RX3 Testimonials and Issues
 

Hi all, it appeared that we were going a little adrift on NZ's "Parts Direct" thread, so let's start a new one.

Sqwert seems to have had his fair share of issues with his RX3 and put it out to pasture, albeit a high mileage bike. I'm hoping he'll chime in here with a chronological list of his problems.

I, on the other hand, have had zero issues with either of ours but that said, they also don't get ridden a ton due to a large stable and like the rest of us, spare time around life. Ours are toys and not transportation.

Feel free to add your experiences. I'm hoping some of the old RX3 guard will toss in their .02.

Copied and Pasted from other thread
 

Math Teacher said:

My 2015 RX3 just rolled over 20,000 miles. Used for daily commuting and weekend road trips in Southern Calif. Fair amount of 2 up riding. Still have the original front tire, but I have changed the rear already 3 times. I had the gear shift lever spring fail at about 12,000 miles and that repair involved some partial tear down to replace. While I was in there I replaced the clutch as well. Did not really need the clutch, but while it was apart I got it done.

That little spring has been my only failure. That spring has been upgraded so should not be a problem for anyone going forward. Very reliable bike.

Valve adjustments require some time to partially tear down the bike to get to the valve covers, after that it goes quickly and easily. I have noticed that the exhaust valve need adjustment more frequently than the intakes. I do the exhaust valves every 3,000 miles with minimum tear down of the bike. I do the intake valves every 6,000 with more disassembly of the bike required. I set the valve adjustment at the higher end of the specification. That gap gets smaller over time as the bike is ridden until out of spec.

Cpoied and Pasted from Other Thread
 

Sqwert said:

Finally was able to be home with decent weather to ride. NZ's seat cover is awesome, at least as comfy as any other mod or combination of mods I've tried. For the price, can't be beat.

However, doesn't matter any more. The RX3 has 12460 miles, and that's all I'll go for. I've been riding for 54 years and literally have had to tow the bike home for repairs as many times in 12460 miles as all previous street bikes combined, about 660,000 miles. Also, the RX3 takes 3-4 times as many hours to keep it serviced and repaired as any other motorcycle I've had over the last 54 years.

If I didn't have other bikes I'd be stuck in the shop tomorrow fixing the RX3 AGAIN instead of riding. Tomorrow I'm changing the oil and switching the plate to the TW276 café. It hasn't yet broken. The RX3 is getting fuel treatment and shoved to the back of the stack of projects wanting my attention.

I regret selling the Nighthawk 750 instead of making the ergos fit. Minimum maintenance and dependable as a rock. Brake, electrical, suspension, and ergo upgrades would come out cheaper than keeping the RX3 running, and never adjust valves. AAAaaaahhhhh!!!

The only real failure I've had on my 2015 RX3 (first shipment) was the "Shifter return spring" broke on mine a few weeks ago.....about 12,000 miles on it.

I'm Still happy with the bike.

I did install the "300cc Kit" last year, which helped it with more bottom end, which makes it more fun to ride.

It is still the bike I generally "Hop On" when I'm riding to work, or around here local.

RX3 20,000 Miles
 

The original chain is nothing special, so that was changed at 5 or 6 thousand miles. During one of the valve adjustments, I took off the gas tank to improve access to the intake valves. That is a good time to change the fuel filter. Also during valve adjustments you pull the spark plug to release compression from the engine. That is a good time to put in a new spark plug. Mine did not need the spark plug, but I put in a new one at 10,000 miles. My riding is about 10% dirt roads so I check, clean and oil the air filter as needed. Typically every 5,000 miles. Plus the usual oil changes, tire pressure, and chain lube. That's it.

Mine is a first shipment 2015. I’m not sure I’m a good data point since I only have just over 1000 miles on it. I had to replace fork seals, the chain (due to tons of stretch) and the orange paint has faded some after using the bike for a few weeks of commuting in the summer (parked outside at work during the day for that time). The chain was no big deal to me, but fork seal and the paint was a bit of an unpleasant surprise.

I’d ride it a lot more, if it had a little more power/torque. I’d sell it, if I could get even a remotely reasonable amount for it. I bought the big bore kit from NZ and will put it in soon. Maybe that will get me on the bike more, especially if it will maintain 70mph (actual) up hills on state highways. I’m generally happy with the bike for light use and limiting to short runs on the interstate. It’s great for BLM/NF roads with a set of DS tires. A 2-3 night trip on dirt roads and nothing really technical is great with this bike. If it keeps the hours off my other bikes and doesn’t prove to be a maintenance headache, I’ll be happy.

