Best chinabike for dualsporting, or japen dualsport

silverman1 · 11-09-2007, 07:32 PM

I have been following, these forums for a while and am not sure what to think. On the one hand my money is limited, but on the other hand if i am better off finding a used big 4 dualsport, it might equal itself out. The Lifan gy5 seems reasonable, but will it last, or blow its cookies and 2000 miles or less. Im sure someday chinabikes will be just as good as the japanese bikes, I just don't want to ultimately end up with the same amount invested in keeping the china bike running.

Please tell me about your experiences with different epa approved china bikes

thanks

Silverman1

culcune · 11-09-2007, 07:50 PM

My Jetmoto died after about 400 miles. It was something I did (long, sad story told long time ago); but prior to its dying, it had a bad habit of stalling, even after warm-up, in the middle of intersections. I don't think the throttle was ever adjusted correctly, and then the engine died. It took me over a year to get a new replacement engine, which I purchased on Ebay. It was Lifan branded engine (the Jetmoto engine is manufactured for Jetmoto by Zongshen) and the tranny went out after 200 miles. I kept thinking that I got close to 1000 miles out of it, but it was actually 1000 km's!

However, I do think that there are some good bikes, and perhaps I should have gotten the Lifan LF200GY-5 model. For the price new, it seems to have the best reliability.

However, I have not given up on Chinese bikes, and was just approved for a Qlink XF200 motard-style bike. I will be giving updates, photos, and all that other good stuff. It uses a Suzuki-based engine, unlike most of these bikes that use a Honda-based motor, and out the door, will cost about $2400; approx. half of the Suzuki DR200 street model costs new. It has a 2 year warranty, too, although my closest Qlink dealer is 180 miles away in San Diego, so we will see how that works out if I ever need it.

One brand, Diamo, has an enduro that looks like most of what we all own, and has an MSRP about what the Qlink costs, and also has a killer warranty and even has a breakdown service that will pick you and the bike up and take you to the nearest authorized Diamo dealer if it ever strands you.

UM (formerly United Motors) has an enduro and motard that look much different from most, and seem to have the goods. However, the price is approaching $3k, but you do get a killer 3 year warranty/18 month on drivetrain.

So, no. Not all of these are $900 Ebay bikes, although even those can have some very good bang for the buck reliability, assuming you are good with bikes. Even mine costs me about $1600 total for the bike, and then replacement engine, which I could have whittled down further if I had gone for a "no name" Ebay bike rather than the Jetmoto, and needed an engine.

A japanese used bike can be had for cheap, compared to what they cost new, but you still need to make sure you aren't getting someone's reject.

parallax · 11-09-2007, 08:06 PM

I love my Shineray Speedee...it has been fantastic...i'm well over 2k mile...and it rocks...

Under 1grand from Powersportsmax...no complaints here...

8)

tzrider · 11-09-2007, 08:50 PM

If you look at the engine on the recently introduced electric start Honda XR200, it's the spittin' image of my Diamo OHC motor. I mean, it's just plain too erie to not be sourced from china! I don't know that it is, I'm just sayin'.....

The Diamo is a good bike. I've had mine 3+ years now and I don't show it a lot of love. The electrics really aren't Japanese quality, but I can't knock the motor. The thing has given my zilch problems and I ride the heck out of it off road and on road.

TeamCheap · 11-09-2007, 08:58 PM

Well I hate to chime in but feel I must.

My wife and I bought two lifan-greys (grey market bikes) and they have been fun and frustrating but two for around $2700 hasnt been to bad but I, at this time wouldnt do it again and would just get a drz400 and a tw200 for the wife.

For the hassles we have had even with them being new bikes it just would have been better with a decent used jap bike or a new one if I had wanted to spent the money.
I feel for what I have had to do to get my bike to be able to take the use/abuse I put on it on the trails I could have done a lot of repairs and upgrades to a used jap bike and had less hassles in the long run.

Ok so not counting the extra engine I bought because I wanted it not needed it (wanted the OHC) i have about an extra $400 or so but if you factor in my labor and bike downtime the jap bike would have been a better deal.

I can say now though that my bike is a very solid bike and only needs some suspension tweaking to realy get it set nice but it did take a bit of work to get it there.

