What Did You Do to Your RX3 Today? - Page 50

NzBrakelathes · 10-03-2018, 10:58 AM

Try this first:
Fit the buttons but not tight.
Mount box then tighten the bolts see if it “centers” better.
Or file a little on each side of the inner ring of the buttons to add some clearance

calvarez · 10-03-2018, 11:35 AM

First note: This is not enough to make them unusable, just mildly annoying. Also I've placed/removed the top case more in the last few days than I will normally.

I installed and tightened them first, and found the very hard fit. So I loosened them all, and fit the case much more easily. But then removing it...took some hitting. I think it's just that the rack and case are not machined to tight tolerances. So it appears that the slot is a bit too narrow to allow that sort of tolerance. I'll spend more time with it and share ideas, but it may be a couple weeks as I leave for a ten day trip this weekend and I'm not sure how much time I have free before it.

Last night I swapped the air filter (you're right, convenient to have two), did a LOT of degreasing, chain adjustment, general check/clean/tighten, and found that there was a GPS cellular tracker on the bike. Put it all back together and noted that fit/finish and body panel design is easily on par with the major brands, or maybe better in some places.

KenL · 10-03-2018, 06:06 PM

"and found that there was a GPS cellular tracker on the bike."

I like how you just slide that into the post. Is that a secret Zongshen option? Or is the CIA/Trump tracking Chinese Motorcycle buyers?

sqwert · 10-03-2018, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenL

"and found that there was a GPS cellular tracker on the bike."

I like how you just slide that into the post. Is that a secret Zongshen option? Or is the CIA/Trump tracking Chinese Motorcycle buyers?

It is the 21st century, and everything is tracked and recorded.

Calvarez, how about a pick and description of your tracker.

NzBrakelathes · 10-03-2018, 10:21 PM

Zongshen use to give away a free tracker
My last bike had one n got stolen but everyone knows where the tracker is so that got pulled out n bike gone cause the shit assbowl knew where to find it under the seat!
Useless in the end huh

sqwert · 10-04-2018, 10:00 PM

If Roxy has a tracker I to hide it somewhere else on the bike than the factory location simply to point and laugh at the convict who thinks he has a brain.

calvarez · 10-04-2018, 10:11 PM

It's a generic cell/GPS module that you can buy for anything you want to track. Part number XT4550V21100040T, model number is XT4550 or XT4500 series. Apparently they were OEM on Gold Wings in the early 2000s. It has a battery backup and is still running days later. It's not on service, or at least, the lights say it can't connect. It's an old cell technology that is being shut down, and probably doesn't work in my area (1xRTT). I put it on eBay just to see what happens.

Today I swapped in EBC front brake pads, lubed the clutch cable, and installed a kit I got from Tako that lengthens the lever on the engine to make it a longer, softer throw. Between those two things, the clutch is SOOOO soft. Haven't ridden it yet.

And did more degreasing. This thing had no dirt, but lots of grease. It was just a commuter bike in downtown L.A. That will change.

I have a Viper remote cell control and tracker in my Jeep. I can remote start, lock/unlock, and track it. I also get alerts if it moves outside a range from me.

Also, I love this bike. Rides well above its pedigree and price.

KenL · 10-05-2018, 06:12 PM

What I did this week ( including today ). Got my RX3 on Monday, assembled it, registered it and took a test ride to gas it up. Rained on Tuesday. Rode 60 mile round trip to work and back on Wednesday, found both the shift lever and rear brake a bit to high for comfort. Thursday did some internet research and found how to adjust the rear brake to lower it and moved the shift lever one spline. Today I did the 60 mile round trip to work again, shifter position now perfect and rear brake almost perfect ( one more small adjustment this week end ). So far I'm really liking this RX3 and looking forward to getting through the break in period.

calvarez · 10-06-2018, 10:11 AM

Changed my oil last night, made a stupid mess. I didn't realize how much would drain into the guard, and especially the fact that it would be launched off the left side right past my drain pan. Sigh. The oil seemed well due, the screens were perfectly clean though, and the filter seemed clean. I took a sample to go to Blackstone Labs for an analysis--just curious. I went with Rotella T6.

