decals (except the three little black stripes on the side covers-I was able to mask those out) and rub the plastic down with a small amount of Coleman's white gas to try and get some of the grime off. That's it. I applied two coats of paint over two days...it dries super fast. And put 'er back together in about an hour and that's was it. Didn't have any trouble with the paint at all...sticks really well to the plastic. Once it's dry you can not tell that the plastic has been painted--it looks like the factory colored plastic. Just have to be careful at the gas station during fill-up…

Yes, Krylon Fusion is a great spray paint for plastic! The Safety Yellow you selected for your bike looks great. I experimented with the Krylon Fusion in Safety Orange, but it did not match the KTM Orange of my Polisport front fender. Therefore, I used Krylon Fusion for primer paint, and I finished the ABS plastic with a Valspar Orange I bought at Lowes.

Originally Posted by Dahamaster

…I didn't even think about a Baja tank for it...that might be a good mod in the future…

It can be a difficult task to get a fuel tank to fit properly. Since the Zong is a Yamaha clone, I recommend the 4.1-gallon, Clarke fuel tank designed for the Yamaha XT225.

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...ewtopic&t=8911

Originally Posted by Dahamaster

…The Baja lights are great and a must have at night. Big difference over just running the headlight. They're supposed to be for off-road use only, but I adjusted them down so it's not too blinding for other drivers. (only problem is they are a huge drain on the battery)

If you slightly modify a standard, H4, halogen bulb, it will fit perfectly in the stock, Zong headlamp assembly. I am very pleased with the 55W/60W, H4, halogen headlamp bulbs I am currently using in my Zong.

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...ewtopic&t=8773

Spud

[Dahamaster]

It's been awhile since my last post and have a couple of nuisance issues that I'd like to pose to the group. A lot has happened over the past 18 months or so, all bad I'm afraid. My Zong is the only thing left now.

Issue one is the starter. Long story short, I just got the bike back from being in the shop for 4 months [I was laid up from crashing my Suzuki 800 Intruder riding to a job interview--big rock...didn't miss it. So time wasn't an issue]. Gear box/shifting problem...bike wouldn't shift down into the lower gears. Thought it was the spring on the gear shift shaft-which had been replaced once before (2010), so I decided to buy the whole gear shift assembly from Nestor at Zongshen. Got the bike back and "tried" to ride it home...called the shop and asked if they took if for a test ride? Took it back to the shop and it sat for a long while before I bit hard on the bullet (money) and told him to tear it down and find the problem. Easy fix it seems-some kind of clip, but many hard earned dollars later I show up to pick the bike up and now it won't start using the electric starter. The guys at the shop of course never bothered to charge my battery and gave me back a clean, kick starting bike with a dead battery.

Anyway, when you hit the starter it just "clicks." I rode the bike to another shop (a Ridenow Power Sports shop close by) and they tested my batteries. Fortunately I had a brand new spare battery handy. Battery checked out good. The one I took out is of course a brick now. Again, all it does is "click" when you hit the starter. I've got lights and everything else is working. Rides fine, but I have to kick it if it stalls. (real pain in the @ss at a stop light)

The other nagging issue is the front brake. I've already replaced both the master cylinder and the caliper and it still freezes up the wheel. I have to pull off the road once each week to do an emergency bleed. The lever gets so pumped up you can't budge it and the brake is engaged to the point that you can't turn the wheel. Once I bleed it it's fine; but after maybe a week or sooner, it stiffens and seizes up again. So, I'm going to try replacing the master cylinder with a different model off a DR. If that doesn't work, then the only thing left I haven't tried is replacing the brake line. But I'm getting fluid out of the line just fine.

Any ideas? Anybody else come across similar problems??

[FastDoc]

Welcome back .

Sorry to hear it sounds like you've been through a lot. Hope things are getting better for you :wink: .

So does it start with the new battery? Are the connections and the ground clean and tight? Both my Zongs had somewhat anemic starters, and one sometimes spun kinda slowly even with a charged battery :? .

I'm not familiar with transmission issues in this model, sounds like some generic bad luck there.

Maybe you have too much fluid in the brake? Maybe the pads are dragging causing friction and heat buildup and expansion of the fluid. This us a semi-common issue in the Hondoid rear brakes and may be a factor in your front brake.

[SpudRider]

I'm sorry to hear of your accident. :( I certainly hope you are recovering well.

I agree with FastDoc; I think you might have too much fluid in your front brake lines. The brake fluid absorbs heat while braking, and expands in volume. Therefore, if the fluid level in your brake's master cylinder is too high, the brakes can lock up on you.

I would guess your starting problems are caused either by a bad starter relay, or a bad starter motor. To test the starter motor, attach one lead of a voltage meter to the positive lead on the starter motor, and the other lead to ground. Then, with the bike in neutral, hit the start button. If the meter reads 12 volts, or above, the starter motor is getting enough electricity. If the starter motor is getting enough electricity, yet it won't start the bike, the starter motor is bad. If necessary, you can buy a new starter motor from Zongshen America.

Spud