What would you do if.....

RedCrowRides · 12-09-2020, 02:27 PM

After working on 2 of my China bikes this morning , I was thinking about the differences in maintaining them versus my HD Sporty, and my previously owned Japanese made Bikes.

There really is imho no difference, except for one thing, and it is glaring and never endingly annoying.The cheap ass always wringing off or rounding off excuse for fasteners / hardware they use., what i call "Chinesium" .

If there is one single thing i could suggest to Chinese Bike Producers,above and beyond anything else they could to to improve their Bikes no matter the Model or intended use,. it would be please GOD use decent nuts , bolts, washers, etc.I'd gladly pay a real life cost difference if I didnt have to go behind them replacing every nut and bolt in sight with something that doesn't suck.

That would be my Number One suggestion for improvement, what would yours be if you could suggest to them ONE thing they could do to improve?

2LZ · 12-09-2020, 02:31 PM

My first China Bike (2006 GY2) was covered in Chinesium. Butter soft bolts, etc... Every one I've had since have been pretty good. The TT250 and RX3's seems to be ok with everything I've worked on and Q hasn't stripped one bolt or nut. Boy....that GY2 though. Anything over "in/lbs" was risky.

Oldenslow · 12-09-2020, 02:56 PM

I twisted heads off of 2 bolts in the first 10 minutes of assembling my DF250RTG. Stopped right then, made a list of the type and size of every fastener I could see on the bike, and went to the hardware store to rummage in their fastener selection. Most definitely, this is a necessary -- and inexpensive -- upgrade that all these bikes should have.

tknj99 · 12-09-2020, 03:26 PM

Agreed.. on my son's Tao DBX1 one of the handlebar riser clamp bolts kept loosening and eventually became stripped.. i drilled thru from the top and installed a countersunk bolt with new nut to fix.. was amazingly easy to drill thru the metal lol

GronkFries · 12-09-2020, 11:37 PM

This would cost them an extra 20 bucks. How could they ever go for that! The flaked off chrome after one tightening is quite the fashion statement.

My number one suggestion after "just enjoy the bike" is "just enjoy the bike".

Wild Dog · 12-10-2020, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedCrowRides

After working on 2 of my China bikes this morning , I was thinking about the differences in maintaining them versus my HD Sporty, and my previously owned Japanese made Bikes.

There really is imho no difference, except for one thing, and it is glaring and never endingly annoying.The cheap ass always wringing off or rounding off excuse for fasteners / hardware they use., what i call "Chinesium" .

If there is one single thing i could suggest to Chinese Bike Producers,above and beyond anything else they could to to improve their Bikes no matter the Model or intended use,. it would be please GOD use decent nuts , bolts, washers, etc.I'd gladly pay a real life cost difference if I didnt have to go behind them replacing every nut and bolt in sight with something that doesn't suck.

That would be my Number One suggestion for improvement, what would yours be if you could suggest to them ONE thing they could do to improve?

What you tell it's an old history with chinese bikes.. Back in the mid 90s, most of the national mfg went from making their own 2T motorcycle to importing 4T motorcycle from chinese...
What was the first issue people had broken nut and bolts...
They are not bad per se, people just need to torque to specs and with hand tools.
They mostly come in two colors:

Wannabe Army Green and Magnesium Yellow Pee (Mostly the "tools" that come with bike)

Plump Kibbles · 12-10-2020, 01:29 AM

Very good point!

Was lucky to get some strong nuts / bolts on me bike.. they are the drab greenish bolts. But, all of my engine bolts and everything related to engine is shiny stainless steel - hopefully.. That's something at least, maybe

ChopperCharles · 12-10-2020, 11:33 AM

Both my Chinese bikes have decent quality hardware. But they're higher end bikes that cost more than your basic amazon purchase. The SSR Buccaneer has two different grades of bolts. Those on the engine are higher quality than the ones on the rest of the bike. They're stainless, but not polished stainless. The bolts on the bike itself are also stainless, but they're polished stainless. They don't strip out or anything, BUT the bolts were tumble-polished, and the threads were also exposed. This means the threads are worn down a bit and they have a loose fit with the nuts and steel threaded holes in the frame and brackets. Not a huge deal, they still tighten up fine. I've not stripped the head out of any bolt, and 90% of them are small allen button bolts.

The washers and lock washers are chrome plated, and these will rust with exposure. Mostly the triple tree bolts, as the lock washers dig into the plain washers and that's where rust can occur. I haven't seen a hint of rust anywhere else on the bike.

My 2017 CSC RX3 sat outside or under a small porch overhang since it was purchased by the previous owner. Always in the weather, and NC weather is brutal. Searing sun, tons of humidity, and monsoon rains. And... two of the four windshield nuts had some rust on them. They looked like they'd been rounded off by pliers or a socket that didn't quite fit. The optional center stand pivot bolts have rust on them. And that's it. For sitting outside for 3.5 years or so, that's all the rust on the bike. The hardware on the RX3 is every bit as good as a honda, and better than my Yamaha. Every bolt I've turned has been quality, no stripping, no drama, and no damage.