Tried to change the headlight to LED, but the one I got is garbage. It looked just like one that was highly recommended, but clearly not. Huge pain to put together, and then it was basically just a blob of light. The "high" beam made it brighter downward, not up. I'll go out today and see if I can find the Pathfinder H4NF that CSC sells.

The clutch mod from Tako does work, is an improvement. Not just in softness, but the expanded engagement zone. Dude was right, it's a better ride. I recommend it.

Swapped in a Bike Master XR650 shift lever with folding tip, $26.

Lubed the bag hinges and locks, seemingly for the first time.

sqwert · 10-07-2018, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calvarez

Also, I love this bike. Rides well above its pedigree and price.

Agreed! Not perfect, just readily forgivable. I totaled mine at 770 miles, restored all but a couple tiny dings on the tank, and probably added the price of a new RX3 in accessories and upgrades. Now I'm working on nit-picky improvements money can not buy. Never thought another bike would stimulate such thinking after the customs I've built over the past 54 years. Some of my herd:

2 1976 CB550F, 1 showroom stock, 1 712cc dresser;
4 TW200, 1 a bit tweeked for adventures, 1 major mods for very rough offroad, 1 major mods for adventure, 1 café racer right down to triple discs, Kevlar 17s, 6-speed close ratio, 100+mph easy. Probably world's fastest TW.
3 XR750, mid-'70ish, 2 flat trackers, 1 road racer, all showroom stock
2 Maico 501, 1 showroom stock, 1 fitted with big clutch, almost double stock horsepower, custom 7 gallon tank for desert racing.
3 XL250, 1 showroom stock, 1 bored and stroked in a Redline MX frame with long history of MX and desert wins from the '70s, 1 bored and stroked in Redline dirt track frame.
3 XL350, 1 showroom stock, 1 bored and stroked in a Redline MX frame, replaced Maico 501 racer, 1 bored and stroked in a Redline dirt track frame.
2 SL100, one stock, one bored and stroked XL125 engine with Yoshimura 6-speed and magnesium top end to race 175 flat track.
1 XL 125 bored and stroked to race 175 MX and desert.

I have another 20-25 in the shed. Sadly, I've let a few go, like a 215 aluminum Buick powered Boss Hogg prototype and a CB750F SOHC with a Yoshimura top end, cam, close ratio trans, Mikuni carbs, Rickman road race frame and plastics. Sometimes I do really stupid things.

Never thought a Chinese bike would be as nearly stimulating a specialty build as these.

Will be relocating the tracker next time home.

NzBrakelathes · 10-10-2018, 01:54 AM

Here is my observation over the time (4 months or so) I have been selling RX3 parts etc.
Most guys seem over 40/50ish a bit older and less fussy about the perfection of these bikes, happy with a decent bike decent upgrade or improvement and enjoy wrenching a bit on them.
Prices for parts or upgrades need to be within the same realm as the Rx3 new bike price, cheap enough and good enough to stay within what this bike is etc - no $100s of part or upgrade but within the discounted price range of the bike compared to big main stream bikes.

Prices of parts should reflect between mainstream and decent Chinese bikes.
Small to mid sized mods and upgrades with a good practical function seem to sell fine and 1 person gets something talks n shows then I tend to find another person wanting the same thing.

Keeping prices fair n decent and quality the same and a no BS service seems to tick over the sales etc.

My USA trip (home now) I sold something near $1000 of stuff, met 1 rider. Seems folk rather buy while it is in the USA then in China (really not a big difference to be fair, shipping within the USA not so cheap and average about half if from China)

The Chinese motocross bikes seem to attract a slightly different age group starting a bit lower to in their 50s etc. I sold 2 300 kits to a couple chaps in GA for their AJP PR5 made in Portugal as they run the NC250 as well with Delphi EFI, Sold 300 kits for the Pitster Pro LXR250F, GPX FSE250R RX3 EFI and Carb.

