New Zongshen RX3 (ZS250GY-3) Dual Sport

[tikitarik]

So I'm cross posting this review from advrider, but I'll also add some more info at the end just for this forum.

Old Review:
So I've been following this bike for a bit now, and have a deposit on a orange RX3 (the fastest color) and was able to fly down to CA for the holidays. While I was there I managed to drive down to LA and take a look at the bike.

I've currently got a 2014 CRF250l, and I've had an NC700x and KLR250 in the past, so I'm fairly comfortable with adventure and dual sport bikes, but wanted to take a look at the RX in person before making a decision. Sadly I forgot my helmet cam, and didn't think to take any photos until after I had left.

First impression in person are very good. The bike is a nice size, but definitely smaller than a full sized adventure, the plastics are much nicer in person (as noted by many of the reviews). It absolutely looks like something one of the large manufacturers would make. Sitting on it the ergonomics are quite good, as is the seat (I don't know about the long term comfort, but that's fairly easy to correct), one thing I noted was that the grips are substantially thicker and softer than most of my other bikes stock, which can be a plus or minus depending on your hands; it worked well for me.

Talking to Steve (an employee of CSC) about the bike I was able to take it for a quick ride around the parking lot. It fired up no problem and settled into idle nice and easily, sound wise the stock muffler isn't too bad, it's about in-between the quietness of my CRF250L and that of a KLR250. It definitely sounds like a thumper, which I like. Playing around with the clutch the pull was smooth and the engagement was defined, although as noted in the other reviews, engagement was more towards the very edge of the pull. The gears shifted quite solidly and with a good feel.

One think that I immediately noticed is that it doesn't make as much power down low compared to a CRF250L, which was a little surprising. Mind you this is only in the 2-3.5k RPM range, as soon as you get past that it really starts to come alive. In that RPM band it's still perfectly driveable, but on a bit of a hill or low-speed riding you might need to rev it more. I never had it above 4500 RPM so I'm not to sure how it will run at street speeds, having never gone above 15 mph or so. Now I will say that I only made 2 laps on it, and am in no way a qualified Tester of motorcycles, or even a particularly great rider, these are just my observations.

Coming to a stop and getting into neutral was not too bad, it was a little bit hard to gauge neutral; but as the bike only had about a thousand miles on it I hope that as they age it'll become a bit easier. The brakes didn't have a very defined of feel, but seemed adequate for the weight of the bike. All of the controls were very nice, with a solid click when pressed on par with the Honda. Steve informed me that on the production bikes the headlights will be hard-wired to turn on with the key (DOT required), and that the switch used for turning the lights on and off will be re-purposed into a hot switch for if you want to add auxiliary lights or any thing other accessories (A cracking idea if there ever was one).

He also had some great news regarding the rear wheel, air filter, and a couple of other parts, but I'll let the CSC blog take care of those bits of info. Of note, he said that at the moment there are no performance upgrades from the factory in the form of exhaust or big bore kits, but CSC will be developing an in house header and exhaust kit.

All said and done I really liked it. Looks, feel, and performance are spot on the money and definitely seem able to compete with something like a CRF250L, and perhaps even a WR250r, with a better freeway capability.
I've probably forgotten something, but this is the first time I've ever left a review like this.

Thanks for sticking around for the whole read.

New Bits:
Now that They've confirmed it, yes it is coming with a cush hub 17" wheel stock, which is great news, and definetely saves some money for us (along with a much better tire selection). According to steve the M1nsk 17" wheel is solid, no cush hub. He also said that they've updated the air filter design, someone posted earlier in the thread about the revised design on Taobao, and that comes stock on the bike. He was also able to confirm about the USB listed as coming with the bike. The bad news is that it doesn't come stock. The good news is that the dash has cutouts for installing a power outlet and USB socket next to the tach, so it should be nicely integrated. The last thing I can think of is that CSC is working on an in-house permanently mounted center stand as an accessory, compared to the odd splt design from zongshen.

Hope this helps, and isn't too intrusive.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting your informative review of the RX3.

I'm very glad to hear the cush hub is being retained with the 17-inch rear wheel. The larger rear wheel will also require a larger, rear sprocket to maintain the stock gear ratio.

Also, the RX3 might lack some power at lower rpms because the stock sprocket ratio is geared a little too high. This is another reason why it's important to have a nice selection of larger sprockets available for the cushioned rear hub.

P.S. I'm also pleased to know the RX3 will included the modified, split side cover I discovered in an earlier post. This modified cover will make it much easier to clean, and inspect the foam air filter. The old design required you to remove the luggage rack before you could service the air filter.

[Wolftrax]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Did you notice the center stand on the bikes moving down the assembly line? A center stand is just about mandatory for any adventure motorcycle, or any bike weighing 385 pounds, for that matter.

Yeah I see that. Wonder if that's in place just for assembly.

