Thinking of adding an RX4

[tknj99]

I've been on this forum since last November when my new Brozz Recon arrived... it and my sons Tao DBX1 last June have been my intro to Chinese bikes and i am impressed with the simplicity, initial durability and fun factor..
The Brozz has been great... although it did need personalization and performance enhancements to the tune of $500 to get it where i think it needs to be and for $2500 total is quite a bargain still.. the only thing it lacks which is that dang 6th gear preventing it from being an all-arounder capable of highway use comfortably.
So im thinking of an RX4 as that perfect all-arounder, triple the power (stock) of the Brozz, wind protection, EFI, pretty well sorted from the factory, ie.. dont see the need to throw money at it right away, and will be able to attack gravel, back roads, as well as all-day street cruising including highways with ease for $5400.
Although my son will soon (only) be 14, he has advanced at riding well enough to tackle all the off-road that we have done so far.. he was a new rider last June but is a very fast learner Currently to get to the best off-road riding near us we need to drive on the street for about 3 miles and then take a gravel turn-off.. Since my Brozz is plated and insured I was thinking it would be safer for him to ride that bike with no fear of being pulled over vs his DBX1 which would be a cop magnet if any were around at the time.. and that has led me to thoughts of the RX4
I only see a few threads on here and have browsed them as well as YouTube videos and the bike looks great from what i see. I did watch the video of it vs the Himalayan and they definitely did some tough riding where the RX4 needed pushing at times.. this brings me to my question..
would the RX4 work well enough off-road when riding with the Brozz? or is it mostly a road and gravel bike? Also, im assuming the quality and reliability is at least on par with the Brozz or better and any comments on that are welcome as well as any other considerations or advice..
Thanks

[wheelbender6]

I have only read reviews and watched review vids.
-Only one weakness I have seen consistently in the RX4:
-A relatively tall 1st gear and quick clutch release makes it difficult to crawl through rock gardens (like a trials bike). Low speed obstacle hopping is not its forte (the Himalayan is better for that terrain).
-Other than that, most reviewers have good things to say about the RX4 on the street and trail.

[pyoungbl]

I have an RX4. Perhaps we need to reach common ground on what we call off road riding. If you are talking about true rock crawling...I'd recommend something lighter and with high tech suspension. KTM comes to mind. The RX4 is both heavy and has only OK suspension components if you are really going to push the envelope. Now, if you are talking about fire roads with an occasional water crossing...I could see that with the RX4 after installing more aggressive tires. It's still going to be heavy when it takes a dirt nap. Last week I did not have any problems putting around a campground in first gear. If the bike is geared too tall for your taste just change the rear sprocket to go up one tooth (once CSC has some to offer). Where the RX4 will really shine is when you get out on the highway. It's no big deal to keep up with traffic on the highway and the weight keeps the bike planted.

[wheelbender6]

CSC seemed to take the term "Adventure Bike" literally (cargo space, road manners, dual track off-road capability), when they designed the RX3 and RX4. As said by the Virginian above, the RX bikes not dual-sports like a WR250. They can handle very bad dirt roads, but there are better choices for single track riding.
-Unless you want to chase the WR250s and KX300s along the single track routes, the RX 4 seems to be what you need.

[tknj99]

Thanks guys.. as it is the Brozz is no super aggressive off-roader and i wouldnt be doing that nutty rock crawling like they did in that video.. but light trails, some hill climbs, water crossing, gravel road type stuff would be all id ask of the RX4..
Good point on gearing up, as it can reach upwards of 90mph it shouldnt be much of a sacrifice to add a tooth or two id imagine..
I'm also pleased to see that the price of the RX4 dropped from what it used to be, and $5400 is a very reasonable asking price i'd say.

[pyoungbl]

After some thought I'd like to add that the RX4 is a large bore, short stroke (94.5 X 64) design so it needs to rev in order to get out of its own way. I tend to stay above 3K most of the time. That's probably why some reviewers think it is geared too tall. For comparison the RE Himma has a much smaller bore but longer stroke (78 X 86) so it can plod along at 2K rpm or maybe even less. At the same time, the RX4 delivers almost twice the hp as the Himma.

As for the price, remember that the CSC price is OTD. MSRP quoted by manufacturers is usually just the starting point. After the dealer adds in his various fees you are looking at a totally different situation. With that in mind the RX4 is a screaming good deal.

[tknj99]

What are your thoughts on the long-term reliability of the RX4? Having a Brozz i read that the CG engine is an old-Honda cloned engine thats simple and super reliable and that put my mind at ease before purchasing.. is it the same for the 450cc in the RX4? is it also an old Honda etc clone?

[pyoungbl]

The engine in the RX4 is a clean sheet design, not a copy of something from Honda. As I recall, this engine was designed in a partnership with Piaggio (possibly their Aprilia brand). It would not surprise me to see the same motive lump in some premium brands coming out of Italy.

