RX3 vs RX4, US versions

acecase09 · 02-19-2020, 08:06 AM

RX3 vs RX4

I recently bought a new RX3, and yes the RX4 was available at the time. I have gotten more than one pm asking me why I didn't go with the RX4. It's a very valid question. My last ride was a 2016 KLR650, so the RX4 is much closer in power. While that is true, it's only part of the picture. I paid $5700 for my KLR, the close to another $3500 for givi luggage, panniers, crash bars, skid plate, tires, USB power, heated grips, progressive front suspension, better seat, folding gearshift, handguards, GPS and on and on. Yes I rode it; I spent more time off road than on road. I did several two week long adventures. Then I had back surgery.

In considering a new bike, post back surgery, I was really looking at what I could do without hurting myself, and what I really needed, as well as what I could spend. I was out of work for a year, and kinda tight on funds. My list was fairly firm on what I had to have. I wanted a lighter bike to start with. I needed luggage, hard panniers and a top box big enough for my helmet. Crash bars, skid plate, and real hand guards were also a non-negotiable must. Heated grips were also high up there.

With that firmly established, I started looking. I found used bikes and older bikes. A random link in a article I was reading led me to the RX3. I ignored it; then I began to see more and more mentions of the RX3. So I really dug in. The chinariders forum was a great resource. I have ridden bikes all over the world and ridden all kinds of makes, so I was not initially put off by the non USA mainstream brand.

Once I decided that it was a valid option and I started looking, here is how it broke down.

The 2019 RX3 with heated grips, handguards, taller top box, Wolfman tank bag, USB power outlet, led headlight upgrade and extra oil filters was $4602.95. That's what I paid CSC. I had to pay SC sales tax, SC property tax and the registration fee. Grand total was $5100.63. That is what it cost me for everything. All fees, taxes and bribes.

A RX4 starts at $4995, add the $400 shipping fee, handguards $109, luggage $490, tank bag $90, heated grips $109, skid plate $160, crash bars not available for RX4 and oil filters $50 we are at $6403. SC sales tax, property tax and tag fee would put it right at $7200. A difference of $2100. And at the $7000 range I could find a good used BMW 650GS, on which I could get out of the sales tax and not being new, the property tax would be a joke. Plus I would have to create a set of crash bars (which was actually a plus, because I love fun stuff like that).

I admit, I have put more than a little I to the RX3 after deciding I like it. Bar risers, better tires, better chain, 13T front sprocket, folding shift lever, GPS mount... You get the idea. But I would have done the same to anything I decided to keep and ride.

It honestly came down to two things for me. Value of the purchase (not price in and of itself), and weight.

CSC has been great, and is a wonderful company, even if the service guy hates replying to emails, but reads them and will talk for hours on the phone. I don't regret it. Hopefully in a couple of years I will be able to ride a larger, taller bike again, but this thing was a good purchase.

Working_ZS · 02-19-2020, 11:53 AM

Yes, the RX3 is without a doubt one of the best buys in motorcycling today. When you consider everything you get for the price, coupled with excellent support from CSC, it is really hard to beat. Plus, it is just plain fun to be on the vanguard of Chinese entry into the US motorcycle market; I like having something different from what most people are riding, the outstanding value for the price is just a big bonus.

I think that the motorcycling landscape is going to be undergoing some big changes over the next five years or so, bigger than what has occurred over the last five, and I also think that CSC and Zongshen are going to be figuring prominently in it. The success of the RX3 worldwide is pretty much the reason that we have a plethora of small displacement ADV bikes to choose from today. Without it, we would probably still be waiting for one of the mainstream manufacturers to take a chance on smaller bikes. Now that they have finally joined the fray, I find it interesting that Zongshen is taking steps higher up into the engine displacement range, e.g. the RX6, with a 650cc parallel twin; steps that are going to put it into direct competition with the major bike manufacturers. It is definitely going to be fun to watch, and if I were a betting man, my money would be on Zongshen.