Q · 11-09-2007, 09:58 PM

I have an American Lifan GY5 and so far I'm very happy with it. Only 8 weeks old and 2600 km but no real problems. Riding so far has been about 60/40 off road/on road so it gets a pretty good workout. Obviously I can't say how long it's going to last but it seems good and solid. It'll get a real good workout next summer when I plan to take some long off road trips. At this point I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Q

SamM · 11-09-2007, 10:23 PM

First, let me say congratulations to culcune on the purchase of that new QLink XF200 'Supermoto'. That looks to be a great little motorcycle! It sounds like you have a good dealer that will work with you.

Earlier this year, I purchased an inexpensive internet sourced chinabike. It was a Jialing Viva VX200SX. The bike cost me $1029 shipped to my door. It was a nice little bike but had a slight suspension issue. I could have worked through, but in the end I didn't like the feel of the bike and the quality of some of the components. Hey, it's a free country. I feel that you really need to lay your hands on what you want to buy. That is very hard to do buying off the internet but a short drive to checkout a bike may prove very helpful in your decision. The Jialing was parted out and to date, I have made a profit (this is over and above the original $1029 purchase price) on that bike of just over $700 give or take a few dollars.

In August, I purchased a new 2006 QLink X-Ranger off eBay for a fraction of what it would have cost me, if purchased from a dealer at MSRP. It was listed at $2899 MSRP. The bike was new but the selling dealer was going out of business and I knew I was taking a big chance. I'm all about saving as much as possible at the time of purchase. This bike was mine for $810 out the door. Wow, what a deal! It wasn't until I got the bike home that I noticed the bent frame. My fault for not looking close enough. You pay the money you take the chance. I won't say anything more but you can read about it in my X-Ranger thread. The bike is in a friend's garage and we'll be working out all the bugs and fixing the bent frame in a few weeks. After parting out my Jialing, I have around $100 in this motorcycle the way it sits right now. The bike is pictured below. I still have a good bit of the Jialing Viva left to sell, so it's just a matter of time until I recover all of my $810 investment.

We have some plans for the X-Ranger. A new rear rack that will actually hold more than 10lbs, new bigger wheels and tires, and new camo bodywork. With just a little money you can remake one of these chinabikes into whatever you want. It all boils down to what you want. Every motorcycle is a compromise and every motorcycle offers a chance for troubled ownership. All brands break and all brands have issues. Anyone that tells you otherwise is lying to you. It's up to you to work through problems or walk away from them. These chinabikes seem to be labor intensive. Meaning you must check them daily and tighten bolts daily. But the experts say you really should do that daily with any bike. I will tell you that these bikes are great fun and the smile factor is right up there with anything else I have ever owned. Currently, my other bikes are Japanese and Austrian. YMMV! :wink:

SamM

tzrider · 11-10-2007, 09:57 AM

I think teamcheap underlines that these things are NOT race bikes. They will do some things, but if you want top of the line off road ability, quality suspension for the triples and woops, you don't want a Chinese bike. They'll get you around town, they'll get you off road if you take your time, but they won't win enduros without a lot of mods. I think the best of 'em are as good as a late 70s Japanese DP bike in the chassis and the motors, so far as I've seen, are solid if not excessively powerful. If you want the latest and greatest and most up to datest, you need to spend more money.

Mine does what I need it to do and didn't cost me much and I can't ask for a lot more than that considering what I gave for it. I got it before Diamo went up on their MSRP to ridiculous levels and added all the warranties.

silverman1 · 11-11-2007, 06:36 PM

I've heard the lifangy5s are the cream of the china bikes, for parts and reliability, but i don't know if this is true or not. I talked with a dealer in virgina that claims his bikes are american lifans and are of very hih quality, quote better than other lifans. The shinray is a nice bike but i can't get it titled in pa. Im looking for something to play in the mud, ride the trails, and dirt roads, no doubles or triples as i doubt my bad back would take it.

I remember the days when you could buy a yamaha enduro 400 for 1400.00. Never had one but I owned dt 125's, 175's and rode 250's they were great.

I just don't want to fork out 1500.00 and have the bike turn into a pile crap in 2000 miles, now maybe 6000 miles

. I know I sound like a cheap sob, but hey some of us have limited funds.

I'll always remember the honda cl 350 i bought for 60.00 dollars, another 60.00 and she was good to go. Honda built good stuff even back in the day, so did yamaha, and the others. Im talking backing in the 70's.

