First 37 Km Report
 

My 2006 Zongshen Sierra arrived six days ago, but my mechanic friend and I were both out of town until last evening. Therefore, we waited until today to assemble my motorcycle.

This afternoon I contacted the County Sheriff’s Office and arranged for a Vehicle Identification Number inspection. Thirty minutes after I called the sheriff, a deputy arrived at my friend’s shop and completed the VIN Inspection.

I then traveled to my Idaho County Assessor’s office. I presented the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO), a bill of sale, and the completed Vehicle Identification Number Inspection form. After ten minutes of paperwork I left the office with my license plate, vehicle registration and off-road sticker. May God bless the great, free, Western State of Idaho! I then went to my insurance agent and got Cadillac coverage for the Zongshen for a mere $50 every six months!

:D

After work my friend uncrated the bike, and he assembled it while I assisted. Everything went smoothly, with one exception; we had to make a longer cable to replace the original cable going from the solenoid to the positive terminal of the battery.

When the battery was placed in its under-seat container with the terminals fore, a plastic projection from the battery extended over the bike’s frame. This projection prevented us from replacing the seat onto the motorcycle. Therefore, we rotated the battery 180 degrees, and placed it into its container with the battery terminals aft. The plastic projection now extended to the left, and we could replace the seat. The negative battery cable was long enough, but my friend needed to create a new, longer battery cable to reach the positive terminal.

After we made several test rides, I rode the bike away from the shop. I was enjoying myself so much that I continued riding for a total of 37 kilometers this evening.

At this point I am very pleased with my new Zongshen. The electric start works great; the bike starts easily and quickly every time. The gearbox shifts smoothly, and I have no trouble whatsoever finding neutral when the bike is stopped. The engine is smooth and responsive. I weigh 230 pounds, and I can easily get the bike to reach 60 mph on level ground. The brakes work great, as do the turn signals. The headlight on this motorcycle is superb!

:D

When I get my new digital camera I will post some pictures. I am still awaiting the arrival of my DOT knobby tires before I take the bike off-road.

:D

" I left the office with my license plate"

That has got to be a better feeling than the day you received the bike. It sure was for me. :D For me the licence plate changes garage clutter into a motorcycle.

IronFist wrote, "That has got to be a better feeling than the day you received the bike. It sure was for me. For me the licence plate changes garage clutter into a motorcycle."

Amen. :D :D :D

Enjoy your Zong Spud! I have about 520+miles on my Sierra now and fully enjoying the bike...Congrats on your purchase

Thank you, bex! :D

I went for a little road trip this evening, about sixty miles out and back. After I returned home, I rode around town a little bit. All told, I probably traveled about 140 miles. :D

Today I found that I could cruise all day at 60 mph, and I even pegged the speedometer at 72 mph on several occasions. :D

I really enjoy the gearbox on this bike. Shifting is always reliable, and I never have problems finding neutral.

If the other vendor ever sends me the knobby tires I ordered, I plan to go off-road. The Cheng Shin Barracuda tires that came with my bike are very nice for the street, but I really don't want to take them into the dirt.

I have found that I especially enjoy riding the Zong while exploring town after dark. The headlamp and turn signals on this bike are excellent.

However, I do wish the fuel tank were larger. I had to go onto the reserve tank this evening when I temporarily forgot my plans to fuel up. :oops:

Spud :wink:

Yeah...reserve caught me off guard once or twice as well. I currently get about 150-160miles on a tank and often have to adjust my routes to ensure I can top off prior to an enroute shutdown to switch to the reserve tank (hell its not a KLR with a 6.1Gal tank) wishing it was a bit better but cie la vie...One thing is certain, I love my Zong, but the KLR is my next bike purchase!!!

Well, peaking out. Constant speed is about 105 km/h

Max,

Thanks for posting the great photos of your Zong! Please tell us more about the modifications you made on your taillight and turn signals. Also, what is the name and model number for your replacement mirrors? Do they work well? Where do you get them, and how much do they cost?

Spud :D

Well, Led stop light i bought from here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=110203234472

Turn signals from here:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/2-PAIRS-4X-MOTORC...713.m153.l1262

Mirrors from here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/YAMAH...spagenameZWDVW
You need to buy 8mm fine thread

Mirrors are kind of short and small, i need to buy a bigger ones.

bye[/url]

How does the LED taillight work?

I may add one for additional brakelight visability.

Allen

They work whell, just buy one with red plastic cover (not transparent).

Zongshen first impressions
 

I purchased a 2006 ZS 200 Black and Orange a few weeks ago new in crate. This was a pretty big leap of faith for me; as I have not seen one of the bikes in person, and I have never even ridden on a motorcycle before.

The dealer arranged for me to pick it up directly from Zongshen at their Memphis warehouse. $1398 OTD . I'm still waiting for the MSO :(

I found out the crate will fit in a the bed of a full sized pickup truck, but the metal feet will scratch the hell out of the paint. Good thing the truck was a rental. Also, you really need more than one person to unload the crate. Believe me, it is possible to unload it yourself but it's not much fun!