I got a 2017 got it out for the Destination Trip I'm at lil over 12,000 miles replace chain at 10,000 tires at 6,600 because of a trip to Big Been I've adjusted valves at every 5,000 miles and oil at5000 or 4000 pure synthetic oil. Only replace starter sylinod

Running Well @ 14,000 Miles
 

I just passed 14,000 miles without any problems on mine. I did swap out the original chain at the 500 mile service, due to the known issue with it wearing rapidly. I am on my fourth OEM CST rear tire, still rocking the original front. I will change it when the fifth tire goes on the rear, around 18-19,000 miles if all goes according to plan.

I did take the opportunity at the last rear tire swap to change out the rear sprocket bolts for harder KLR650 ones. Note that the loctite that Zongshen uses is really good stuff. So good that you have to heat the bolt bosses in the hub and keep them heated, in order to remove the original bolts. If you let them cool in the slightest, the thread locker resets and you risk rounding out the allen heads in the bolts. Keep them hot, and all you need is a 1/4" drive ratchet and about 10-15 pounds of torque to get the OEM bolts out.

Regarding the valves, they have been adjusted at 500 and 4600 miles. Inspected again with no adjustment needed at 8500 miles, and I am not going to look at them again until 15,000 miles. The engine runs well, it does not die when pulling in the clutch lever and letting it drop down to idle; this is usually a dead giveaway that the valves need to be adjusted. I do use the Lucas Fuel Injector and Upper Cylinder Lubricant that CSC's former service manager, Gerry Edwards, recommended for the RX3's NC250 engine. I add a squirt to the fuel tank each time I fill up. I can't say definitively that it is the reason for the valves not moving since the 4600 mile adjustment, but at $24 for a gallon, it's cheap insurance. One gallon lasted me 10,000 miles, which worked out to about 3X the recommended ratio in the mixing instructions.

8500 miles
 

I have one of the last of the 2015's. The bike died on me after my first valve adj. kinked fuel line i still can't figure out how the fuel filter goes on that tang under the tank, i just leave everything loose under there. Replaced chain front and rear sprocket at 6000 miles.Checked valves at all the suggested mileage think first time it needed one was at 5000. The mighty Zong lives at 8500 rpms around 60 to 68 mph 5th gear never use 6th vermont roads. But it thrives in 3rd and 4th on the endless dirt roads. Change oil and clean air filter other than that i pretty much abuse it think it has the same dirt from the first day i got it. No complaints

9900 on a 2015
 

I use my RX3 fairly regularly for shorter trips, and always enjoy riding it. Just a very handy machine, fun for just about any kind of riding as long as you don't have to cover a lot of freeway miles. I've taken it on few longer adventures and hope to get out more this coming year. Just approaching 10,000 miles.


I've experienced most of the issues folks have mentioned. Broken shift return spring, early wear of OEM chain, leaking OEM battery, bad headlight switch gear, and I've had to do more work tightening, sealing, and lubing parts than you'd expect on a Japanese machine. But its been easy to do, parts and farkles are cheap, and the bike has never stranded me or let me down. And when I bought it in 2015, it was really about the only game in town for a small bore adventure-type bike.



My main issue overall is low resale value. But the up front cost was relatively low. You just need to ride the thing to get your value out of it.

Speaking of resale value, my 20,000 mile good condition 2015 RX3 will be sold soon so I can get the RX4. What is a reasonable price range I can expect to get for an old RX3?

I'll be curious to see what you get for it.

Regarding resale and China Bikes, I've done better "percentage-wise" on my CB's than I've ever done on any of my Japanese bikes, just due to original purchase price.

The prices don't seem to be consistent. I shopped for a while and found varying prices. I ended up paying $1260 last year for a 2016 with 11k, upgraded luggage and quite a few of the OEM upgrades, in good condition. It's been fine since. It think part of the price variations has to do with whether someone will wait for the right buyer. I watched one sit around for months at $2200 (2015, mostly stock/basic). It finally sold but I don't know for how much. I had talked to the guy, then found the other deal and bought that instead.

Also now might be a bad time to sell, there are suddenly more on the market, probably by others upgrading also.

