New from UT

[deadwood83]

Hello!


I found this lovely place from a search for information on CN bikes, inspired by a whim. I've been lurking for the past week or so, and the community seems really nice!


I started with JP and Euro bikes (82 XJ650, 2001 F650CS) and am down to just the Yamaha now. Reading through the forums has been a great source of information, and I hope to be able to contribute to it in some way.


I'm dipping into these bikes with a KPM200 which is not for me, but for my younger brother. He picked up an 81 Yamaha XS400 with butchered wiring, missing chunks of frame, poor welds, etc. Basically a deathtrap.



The huge danger of doing all the research is now I kind of want a Chinese bike of my own just to play with. Anyway, glad to be here and hope to see you around.

[bmw111]

Let us know how the KPM 200 works out. I've been looking at that for a while now, sure would like to see some more information and reviews on the bike.

[Weldangrind]

Welcome! I'd love to see your XJ.

[deadwood83]

Ask and receive! She's not the prettiest girl at the ball, and the abuse has been... plenty.


Picked up with 32.5k on the clock for a few hundred. At that point she was... not pretty. Put another 3k on the first season despite starting late (May 27).


Despite all previous owners' attempts to make it look nasty, it's not bad. I'd still like to take it back to bare metal and return it to original color, or maybe a metallic blue like on the 2020 BMW R Nine T Special edition.
Here's the best advertisement I can make for China bikes. What's the true cost of ownership for a used JP beaut nearing 40?


-Total carburetor rebuild. Torn down to individual parts, sonic cleaned, jets, seals, springs replaced with NOS, jets adjusted for running at 4400' elevation. THROTTLE SEALS. New diaphragms. New piston needles. Hone piston bores with white rouge, sonic clean again, repeat to mirror finish after cleaning. Wet-set fuel levels... five times. Colortune, vacuum balance (Morgan Carbtune is AMAZING), colortune, vacuum balance, colortune, vacuum balance, check plug color, check wet set fuel levels again, repeat.

-Remove and reshape airbox which gets concave over time from engine heat
-New clutch basket (excessive wear), new plates, new springs, new bolts, new gaskets. Four baskets broke during shipping. fluff_penn_powersports on ebay has INCREDIBLE customer service. They didn't want the old ones back. That gave me four full clutch sets to tear apart, examine plates, measure, check for delamination, select the best plates and discs and blamo! NOS-like clutch kit.

-Rotor brushes on alternator. Remove and refresh cover, wiring, and rotor. CAREFULLY renew lacquer binding on stator coils.

-NOS carburetor boots.
-Dyna green coils, originals had an output below 4kV
-New plug wires, plugs, resistor caps, wires hand measured to length, all NGK; and Dyna copper core wire.
-New LED bulbs all around, new flasher to accommodate LEDs. LED cluster lights, Morimoto projector LED headlight, Morimoto pindicators mounted on sides of headlight bucket until I can source decent quality original style.
-Rear indicators were mangled and full of rust. Some evidence of past gaskets were present.

-New (used) master cylinder housing due to broken mirror stem
-Master cylinder rebuild including sightglass
-New HEL braided and rubber-sleeved brake lines, were original and dated 1981
-Overhaul of the fusebox to micro blade fuses. Original fusebox is known to fall apart at the fuse holders. (it was a fire waiting to happen, POs had stuck various sizes of 20A and 30A fuses inside). Extra fuse gang for whatever use it might serve.
-New starter clutch chain guide. Old guides deteriorate, fall apart, and fall into the oil pan. This had happened and was preventing the bike from getting out of 1st gear.. Large chunks prevented shifter forks from engaging.
-New tapered roller steering stem bearings, front wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings, swing arm bearings. Red-n-Tacky for all! I love Red-n-Tacky. And Superlube.
-New AGM battery. Previously had a Yuasa dated 2001.
-VCG, assortment of valve shims (cam over bucket, need a couple new shims each season)
-All oil filter and oil pan drain bolts had to be replaced. They were dangerously stripped. Converted to screw-on filter in the process. Took union bolt from FJ600, adapter from FJR1300.
-Air cooled 4 cylinder 80's superbike does not do well in modern traffic, doubly so at 4k+ elevation in 100* stop and go traffic. Took XJ900 oil cooler, mated to FJ600 adapter plate, salvaged union from FJR1300 adapter kit for spin-on filter. (I am rather proud of this). Create custom bracket.

-Complete. Fork. Rebuild. Springs measured over 1" out of spec, replace with progressive suspension springs, cut custom spacers. Air forks made this a touch difficult. Those top o-rings are not easy to get. Yamaha also no longer mfg's them.
-New header gaskets. Old ones had two big leaks.
-New exhaust system. The crossovers on each side were rotten from the inside. A sharp knock from a stick created a crack.
-New petcock seals all around. Disassemble, hone pieces on granite slab. Remove tank rust. Rebuild filler cap, yellow dried fuel deposits abound.
-New fuel lines, new fuel filter
-Rear shocks? Gone. Remove spring, hand-compressible. Not rebuildable, fully sealed units. Insert more progressive suspension 400-series.
-Headlight relay was toast. Price checks in summer of 2019 showed used units for ~70USD+ no guarantee of working. Ever rebuilt a relay? It was time consuming, I learned new swear words. The end result was deeply satisfying.
-New rear drum liner, new springs. Had original asbestos pads. Respirator + tygon suit for disassembly.
-New EBC front pads. Front rotor measured barely within spec. Will need to replace within 2 seasons, probably cheaper to get EBC than lottery used.
-New intake boots. Not cheap. ~$200 for Yamaha set. Tried clones, shrunk within weeks.
-New clutch cable
-New speedo cable
-Rebuild and shim lever mounts
-New grips. PO had the foam-wrapped plastic chrome things.