But then, I'm not getting the cheapest of the cheap bikes. I'd buy a CSC TT250 before I'd ever get a hawk or apollo or anything off of Amazon.

Charles.

12-09-2020, 02:27 PM	#1
RedCrowRides Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Florida Posts: 759	What would you do if..... After working on 2 of my China bikes this morning , I was thinking about the differences in maintaining them versus my HD Sporty, and my previously owned Japanese made Bikes. There really is imho no difference, except for one thing, and it is glaring and never endingly annoying.The cheap ass always wringing off or rounding off excuse for fasteners / hardware they use., what i call "Chinesium" . If there is one single thing i could suggest to Chinese Bike Producers,above and beyond anything else they could to to improve their Bikes no matter the Model or intended use,. it would be please GOD use decent nuts , bolts, washers, etc.I'd gladly pay a real life cost difference if I didnt have to go behind them replacing every nut and bolt in sight with something that doesn't suck. That would be my Number One suggestion for improvement, what would yours be if you could suggest to them ONE thing they could do to improve? __________________ 2001 Mustang GT 2004 Sportster 2018 VADER 2020 Orion RXB250L
	2

12-09-2020, 02:31 PM	#2
2LZ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Volcano, Ca Posts: 7,098	My first China Bike (2006 GY2) was covered in Chinesium. Butter soft bolts, etc... Every one I've had since have been pretty good. The TT250 and RX3's seems to be ok with everything I've worked on and Q hasn't stripped one bolt or nut. Boy....that GY2 though. Anything over "in/lbs" was risky. __________________ "Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350
	2

12-09-2020, 03:26 PM	#4
tknj99 Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Central VA Posts: 1,259	Agreed.. on my son's Tao DBX1 one of the handlebar riser clamp bolts kept loosening and eventually became stripped.. i drilled thru from the top and installed a countersunk bolt with new nut to fix.. was amazingly easy to drill thru the metal lol __________________ 2024 Zuma Storm 150 DLX 2019 Beta 430 RRS 2018 VStrom 1000 XT Former China Bikes: Tao DBX1, Brozz 250, CSC RX4, Titan DLX, Templar X
	0

12-10-2020, 01:29 AM	#7
Plump Kibbles Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: Virginia Posts: 233	Very good point! Was lucky to get some strong nuts / bolts on me bike.. they are the drab greenish bolts. But, all of my engine bolts and everything related to engine is shiny stainless steel - hopefully.. That's something at least, maybe __________________ \|2020 X-Pro Titan DLX\| <-- FOR SALE!!
	0

12-09-2020, 02:56 PM	#3
Oldenslow Join Date: Mar 2020 Posts: 153	I twisted heads off of 2 bolts in the first 10 minutes of assembling my DF250RTG. Stopped right then, made a list of the type and size of every fastener I could see on the bike, and went to the hardware store to rummage in their fastener selection. Most definitely, this is a necessary -- and inexpensive -- upgrade that all these bikes should have.
	0

12-09-2020, 11:37 PM	#5
GronkFries Join Date: May 2019 Location: Maine Posts: 111	This would cost them an extra 20 bucks. How could they ever go for that! The flaked off chrome after one tightening is quite the fashion statement. My number one suggestion after "just enjoy the bike" is "just enjoy the bike".
	0

12-10-2020, 11:33 AM	#8
ChopperCharles Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: RDU, NC Posts: 677	Both my Chinese bikes have decent quality hardware. But they're higher end bikes that cost more than your basic amazon purchase. The SSR Buccaneer has two different grades of bolts. Those on the engine are higher quality than the ones on the rest of the bike. They're stainless, but not polished stainless. The bolts on the bike itself are also stainless, but they're polished stainless. They don't strip out or anything, BUT the bolts were tumble-polished, and the threads were also exposed. This means the threads are worn down a bit and they have a loose fit with the nuts and steel threaded holes in the frame and brackets. Not a huge deal, they still tighten up fine. I've not stripped the head out of any bolt, and 90% of them are small allen button bolts. The washers and lock washers are chrome plated, and these will rust with exposure. Mostly the triple tree bolts, as the lock washers dig into the plain washers and that's where rust can occur. I haven't seen a hint of rust anywhere else on the bike. My 2017 CSC RX3 sat outside or under a small porch overhang since it was purchased by the previous owner. Always in the weather, and NC weather is brutal. Searing sun, tons of humidity, and monsoon rains. And... two of the four windshield nuts had some rust on them. They looked like they'd been rounded off by pliers or a socket that didn't quite fit. The optional center stand pivot bolts have rust on them. And that's it. For sitting outside for 3.5 years or so, that's all the rust on the bike. The hardware on the RX3 is every bit as good as a honda, and better than my Yamaha. Every bolt I've turned has been quality, no stripping, no drama, and no damage. But then, I'm not getting the cheapest of the cheap bikes. I'd buy a CSC TT250 before I'd ever get a hawk or apollo or anything off of Amazon. Charles.
	0