I was not expecting to get much for the used RX3. That was part of the original appeal for me, a disposable motorcycle. We replace our TV's now, we don't fix them. Same idea here. If it ever died, I would leave it on the side of the road and just walk away. Like a lizard shedding his skin. I am exaggerating (just a little) to get the point across. I love my RX3, and I already made my deposit on my RX4, but I don't plan to keep it forever.

Have 2 2015's. A fast orange one and a blue one plus a tt 250. About 4k on each of them with no issues at all on any of the CSC bikes. No complaints

As to value I bought my blue bike used with 150 miles on it in late 2016 for $2,500. Have seen others on craigslist in various parts of the country for about that same price for 2016s 2017s

Rojo

My experience around resale was very good. Its been my first No Complaint machine! Awesome experience!
2015.5 RX3 extremely well appointed with upgrades and very clean. 8000 miles and all services up to date. A local man who is very mechanically minded, owns other bikes and appreciates a well taken care of machine.
He made a very resonable offer, 3k, and i accepted.

Current bike is a Beta 300 2T which i may add really requires looking after. Much more attention/service time than the RX3.
I'm sure i'll be back some day guys.

My 2015 with 20,000 miles is in good condition. I have added a few things including a 40 channel CB radio with antenna. I would be happy with anything over $1000 that I could use towards my RX4 whenever that becomes available.

My new 2018 arrived with bent spokes that caused headshake. CSC fixed my problem, but it took a while to figure out what the issue was and to work through the logistics of taking care of it.

at about 400 miles or so, my rear brake began giving me issues - would only work if I pumped it. I stripped a screw when attempting to bleed the brakes and wound up having to replace the master cylinder.

Once that was replaced, all was good for another 100 miles or so and now the problem is back - but not every time I ride. I'm betting that I still have the original problem but it was just temporarily solved when I replaced the master cylinder. :shrug:

I ride the bike now just a few times per week for running errands in town and when I run down to the community college where I teach a class a couple of times per week.

I really like the RX3, but my V Strom is my go-to bike for most riding these days. It's a little better suited for the high speed limits on country roads out here and I have a lot more confidence in it. Once you get outside of my town, there is a whole lot of nothing and if you break down, you could be there a while.

First container 2015.

Throttle would not return to idle. No lubricant anywhere under grip or in cable. Surface rust on inner cable. Cleaned with SeaFoam Deep Creep, kerosene, SeaFoam Deep Creep, blown dry, then lubed with Blaster Chain and Cable.

Poor front brake. I rarely use rear brake unless loaded and on the highway.

Rear brake a bit grabby, so "grooved" to reduce surface area. Now, very nice.

Poor headlight bulb. Replaced with 55w H4 from Walmart. That was better than CSC's LED.

Rear axle nut torqued to specs after replacing worn out chain and sprockets parted company out in the country. Fortunately, found apparently abandoned car with lug nut that fit rear axle. Made it home. Drilled nut and axle for cotter pins.

Several electrical doodads under tank and seat failed while riding in rain. Hard to figure what was good and what was bad with so many concurrent failures. Replacement parts failed next rain. Both sets of parts ran fine once set atop the fridge to soak heat to dry. Solution was waterproofing like an Everglades swamp buggy, time and money never spent on any other bike. Bike runs in rain.

Bike would run several minutes to several days without leaks, then drain coolant in minutes. Never figured why or how. Refill, ride on to next pissing match.

No idea what has failed this time, just quit at 45mph on a back road..

Sad thing is, the RX3 is a quite pleasant bike to ride the paved back country roads. Handled great once preload and fork oil adjusted for load, even better when switched to softer sport touring tires, braked good once front upgraded with CSC parts and rear modified, to be less grabby, plenty of alternator for auxiliary lights that filled the blank spots from CSC's LED, Secure luggage for trips (CSC aluminum upgrade), and really nice ride with Tako's seat cover over CSC's taller seat. Ride and performance were perfect for where I wanted to go. Even the occasional tractor lane. Those positive attributes will be sorely missed, especially since the replacement will not share them. However, I was generally missing those attributes anyway since the RX3 couldn't keep itself running without constant trouble shooting and repairs in addition to scheduled maintenance.