[SpudRider]

For example, check out the Lockhart Basin footage at the 6:55 mark in the following video. If an RX3 owner decides to ride the Utah BDR, he might want to install an even larger, rear sprocket to get more torque at lower engine rpms. In this instance, he would be willing to sacrifice a little top speed for better engine performance in more technical terrain.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Wolftrax

Yeah I see that. Wonder if that's in place just for assembly.

Yes, I think so. The center stand is optional, not standard equipment.

[Wolftrax]

The engine character of the RX3 is very similar to that of the WRX250R. The Yammy is a bit dodgy at lowere RPMs but loves to be flogged at higher revs. No surprise since both are 77x53.6 with a 11.5 compression ratio. This is going to be a kick ass motor.

[Wolftrax]

I'm hoping the countershaft is going to be an easy swap. On my CRF250L I carry both a 14T and a 13T. It's a simple 30 min. swap out. It's like high and low range like my old Suzy TC120.

[SpudRider]

I'm confident the ZS177MM (NC250) engine is very good, and reliable. Nevertheless, I hope suitable sprockets are available for the larger rear wheel. The cushion hub does not employ a readily available sprocket. When I converted my Zongshen ZS200Y-2 from a 15-inch rear wheel to an 18-inch rear wheel, I needed to install a larger rear sprocket merely to maintain the stock gear ratio.

Most riders also prefer to experiment with several sprocket ratios to find the ideal combination for the different types of terrain they ride. I just hope we don't get stuck with a single rear sprocket which is too small for the larger rear wheel.

[tikitarik]

Originally Posted by Wolftrax

The engine character of the RX3 is very similar to that of the WRX250R. The Yammy is a bit dodgy at lowere RPMs but loves to be flogged at higher revs. No surprise since both are 77x53.6 with a 11.5 compression ratio. This is going to be a kick ass motor.

That's what I figured, but it had been quite a while since I had last rode a wr. From the other reviews it's supposed to be pretty good on the freeway, and that's one area where the CRF250L can fall short.

I will also say that the feel of the bike was great during low speed maneuvers. You really don't feel the weight.

[tikitarik]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Thanks for posting your informative review of the RX3.

I'm very glad to hear the cush hub is being retained with the 17-inch rear wheel. The larger rear wheel will also require a larger, rear sprocket to maintain the stock gear ratio.

Also, the RX3 might lack some power at lower rpms because the stock sprocket ratio is geared a little too high. This is another reason why it's important to have a nice selection of larger sprockets available for the cushioned rear hub.

P.S. I'm also pleased to know the RX3 will included the modified, split side cover I discovered in an earlier post. This modified cover will make it much easier to clean, and inspect the foam air filter. The old design required you to remove the luggage rack before you could service the air filter.

The rear sprocket is something I forgot to consider regarding the rear wheel change, hopefully they'll have it all sorted out (pretty sure they will). Another item to note is that they are attempting to correct the speedo ratio. Having never really worked on speedo gears or changing them, do you think it would be possible to get a custom cut gear made for the rx3 if enough people are interested?

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Wolftrax

I'm hoping the countershaft is going to be an easy swap. On my CRF250L I carry both a 14T and a 13T. It's a simple 30 min. swap out. It's like high and low range like my old Suzy TC120.

I'm not worried about the counter shaft (C/S) sprocket. The C/S sprocket appears to be a readily available, Suzuki sprocket.

However, I suspect the RX3 employs the same cushion hub as my Zongshen ZS200GY-2. If so, this hub utilizes a Kawasaki, or Zongshen rear sprocket, which might not be available in larger sizes suitable to maintain the stock gear ratio for the larger rear wheel. The 17-inch rear wheel of the Minsk TRX 300i employs a different hub.

However, I would not be content merely to maintain the stock sprocket ratio. I would like the ability to experiment with different sprocket ratios for different riding conditions. If the cushion hub doesn't have a nice variety of larger sprockets available, I would prefer the 17-inch, rear wheel employed by the Minsk TRX 300i. The hub on this wheel appears to employ either Honda, or KTM rear sprockets, which are available in a wide variety of sizes.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by tikitarik

...Another item to note is that they are attempting to correct the speedo ratio. Having never really worked on speedo gears or changing them, do you think it would be possible to get a custom cut gear made for the rx3 if enough people are interested?

I would be nicer if we could program the Siemens chip for the wheel diameter. I can program my Trail Tech Vapor computer for different wheel sizes, and this allows me to calibrate the speedometer for excellent accuracy. If we can't program the Siemens chip, it would be nice if Siemens could correct the ROM chip code for better accuracy.

[G19Tony]

Originally Posted by Wolftrax

Time to pile on over at ADV Rider. Let CSC know what we want.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...007040&page=11

Done!

[RedSpruce]

Originally Posted by Wolftrax

Time to pile on over at ADV Rider. Let CSC know what we want.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...007040&page=11

I added my 2 cents as well!

[SpudRider]

It's official; the RX3 will have the 17-inch rear wheel with the cushion hub. I hope they offer a selection of larger rear sprockets, but one way or another, we will make it work.