-Gear dogs have seen abuse. Shifting from 1st to 2nd is not great. Will need to re-carve dogs or replace in time. Luckily, does not drop from 2nd just need to be careful going into 2nd so it's not critical.
-All the emblems are... not salvageable. Used prices for decent condition are INSANE. Way cheaper to CAD up my own, resin 3d print, and finish. Low priority.

-Same story for fork air covers. The blue ones are self-designed and 3d printed, because $50USD for a half-broken plastic cap is tough to swallow when it might just fly off on the freeway.



All that said. The XJ was not inexpensive when new, and it is not actually inexpensive now (if you want all it has to offer). But I love it. It just feels really, really special. The engine is smooth, and power delivery is genuinely alarming. It's really tame and easy to daily under 6k. Above 6k? Better watch your tach or you'll skyrocket past 10K before you can shift. You can peg the speedo and still accelerate. Vibration? Maybe a little through the bars at some RPMs. None through the pegs, none through the seat. Sometimes I hate the bike. Then I get on it and ride, and I fall in love all over again. It is not the fastest, not the smoothest, not the best in corners (though it will happily lean past the point of grinding pegs), not the best on fuel efficiency (37mpg), but it makes me smile from deep down inside. Oh and the throttle response is to die for.


Back to the topic at hand. Huge kudos to Don at APMC. His communication is stellar. I anticipate any issues will arise from Estes Freight, though I had really good luck with Estes at my previous employer so who knows. Judging by my location and the estimated transit time (2 days + pickup day) the KPM is probably coming from California. Our DMVs are, so far, open for drive-thru service so tags shouldn't be a problem.

I already have plans to replace the secondary rear fender, plate illumination, and signals. Not a fan of the style there. After that, probably fabricate an OBD2 adapter. I'll need to meter out the connector so I don't fry a cheap OBD-USB adapter. I suspect it will be CAN-Bus. Will probably drop the exhaust and grind down the inevitable massive weld booger at the port flange. No plans to de-cat at this time because with the gearing it probably needs all the low-end it can get. I'll know more on that front after collecting "brother tax" in the form of saddle time.


I may have already found reference photos of the Lifan powerplant and started scouring for 300cc flavors, as well as photo dimensional analysis of the injector; but only for amusement purposes.


Oh, and I ordered the bike in blue. Everbody and their dog has a black bike, or perhaps red/white if a sportbike. I am hoping it has the metallic flake the photos suggest.

[Viperbmw69]

Not sure where to share this please join the KPM 200 Facebook group and share with others

https://www.facebook.com/groups/6356...024/?ref=share

[deadwood83]

The Lifan has a 7-day head start, but this has just become a race.





The local classifieds are full of Clones starting at 1999.00 and genuine Groms going for 2800+ used in good shape. If I like it, might be worth balancing the tires, replacing bearings and axles, and dropping in the ZS190. No plans to take it on the interstate, but some local 35mph roads tend to become 50mph zones. I've not ridden a bike this small before. Looks like it might be fun for mild trails, or just as something to beat on.


Reading says these come jetted lean. 4400 ft of altitude might make up for that. I can't be trusted to be alone with my thoughts. Things like this happen.

[Weldangrind]

Deadwood83, I was reading your post and thinking about how similar we are. Then I read more. Now I know we're not that similar; you're way out of my league.
I have a free XJ750 in my future, but I don't think it'll be restored like yours. I might even attempt a scrambler build with it.

[deadwood83]

Thank you for the kind words! If you have an XJ I highly recommend you familiarize yourself with the "emergency guidectomy." The starter chain guide is 100% guaranteed to be failing if it has not already. Replacing it requires splitting the cases, but the emergency process can be performed from the shifter cover.

Also, ZS190 ordered, yellow zinc engine bolts, and mating nylock washers; as well as yellow zinc split lock washers.

Drivers around here don't mess around with things like say, following the speed limit, checking blind spots, and signaling. I had developed that 'spidey sense' of knowing what other drivers intend to do before even riding bikes.

The more I thought about the hellcat topping out at 45 the more scared I became of getting in a spot I don't have the power to escape. Much like the XJ, I intend to keep it looking low-key. That stupid thing is too easy to steal. Once I get the bike I'll start a thread. Probably do one for the KPM too.
Today makes day 10 since ordering from shopapmc.com. Touched bases with Don, he said he is still waiting for their check preprocessor to deposit the funds. He seems like a good guy, and Jerry has vouched for him; I think I'm just excited to be able to ride with my little brother so I'm a touch impatient.