Take care

IronFist · 11-11-2007, 10:22 PM

I just bought a cb350 for $1250. Add another 250$ to get it plated.
I could see spending another 1500$ to get it to where I want it. But I can also see spending another $1000 on something that I didn't want to replace, but have to because problems sneek up on older bikes. For 4 Grand I could have got a nice used 400SM Suzuki. Or I could have got 4 china bikes new. A new 400SM runs about 9000$ up here all fees included and that's way beyond me.

For most people a chinabike isn't a good first bike, but it was for me. With all of the cost being a first time rider, I needed a REALLY cheap first bike. Since it's simple to fix, it was a great bike to learn how to wrench. I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy the sport, but I didn't want to spend a lot of cash finding out for sure. Telling the truth, my 1972 cb twin is pretty much my dream bike. But no matter what bike you graduate to, a china bike makes a great second bike. They're cheap, different from what you got, easy to fix, well the list goes on.

Q · 11-12-2007, 09:19 AM

I had a Honda CL 350 in about 1970. The one with the pipes up the side. It was a good bike but I didn't care for the CV type carbs they used. They had a rubber diaphagm that would get holes in it then the bike would run like crap. Also had problems with the oil pressure actuated cam chain tensioner which I replace with a manual one.

My favorite mid size Honda is the 78 to 82 CX500. Liquid cooled, shaft drive, low maintenance. Amazing bikes but they only get about 45 mpg and weigh close to 500 lbs. I have two of those right now.

The Lifan is a pleasure to ride on the dirt and gravel roads and trails. Nice and light weight. Great for commuting with it's 80 mpg.

katoranger · 11-12-2007, 01:30 PM

I have done some light offroading with mine, but mostly street. I have about 3800 miles and it is showing no signs of failing. It still has mud on it from May when it had 8 miles. I do little maintenance other than change oil, lube chain, and check for loose bolts.

I ride it hard on street.

You might want to look on craigslist for a used one. ($500-1000) They can take there share of off-road use, just not designed for any big jumps.

AZ200cc · 11-12-2007, 04:00 PM

My trailmaster was good on and off road, But I don't think You can get them anymore. But it definatley not a Honda...Still not bad though.

silverman1 · 11-13-2007, 01:35 PM

I just called a guy about a used drz400 for 1600. I guess its not mint, but has a lot of aftermarket mods on it, I might consider looking at it. I used to work for a honda dealer, during the era when 3 wheelers were just starting to reach thier peak, and 4 wheelers were coming in. I remember I could pull a 200x motor and put in a head gasket in about an hour and a 1/2. That was yank the motor, put in the head gasket, and have the motor back in and running in that time. My boss thought that was slow!! All I knew was the faster i worked the more I screwed up. Honda had ridicoulous flat rate times. Thing they forgot to consider was many gaskets had glue in them, and when the motor heated up the gaskets would bake on, they did their job real effectively, but man scraping them off without gouging the soft metal was tough, and trying to make time at it at that. My favorite 3 wheeler was the 250r two stroke fast as heck, easy starting. The 200x and 350x were fussy to start, they would flood real easy. They were extremely fast, but fussy starters. then the v4 magnas you had to set 2 valves at once. it was interesting.

tzrider · 11-13-2007, 03:52 PM

CB350s were okay, but I preferred my RD350 and 400 Yamahas, much more fun. They'd run rings around an old CB and were a lot simpler to maintain. I had expansion chambers and porting on the 350, second gear block long wheelies. :twisted: :twisted:

It's the bike that got me into road racing. I bought the 400 to run production class and made expert on it winning a CRRC class championship.

I've ridden CBs, they were just boring compared to the two stokes of the day. Would keep you out of trouble, though.

But, I was young and dumb and full of .... stuff.

11-09-2007, 07:32 PM	#1
silverman1 Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 42	Best chinabike for dualsporting, or japen dualsport I have been following, these forums for a while and am not sure what to think. On the one hand my money is limited, but on the other hand if i am better off finding a used big 4 dualsport, it might equal itself out. The Lifan gy5 seems reasonable, but will it last, or blow its cookies and 2000 miles or less. Im sure someday chinabikes will be just as good as the japanese bikes, I just don't want to ultimately end up with the same amount invested in keeping the china bike running. Please tell me about your experiences with different epa approved china bikes thanks Silverman1
	0