The USA trip was great - went to too many places and drove 3300 miles! in 9 days! (pity no bike but Ok can't have it all huh)

Ok enough ranting from me - I am terrible at being a writer and journalist! lol

KenL · 10-11-2018, 01:45 PM

Installed the centerstand on my 2018. I found one difference from the CSC tutorial. One end of the shaft had a washer bolted/screwed to it's end ( which the tutorial didn't show ) and the circlip grooves at both ends plus it came with 2 circlips. So I put a circlip on the end with the washer and found that the shaft didn't expose the groove at the other end. So I removed the first clip and relied on the washer at that end and the clip at the other. I hope this is OK, maybe somebody from CSC can chime in. I also read about the coin trick for the spring installation either here or somewhere else, 8 to 10 dimes jammed in and the spring just needed a little help to get over the peg, excellent tip.

Next is the 12V/USB kit this afternoon. I'm noticing there is one less part than shows in the tutorial - the resistor that installs under the seat, maybe it's already installed on the 2018. I'll check when I do the installation. Also on tap is my first oil change as I just hit the 200 mile mark.

NzBrakelathes · 10-11-2018, 02:00 PM

[/QUOTE]Next is the 12V/USB kit this afternoon. I'm noticing there is one less part than shows in the tutorial - the resistor that installs under the seat, maybe it's already installed on the 2018. I'll check when I do the installation. Also on tap is my first oil change as I just hit the 200 mile mark.[/QUOTE]

I am surprised your new bike didn't already have the USB and lighter plug.
My understanding is that it is plug n play.
Just remove headlamp and dash, remove the small side bits refit with USB and lighter plug then reinstall and plug them into the harness (plugs should be there)
The green box also should just plug in under the seat/side cover area and all done (plug should be there)

I thought all bikes after mid 2014 (in China at least) all had the USB/Lighter plug.
One thing the USB is only 1 amp output and wont charge the phone while using the phone as a GPS, it is better to use a good 2.1 Amp car lighter charger to be fair.
Modern smart phones actually need a 2.1 amp or more connection to charge and be used at the same time.

My IPhone 6 looses power if I use it as a GPS while plugged into the USB socket so I use a car charger instead.

KenL · 10-11-2018, 06:00 PM

CSC makes this an option to self install, I guess to keep initial price down. It is a simple installation, just CSC's tutorial shows the green module, but it didn't come in my package. When I do the installation, I'll look under the seat and verify that it's already installed.

fjmartin · 10-11-2018, 08:31 PM

Couple things to note:

1 - The USB port in their kit is only 1.0A. That means it won't keep up with most phones and GPSs. As such I didn't install the CSC one. But, I did use the wiring to wire up a switch powered USB from Amazon that supported dual 2.1A.

2 - About a year ago CSC changed the axle for the centerstand to this new design. This helped solve an issue with the previous model. I can't remember what the issue was though. I believe it had something to do with the clip coming off or not fitting properly.

10-11-2018, 08:31 PM	#750
fjmartin Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Redmond, WA. Posts: 534	Couple things to note: 1 - The USB port in their kit is only 1.0A. That means it won't keep up with most phones and GPSs. As such I didn't install the CSC one. But, I did use the wiring to wire up a switch powered USB from Amazon that supported dual 2.1A. 2 - About a year ago CSC changed the axle for the centerstand to this new design. This helped solve an issue with the previous model. I can't remember what the issue was though. I believe it had something to do with the clip coming off or not fitting properly. __________________ 2017 BMW F800GS Adventure
	0

10-03-2018, 10:58 AM	#736
NzBrakelathes Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Hell Posts: 2,408	Try this first: Fit the buttons but not tight. Mount box then tighten the bolts see if it “centers” better. Or file a little on each side of the inner ring of the buttons to add some clearance
	0