My RX3 engine might once have had some Honda roots (I really doubt that) but the connection is long gone. It had lots of roller bearings in the head, roller followers on the cam, automatic compression release, dual oil pumps and a counter balance system. The RX4 has the same.

FWIW, Zongshen also developed a new engine with Norton. That one is a 650 twin and was supposed to power the new Atlas as well as the RX6. Of course the Norton empire imploded but I believe Zongshen is building the 650 under their own name. My point is that Zongshen is not afraid to partner with an experienced engine designer to design a unique power plant.

As to the reliability question, I think my RX4 will easily outlast my ownership. Let's face it, modern manufacturing is such that the engines don't fail as much as we just get tired of riding the same old lump when something new and sparkly grabs our attention. There are RX3s out there with high miles. The RX4 has only been sold in the US for one year. I'm not aware of any drive train failures. My own weak point was the spark plug. When I changed to a NGK plug the issues went away. Oh, and I had an injector replaced under warranty.

You are in 'central Virginia', I'm in Portsmouth Virginia. Feel free to stop by and take a look at my RX4.

Peter Y.

[tknj99]

Thanks Peter! Appreciate that info and invitation.. im in Charlottesville but if ever in your area or vice versa would love that

[tknj99]

Couple more questions if you dont mind:
- performance.. most bikes these days list 0-60/qtr mile times.. i know this is no racing machine but out of curiosity, where there are 100+ hp adventure bikes out there, what would the guesstimate be for the RX4 as far as 0-60 and quarter mile times? Will help to know how easily or not it will be to navigate traffic
- accessories: i see CSC sells many that can be added on at the time of purchase.. which would you say are must haves? ABS switch? Handguards? and should i pay to have them do it or do myself? ie is it worth the fee or not?
Re: ABS switch, if i dont get one and was on a steep dirt decline, would the front wheel possibly wash out on a loose rock or something?
- warranty: has anyone ever brought there bike to a local service/dealer and went thru a warranty repair that CSC paid for totally? was it painless?
- in your opinion, is it worth jumping now on the '21 model with the price as it is or waiting to see if other changes or price drops occur?

Im sure ill have more questions as i get closer. thanks again

[tknj99]

Additionally:
- how is the RX4 for 2-up riding
- any idea whether it holds its value on resale from anyone who has sold an RX4 or RX3
- with the variety of other options in this segment.. is there anything at a similar price i should also consider?

thanks

[pyoungbl]

Whew, lots of questions. I'll give it a try...
The RX4 is a 40 hp machine, not a 100 hp one. Think twice the power of the RX3, which would struggle to maintain 55 going up I64 over Afton Mountain. The RX4 will take that in stride. 0-60 times do not tell the tale of real world use.

CSC has installed my accessories for free. If you add them later you are going to pay shipping on those parts and end up with a bunch of extra parts (the OEM stuff) cluttering up your garage. I got the ABS disable switch and aux light switch. Both are high quality but expensive. The heavy duty bash plate is well worth the cost.

I used the warranty with a local shop doing the work, no problems for me.

I'd jump on the '21 if they are available. The new features are attractive to me. WTS, if you see a '20 for sale you'll save a bunch because these bikes depreciate a lot in the first year or two. That's based on having sold a TT250 and RX3. Chinese built bikes are too new to the market, are still fighting a perception of poor quality, and have sold in small numbers. Zongshen is building a bike that compares well with machines from Japan or Europe, IMHO.

I do not know of any other bike that comes close to the value of the RX4 when you compare what you are getting for your money...features as well as standard equipment (crash bars, bash plate, hard bags, etc). Don't forget, the CSC price is OTD...no surprises. Take a look at the RE Himma, half the power for the same weight. One dealer in VA, thin dealer network across the US.

[Sport Rider]

RX4 comes with bags, etc doesn't it? Where the Himalayan does not?

[tknj99]

Thanks for that info and I love the example of going up Afton mountain! I do that often with the Brozz on my way to Blue Ridge Parkway and the Brozz struggles to hold 61-62mph on the speedo which is closer to 55mph verified, so i completely understand that.. and that is why id rather have the RX4, i dont like struggling on public roadways up hills, really sucks, so if the RX4 handles that with ease it sounds great to me.
Im fine with it being on the lower end of the power spectrum, some of those 100+ hp adventure bikes are probably overkill, and from years on the road, you dont need a 10 second bike on public roads or the capability to do over 100mph, just asking for trouble.
I hear you on the depreciation perspective.. i see no used RX4's on the market anywhere in the US so would opt for new and just plan to keep it as long as i can.
I also think that the RX4 and Brozz will play well together and cover all of the riding scenarios i would encounter.. touring and gravel with the RX4 and gravel roads and offroad dirt riding with the Brozz.
And if the RX4 riding position is the same as the Brozz as it appears to be, it should be good for all-day touring.. think cruiser + ability to do light off-roading = best of both worlds..

[Sport Rider]

this is a fairly reasonable side-by-side comparison.

https://www.motorcycle.com/specs/csc...ayan/base.html