XO71

I'm probably being incredible ignorant here, but why replace the engine if the problem is in the gearbox? Surely it's a relatively cheap repair to fit another set of gears.

Many thanks to you both.

Hello good people, I have now had some time to carry out a cursory cleaning of my 2013 Zongshen ZS125-48a (a vintage year for Zongshen ZS125-48as, I believe). The protective covers around the electric cables and the throttle cable have perished and been worn where they come into contact with the headstock. In the bicycle world, we put rubber grommets around brake and gear cables to obviate this problem. Is that also common practice in the motorbike world? Is this just a consequence of poor maintenance allied with cheap materials? I'm assuming that it will be relatively simple to obtain replacement covers for these. The actual lines where they are now in contact with the headstock do not exhibit any signs of wear themselves. Many thanks, Mark Edit - I forgot to include the link to the kind of thing I think I need to replace it with: https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/341/category/66

Thank you, Gogs01. I did wonder where the electrolyte could have got to, the case shows no sign of damage or leakage, so I suppose the only explanations that it has been lost little by little over time through evaporation. I've got a multimeter I can use. I guess I'm looking for something in excess of 14V across the battery terminals once the engine is up and running, is that what you mean? Many thanks, Mark

Thanks, guys. Hopefully it won't be an overly-onerous task. I might see if I can post some pictures.

Hello Paul, The bike is a well-loved genuine Zongshen ZS125-48A! I was told the bike had been sat for a year, and that it 'may need a new battery'. Having got the bike home today, I can see the battery seems to contain no electrolyte, so I'm thinking the easiest thing to do is going to be to just get a new battery, then try and get the engine running, change the oil and filter, and I'm assuming I'll have to bleed the brakes. I doubt the chain or sprocket have been changed. The rest looks largely cosmetic, it'll need a good clean, and that'll help me identify any perished brake lines etc. The exhaust manifold appears corroded beyond belief. I'll try and get rid of some of the rust and see whether that needs replacing. The good thing is that all parts can be relatively cheaply obtained from Chinese Motorcycle Parts Online. I appreciate my choice will have a few eyes rolling, but I was toying with the idea of buying something for a similar price simply to take apart and put back together for education purposes. If I can actually get this roadworthy, it'll be a real bonus! Mark

Useful information, thanks all!

Best of luck, Magpie84!

Thanks, everyone! I'll update when the time comes!

Best of luck, Phill!

Well, people, I've booked myself in for my CBT for the end of March. I've been watching YouTube videos, and sitting on my mountain bike conditioning myself to leave the brake levers alone. In other news, I'm getting my bike (a non-runner) delivered this weekend. Stuff is getting serious.

Thank you, Arwen, a nice, helpful summary. My Richa boots have a strap that covers the laces, otherwise they are pretty much as you describe.

Hello everyone, I have bought a second-hand pair of motorcycle boots, and they're lovely, besides smelling as if a cat has used one of them as a urinal. But never mind. The question arises as to what makes a suitable boot to wear. I know they should be boots without steel toecaps, but besides that, is it worth shelling out for biker specific boots if you are never going to do much more than pootle? What do people use? Many thanks, Mark

Thank you, Pbassred. I understand Lithium cells cannot be charged in the same way as a lead acid cell, I was just wondering if there are modifications you can make to allow you to fit a lithium battery to your bike. Surely it must be a pain in the rear end removing the battery to charge after every ride. And what if you do a lot of starting and stopping, or use your lights a lot?

Lovely idea! I'm currently wrestling to overcome my inner Scrooge, and frankly, I'm of a mind to kill as many brain cells on New Years' Eve as possible, that's the bundle of joy 2018 has been. But with that Eric Idle song in mind, and in the context of the forum... The demise of two new (well, under 10 year old) cars in the space of nine months has left me with a unique opportunity to achieve a long-held ambition of getting on two wheels. My brilliant local tuition centre offers free taster sessions, and with the aid of one of those I went from 'I wonder if I could do this?' to 'I'm going to do this!'. With the aid of a second job (who needs sleep anyway?) I've saved up a little, and just recently purchased *exactly* what I was hoping for; a cheap non-runner to get my hands dirty with, and, hopefully, get on the road by the Spring! Roll on, 2019! Happy Solstice!

Thank you all for the information. Lithium batteries certainly seem to be the way forward. I imagine newer bikes will increasingly tend to be manufactured with lithium ions in mind.

Hello all, Just a general question, has anyone had success in converting their bike to using a lithium battery? Do you just need a new regulator, or is it more complex? I suspect the latter, but any experiences people are happy to share would be gratefully received. Many thanks, Mark

The fact that it was running when you arrived sounds suspicious in of itself. Thus speaks the voice of bitter experience..

Thanks for the input, everyone. I was interested in how people cope with such situations. I suppose the answer is obvious, and the same as in any given situation; that anticipation of the road conditions ahead will allow a measured, un-panicked and timely response, minimising the likelihood of locking a wheel, which is where things go downhill. I hope you'll forgive me, but the physics of the situation interest me (it's my job!). The reason the bike tends to stand upright as you brake on a curve is that, since the bike is in contact with the ground, only it has a force acting on it to undergo the centripetal acceleration necessary to travel around the curve. Under braking, the rider will tend to obey Newton's 1st Law of motion, and carry on in a straight line, unless they essentially pull on the bike to help them round (which they will hopefully do!). The result is an increased moment about the point of contact with the road acting to make the bike upright. In fact, this moment exists even without braking, since the bike's centre of mass is above the point of contact (again, hopefully!). This explains why you sometimes see a motorbike travelling on upright after dumping a rider, although you don't with a bicycle due to the relatively low centre of mass. This means that the bike requires some input to remain banked (subtle counter-steering?). Presumably, increasing this input would allow the bike to remain banked under braking. Not that I'm going to try.

Absolutely, gyroscopic stability and all that. On the other hand, the bike becomes slightly less stable upon impact with the rear end of a bimbling car driver oblivious to your approach. Don't get me wrong, as someone who admires anyone who manages to keep a bike upright for more than ten seconds, I am full of respect for the guys who can ride like that. Just, I know I'm never going to try!

Thank you, gents. I see motorcyclists going through at 100 mph or so, and worry for their safety. I'm not interested in that kind of riding, but the experience yesterday made me think.

Hello everyone. Last night on my daily commute home by car in stop-start traffic, a situation arose in which I wondered what I would have done on a bike. Rounding a curve on the A2 at around 60mph, the cars in front started braking, as I did too, all in good time, but I dropped to under 40mph before the road straightened. I know it's not really something you should be doing in a car either, but on a motorcycle I understand the consequences can be horrendous. I was told when tootling around at not much above walking speed that I should use the back brake if absolutely necessary, but in a situation where heavy braking or carrying on at speed toward braking traffic are the only two options, you wouldn't want to use the back brake. Is that right? So, what would seasoned riders do in such a situation? Is it a matter of looking further ahead down the road and anticipating such situations? Many thanks, Mark

Thanks, FastBob. In that case, to return to the original post, perhaps it is possible to purchase the spares from the Jianshe company.

Yikes. I was under the impression that the YBR was a reliable machine. Sorry to go off topic, but seeing as you mention it, is that simply due to newbies not maintaining the machines properly, or is it a fundamental flaw?

I'm a few steps behind you, Laura, so can't advise, but part of the reason I want a bike myself is that I can derive satisfaction from doing some of the maintenance myself, something I can't easily do with modern cars. I say give it a go, there's lots of advice out there on the web, and some great people on this forum who I am sure will be willing to advise.