New Zongshen RX3 (ZS250GY-3) Dual Sport

[Wolftrax]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Those are nice bags, Mark. Are they made in South Africa?

Yes they are. A chap I rode with for a while had the on his XT660 and they were really nice. The best part is there only about 2900zar or less than $300 USD. Going to try to snag a set when I'm over there next month.

[CSCDude]

An update with some thoughts on Chinese quality in ADVPulse...

http://www.advpulse.com/adv-bikes/ch...ing-to-the-us/

[G19Tony]

Originally Posted by CSCDude

An update with some thoughts on Chinese quality in ADVPulse...

http://www.advpulse.com/adv-bikes/ch...ing-to-the-us/

Nice article. I'm glad I got my name on the list. I really think this bike is going to be a winner. I had a CRF250L and by the time I put all the farkles on it to tour, along with extra fuel and water, I was real close to the weight of the RX3. And, I spent a lot more money to do it. This bike will get me back into that segment of riding, and it will be a nice bike for knocking around town.

[CSCDude]

Originally Posted by G19Tony

Nice article. I'm glad I got my name on the list. I really think this bike is going to be a winner. I had a CRF250L and by the time I put all the farkles on it to tour, along with extra fuel and water, I was real close to the weight of the RX3. And, I spent a lot more money to do it. This bike will get me back into that segment of riding, and it will be a nice bike for knocking around town.

I hear ya, Tony. I plan to use mine for knocking around North and Central America. My good buddy Simon Gandolfi (shown below riding with me in Baja) made it all the way down to Tierra del Fuego and back on a 125cc Honda Cargo. I don't think I'm cut from the same cloth as a world-class rider like Simon, but I'd sure like to be like him when I grow up.

[culcune]

Are you guys going to bring in the police bikes, CSCDude? Johnny Pag had a niche market with their 250cc police bikes. They were used by departments to save $ on fuel, but obviously not for speed traps and chase duties, but rather for quieter, lower profile bikes around suburban housing developments and such. I think these would make more sense, however, since they are technically enduros meaning they can ride off curbs chasing drug dealers and such. Or for patrolling in areas like the foothills where there are dirt roads.

Here in Yuma, we have the full-bore Harley police bikes, and of course the riders are well trained, but they seem like overkill riding along the parade routes during our several parades we have. Our department uses UTVs to patrol the several parks located along the river, but these would be more maneuverable transitioning from a dirt trail to the paved parking lot. I could imagine the possibilities are endless for small police departments.

Also, on another note, years ago, when Cobrasales were distributing TGB scooters, a few of the company employees/owners rode a small group of the 150cc delivery scooters from New York to L.A. with no issues, keeping a daily blog. All made it with no problems if I remember. I know they were making a point that Taiwanese scooters have quality built in to them like Japanese, but I do believe a better point would have been to supply the same scooters to a busy New York pizzeria for a few months of daily deliveries to show how much more efficient they were than cars.

However, your bikes, even being 'adventure' tourers, would make more sense doing the same thing on highways and freeways. There are many people on Horizonsunlimited looking for bikes when they land in New York, or L.A., and want to ride around the US, before heading south or north. Even without going off-road (although it probably couldn't hurt to find long stretches of dirt roads like those I used to drive my Buick on when I lived and worked on the Navajo Nation 'rez'), it would show this niche market, as well as general buyers, how stout these bikes are.

If there are distributors in Mexico, Central and South America, it couldn't hurt to find out who they are, and offer your bikes as budget alternatives to the big money bikes to foreigners starting their months long motorcycle adventure in the US--not only will they be road proven here, the buyers would have some peace of mind when they turned south. With the ease of titling and plating a bike here in AZ, believe me, I have been thinking about how to fill this niche market with your bikes here on the border (one of the concerns of riding bikes through Mexico, and points south is having a bike registered and titled in the rider's name which is pretty much on the spot here in AZ, while more difficult in Calif.)--you will be selling to dealers, right?

[CSCDude]

Originally Posted by culcune

Are you guys going to bring in the police bikes, CSCDude? Johnny Pag had a niche market with their 250cc police bikes. They were used by departments to save $ on fuel, but obviously not for speed traps and chase duties, but rather for quieter, lower profile bikes around suburban housing developments and such. I think these would make more sense, however, since they are technically enduros meaning they can ride off curbs chasing drug dealers and such. Or for patrolling in areas like the foothills where there are dirt roads.

Here in Yuma, we have the full-bore Harley police bikes, and of course the riders are well trained, but they seem like overkill riding along the parade routes during our several parades we have. Our department uses UTVs to patrol the several parks located along the river, but these would be more maneuverable transitioning from a dirt trail to the paved parking lot. I could imagine the possibilities are endless for small police departments.