The bike looks great. I was not sure about the color before ordering it, but now I really like it. I bought a orange and black jacket, and orange helmet to go with it. I'm sure I look like a big pumpkin rolling down the street, but my rationale is it might help cars see me better.

Once I got it home I followed the DS prep thread when assembling it. I did have one problem though. I struggled for a few hours trying to get the bike started. After taking half of the bike apart and checking every electrical connection twice, I realized it helps to have the kill switch turned off.

I have no done much riding yet. Mainly parking lots, and subdivision streets. I just realized today that my speedometer is in km/h. Is this normal for all China bikes?

I noticed I have an exhaust leak. I went to he auto parts store and made a gasket for it but I still notice some vapor at night in front of the headlight. Could this just be heat from the engine?

The other problem I'm having is figuring out the choke. The choke seems like it has two settings On and Off. The problem s I don't really know if it is off or on. The manual does not even mention the choke.
When I turn the choke to either extreme the bike seems to idle the same. Even when warmed up. If I move the lever in the middle the engine revs higher. Any ideas?

One last issue I'm dealing with is another example of my newbie status to riding. Since my bike does not have a Tach, I'm not sure how much I'm revving it. I'm not really sure if I'm revving it too high and I don't really know when I need to shift. Will an automotive tachometer from the auto parts store work?

Welcome comrade Zongshen rider!
 

Cmike,

Congratulations on your new bike! You made a great choice getting the Zong, and you got a very good deal. I also ordered an orange Sierra 200. :D

My speedometer reads both kph and mph, but the larger figures are in kph. In fact, the mph figures are so small that they are very difficult to read at night. However, there are two solutions to this problem.

Using your memory is the first, simpler solution. If you multiply kph times point 6 (.6), you will get mph. Therefore, forty kph is very close to twenty-five mph. Sixty kph is very close to thirty-five mph. Eighty kph is very close to fifty mph, and one hundred kph is very close to sixty mph. These are common speed limits for the urban and secondary roads you will usually travel while riding your Sierra 200.

The second solution is to get some colored electrical tape from Lowes or Home Depot. Cut out some small triangular “arrows,” and mark the speedometer for some common speeds, e.g. 25, 35, 50 and 60 mph. You can quickly approximate your speed whenever the speedometer needle is between two of the pieces of electrical tape.

Interestingly enough, my odometer records miles traveled, not kilometers. I checked it by measuring a mile distance driven with my automobile. I then traveled the same distance riding my motorcycle, and the odometer clicked off one unit. If you travel a mile on your motorcycle and the odometer clicks off one point six units, it is measuring kilometers, not miles.

The choke for your Sierra 200 is located on the left handlebar. When it is rotated fully toward the rider, the choke is off. Rotated fully away from the rider, the choke is at its maximum setting. I have found that I never need to use the choke on my Sierra 200. Even when my bike is cold, it always starts right up with the choke fully closed.

You don’t really need a tachometer for your motorcycle. You can tell if you are over-revving the engine by listening to it. The engine sounds louder when it is revving at higher rpms. Unless the engine is lugging, struggling to maintain speed, upshift quickly to keep the engine sounds and rpms as low as possible. This will spare your engine and increase your gas mileage. Keep riding and you will quickly become proficient using this method.

However, if you still want a tachometer, an inexpensive, easy-to-install option is the Tiny Tach. Cabella's is currently selling them for $29.88. However, this unit only gives you the average rpm reading every 2.5 seconds. You can read more about the Tiny Tach on the internet at the following url: http://www.tinytach.com/tinytach/gasoline.php

Even when I ride a motorcycle with a tachometer, I never look at it when I am shifting gears; I listen to the sound of the engine, judge its response to the throttle, and concentrate on safely riding the motorcycle. When I have a tachometer I only look at it occasionally, when I am cruising along at a steady speed. I truly don’t miss having a tachometer on my Sierra 200.

Drive carefully, and slowly build your skills riding your new motorcycle. If you haven’t already done so, I strongly suggest that you take a rider safety class, such as the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course. You can find more information at the following url: http://www.msf-usa.org. These classes are superb, and you can frequently get a discount on your motorcycle insurance after you complete the course.

:D

Good post spud

I use my tach( of this new bike.) to set the idle, and when I tune the bike.
Once my engine was broken in on the chinabike, I never worried about reving too much. (it never had a tach,) I rode throttle wide open until I hit a gas station. Then I'd do it again, all day long. :D

Take it easy for the first while. Getting used to the bike and doing parking lot maneuvers is breaking it in nicely I'd bet. Change your oil stupidly often if you love your bike, and your bike will love you back. :wink:

The vapor may be the oils/paints cooking off the new engine and exhaust. Should be gone within the first 50 miles.

Allen

Re: Zongshen first impressions
 

USA DOT standards require speedometers to read in miles per hour for all motorcycles sold for road use - but, and it's a big but, there is no specified text size. Many imported motorcycles use the same gage face worldwide and have very large kilometer per hour numbers and very, very small miles per hour numbers, and I'd guess your bike actually does as well.

If it really and truly has no MPH markings at all, it does not meet DOT requirements and you could demand a USA-legal speedometer from Zongshen.

