I'd buy for 2k if this was fitted as a sumo
Even that version at 2k is kinda tempting. Think there's one on cl for $2400 and maybe a few hundred more for a new one otd. Too heavy though, these things need to be bare bones.
I'd buy for 2k if this was fitted as a sumo
Unome:
Perhaps you could refer us to one of your books; I'd enjoy reading any of them.
Any chance you might come out from behind your screen name? Anonymity is such a cowardly prop.
Of all my books, The Gatling Gun was the best selling. I did very well with it. The research was the best part, as was working on the modern versions on the A-10, the Vulcan, the AC-130, and the F-16. And there actually was a movie (of sorts) about it; I was on the History Channel's "Tales of the Gun" series when they produced a show about early machine guns. You can still find that episode on YouTube if you look for it.
The Gatling Gun is out of print now, but if there is sufficient interest, I could probably pitch it to the publisher and get it back in print. I'm not aware of any mistakes in that book, but if you know of any, by all means, please let me know. The reviewers at Colt (who produced the original Gatlings), General Electric (who produced the modern versions), the US Army, and the military magazines who reviewed it didn't find any. But then, they were not Unome.
Alas, it is a bit more difficult to buy The Gatling Gun. But 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM and Moto Colombia! are still in print, and very shortly, Riding China will be, too. Did I mention you can buy them on Amazon?
So, about that "Unome" thing...actually, I don't. Care to step out into the open?
Mr. Berk isn't playing around!
The thread is entertaining, but I can't find a single "gotcha" moment with Joe. I like this dude more with every post!
Thanks for the vote of confidence, but actually I am playing around. And I am having enormous fun doing it.
There is just something about a Chinese motorcycle and our path to market that lights some folks up. Originally, the focus was on the bike's origins. That seems to have changed to criticisms directed elsewhere (the China argument is stale when you realize the person posting the comments, usually anonymously, is doing so on a device manufactured in China). I did a blog about that topic a year or two ago, and you can read it here:
http://californiascooterco.com/blog/?p=14570
Our business model draws much heat; frequently it emerges that the most vocal critics are dealer shills or they work for another manufacturer (as has already occurred in this thread). We had a guy posting outright lies who worked for one of the Big 4 on another board; when we exposed that, he went into the Witness Protection Program. Whatever.
But the objective here is not to make people look silly (some of the folks who have posted things here need no help in that department), or to match wits with anyone, or to amuse me. The real purpose is to answer any questions anyone has about the RZ3, which is what I said in my original post. And maybe to induce folks to do a bit of research on us. And maybe to sell a few books and motorcycles in the process. Yep, guilty as charged, which I think I said in my second or third post.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, but actually I am playing around. And I am having enormous fun doing it.
There is just something about a Chinese motorcycle and our path to market that lights some folks up. Originally, the focus was on the bike's origins. That seems to have changed to criticisms directed elsewhere (the China argument is stale when you realize the person posting the comments, usually anonymously, is doing so on a device manufactured in China). I did a blog about that topic a year or two ago, and you can read it here:
http://californiascooterco.com/blog/?p=14570
Our business model draws much heat; frequently it emerges that the most vocal critics are dealer shills or they work for another manufacturer (as has already occurred in this thread). We had a guy posting outright lies who worked for one of the Big 4 on another board; when we exposed that, he went into the Witness Protection Program. Whatever.
But the objective here is not to make people look silly (some of the folks who have posted things here need no help in that department), or to match wits with anyone, or to amuse me. The real purpose is to answer any questions anyone has about the RZ3, which is what I said in my original post. And maybe to induce folks to do a bit of research on us. And maybe to sell a few books and motorcycles in the process. Yep, guilty as charged, which I think I said in my second or third post.
From personal experience, Chinese motorcycles and scooters are shit.
I'd have totally agreed, but the pitbike market has opened my eyes to some decent stuff coming out of China. Not to imply that any of it is better than anything Japanese, but some of it isn't too far off. Plus, they're willing to make stuff the Japanese mfr's aren't.
A few years ago I was checking out a dealer selling some particular brand of Chinese motorcycles. Brand new and sitting on the showroom floor they had rusted parts on them.
Maybe not all Chinese manufacturers are the same but those bikes were in this RZ3 price range.
Making pitbikes is one thing, making motorcycles that go on the highway for extended periods of time & don't rust apart is a completely different thing.
There are barely any Zongs on the used market in Russia because they rust to shit and fall apart before their owners could sell them. They've been around there for a while and do not have a good reputation.
Totally agree, but it's a start. There's a Chinese clone CRF250X and CRF450X out there that seems to be doing okay, but I think part of that is due to being significantly detuned.
Literally falling apart has always been a big issue with the Chinese stuff, which is why the first thing you do it strip it and loctite/torque everything. I don't think any of the Chinese mfr's suggest this and they really need to, because the absolute worst bike for someone who doesn't wrench is a Chinese bike.
On rust, Suzuki fasteners tend to be of lower grade and rust, Honda and Yamaha not as much.
Not only that, I've seen some parts on Chinese bikes that are clearly manufactured from Chinesium, that weird aluminum-plastic alloy that seems to only exist in China (you know what I'm talking about).
I wouldn't go so far as to call Chinese bikes clones, that is giving them too much credit. They are blatant rip-offs. And by buying them you are supporting an economy and companies that have no problem stealing other people's hard work, designs, badges, and so on. Even the CSC employee in this thread said that CSC employees themselves put BMW badges on their bikes. Ask yourself if that is really a company that you'd like to support.
Even the CSC employee in this thread said that CSC employees themselves put BMW badges on their bikes.
Uh, where did he say that?
One of the guys I rode with in China had BMW emblems on his bike; he is a Zongshen regional marketing manager. It really surprised me that he would have those emblems on his bike.
I think he confused Zongshen and CSC?`
The NC250 used in these bikes being "an older Honda clone" has been mentioned before. I honestly searched for it; for us (us in Argentina I mean) being able to find japanese quality parts for the engine sounds like a good plan; not that I've had problems with the engine (or the rest of the bike) in the 14K miles I've ridden it, but it's always good to be prepared. I'm neither a chinese basher nor a blind defender; our economy is such that this bike makes sense, for what I've paid I'd say if it lasts two years and blows up, I call it success. You wouldn't believe the price of a twenty year old very basic design like the NX400 here. The KLR650 is considered a "big, Premium" bike here and it's sold for 16K USD!
But I digress; I ended up believing that the engine is really an original design by Zongshen, if any of you have links or pictures of the said Honda engine which was supposedly cloned, I'd really like to see them.