I thought I`d put this in because it seems to be a grey area about Chinese bikes Vs Japan.I will tell you why and how from my experiences with a Honda 78 model XR75 vs 04 model Zongshen 70cc 4 speed with clutch.These are what I found inferior and superior,lol.
The Zongshen has the following disabilities:
Triple tree is wrong setup.Handle bars are obstructing front ride height.Needs spacer block and longer bolts on head set,but in doing so don`t put to much pressure or force on front landings.It needs to be adjustable to accomodate different height beginner riders,if it`s too tall they will dump it as they pull up.
Decals are not up to scratch and by the looks they are just printed contact.Lucky to stick 12-18 months.
Carb is inferior and missmatched,does not perform anywhere near an Keihin.Probably alright for economy I suppose if you could be bothered,but sucks at performance.
Footpegs are not collapsable.This is a bad thing,has to be rectified.It can cause some pretty bad damage when them pegs dig into the ground or if you lean ,bank hard,correct or prop on berm or fall and cantilever the effect onwards to cause more damage towards the machine or even worse can be the contributing factor to throw you off,SERIOUSLY.This problem really exceptionally sucks if you have limited space too,if you intend packing it.We used a Toyota minibus 8 seater van and it was hell.That extra couple of inches would have saved a lot of work.
Clutch sucks,what can I say,it sucks.There is too much slippage,we are using a manual 4 speed with manual clutch and it cannot take load as we would like,in fact about as far away as Pluto.To explain or examine this,try listening to the delay as you change from 3rd to top gear,lol,sucks doesn`t it?
Throttle controller is crap.Look at the throttle setup.The inferior plastic on the bars does,and did to us,twist too easily and give you left or right turn controlled engine r.p.m. so please be aware or as quick as me and jump on it as it happens or even better now I told you and fix it prior,"NO CHILDREN ACTUALLY HURT OR INJURED DURING THIS COMMERCIAL",got it !!!
Drive chain is made of silly putty.
Tyres are way to soft a compound for anything but soft sand.Clearly are bad choice,lasts as long as a lollipop on hard trails or loss of traction rips em up.
Kick start is substandard operation.Has a very bad kickstart grab,probably related to the clutch,has starter motor and button,that is at least a good thing in it`s favour.Flat batteries??????????
Aircleaner sucks,throw it away,buy a decent pod,to even make it tolerable engine performance let alone the effect it gives to ring blow-by(smokey on choke or normal run).Peice of #@%* But even after that you have no protection box or element housing or protection from "flick up" from the rear wheel so that has to be addressed too.
Front brake,anti squeel shims,annoying at low speed riding or when pushing bike,either not fitted properly or are not developed yet,no progression but the dampenning is not as tuned either on front end so I give up.
As I just said,the front end is nowhere near as refined or can respond or give you positive feedback as even my `ol XR and that`s stock genuine,but still it does for learners.
Engine pipe is routed wrongly.This looks OK and until you actually ride it hard or put some load on the rear.Look at the rear shock too.Too collapsable,folds too fast,soft,whatever,it needs boosting to be comparable.Clashes against exhaust pipe under rear guard,can do damage to pipe or machine as rear wheel spinning at high revolutions going head long come into contact with exhaust pipe = money or injury or both.Again.please examine this so as to avoid any injuries.
Side stand.Not up to the task at all,better off without it as it can be potentially dangerous.The spring is of wrong length or as I suspect the anchor lug is inconsistant in position on frame and that may be due to Quality Control.Also,too mild a steel compound around top flange of stand,bends too easily.
Engine performance,lol,you get what you pay for.They are fine for a learner but lack the ooomph off the blocks for any sort of serious purpose or competition
People generally don`t like them.About as popular as a Lada Niva.Bike shops and dealers,generally won`t serve you.People that have genuine Japanese or European bikes laugh or feel sorry for you.Registered clubs that accept and allow to use their facilities is sparse,don`t buy to ride until you check with the regulations and conditions of your local club or track.
Well I think the old XR wins.If you have anymore real encounter,no bull experiences with these machines please post.Don`t get me wrong,they are a cheap entry beginner machine and in so being,a low cost disposable item they stop you outlaying thousands of dollars on a machine to only find out the kid doesn`t wan`t to ride no more,but they lack refinement.So as a favour to yourself check out these things if you have one,if you are going to buy one take it into consideration what I`ve said first.
