Waldo gets a 'Buddy" :)

[SeerAtlas]

Hiyas Spud. Well, just came across some more interesting info while tying the bike down to the frame. Ready for this? The rim on the front of the Zong is bigger than my rim on Waldo's rear....jeez....Heavy too.

Being a standard 18", tires for the front should be easy to locate, but I'll tell you, the std. 3.00x18 tire on that huge rim looks pretty silly to me. I'm going to leave it till we get a chance to actually do a bit of roadwork, but after a few trips round the block, that thing is going to come off and some kind of dual purpose front will be on there before we hit the dirt. I'm not too worried about the rear for what will initially be some sand/soft dirt over dirt roads. Full report when I get back. I'll be heading out to Vegas early morning hours tomorrow, then off to Utah pre dawn on tuesday.

We'll see what we will see

seer

[phil]

welle something bothers me i dont have known facts but these are some of the things i have gathered i cant promise they are true but its a good guess
1. china does not look on our economy as a marketable business and does not want to invest more untill we have a turn around other countries are a more profitable easier market (they are buying, no epa,dot)
2. from what i understand, and i am the squeeky wheel ask seer :wink: zong has no plans for any new bikes for a while and not untill the leftovers are gone
3. they must not be doing well if they plan to order 2 and thats IT. sounds like my sales # as far as getting more if you want 100 sierras ill bet i can get them
i would just wonder by some of the statements being misleading, I like to promise little that way no one is disappointed. that being said i reccommend the local dealer and he has reasonable prices and by the time you need them i should have parts
did i mention that the parts are on the way finally
its sounds like im standing on both side of the fence i am. the dealer seems above board with reasonable prices and local all the things it should be but then some of the statements you quoted could be him understanding things wrongly or just a salesman being a salesman

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Welle417

I just went to the store today and they had one left on the floor and the guy on the phone told me that that was the only one left. The owner of the place comes out and tells me they've got two more coming to be delivered and i can put a deposit on it... so 1495 if i want it assembled by them and i can pick it up and im trying to figure out the price theyll give me if i pay cash AND if i have it unassembled in the crate (which id prefer) . . Really nice place and they showed me the parts catalogs they have for the Sierra from Zongshen - - so they really can get anything i need... but the two they're getting are IT until Zongshen starts out with their NEW model... whenever THAT will be and whatever that will cost... so im going to put a 200 or so down payment and lay-away it off-- haha But i sat on the bike and they ran it around and went over it with me (i did tell them alot of stuff they didn't even know about the bike though--haha) But all in all... its 20 mins away and they sell everything i would ever need so i think its a done deal.

The Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2 is a great little motorcycle. I don't know anything about the new Zong, but I do know that I am very happy with my Sierra 200. One of the nicest things about the Zongshen 200GY-2 is the fact it is based on a currently produced motorcycle, the Yamaha TW200. Yamaha started production of the TW200 in 1987, and it is still a strong seller after 22 years. You can replace almost every part of the Zong airbox, carburetor, engine and exhaust system with a currently produced Yamaha part. You can also modify the rear of the motorcycle to accept either a Yamaha TW200 or Yamaha XT225/TT-R225 swingarm. China Riders forum member Madbare has successfully completed a TW200 swingarm conversion on his Zong, and I just completed an XT225 swingarm conversion on mine. I now basically own a Yamaha motorcycle, but I purchased my Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2 new, in-the-crate, for $950 plus $238 shipping.

Fresh out of the crate, the Zong is a great little bike. The high degree of compatibility with currently produced Yamaha parts, and the great capacity to inexpensively modify it only add to its value.

I will soon post the details of my swingarm conversion in another thread.

Spud

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by SeerAtlas

Hiyas Spud. Well, just came across some more interesting info while tying the bike down to the frame. Ready for this? The rim on the front of the Zong is bigger than my rim on Waldo's rear....jeez....Heavy too...

Howdy, Seer. I am well aware of that fact. If you use the search function you will learn a lot more about the tires, front and rear.

Originally Posted by SeerAtlas

...Being a standard 18", tires for the front should be easy to locate, but I'll tell you, the std. 3.00x18 tire on that huge rim looks pretty silly to me. I'm going to leave it till we get a chance to actually do a bit of roadwork, but after a few trips round the block, that thing is going to come off and some kind of dual purpose front will be on there before we hit the dirt...

Since the Zong uses the standard Chinabike front brake caliper, there is a good possibility that the standard Chinabike front wheel will fit the Zong's front forks. If you get a chance, please see if Waldo's front wheel will fit on the Zong. I am very interested to know if this is possible.

The Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2 is copied after the Yamaha TW200 motorcycle, which uses an even bigger front wheel. China Rider's member Madbare has replaced his front tire with an even larger, TW200 front tire. It's a matter of preference. However, if you were looking for a dual sport motorcycle with conventional wheel sizes, a little research would have steered you away from the Zong. I just converted my Sierra 200GY-2 to a Yamaha XT225 swingarm and rear wheel. The conversion is neither difficult, nor expensive. I will soon post the details in another thread. However, I once again caution everyone that the stock Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2 has unconventional wheel sizes, and it is heavy for its size.

Originally Posted by SeerAtlas

...I'm not too worried about the rear for what will initially be some sand/soft dirt over dirt roads. Full report when I get back. I'll be heading out to Vegas early morning hours tomorrow, then off to Utah pre dawn on tuesday.

We'll see what we will see

seer

If I were you, I would be worried about taking the Zong onto anything other than gravel roads with the stock Chen Shing Barracuda tire on the rear. Once again, I caution everyone that the only dirt or dual sport tire available for the Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2 is the Kingstone 130/90-15 tire, available only from Zongshen, and currently on back order.

