DongFang DF250RT accessories

[Voice]

So, I just picked up a 2012 DF250RT, and I’ve got a few questions I’m hoping you guys can help me out with.

1) Is there an English-language service manual anywhere to be had? Lacking an actual service manual, is there anywhere I can find a basic schedule, and/or How-To (text, pictorial, or video) instructions for the basics like oil changes, chain tensioning, etc?

2) I need a good phone mount and USB port so I can have GPS navigation. I’m looking at RAM mounts, but I’m not sure which ones will work best. Any suggestions and pros/cons on the choices?

3) Does anybody know a good choice for some basic luggage (tail bag, tank bag, saddle bags that will work well on it?

Thanks for the assist.

[Weldangrind]

Welcome! I'm not sure which bike you have by just the designation. Please post pics, so we can have a better idea.

[Voice]

Well, as it turns out, the VIN from the title says the bike is the 2012 DF250RT I mentioned. The VIN on the *bike*, however, says it’s a 2014 Bashan ‘Coolway’.
And it has a bad alternator, or some other problem preventing it from recharging the battery as it runs.

So, as it turns out, i’m Still needing the service manual, but for a different bike, and the need is more urgent, rather than less.




I attempted contact through their website last night, but don’t expect to hear from them for a few days at the earliest.

Thanks for any help you guys can give.

[david3921]

Get a meter and check voltage at the battery while the bike is running. If it's reading around 14v then your charging system is ok but your battery is bad. If the voltage is less than 13v or so then there is a problem. Find the rectifier next. It's square, dark gray, and has fins on it. There are ways to check these but they are pretty cheap and easy to find that most are just replaced. Take it out and match it to one on eBay or amazon. 9 times out of 10 this fixes the problem as they are designed to expel excess voltage as heat and are often mounted in a poor location.

[Voice]

Sounds like a good thing to check. Any idea where they might keep one on this bike? I just peeled of the left side fairings, and poked around for an hour and a half or so, and didn't find anything that looked like a rectifier. I can try the right side tomorrow, I guess, but is there a 'typical' location where I might find it without having to peel the whole bike like a grape to look for it?

[david3921]

The best place is so it gets airflow so check around the front, maybe under the speedometer by the headlight. I don't see it on the right side in your video. Maybe it's on the left. If not there, check in front of the back tire. That's where Kawasaki put it on my Versys.

[Voice]

Well, I finally found the rectifier today.
It is mounted directly beneath the front of the gas tank.

The cable leadingvto it has 5 pins (in a 6-pin connector).
The cable attached to the rectifier itself only has 4.
I don’t know if the rectifier is dead, bad, or just an improper replacement part.
Now I need to figure out how/where to order a proper replacement.

After all my research so far, it looks like the bike is a 2014 Bashan Sport 250rr.
Unfortunately that isn’t helping me find parts.

[david3921]

Please post a picture of the vectifier. Some here might recognise it. Also, check the engine number by the oil screen. The first two letters will tell you who made the engine. Let us know what it says as it will help in the search.

[Voice]

Ok, I think I’ve found a copy of the user manual for the same bike imported under a different brand name (Megelli in Europe, or Minsk in Russia). http://new-minsk.ru/techpdf/250rmanual.pdf

It indicates that, like most motorcycles, it generates 3-phase AC, meaning the two-phase rectifier/regulator I have removed from it clearly isn’t going to work.

As far as engine numbers, I’m not finding anything except a barcode sticker with the following values on it:
S10027 172FMM
14B02978 36/28

I take it back, I think I just found the 172FMM & 14B02968 values on the engine just in front of where the clutch rod clamps on. (It’s pretty dang grimy, and hard to get to, but I can make out enough that i’m pretty sure it’s those same two numbers.)

172FMM appears to indicate a 250cc motorcycle engine, so i’m Thinking this might be the missing information?

There’s also a plate riveted to the frame opposite the VIN plate (which matches the frame), that indicates: “Engine family: EPCGC.229MC1”

Hopefully this will help?


Images of the Rectifier/Regulator:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ulsvtresh9..._6664.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8rv9gm1pyv..._6665.JPG?dl=0



Edit: Using the information I discovered tonight, I *think* I may have found a suitable replacement. Is there enough here for anyone to verify that this regulator/rectifier would be an appropriate and compatible replacement?
https://www.vmcchineseparts.com/prod...ao-ata250d-atv
or this one?
https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...2cc464a4L5Fzd4

[david3921]

There should be an engraving in the engine on the shifter side, at the bottom, just right of the oil screen cover. The cover has a hex nut shape to it. The numbers will start with (probably) a couple of letters. Maybe BS. The 172FMM you mentioned will be in this. This will help identify the engine.

Edit - Post #29 shows a good view of what you are looking for;

http://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=18015&page=2

[Voice]

The picture in post 29 looks like the numbers I was talking about that appear to match what’s on the sticker. If they’re the same, like they appear to be, then they’re the 2nd & 3rd values I posted from the sticker (top right, bottom left).

If not, i’ll Need to figure out how to get it clean enough to see clearly.
Any recommendations?
Would brake cleaner do it? Soap & water? Something else?

Edit: Nevermind. I took another look at theimage and realize what you’re asking about. It’s the letter codes in front of the 172FMM. I’ll definitely need to get it clean to read that. But at least now I know where to look, and what to look for. Thanks.

Edit #2: And I managed to get it clean enough to read. But there’s nothing there but the two numbers from the sticker.
Line 1: 172FMM
Line 2: *14B02978. (I think that means the engine was produced week 2 of Feb 2014.)

Is there anywhere else I should be looking?

[ben2go]

A lot of the parts for these Chinese bikes are universal. If you need a rectifier, just find one with the proper connector and pins on ebay or aliexpress.

[Voice]

I think I’ve found a possible match. Four of them actually, but I can’t tell what’s different between them. I’ll update this post with links when I get home from work.


VMC Version 2 (wired: Green, Yellow, Pink, Black and Red)
VMC Version 3 (wired: Green, Pink, Red, Yellow, and Black)
VMC Version 45 (wired: Green, Yellow, Red, Pink and Black)
Alibaba.com (wired: all black?)

Ebay listing (wired: Green, Pink, Black, Yellow, and Red)



The three VMC listings all have a note reading: "If the colors listed above are not exactly what yours are, please check out our version {N}." But it all *looks* like the colors wire to the connector in the same positions, so that doesn't look to be helpful.

[david3921]

Ben2go is correct in regard to the universality of Chinese parts. Any one of those should work as they look like they match your plug. You just have to match the location of the wires on the male plug (rectifier) to the same on the female (motorcycle). Sometimes the color of the wires doesn't matter. They use red for hot and green for ground....most of the time but that's about it. I would go with the cheapest from VMC. I've bought from them and didn't have any problems. I would guess that the one on the TT250 would probably work as it's a similar engine, if not the same with the CSC cover on the right side rather than the three-bolt-cover that most Bashans have.

On a side note, I was asking about the engine ID to try to match your engine to ones that others have here. That way we could ask what their rectifiers look like. No response yet.

[Voice]

Cool. I’ll give that a shot. Thanks.

Presumably I should be able to verify the battery got/ground pair by checking pins with my multimeter until I get the reading that matches the battery?