HTH,
tcs

PS - There's no requirement on odometers, and many China bikes read in "kicks". I'm impressed that your Zongshen registers miles.

Thanks for the quick replies. Without this forum and the combined knowledge of its awesome members, I would never have considered a China bike. The suggestions you guys have provided are great.

Here is a little more info on where I purchased the bike. I'm not plugging them abut they have been really helpful and I think I got a good price. I purchased the bike from Bobby Pack at http://www.lewpackinternational.com/ $1400 OTD. I know they have one black and orange left in stock. Shipping was only going to be $200 extra but I live close to the warehouse so that is why I picked it up. On a side note, the warehouse is not a dealer store. It is actually the Zongshen America warehouse.
Now it may just be a marketing ploy to get me to buy the bike, but the dealer said once the remaining inventory is gone, the new bikes will be substantially higher priced.

The tiny tach is a great idea and inexpensive. I double checked the speedometer and it does have MPH. They are just really small. The idea just to memorize the mph to km/h conversion will work just fine. I'm planning on checking the odometer against the GPS later today.

Setting the choke towards the driver is where I thought it needed to be set but at this setting I'm having a problem. This only happens once the engine is warmed up. If I give it gas in gear or in neutral the engine revs up but it very very slowly drops in RPMs when the throttle is released. For example, when coasting to a stop in neutral or first with the clutch lever pulled all the way in, the engine RPMs are higher than they should be. It is almost like there is some kind of major delay between releasing the throttle and the engine speed decreasing.
I have adjusted the idle screw when the bike is warmed up. It will idle fine but when you give it gas it slowly revs back down.
I don't think there is a problem with the throttle cable as the problem does not happen when the choke is all the way on. Someone in another thread mentioned it could be an exhaust leak. Any ideas?

cmike - I bought my Sierra 200 from the same guy Bobby Pack. $1395+$250 shipping to CT. The invice from ZongshenAmerica said $900, so figure there is his profit. Either way, I thing it's a great bike for the price. Before I ordered mine, I was talking to a local guy on NJ Craigslist selling his USED Sierra 200 for $2K, now WTF is wrong with this guy:
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/746241981.html

I talked to him and he would not come down much, crazy how some people overpay and then think they can get they money back, I guess he's still trying to sell his. LOL. I did tell him where he can get his next bike for less :)

Ross

Did you ever get knobbies? If so where from? I've been lookin not many options for the Sierra's wheel sizes.

Slow Throttle Return
 

The lazy throttle problem sounds familiar. Think it may have to do with the twist grip body screws being too tight from the factory. Something may be binding. The cable pinched somewhere perhaps. Plus chinese throttles have a reputation for self destruct. :?

after reading i figured i would post that since becoming a zong dealer i havent been dissappointed yet in the us distributor they have always had parts and even helped bail me out a jam i was in with a lifan. :lol: i really like the bikes and am eagerly waiting to see the new models. from what i have learned they are the biggest maker of motorcycle engines in china and seem to have a pretty good setup on their quality (i have even seen pics of the 600 prototype) and if anybody needs them im pretty sure i can get dp knobbies from zongshen pretty cheap if anyone wants them let me know ill check the price

I'm interested, would perfer some that are DOT approved. Was wondering If Spud had any luck with other vendor and just who is this other vendor?

DOT Knobby Tires
 

Wool-Z,

When I was looking for the DOT knobby tires I did a search on eBay and found a Miami listing for the Zongshen Sierra 200. This listing had several telephone numbers listed to contact the sellers. I called one of the phone numbers and asked about off-road tires. The seller had them, so I ordered a pair.

These tires are manufactured by Kingstone in China, and I believe that they are only available from Zongshen. I now have 7,000 miles on the tires, and I am ready to replace the rear tire. The front tire is still in very good condition. I am pleased with the tires; they grip well in the dirt and wear well on the street. This is fortunate, because they are the only available DOT knobby tire I have found for the Sierra 200.

I don't remember the phone number I called to purchase these tires. However, if you are interested, please send me a pm (personal message), and I will try to find the information. You can also try calling Lewpackinternational or any other seller of this motorcycle. As I said, I am ready for a new rear tire myself. I think that I will probably order my next tire from the importer who sold me my motorcycle.

Spud :D

I had this slow to return throttle issue on ours too!

I took the throttle on the handle bar apart...just the top to that i could see...I saw that the cable had slipped off the little fulcrum or curved and dished plastic guide it sits in and was stuck between it and the casing. I got the cable out and rerouted it to where it was designed to go, but first put antisieze compound in the little groove the cable rides in to make it slide easier and then put it all back together. It works like a charm now..perfect!
I also lubed all the cables too...this made a big difference as well.
One other thing I had issues with was the power needed to pull in the clutch lever. For my daughter, it was too stiff. I fixed this by moving the hole that the end of the cable is locked into lower down on the lever making the mechanical advantage better for the rider. It still pulls far enough but has much less power needed to pull it. She now can operate it without having to struggle.


Over time I will find other bits and pieces that will need either redisigning or attention and i will post them up as i do.

Hope this helps