New member new RX-3 in Seattle

[superdude]

I feel like I already know everyone here since I've inhaled everything chinariders and specifically RX-3 over the last few weeks. I gotta say it is a very impressive forum and the participation and knowledge that is contributed is second to none. I'm also convinced Spudrider is in the running for most knowledgeable and friendly forum member/mod of any other forums out there. Theres always one of those on every forum, the guy who knows the most and has the highest post count. But usually those guys are cantankerous and PITA because they its about showing everyone how smart they are and if you disagree with them OR you arent smart/experienced enough asking the right questions, they'll blast ya. Spudrider is the complete opposite of that. He genuinely loves helping others with what he's learned and encourages opinions and insights to be shared for the greater good and with the goal in mind that we all expand our knowledge. Thats rare. Sometime I'd like to buy you a beer Spud. And many many many other guys too that know what they are talking about and contribute their insights and observations that are so helpful. So with that being said I'm real excited to be part of the chinariders forum.

My story is I have a few motorcycles already but was wanting this winter to pick up a dual sport and also pick up a commuter bike that I could let buddies ride if they didnt have a bike, something like a Honda Nighthawk or Yamaha Virago and something I wouldnt worry about riding in rain either. Then at gas station last month..I saw what I swore was a BMW gs650. I went over and checked it out and saw the badges were different and so were the lights. I got home and googled CSC motorcycles and BOOM the price popped up and I was pretty much sold in my mind right then and there.

But I did my due diligence and researched it...which lead me to first reading all the press releases and reviews, and then secondly starting on the 286 page thread about the RX-3. I dont know if I am slow or detailed hopefully the latter but it took me a good 20+ hours to read the whole thread over the course of a week. It was like reading an Ernest Hemingway novel lots of direct points and vivid details (loved the container tracking w/pics) ups and downs, with strong characters and even some comedic relief sprinkled in. And then the container was the parts container! Cue redemption in the form of new tracking number and ship and finally the long awaited motorcycle arrives everyone rides it enjoys it raves about it lives happily ever after THE END. That really is a special thread and I'm sure will be enjoyed by newbs like me for a long long time especially with this bike that is sure to be the beginning of great things.

SO..I ordered my red RX-3 last tuesday (the torque-iest one I think? or maybe thats blue I cant remember) right when I was on page 150 of the thread, and just picked it up yesterday at the shipping companies docks having just finished reading the thread. The warehouse and logistics guys all came out to check it out and were majorly impressed with it and had positive things to say about it. Made for a nervous 3 seconds when I turned the key and got ready to press the start button though, because if bike didnt start in front of all these guys I woulda felt like a big idiot. But thankfully it started right up. Obviously not many surprises since I knew what to expect. There was 18 miles on the odo when I got it which I assume is pretty typical since they probably test it in China and CSC after assembly. Looks awesome. Seat is marginally comfy. Ergos are great and brakes surprisingly efficient. If I was doing track days maybe I'd want better brakes but for what I'm doing these brakes are great. My favorite is the cornering..this bike corners so well. One of the most solid planted bikes I've ever ridden to be honest. Excited to take it on some non stop twisties.

So I got bike home and saw some chain lube all over the cases so I wiped that off. Chain noise is a little louder than I'm use to...I'm gonna check the alignment but its not a bad thing just different than your typical sport bike especially at closed throttle rolling to a stop. I'm 200 pounds 6' ft and the bike fits me really well. I adjusted the dampener to setting 10 towards the slower/stiffer setting per Spuds advice when he first got his. ( think he went with 11 and then 13) My only concern so far is vibrations. The motor has been getting better with every mile and I put 100 on it already..but going down road at normal speed the headlight and whole bike vibrate so much that the cars license plate in front of me looks like its flickering on and off. It feels like a front fork issue and I'm hoping as everyone has mentioned that changing to a heavier fork oil will fix that right away. But I'm worried cause no one ever said anything with the stock fork oil about excessive vibration. Didnt matter the quality of road or not and was very noticeable right away that it bobbed up and down rapidly. So if you have any thoughts on that I would be more than happy to listen. I put the bike up on my center stand last night to see if I noticed anything else but everything looked ok. Contemplating taking the "speed" decals off but I've only seen the blue and orange with them off so far, so I'm unsure how it will look or if I wanna commit to it yet. I know I gotta decide soon though.