11-09-2007, 07:50 PM	#2
culcune Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yuma, Arizona Posts: 9,035	My Jetmoto died after about 400 miles. It was something I did (long, sad story told long time ago); but prior to its dying, it had a bad habit of stalling, even after warm-up, in the middle of intersections. I don't think the throttle was ever adjusted correctly, and then the engine died. It took me over a year to get a new replacement engine, which I purchased on Ebay. It was Lifan branded engine (the Jetmoto engine is manufactured for Jetmoto by Zongshen) and the tranny went out after 200 miles. I kept thinking that I got close to 1000 miles out of it, but it was actually 1000 km's! However, I do think that there are some good bikes, and perhaps I should have gotten the Lifan LF200GY-5 model. For the price new, it seems to have the best reliability. However, I have not given up on Chinese bikes, and was just approved for a Qlink XF200 motard-style bike. I will be giving updates, photos, and all that other good stuff. It uses a Suzuki-based engine, unlike most of these bikes that use a Honda-based motor, and out the door, will cost about $2400; approx. half of the Suzuki DR200 street model costs new. It has a 2 year warranty, too, although my closest Qlink dealer is 180 miles away in San Diego, so we will see how that works out if I ever need it. One brand, Diamo, has an enduro that looks like most of what we all own, and has an MSRP about what the Qlink costs, and also has a killer warranty and even has a breakdown service that will pick you and the bike up and take you to the nearest authorized Diamo dealer if it ever strands you. UM (formerly United Motors) has an enduro and motard that look much different from most, and seem to have the goods. However, the price is approaching $3k, but you do get a killer 3 year warranty/18 month on drivetrain. So, no. Not all of these are $900 Ebay bikes, although even those can have some very good bang for the buck reliability, assuming you are good with bikes. Even mine costs me about $1600 total for the bike, and then replacement engine, which I could have whittled down further if I had gone for a "no name" Ebay bike rather than the Jetmoto, and needed an engine. A japanese used bike can be had for cheap, compared to what they cost new, but you still need to make sure you aren't getting someone's reject. __________________ "They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard
	0

11-09-2007, 08:06 PM	#3
parallax Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Western Mass, The Berkshires Posts: 162	I love my Shineray Speedee...it has been fantastic...i'm well over 2k mile...and it rocks... Under 1grand from Powersportsmax...no complaints here... 8) __________________ Alex Ride On!! www.zengineering.cjb.net DB-P12 Shineray Speedee 200 169LFM
	0

11-09-2007, 10:23 PM	#7
SamM Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: West Virginia Posts: 1,194	First, let me say congratulations to culcune on the purchase of that new QLink XF200 'Supermoto'. That looks to be a great little motorcycle! It sounds like you have a good dealer that will work with you. Earlier this year, I purchased an inexpensive internet sourced chinabike. It was a Jialing Viva VX200SX. The bike cost me $1029 shipped to my door. It was a nice little bike but had a slight suspension issue. I could have worked through, but in the end I didn't like the feel of the bike and the quality of some of the components. Hey, it's a free country. I feel that you really need to lay your hands on what you want to buy. That is very hard to do buying off the internet but a short drive to checkout a bike may prove very helpful in your decision. The Jialing was parted out and to date, I have made a profit (this is over and above the original $1029 purchase price) on that bike of just over $700 give or take a few dollars. In August, I purchased a new 2006 QLink X-Ranger off eBay for a fraction of what it would have cost me, if purchased from a dealer at MSRP. It was listed at $2899 MSRP. The bike was new but the selling dealer was going out of business and I knew I was taking a big chance. I'm all about saving as much as possible at the time of purchase. This bike was mine for $810 out the door. Wow, what a deal! It wasn't until I got the bike home that I noticed the bent frame. My fault for not looking close enough. You pay the money you take the chance. I won't say anything more but you can read about it in my X-Ranger thread. The bike is in a friend's garage and we'll be working out all the bugs and fixing the bent frame in a few weeks. After parting out my Jialing, I have around $100 in this motorcycle the way it sits right now. The bike is pictured below. I still have a good bit of the Jialing Viva left to sell, so it's just a matter of time until I recover all of my $810 investment. We have some plans for the X-Ranger. A new rear rack that will actually hold more than 10lbs, new bigger wheels and tires, and new camo bodywork. With just a little money you can remake one of these chinabikes into whatever you want. It all boils down to what you want. Every motorcycle is a compromise and every motorcycle offers a chance for troubled ownership. All brands break and all brands have issues. Anyone that tells you otherwise is lying to you. It's up to you to work through problems or walk away from them. These chinabikes seem to be labor intensive. Meaning you must check them daily and tighten bolts daily. But the experts say you really should do that daily with any bike. I will tell you that these bikes are great fun and the smile factor is right up there with anything else I have ever owned. Currently, my other bikes are Japanese and Austrian. YMMV! :wink: SamM __________________ 2013 Jeep Wrangler Sahara MOAB 2005 BMW E53 X5 2011 Schutt Industries LTT-HC LQG trailer 2017 Coleman CT200U 1978 Yamaha SR500E 1979 Yamaha XS650 Special II
	0