10-03-2018, 11:35 AM	#737
calvarez Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 334	First note: This is not enough to make them unusable, just mildly annoying. Also I've placed/removed the top case more in the last few days than I will normally. I installed and tightened them first, and found the very hard fit. So I loosened them all, and fit the case much more easily. But then removing it...took some hitting. I think it's just that the rack and case are not machined to tight tolerances. So it appears that the slot is a bit too narrow to allow that sort of tolerance. I'll spend more time with it and share ideas, but it may be a couple weeks as I leave for a ten day trip this weekend and I'm not sure how much time I have free before it. Last night I swapped the air filter (you're right, convenient to have two), did a LOT of degreasing, chain adjustment, general check/clean/tighten, and found that there was a GPS cellular tracker on the bike. Put it all back together and noted that fit/finish and body panel design is easily on par with the major brands, or maybe better in some places.
	0

10-03-2018, 06:06 PM	#738
KenL Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 19	"and found that there was a GPS cellular tracker on the bike." I like how you just slide that into the post. Is that a secret Zongshen option? Or is the CIA/Trump tracking Chinese Motorcycle buyers?
	0

10-03-2018, 10:21 PM	#740
NzBrakelathes Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Hell Posts: 2,408	Zongshen use to give away a free tracker My last bike had one n got stolen but everyone knows where the tracker is so that got pulled out n bike gone cause the shit assbowl knew where to find it under the seat! Useless in the end huh
	0

10-04-2018, 10:00 PM	#741
sqwert Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 382	If Roxy has a tracker I to hide it somewhere else on the bike than the factory location simply to point and laugh at the convict who thinks he has a brain.
	0

10-04-2018, 10:11 PM	#742
calvarez Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 334	It's a generic cell/GPS module that you can buy for anything you want to track. Part number XT4550V21100040T, model number is XT4550 or XT4500 series. Apparently they were OEM on Gold Wings in the early 2000s. It has a battery backup and is still running days later. It's not on service, or at least, the lights say it can't connect. It's an old cell technology that is being shut down, and probably doesn't work in my area (1xRTT). I put it on eBay just to see what happens. Today I swapped in EBC front brake pads, lubed the clutch cable, and installed a kit I got from Tako that lengthens the lever on the engine to make it a longer, softer throw. Between those two things, the clutch is SOOOO soft. Haven't ridden it yet. And did more degreasing. This thing had no dirt, but lots of grease. It was just a commuter bike in downtown L.A. That will change. I have a Viper remote cell control and tracker in my Jeep. I can remote start, lock/unlock, and track it. I also get alerts if it moves outside a range from me. Also, I love this bike. Rides well above its pedigree and price.
	0

10-05-2018, 06:12 PM	#743
KenL Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 19	What I did this week ( including today ). Got my RX3 on Monday, assembled it, registered it and took a test ride to gas it up. Rained on Tuesday. Rode 60 mile round trip to work and back on Wednesday, found both the shift lever and rear brake a bit to high for comfort. Thursday did some internet research and found how to adjust the rear brake to lower it and moved the shift lever one spline. Today I did the 60 mile round trip to work again, shifter position now perfect and rear brake almost perfect ( one more small adjustment this week end ). So far I'm really liking this RX3 and looking forward to getting through the break in period.
	1

10-06-2018, 10:11 AM	#744
calvarez Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 334	Changed my oil last night, made a stupid mess. I didn't realize how much would drain into the guard, and especially the fact that it would be launched off the left side right past my drain pan. Sigh. The oil seemed well due, the screens were perfectly clean though, and the filter seemed clean. I took a sample to go to Blackstone Labs for an analysis--just curious. I went with Rotella T6. Tried to change the headlight to LED, but the one I got is garbage. It looked just like one that was highly recommended, but clearly not. Huge pain to put together, and then it was basically just a blob of light. The "high" beam made it brighter downward, not up. I'll go out today and see if I can find the Pathfinder H4NF that CSC sells. The clutch mod from Tako does work, is an improvement. Not just in softness, but the expanded engagement zone. Dude was right, it's a better ride. I recommend it. Swapped in a Bike Master XR650 shift lever with folding tip, $26. Lubed the bag hinges and locks, seemingly for the first time.
	0