Anyway if you're in the Pacific Northwest/Seattle area definitely message me so we can meet up for a ride sometime. Otherwise..I'll conclude this novel of a post with some pics.

[Weldangrind]

Welcome!

You nailed Spud; he's an awesome guy, and if you're respectful, he'll always give it back to you.

Sweet bike! Thanks for taking the time to post pics; you get extra credit for that.

Are you building a Triumph chopper?

[superdude]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Welcome!

You nailed Spud; he's an awesome guy, and if you're respectful, he'll always give it back to you.

Sweet bike! Thanks for taking the time to post pics; you get extra credit for that.

Are you building a Triumph chopper?

Thanks Weldangrind great to hear from you. Yes that is a triumph hardtail chopper that my buddy is actually working on and I get the pleasure of
looking at it every day. What is not shown in the pictures is the 3 other project bikes I've got in there. A couple suzuki gs1000 police bikes and a yamaha triple. Hopefully get them done this winter but I suspect I'll be spending a lot of time on the RX3!

[Huck369]

Welcome to the board!

The vibration could be the front tire, check that it it seated properly....

[superdude]

Originally Posted by Huck369

Welcome to the board!

The vibration could be the front tire, check that it it seated properly....

Thanks for the welcome Huck. How do I check if the tire is seated properly? Looking online pulls up a few different ideas but cant find any pertaining to
the RX3.

[Huck369]

If you can Jack it up so you can spin the tire, you then watch it along the rim to be sure it is seated evenly all around the rim....many tires have a line close to the rim to gauge off of....not sure on the RX-3 tires without going out to look

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by superdude

Thanks Weldangrind great to hear from you. Yes that is a triumph hardtail chopper that my buddy is actually working on and I get the pleasure of
looking at it every day. What is not shown in the pictures is the 3 other project bikes I've got in there. A couple suzuki gs1000 police bikes and a yamaha triple. Hopefully get them done this winter but I suspect I'll be spending a lot of time on the RX3!

Awesome! Feel free to start threads on your non-China bikes in our Other Brands forum.

[SpudRider]

Welcome, and congratulations on your new RX3. Thank you for all your kind words.

Something is amiss with either your front wheel, or the forks. The front end should not vibrate that much.

I agree with Huck; I would first examine the front wheel. Look closely where the tire meets the rim on both sides of the bike. If the bead is not uniformly seated, it will cause the wheel to hop. If you watch the tire changing videos in the following thread, they describe how the bead should seat on the rim.

http://www.chinariders.net/showthrea...498#post175498

[SpudRider]

If the bead is evenly seated, use a jack, center stand, or some other method to lift the front wheel. Then, while watching the edge of the rim, spin the wheel and see if the wheel wobbles. The rim should not move more than 1 mm or so, both radially and laterally. If the wheel wobbles, the wheel must be trued.

The following video shows how the rim should spin concentrically.

[SpudRider]

If the bead of the tire is seated properly, and the wheel is true, then you will need to examine the forks. In that instance, I suggest you start a new thread on the topic in our RX3 Forum.

A problem with the forks might be simple to fix, or it might be a warranty issue. However, since your bike was test ridden for 18 miles, I think any serious problem should have been noticed, and fixed, before the bike was shipped.

[superdude]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

If the bead of the tire is seated properly, and the wheel is true, then you will need to examine the forks. In that instance, I suggest you start a new thread on the topic in our RX3 Forum.

A problem with the forks might be simple to fix, or it might be a warranty issue. However, since your bike was test ridden for 18 miles, I think any serious problem should have been noticed, and fixed, before the bike was shipped.

Thanks for this info Spud, Huck, and Weldengrind. Just got back from out of town and am gonna put bike up on center stand and start going through these steps. Hoping its a tire seating issue. Loving the bike though and hopefully will get this figured out this week. If need be definitely will start another thread if I get stumped. Thanks.