11-11-2007, 06:36 PM	#9
silverman1 Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 42	I've heard the lifan gy5's are good, lets hear about others I've heard the lifangy5s are the cream of the china bikes, for parts and reliability, but i don't know if this is true or not. I talked with a dealer in virgina that claims his bikes are american lifans and are of very hih quality, quote better than other lifans. The shinray is a nice bike but i can't get it titled in pa. Im looking for something to play in the mud, ride the trails, and dirt roads, no doubles or triples as i doubt my bad back would take it. I remember the days when you could buy a yamaha enduro 400 for 1400.00. Never had one but I owned dt 125's, 175's and rode 250's they were great. I just don't want to fork out 1500.00 and have the bike turn into a pile crap in 2000 miles, now maybe 6000 miles . I know I sound like a cheap sob, but hey some of us have limited funds. I'll always remember the honda cl 350 i bought for 60.00 dollars, another 60.00 and she was good to go. Honda built good stuff even back in the day, so did yamaha, and the others. Im talking backing in the 70's. Take care
	0

11-09-2007, 08:50 PM	#4
tzrider Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Texas by gawd! Posts: 407	If you look at the engine on the recently introduced electric start Honda XR200, it's the spittin' image of my Diamo OHC motor. I mean, it's just plain too erie to not be sourced from china! I don't know that it is, I'm just sayin'..... The Diamo is a good bike. I've had mine 3+ years now and I don't show it a lot of love. The electrics really aren't Japanese quality, but I can't knock the motor. The thing has given my zilch problems and I ride the heck out of it off road and on road.
	0

11-09-2007, 08:58 PM	#5
TeamCheap Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: directly under the earths sun............NOW Posts: 2,302	Well I hate to chime in but feel I must. My wife and I bought two lifan-greys (grey market bikes) and they have been fun and frustrating but two for around $2700 hasnt been to bad but I, at this time wouldnt do it again and would just get a drz400 and a tw200 for the wife. For the hassles we have had even with them being new bikes it just would have been better with a decent used jap bike or a new one if I had wanted to spent the money. I feel for what I have had to do to get my bike to be able to take the use/abuse I put on it on the trails I could have done a lot of repairs and upgrades to a used jap bike and had less hassles in the long run. Ok so not counting the extra engine I bought because I wanted it not needed it (wanted the OHC) i have about an extra $400 or so but if you factor in my labor and bike downtime the jap bike would have been a better deal. I can say now though that my bike is a very solid bike and only needs some suspension tweaking to realy get it set nice but it did take a bit of work to get it there.
	0

11-09-2007, 09:58 PM	#6
Q Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bend, Oregon Posts: 348	I have an American Lifan GY5 and so far I'm very happy with it. Only 8 weeks old and 2600 km but no real problems. Riding so far has been about 60/40 off road/on road so it gets a pretty good workout. Obviously I can't say how long it's going to last but it seems good and solid. It'll get a real good workout next summer when I plan to take some long off road trips. At this point I would buy another one in a heartbeat. Q
	0

11-10-2007, 09:57 AM	#8
tzrider Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Texas by gawd! Posts: 407	I think teamcheap underlines that these things are NOT race bikes. They will do some things, but if you want top of the line off road ability, quality suspension for the triples and woops, you don't want a Chinese bike. They'll get you around town, they'll get you off road if you take your time, but they won't win enduros without a lot of mods. I think the best of 'em are as good as a late 70s Japanese DP bike in the chassis and the motors, so far as I've seen, are solid if not excessively powerful. If you want the latest and greatest and most up to datest, you need to spend more money. Mine does what I need it to do and didn't cost me much and I can't ask for a lot more than that considering what I gave for it. I got it before Diamo went up on their MSRP to ridiculous levels and added all the warranties.
	0