Also, on another note, years ago, when Cobrasales were distributing TGB scooters, a few of the company employees/owners rode a small group of the 150cc delivery scooters from New York to L.A. with no issues, keeping a daily blog. All made it with no problems if I remember. I know they were making a point that Taiwanese scooters have quality built in to them like Japanese, but I do believe a better point would have been to supply the same scooters to a busy New York pizzeria for a few months of daily deliveries to show how much more efficient they were than cars.

However, your bikes, even being 'adventure' tourers, would make more sense doing the same thing on highways and freeways. There are many people on Horizonsunlimited looking for bikes when they land in New York, or L.A., and want to ride around the US, before heading south or north. Even without going off-road (although it probably couldn't hurt to find long stretches of dirt roads like those I used to drive my Buick on when I lived and worked on the Navajo Nation 'rez'), it would show this niche market, as well as general buyers, how stout these bikes are.

If there are distributors in Mexico, Central and South America, it couldn't hurt to find out who they are, and offer your bikes as budget alternatives to the big money bikes to foreigners starting their months long motorcycle adventure in the US--not only will they be road proven here, the buyers would have some peace of mind when they turned south. With the ease of titling and plating a bike here in AZ, believe me, I have been thinking about how to fill this niche market with your bikes here on the border (one of the concerns of riding bikes through Mexico, and points south is having a bike registered and titled in the rider's name which is pretty much on the spot here in AZ, while more difficult in Calif.)--you will be selling to dealers, right?

The short answer to the first question is yes. We will be bringing in the police model.

I wrote a book about military and police motorcycles a few years ago, we have an interest in that market, and we "sort of" have a version of our CSC-150 for police work.



It was kind of funny...we did one of our Mustang replica CSC-150 motorcycles in a police motif for a fellow on the Victor McLaglen Motor Corps (a police Harley drill team). I called my good buddy and motor officer Jim Watson and asked him to pose for photos on the bike, and as a joke, we did a press release on the CSC-150P (with the P, of course, standing for "pursuit"). Then we started getting calls for the police model overseas. Amazing.

All joking aside, we agree there is a market for a 250cc police motor, and we intend to work it aggressively. Our first interest and love, though, is adventure riding, and that will be our primary focus.

[SpudRider]

Joe,

Have you determined a price for the optional, 17-inch rear wheel?

[CSCDude]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Joe,

Have you determined a price for the optional, 17-inch rear wheel?

I don't know, Spud, but I don't think so. I'll see the beancounters next week and I'll ask them where they are on it.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by CSCDude

I don't know, Spud, but I don't think so. I'll see the beancounters next week and I'll ask them where they are on it.

Thank you, Joe. Please do check with the bean counters.

[SpudRider]

News flash! ADVPulse just posted a very nice, and very honest review of the RX3; check it out.

http://www.advpulse.com/adv-bikes/cl...-cyclone-rx-3/

Here is a video posted with the review.

[RedSpruce]

That's a nice article and video. I think anyone looking at this moto in a rational manner will see what a great deal it is!

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by RedSpruce

That's a nice article and video. I think anyone looking at this moto in a rational manner will see what a great deal it is!

I agree. The more I learn about this motorcycle, the better I like it. The ADVPulse review is very honest, and lists a few areas of potential concern. However, after riding my Zongshen 200GY-2 for over 67,000 miles, I am very comfortable with Zongshen's quality of manufacturing. If I didn't have so much experience with my current Zong, I might be less positive about this motorcycle. However, I'm confident any potential problems can be easily rectified.

I know Zongshen manufactures good engines. I also know Zongshen manufactures strong frames. Here is a link to the Zongshen RX3 frame sold at Taobao.

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...37&ns=1#detail

The RX3 frame is very similar to the frame of the Zongshen ZS150GY-10.

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...7-7f6610681917

Notice the strong subframe on both motorcycles. My Honda XR650L has a notoriously weak subframe, which frequently fractures from carrying moderate loads. I have loaded my Zongshen 200GY-2 with heavy loads on many multi-day trips, and it has never complained.

The review mentions that the lower frame rails are bolted, rather than welded to the downtube. However, I think this is an advantage, rather than a deficit.



If necessary, it will be much easier to replace the lower frame rails, rather than trying to repair them. It is certainly not difficult to secure the lower frame rails with red loctite. If still concerned, one could add lock nuts. Also, it is very easy to periodically inspect the bolts for tightness.

[RedSpruce]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

The review mentions that the lower frame rails are bolted, rather than welded to the downtube. However, I think this is an advantage, rather than a deficit.

I thought the same thing when I read the article. Everyone had a different take on things though, so what works for some doesn't work for others.

[SpudRider]

I was also pleased to hear the good review concerning the quality of the switchgear, and the plastic.



Both of these items have been of significantly lower quality on previous Chinese motorcycles.

[SpudRider]

The ADVPulse review also mentions the single-cable throttle as a deficit. However, my Honda XR650L has a two-cable throttle, and I much prefer the single-cable throttle on my Zongshen ZS200GY-2.