Also, you will soon discover that the stock, 15-tooth countershaft sprocket on the Zong is geared to high for aggressive travel off-road. I highly recommend that you quickly replace the stock countershaft sprocket with a 13-tooth sprocket from PBI. The Zong is heavy for its size, and the high gearing from the factory will disappoint you if you wish to ride aggressively in the dirt. The 13-tooth countershaft sprocket makes the bike much more fun to ride both in town, and in the dirt. While you replace the countershaft sprocket, I also recommend you make the left crankcase cover conversion. Once again, the search function will teach you a lot about your choices for countershaft and rear sprockets.

The Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2 is a rugged, great little motorcycle. However, it has many differences from the standard dual sport motorcycle. The Zong rides very well on the street, especially when it is geared down. With the proper gearing and tires, it also does well for the logging road and dual-track riding I enjoy. However, without some basic, inexpensive modifications, I think you are going to be dissappointed with its off-road performance. Once again, I caution everyone to thoroughly research the Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2, and every other Chinabike, before you purchase one. Each of these Chinese motorcycles has its own idiosyncrasies, and only thorough research will guide you to the correct purchase.

Spud

[Welle417]

Originally Posted by phil

welle something bothers me i dont have known facts but these are some of the things i have gathered i cant promise they are true but its a good guess
1. china does not look on our economy as a marketable business and does not want to invest more untill we have a turn around other countries are a more profitable easier market (they are buying, no epa,dot)
2. from what i understand, and i am the squeeky wheel ask seer :wink: zong has no plans for any new bikes for a while and not untill the leftovers are gone
3. they must not be doing well if they plan to order 2 and thats IT. sounds like my sales # as far as getting more if you want 100 sierras ill bet i can get them
i would just wonder by some of the statements being misleading, I like to promise little that way no one is disappointed. that being said i reccommend the local dealer and he has reasonable prices and by the time you need them i should have parts
did i mention that the parts are on the way finally
its sounds like im standing on both side of the fence i am. the dealer seems above board with reasonable prices and local all the things it should be but then some of the statements you quoted could be him understanding things wrongly or just a salesman being a salesman

PHIL - - Facts you indeed have, i agree with you on all counts - - i did not elaborate when i said i did tell them some things they didn't even know haha - but they did tell me they wanted to get more Sierras because they sold like 15 + of them since April 23rd... and they have all the MSO's and titling process perfectly mapped out - which i grilled them on quite extensively... i went through alot of things with them about the bike and they had their "Salesman" Distance kept because they knew that i didn't mess around getting the company's background and the bikes history--haha BUT they did admit to me they are not exactly as deep into the market as they'd like to be, they do alot more on the scooter and kids-dirt bike/atvs end of it... and they also don't focus alot on aftermarket (which i told them was a mistake) mainly because they focus on motorcycle assembly, sale, and repair (understandable though) I do hope to see a forum contributor and knowledge sponsor such as yourself have the parts i need- you deserve the business more
THANKS - i think you guys are absolutely fantastic with all the feedback - - SO sorry to hijack this thread Seer! 8O Enjoy your riding

Originally Posted by SpudRider

The Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2 is a great little motorcycle. I don't know anything about the new Zong, but I do know that I am very happy with my Sierra 200. One of the nicest things about the Zongshen 200GY-2 is the fact it is based on a currently produced motorcycle, the Yamaha TW200. Yamaha started production of the TW200 in 1987, and it is still a strong seller after 22 years. You can replace almost every part of the Zong airbox, carburetor, engine and exhaust system with a currently produced Yamaha part. You can also modify the rear of the motorcycle to accept either a Yamaha TW200 or Yamaha XT225/TT-R225 swingarm. China Riders forum member Madbare has successfully completed a TW200 swingarm conversion on his Zong, and I just completed an XT225 swingarm conversion on mine. I now basically own a Yamaha motorcycle, but I purchased my Zongshen Sierra 200GY-2 new, in-the-crate, for $950 plus $238 shipping.

Fresh out of the crate, the Zong is a great little bike. The high degree of compatibility with currently produced Yamaha parts, and the great capacity to inexpensively modify it only add to its value.

I will soon post the details of my swingarm conversion in another thread.

Spud

SIR SPUD Thank you very much for your constant contribution to this forum and the great wisdom you bestow upon all current and future riders! ^_^ i sat and chatted with them for a while about the forums and what i had seen other people do and they told me that much of the engine bolts and whatever else they mentioned were all Suzuki - I TOLD them that i didnt know about the bolts or such facts/coincidences but that they were mistaken, that the Sierra is a yamaha tw200 CLONE and rear, engine, and suspension are basically interchangeable--haha that was about the point, as i mentioned, that they certainly kept their "Salesman" Distance But it is all thanks to the peopel of this forum that i walked in their with a GOAL and i left with even more knowledge and surprised them even in the process

>>Deposit being placed TOMORROW... Zshen HERE I COME!<<

[DesertRider]

Great pic's and rundown Seer, have you rode it yet ? Like spud has said, I don't think I would be doing any hardcore offroading with this. It is more setup for street and easy/medium trails, which is perfect for me, if I want to tear it up and get crazy I have a 4 wheeler for that. I bought the Zong mainly as a fun commuting bike to and from work everyday, and saving gas $$$ from not using the gas hog SUV. Cant wait to see more reports.

[FastDoc]

I'm jealous too. If it were not for the wheel sizes, I'd wish I'd bought a Zong too. Especially since I've had these problems with the HSUN...

[Welle417]

never too late there DoC ^_^

Theres one in Jersey available for shipping that i know of :P