Not much can cause the problem that you are describing. Since the master cylinder is new, I think that you can eliminate it as a suspect. Things to check would be the rotor for warpage, which can cause knock back of the piston into the caliper, which would necessitate pumping the pedal like you describe, to get any rear braking. The caliper could be binding, so check the forward caliper slider pin, make sure that it is lubricated with silicone grease, AKA plumbers grease. The slider pin should slide in and out of the rubber bushing effortlessly; and the caliper itself should rotate upwards clockwise easily when you remove the rear pin. If you haven't already, I would replace the brake bleeder with a Speed Bleeder, and then re-bleed the brakes. If I recall correctly, the bleeder is a M8 x 1.25 - these are the ones that I used:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WJ2SYK...ustomerReviews

They make bleeding the brakes pretty much foolproof, and air in the line can cause your symptom. Water in the brake fluid can do it as well, if your brake fluid has been sitting around awhile in a container that was not tightly sealed. Hard braking can cause the water to boil, flashing into steam, and causing you to have to pump the pedal. If yours is suspect, get some new DOT 4 brake fluid. One more thing to check would be for any soft spots in the rear brake line. To spot these, look and feel for any bulges in the line when you apply the rear brake.

Kinda sad.... Seems like just yesterday this RX3 sub forum was a rock star. Hell if you missed a day or two you might be a hundred posts or more behind...place was rocking and exciting. For me the RX3 was a needed breath of fresh air and it sure was fun.

They are fun lil bike I've have put it to the limits riding 2 up loaded ridding 400 miles one day and 370 the next day doin75 mph most of the way not bad for a 250 then. Straight shot home to Big Ben National Park 13 hrs straight to the park 630 back and forth plus the miles on dirt we did inside park

It was new and different then, lots to talk about. I bought mine late last year and have noticed a decline in posts even since then. That happens. There's already so much data on it available by searching so people just are not driven to start new threads. And at some point you run out of things to put in the "what did you do to your RX3 today" thread.

Dualsport Chic wrote in another thread:

Ok - this is the post that talks about my ultimate experience with Rex.

The deal breaker - the bike was too high for my inseam which precluded me from putting proper D/S tires on it (bad back so lowering links out of the question). This made my MABDR experience abysmal - the front end was washing out around every greasy hairpin through VA which really marred my experience of the route as I had trouble keeping up with my pack (and I'm usually the one going too fast for my fellow riders when I'm on the XT).

The ergonomics proved poor for standing for long periods of time. May have been able to fix that with some bar-back risers. Foot peg position was not optimal either - it did not leave me truly centered on the machine when off-piste. At the end of the BDR, I felt physically and mentally exhausted from continually battling with the bike through the numerous spots of challenging terrain/weather along the route.

Lastly, the resale on this bike is NON EXISTENT. Again, the risk of buying a Chinese product as there is not enough buy-in to buoy resale prices. I sold the bike for well under 1/2 of what I had into it and it didn't even have 7K miles on the odo.

What I really liked about the bike - road manners were lovely. Slabbed it back over two days from western NC and did 475 miles day one and 410 the next day and I arrived home in relatively good shape given nearly 1000 miles in two days. I also liked the DIY aspect of the RX3 along with the DVD to help those of us who aren't wrenches ease in to working on our own machines.

Support from CSC truly was great - the folks were very helpful and worked with me on several issues. Special shout out to Gerry - appreciated all the time he spent with me when I was trying to find tires that wouldn't lift the bike up too high for me. I also really liked the look of the RX3 - still do - its a pretty machine and I found several folks I interacted with saying the same when they got to look it over.

If I didn't already have my 05 F650gs, I probably would have kept the bike as a light commuter but it just was redundant with my current stable of machines.

What soured me on CSC was when they used my reviews without my permission (which were strictly off-limits for sharing), morphing them into CSC marketing material. When I brought it to their attention, copying my attorney, I never even got a response, much less a note of apology from Steve, the owner. Shame on them.

The RX3 is a great bike for what it is, but CSC tried to expand the audience of the bike by making it appear what it really is not: It is a light ADV bike , and I stress LIGHT and also a great commuter. It is in no way, shape or form and Dual-sport bike and cannot easily go where D/S machines regularly travel. There are a few folks (Joe Martin for example) who have really put it to the test but probably would have enjoyed their adventures oodles more on properly suspended steeds that would have been more suited to technical terrain.

Chinese bikes are making advances every year and within the next decade I would expect them to be on par with Japanese reliability and technology. Great to see new offerings in the market - its good when new entrants to the market challenge the competition as buyers ultimately win with more choices and improved quality over time. I wish Zongshen well in this regard as they're off to a decent start down that path.
__________________
Carpe Diem
IBA#65836

2005 BMW F650gs
2008 Yamaha XT250
2013 Yamaha XT250
2009 Suzuki Gladius

We could start a thread "Where did you ride your RX3 today", that would ensure a constant flux of new posts.