10-10-2018, 01:54 AM	#746
NzBrakelathes Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Hell Posts: 2,408	Here is my observation over the time (4 months or so) I have been selling RX3 parts etc. Most guys seem over 40/50ish a bit older and less fussy about the perfection of these bikes, happy with a decent bike decent upgrade or improvement and enjoy wrenching a bit on them. Prices for parts or upgrades need to be within the same realm as the Rx3 new bike price, cheap enough and good enough to stay within what this bike is etc - no $100s of part or upgrade but within the discounted price range of the bike compared to big main stream bikes. Prices of parts should reflect between mainstream and decent Chinese bikes. Small to mid sized mods and upgrades with a good practical function seem to sell fine and 1 person gets something talks n shows then I tend to find another person wanting the same thing. Keeping prices fair n decent and quality the same and a no BS service seems to tick over the sales etc. My USA trip (home now) I sold something near $1000 of stuff, met 1 rider. Seems folk rather buy while it is in the USA then in China (really not a big difference to be fair, shipping within the USA not so cheap and average about half if from China) The Chinese motocross bikes seem to attract a slightly different age group starting a bit lower to in their 50s etc. I sold 2 300 kits to a couple chaps in GA for their AJP PR5 made in Portugal as they run the NC250 as well with Delphi EFI, Sold 300 kits for the Pitster Pro LXR250F, GPX FSE250R RX3 EFI and Carb. The USA trip was great - went to too many places and drove 3300 miles! in 9 days! (pity no bike but Ok can't have it all huh) Ok enough ranting from me - I am terrible at being a writer and journalist! lol
	0

10-11-2018, 01:45 PM	#747
KenL Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 19	Installed the centerstand on my 2018. I found one difference from the CSC tutorial. One end of the shaft had a washer bolted/screwed to it's end ( which the tutorial didn't show ) and the circlip grooves at both ends plus it came with 2 circlips. So I put a circlip on the end with the washer and found that the shaft didn't expose the groove at the other end. So I removed the first clip and relied on the washer at that end and the clip at the other. I hope this is OK, maybe somebody from CSC can chime in. I also read about the coin trick for the spring installation either here or somewhere else, 8 to 10 dimes jammed in and the spring just needed a little help to get over the peg, excellent tip. Next is the 12V/USB kit this afternoon. I'm noticing there is one less part than shows in the tutorial - the resistor that installs under the seat, maybe it's already installed on the 2018. I'll check when I do the installation. Also on tap is my first oil change as I just hit the 200 mile mark.
	0

10-11-2018, 02:00 PM	#748
NzBrakelathes Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Hell Posts: 2,408	[/QUOTE]Next is the 12V/USB kit this afternoon. I'm noticing there is one less part than shows in the tutorial - the resistor that installs under the seat, maybe it's already installed on the 2018. I'll check when I do the installation. Also on tap is my first oil change as I just hit the 200 mile mark.[/QUOTE] I am surprised your new bike didn't already have the USB and lighter plug. My understanding is that it is plug n play. Just remove headlamp and dash, remove the small side bits refit with USB and lighter plug then reinstall and plug them into the harness (plugs should be there) The green box also should just plug in under the seat/side cover area and all done (plug should be there) I thought all bikes after mid 2014 (in China at least) all had the USB/Lighter plug. One thing the USB is only 1 amp output and wont charge the phone while using the phone as a GPS, it is better to use a good 2.1 Amp car lighter charger to be fair. Modern smart phones actually need a 2.1 amp or more connection to charge and be used at the same time. My IPhone 6 looses power if I use it as a GPS while plugged into the USB socket so I use a car charger instead.
	0

10-11-2018, 06:00 PM	#749
KenL Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 19	CSC makes this an option to self install, I guess to keep initial price down. It is a simple installation, just CSC's tutorial shows the green module, but it didn't come in my package. When I do the installation, I'll look under the seat and verify that it's already installed.
	0