Thoughts from 4000 miles around Newfoundland. - Page 2

2LZ · 07-11-2016, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee R

Yeah I hope people don't think I'm beating up the bike, it's great for the price I paid! It also made the trip without failure and it's pretty comfortable. It's not in the same league as any of the larger ADV's for comfort and range though. Anyone planning a trip should make sure they stick to 55 mph zones and lower unless it's a calm day.

I think this is about as honest as a guy can get. I really think that for a Chinese 250, the RX3 is a heck of a deal for what you get and I also wonder if somewhere in Zongshen, they hear about these types of trips and say, "They did WHAT to our bike!?" LOL! This lets me know for how I use my RX3, it will be around a VERY long time.

Good to see that other than valve maintenance, the little RX3 made it "sparring with the bigger boys" and got you through this trip unscathed, while a bit haggard, without a major failure of some kind.
Again, the pics are incredible. Thank you.

kumatae · 07-14-2016, 01:01 PM

Lee,

I couldn't agree with you more on the fuel size/range and most of your sentiments about the bike. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do away with the RX3 before end of the year when I eventually take another job. I agree, at $4000, I would rather get a used bigger bike, but this is just purely an opinion by me. I'm sure the RX3 is perfect for some folks but I'm starting to feel the not so transparent needs of the bike.

Lee R · 07-14-2016, 02:52 PM

Well after setting the valves at .08 and still getting lots of noise I went to .06 and it's still making a racket. I'm also now getting some smoke from the exhaust when it's at operating temp. Looks like some excessive wear around the piston. I'm going to give CSC a call and see what they think. The valve train noise increases as the engine warms.

This bike has had pretty high levels of fuel in the oil since brand new.

AdventureDad · 07-14-2016, 05:00 PM

That is quite concerning. If your oil was thinned by the gas, I could see increase in piston wear. The whole OCS thing may not be our friend? I'm sure it was broken in properly, and wouldn't ask you otherwise on a forum, so how else could excessive wear happen like this?

Lee R · 07-16-2016, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdventureDad

That is quite concerning. If your oil was thinned by the gas, I could see increase in piston wear. The whole OCS thing may not be our friend? I'm sure it was broken in properly, and wouldn't ask you otherwise on a forum, so how else could excessive wear happen like this?

My oil showed 4.5% on the last check so It's definitely being thinned as shown by the lab. I've been changing it at 1000-1500 miles because of that but the Newfoundland trip was a 3000 mile interval (changed in maine) so I'm sure the oil got destroyed.

07-14-2016, 01:01 PM	#17
kumatae Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 51	Lee, I couldn't agree with you more on the fuel size/range and most of your sentiments about the bike. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do away with the RX3 before end of the year when I eventually take another job. I agree, at $4000, I would rather get a used bigger bike, but this is just purely an opinion by me. I'm sure the RX3 is perfect for some folks but I'm starting to feel the not so transparent needs of the bike.
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07-14-2016, 02:52 PM	#18
Lee R Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 343	Well after setting the valves at .08 and still getting lots of noise I went to .06 and it's still making a racket. I'm also now getting some smoke from the exhaust when it's at operating temp. Looks like some excessive wear around the piston. I'm going to give CSC a call and see what they think. The valve train noise increases as the engine warms. This bike has had pretty high levels of fuel in the oil since brand new.
	0

07-14-2016, 05:00 PM	#19
AdventureDad Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: South Mississippi Posts: 253	That is quite concerning. If your oil was thinned by the gas, I could see increase in piston wear. The whole OCS thing may not be our friend? I'm sure it was broken in properly, and wouldn't ask you otherwise on a forum, so how else could excessive wear happen like this?
	0