The Zongshen has the following disabilities:
Triple tree is wrong setup.Handle bars are obstructing front ride height.Needs spacer block and longer bolts on head set,but in doing so don`t put to much pressure or force on front landings.It needs to be adjustable to accomodate different height beginner riders,if it`s too tall they will dump it as they pull up.
Decals are not up to scratch and by the looks they are just printed contact.Lucky to stick 12-18 months.
Carb is inferior and missmatched,does not perform anywhere near an Keihin.Probably alright for economy I suppose if you could be bothered,but sucks at performance.
Footpegs are not collapsable.This is a bad thing,has to be rectified.It can cause some pretty bad damage when them pegs dig into the ground or if you lean ,bank hard,correct or prop on berm or fall and cantilever the effect onwards to cause more damage towards the machine or even worse can be the contributing factor to throw you off,SERIOUSLY.This problem really exceptionally sucks if you have limited space too,if you intend packing it.We used a Toyota minibus 8 seater van and it was hell.That extra couple of inches would have saved a lot of work.
Clutch sucks,what can I say,it sucks.There is too much slippage,we are using a manual 4 speed with manual clutch and it cannot take load as we would like,in fact about as far away as Pluto.To explain or examine this,try listening to the delay as you change from 3rd to top gear,lol,sucks doesn`t it?
Throttle controller is crap.Look at the throttle setup.The inferior plastic on the bars does,and did to us,twist too easily and give you left or right turn controlled engine r.p.m. so please be aware or as quick as me and jump on it as it happens or even better now I told you and fix it prior,"NO CHILDREN ACTUALLY HURT OR INJURED DURING THIS COMMERCIAL",got it !!!
Drive chain is made of silly putty.
Tyres are way to soft a compound for anything but soft sand.Clearly are bad choice,lasts as long as a lollipop on hard trails or loss of traction rips em up.
Kick start is substandard operation.Has a very bad kickstart grab,probably related to the clutch,has starter motor and button,that is at least a good thing in it`s favour.Flat batteries??????????
Aircleaner sucks,throw it away,buy a decent pod,to even make it tolerable engine performance let alone the effect it gives to ring blow-by(smokey on choke or normal run).Peice of #@%* But even after that you have no protection box or element housing or protection from "flick up" from the rear wheel so that has to be addressed too.
Front brake,anti squeel shims,annoying at low speed riding or when pushing bike,either not fitted properly or are not developed yet,no progression but the dampenning is not as tuned either on front end so I give up.
As I just said,the front end is nowhere near as refined or can respond or give you positive feedback as even my `ol XR and that`s stock genuine,but still it does for learners.
Engine pipe is routed wrongly.This looks OK and until you actually ride it hard or put some load on the rear.Look at the rear shock too.Too collapsable,folds too fast,soft,whatever,it needs boosting to be comparable.Clashes against exhaust pipe under rear guard,can do damage to pipe or machine as rear wheel spinning at high revolutions going head long come into contact with exhaust pipe = money or injury or both.Again.please examine this so as to avoid any injuries.
Side stand.Not up to the task at all,better off without it as it can be potentially dangerous.The spring is of wrong length or as I suspect the anchor lug is inconsistant in position on frame and that may be due to Quality Control.Also,too mild a steel compound around top flange of stand,bends too easily.
Engine performance,lol,you get what you pay for.They are fine for a learner but lack the ooomph off the blocks for any sort of serious purpose or competition
People generally don`t like them.About as popular as a Lada Niva.Bike shops and dealers,generally won`t serve you.People that have genuine Japanese or European bikes laugh or feel sorry for you.Registered clubs that accept and allow to use their facilities is sparse,don`t buy to ride until you check with the regulations and conditions of your local club or track.
Well I think the old XR wins.If you have anymore real encounter,no bull experiences with these machines please post.Don`t get me wrong,they are a cheap entry beginner machine and in so being,a low cost disposable item they stop you outlaying thousands of dollars on a machine to only find out the kid doesn`t wan`t to ride no more,but they lack refinement.So as a favour to yourself check out these things if you have one,if you are going to buy one take it into consideration what I`ve said first.
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