A few of the regulars that posted a lot daily and the couple of guys/gals I rode with a few times sold their RX3s or they rarely get to ride or post anymore due to bad motorcycle accidents...

The others are just busy with life to my knowledge and have no time or need to post up much... less time always posting "the bike is still running" on forums means more time spent on two wheels after all :hehe:

Maybe we should start an oil thread! ;-)

What will start new chatter is the RX4's arrival in the Adventure Bike forum. I can't wait for that thread to fire up with the first owners.

NOOOOO.. :doh: That's a good way to get band from this sight for sure. :lmao:

RX3 20,000 Miles
 

Mine is from the first shipment. Came partially assembled so I had to do the final set up and adjustment. That was part of the deal from day 1. If you had an RX3, you were expecting to do some wrench work yourself.

Did you get struck in the head.......again? The oil wars lol

I only use Crisco butter flavored, makes the exhaust smell like popcorn. You're an idiot if you use anything else.

RX3 12V Accessory Outlet
 

I did not like to use the key to get an active 12V power accessory outlet. Why should I have to turn on the lights and other stuff just to get 12V for some other accessory. I added another 12V accessory outlet wired directly to the battery, bypassing the key switch. This way I can use my 12V tire pump without the key. It is also good for camping when I do not want to turn on the lights and other stuff just to listen to the radio, charge the phone, pump an air mattress or whatever. Anybody else try something similar?

The reason it's on a key is to protect your battery from being abused by charging phones, listening to the radio, and pumping up tires. Seriously, bike batteries are meant to start a bike and then be kept charged. The things you want to do are best done with a jump pack. I have and love this one: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This model is particularly good for people with USB-C devices. I can charge my laptop straight from it, and then charge IT from my laptop charger.

High output alternator
 

I remember reading that the RX3 alternator has a 300w output specially so that it can cope with the high drain put on adventure bike systems with all the add on's like heated grips and cell phone and GPS devices.

I also remember seeing a seperate switch for the accessory plugs but this may just be on the early bikes?

RX3 12V Accessory Outlet
 

Danny, I use the accessory switch for LED lights I added, but it only works when the key is on. In that situation, no problem, it makes sense.

Calvarez, you are right that you don't want to totally drain and recharge the motorcycle battery. That will shorten it's life a lot and might leave you stranded. I followed your link and really like your jump pack. I already have a similar one from Harbor Freight. However, I still like to have the ability to use the RX3 battery without the key once in a while for limited time. It just adds some flexibility when I am on the road. i am aware and careful not to over work the battery. I did upgrade to the biggest and baddest AGM battery that would fit the RX3 just for this purpose.

Light battery use around the key is fine, no doubt. Regarding protecting the battery, the bike needs juice for the ecm and injection. If it was a carb bike with a kick start, it wouldn't be as critical....and with my overall rotten luck with batteries, I'm paranoid. Just had to buy two more this year!

One of the issues I've had with the RX3 is your basic, run of the mill, size 12 battery is just a tad too tall to fit in the frame. Extremely irritating.

When the battery in my RX3 needs replacement, I will buy a LiFePO4 instead of a lead-acid battery. I've used those in a couple bikes. They have huge capacity in a tiny/light size, and they can take being discharged just fine. Don't leave them empty, but regularly using them as a deep cycle will not affect them. I've used Battery Tender and Deka brand, both were just fine.

I saw some vendor selling Li batteries at some motorcycle trade show. I picked up one to look at it, and it did not weigh anything. I assumed it was an empty plastic shell just for display at the trade show. The vendor informed me that it actually was the real battery! Almost shocking how light they are and how powerful they are rated. I assume they will work with the RX3 alternator, but I am not sure about a battery charger or battery tender. Are there some special requirements for charging? Might be a good way to save some weight whenever my RX4 becomes available.

Yeah, when I got my first one from Amazon I thought it was an empty box. The LiFePO4 cells themselves require very specialized charging. That shell includes a charging circuit and a protection circuit. Some of them even have a feature where they allow you to use some of the power, then shut down with enough power to start the bike. You have to press a button to reset it, then the bike starts. Clever.

I just pulled a dead lithium battery from my RX3. Lasted about 3 years total. Put it on my lithium charger that I bought for it and after a day of sitting, wouldn't crank. Seems that I just don't ride these dang things enough.