11-11-2007, 10:22 PM	#10
IronFist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 2,585	I just bought a cb350 for $1250. Add another 250$ to get it plated. I could see spending another 1500$ to get it to where I want it. But I can also see spending another $1000 on something that I didn't want to replace, but have to because problems sneek up on older bikes. For 4 Grand I could have got a nice used 400SM Suzuki. Or I could have got 4 china bikes new. A new 400SM runs about 9000$ up here all fees included and that's way beyond me. For most people a chinabike isn't a good first bike, but it was for me. With all of the cost being a first time rider, I needed a REALLY cheap first bike. Since it's simple to fix, it was a great bike to learn how to wrench. I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy the sport, but I didn't want to spend a lot of cash finding out for sure. Telling the truth, my 1972 cb twin is pretty much my dream bike. But no matter what bike you graduate to, a china bike makes a great second bike. They're cheap, different from what you got, easy to fix, well the list goes on. __________________ IronFist ___________________________________ The "chain" of command is used for beating spammers. ___________________________________
	0

11-12-2007, 09:19 AM	#11
Q Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bend, Oregon Posts: 348	I had a Honda CL 350 in about 1970. The one with the pipes up the side. It was a good bike but I didn't care for the CV type carbs they used. They had a rubber diaphagm that would get holes in it then the bike would run like crap. Also had problems with the oil pressure actuated cam chain tensioner which I replace with a manual one. My favorite mid size Honda is the 78 to 82 CX500. Liquid cooled, shaft drive, low maintenance. Amazing bikes but they only get about 45 mpg and weigh close to 500 lbs. I have two of those right now. The Lifan is a pleasure to ride on the dirt and gravel roads and trails. Nice and light weight. Great for commuting with it's 80 mpg.
	0

11-12-2007, 01:30 PM	#12
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	I have done some light offroading with mine, but mostly street. I have about 3800 miles and it is showing no signs of failing. It still has mud on it from May when it had 8 miles. I do little maintenance other than change oil, lube chain, and check for loose bolts. I ride it hard on street. You might want to look on craigslist for a used one. ($500-1000) They can take there share of off-road use, just not designed for any big jumps. __________________ You meet the nicest people on a Honda Clone.
	0

11-12-2007, 04:00 PM	#13
AZ200cc Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Show Low Arizona Posts: 2,889	My trailmaster was good on and off road, But I don't think You can get them anymore. But it definatley not a Honda...Still not bad though. __________________ <br />2001 Suzuki DR200SE<br />1997 Suzuki RM250 YIKES<br />1995 Yamaha Breeze 125 daughters<br />1991 Honda XR80r Restored<br />maybe a 2003 Yamaha TTR90
	0

11-13-2007, 01:35 PM	#14
silverman1 Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 42	alot of them honda 350s out there I just called a guy about a used drz400 for 1600. I guess its not mint, but has a lot of aftermarket mods on it, I might consider looking at it. I used to work for a honda dealer, during the era when 3 wheelers were just starting to reach thier peak, and 4 wheelers were coming in. I remember I could pull a 200x motor and put in a head gasket in about an hour and a 1/2. That was yank the motor, put in the head gasket, and have the motor back in and running in that time. My boss thought that was slow!! All I knew was the faster i worked the more I screwed up. Honda had ridicoulous flat rate times. Thing they forgot to consider was many gaskets had glue in them, and when the motor heated up the gaskets would bake on, they did their job real effectively, but man scraping them off without gouging the soft metal was tough, and trying to make time at it at that. My favorite 3 wheeler was the 250r two stroke fast as heck, easy starting. The 200x and 350x were fussy to start, they would flood real easy. They were extremely fast, but fussy starters. then the v4 magnas you had to set 2 valves at once. it was interesting.
	0

11-13-2007, 03:52 PM	#15
tzrider Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Texas by gawd! Posts: 407	CB350s were okay, but I preferred my RD350 and 400 Yamahas, much more fun. They'd run rings around an old CB and were a lot simpler to maintain. I had expansion chambers and porting on the 350, second gear block long wheelies. :twisted: :twisted: It's the bike that got me into road racing. I bought the 400 to run production class and made expert on it winning a CRRC class championship. I've ridden CBs, they were just boring compared to the two stokes of the day. Would keep you out of trouble, though. But, I was young and dumb and full of .... stuff.
	0