02-19-2020, 08:06 AM	#1
acecase09 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Jackson, SC, USA Posts: 35	RX3 vs RX4, US versions RX3 vs RX4 I recently bought a new RX3, and yes the RX4 was available at the time. I have gotten more than one pm asking me why I didn't go with the RX4. It's a very valid question. My last ride was a 2016 KLR650, so the RX4 is much closer in power. While that is true, it's only part of the picture. I paid $5700 for my KLR, the close to another $3500 for givi luggage, panniers, crash bars, skid plate, tires, USB power, heated grips, progressive front suspension, better seat, folding gearshift, handguards, GPS and on and on. Yes I rode it; I spent more time off road than on road. I did several two week long adventures. Then I had back surgery. In considering a new bike, post back surgery, I was really looking at what I could do without hurting myself, and what I really needed, as well as what I could spend. I was out of work for a year, and kinda tight on funds. My list was fairly firm on what I had to have. I wanted a lighter bike to start with. I needed luggage, hard panniers and a top box big enough for my helmet. Crash bars, skid plate, and real hand guards were also a non-negotiable must. Heated grips were also high up there. With that firmly established, I started looking. I found used bikes and older bikes. A random link in a article I was reading led me to the RX3. I ignored it; then I began to see more and more mentions of the RX3. So I really dug in. The chinariders forum was a great resource. I have ridden bikes all over the world and ridden all kinds of makes, so I was not initially put off by the non USA mainstream brand. Once I decided that it was a valid option and I started looking, here is how it broke down. The 2019 RX3 with heated grips, handguards, taller top box, Wolfman tank bag, USB power outlet, led headlight upgrade and extra oil filters was $4602.95. That's what I paid CSC. I had to pay SC sales tax, SC property tax and the registration fee. Grand total was $5100.63. That is what it cost me for everything. All fees, taxes and bribes. A RX4 starts at $4995, add the $400 shipping fee, handguards $109, luggage $490, tank bag $90, heated grips $109, skid plate $160, crash bars not available for RX4 and oil filters $50 we are at $6403. SC sales tax, property tax and tag fee would put it right at $7200. A difference of $2100. And at the $7000 range I could find a good used BMW 650GS, on which I could get out of the sales tax and not being new, the property tax would be a joke. Plus I would have to create a set of crash bars (which was actually a plus, because I love fun stuff like that). I admit, I have put more than a little I to the RX3 after deciding I like it. Bar risers, better tires, better chain, 13T front sprocket, folding shift lever, GPS mount... You get the idea. But I would have done the same to anything I decided to keep and ride. It honestly came down to two things for me. Value of the purchase (not price in and of itself), and weight. CSC has been great, and is a wonderful company, even if the service guy hates replying to emails, but reads them and will talk for hours on the phone. I don't regret it. Hopefully in a couple of years I will be able to ride a larger, taller bike again, but this thing was a good purchase. __________________ "If you make something idiot proof, the world will make a better idiot".
	1

02-19-2020, 11:53 AM	#2
Working_ZS Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 365	The RX3 Is Really Hard To Beat Yes, the RX3 is without a doubt one of the best buys in motorcycling today. When you consider everything you get for the price, coupled with excellent support from CSC, it is really hard to beat. Plus, it is just plain fun to be on the vanguard of Chinese entry into the US motorcycle market; I like having something different from what most people are riding, the outstanding value for the price is just a big bonus. I think that the motorcycling landscape is going to be undergoing some big changes over the next five years or so, bigger than what has occurred over the last five, and I also think that CSC and Zongshen are going to be figuring prominently in it. The success of the RX3 worldwide is pretty much the reason that we have a plethora of small displacement ADV bikes to choose from today. Without it, we would probably still be waiting for one of the mainstream manufacturers to take a chance on smaller bikes. Now that they have finally joined the fray, I find it interesting that Zongshen is taking steps higher up into the engine displacement range, e.g. the RX6, with a 650cc parallel twin; steps that are going to put it into direct competition with the major bike manufacturers. It is definitely going to be fun to watch, and if I were a betting man, my money would be on Zongshen.
	0