How about this cool motorcycle & sidecar setup?

[Deuce Rails]

I think that this rig is awesome. How does it strike you?

http://www.chang-jiang.com/bmw/lights-2.jpg

http://www.chang-jiang.com/bmw/lights-1.jpg

http://www.chang-jiang.com/bmw/lights-3.jpg

http://www.chang-jiang.com/bmw/lights-4.jpg

So... Do you know what it is? If you do, what do you know about them? I think I want one...

--Matt

[TWO]

That's not anything stock, but if you want something similar you may want to look at these: http://www.ural.com/index2.htm It's like buying a new 50s motorcycle, and it will only do about 55mph, but you can get them with a driven sidecar wheel. Or you could just buy an old BMW and a sidecar if you don't want a warranty.

[fatluckys]

Do a search for Ural and/or Dnepr. Ultra-cheap BMW knockoffs. There are always kit forms on ebay for around $2000. Mrs. fatluckys wants one. http://www.dnepr.cz/Images/Ural/Ranger/rang_ju.JPG

[metalshapes]

Ultra cheap knockoff is right, my brother had one.
In this case,it seems too good to be true because it is...

[Deuce Rails]

Cool picture, fatluckys.

It's not a Dnepr or a Ural. You can tell from the chrome rear slider suspension, the Sportster-style gas tank, and the hand controls that are hinged on the ends of the grips.

And it is basically stock.

[Deuce Rails]

[ QUOTE ]
Ultra cheap knockoff is right, my brother had one.
In this case,it seems too good to be true because it is...

[/ QUOTE ]

Metalshapes, are you familiar with these things? I trust your opinion, and would appreciate more of it. What exactly did your brother have, and where did he get it? Are they too good to be true?

[Detonator]

Are these the bikes that are made in China? I heard a story that after WWII the Chinese wound up with a bunch of tooling for BMW motorcycles. They were producing and selling them, one of the places they appeared (if they're the same bikes) was in that J. Peterman Catalog -- I think that was the name. It's the catalog the Sienfeld show used to parody. You could buy a leather trench coat, and a whole damn motorcycle to go with it.

[Deuce Rails]

You got it, Detonator.

They're called Chang-Jiang motorcycles.

Here's the chief exporter's website:
www.chang-jiang.com (http://www.chang-jiang.com)

And here's a guy who imports them into the US:
www.popscycle.com (http://www.popscycle.com)

They are less than $3,000 if you import them yourself, and less than $6,000 if you have Pop's import them.

As Metalshapes said earlier, they seem too good to be true. I was wondering if anyone had any practical experience with these things.

[metalshapes]

Deuce Rails, the one that my lil bro had was not a new bike, it must have been 5 or 10 years old at the time, and this is 15 or 20 years ago.
The thing gave him nothing but trouble, even though he had a semi complete parts bike to steal parts off.
After this miserable experience he bought a BMW Ex Police bike ( they used those in Holland ), and it treated him much better, and I am sure it had no easy life before he got it.

[metalshapes]

I forgot to say he had the Ural, not the Chinese Bike.
A Bike club here in Tucson had a raffle for a Ural a couple of years ago, and tried to sell me some tickets.
I explained to them I would not buy one for the price of that ticket.
If you could buy just the sidecar that might be a good deal,if you can make it fit an other bike.

[badpat]

they are shit- i used to work for a bmw mc dealer- biggest pieces of crap- worst metalurgy and quality- knock off of a 37 beemer- after wwII the ruskies took the tooling from the factory and made them till...well they still make them. somewhere along the way the chinese got a set. we would get guys coming in trying to get bmw parts to work.. no dice- 1/2 the shit is backwards.

[mikes51]

[ QUOTE ]
I heard a story that after WWII the Chinese wound up with a bunch of tooling for BMW motorcycles. They were producing and selling them,

[/ QUOTE ]

This looks like it could be one of those. Appears to be an earlier flathead version, the muffler, side car, and handlebars look the same????

[burndup]

DAMN i want one... no sidecar though... Nuthin on ebay under chang jiang or long river...

Update: found a distributor in good 'ol La Habra, CA.

$4995 with the sidecar

www.redironcycles.com (http://www.redironcycles.com)

[choprods]

while we're on the subject of offbeats- what are those Royal Enfield 500 CC "Bullet"motorcycles like? worth a shit?-think on of them is 3000 or less NEW........

[D Picasso]

[ QUOTE ]
while we're on the subject of offbeats- what are those Royal Enfield 500 CC "Bullet"motorcycles like? .

[/ QUOTE ]

well....they never stopped making them in Madras, India. better build quality and metallurgy than the Ural, Dnepr and Chiang, but that's still not saying much. for an occasional rider the Enfield would likely be fine but I think for 3500. or more for the admittedly darling cafe version one would be better off with a well-preserved Triumph or BSA or Ariel or even an old Royal Enfield.

but what do I know? devoted cats in the Himalayas use Enfields and intepid and masochistic souls wordwide keep riding 'em and fixing 'em when they break, which is ....often.

[Deuce Rails]

Metalshapes, you can get the sidecar alone.

Badpat, did you only see the Russian bikes? Any comment on the Chinese ones?

Mike, you can get them with either flatheads or OHVs.

Screw Urals.
Does anyone have any experience with Chang-Jiangs?

[whizzerick]

An interesting detail is that the sidecar wheel is connected to a driveshaft, making this trike a 2 wheel drive. I have riden one and they ride great. They look kinda cheap but with a little work can be very presentable. I no NOTHING of their reliability, though.

[truth]

I dig that steering dampner knob!

[Jet Fuel]

Sidecarcross (http://www.sidecarcross.com)

-JetFuel

[McGrath]

I thought it might have been a Zundapp at first, but WWII Zundapp's had a totally different Frame. Heres a '42 Beemer. It does have the same handhold for the back seat.

[truth]

now that beemer is off the chain! I wish I had one of them to tear through the city with one of my droogies shotgun in the sidecar! Be fun to cause some mayhem on that thing!

[TWO]

The chinese Chang Jiangs are actually copies of sidevalve beemers. The Urals and Dnepers started that way but they managed to scam an ohv update somewhere along the way. They are really not THAT bad unless you think you're just buying a normal new motorcycle. This is a 50s motorcycle because they've been making them the same way since then, but on top of that it's also russian. I think they may have just stopped bringing new ones in, but when the US importer was selling them new here, they were actually changing the pistons because the stock russian ones were made from pot metal. I think they had to upgrade the carbs too. Lots of people really like their Urals, but they have realistic expectations of them and view them as the old bikes they really are, that just happened to have been manufactured recently. Exact same deal with the Enfields made in India, except they are much closer to the original british ones (except for some disc brake models that aren't sold here). I think all they've ever messed with on the 500 bullet is different seats: http://www.royalenfield.com/int_product.asp?products_id=4&products_location=in ternational&country=United+States+of+America

[TWO]

Oh yeah, and the enfields are very slow, the way a new 500cc single would be in 1955. Top speed for me was 65, but people have told me they've had no problem doing 80, I'm guessing after they changed the muffler and rejetted the carb. They're $4k new with a 2 year warranty last time I checked. They are as reliable as a 1955 british motorcycle, if you can live with that. (Don't take any long trips.)

[CTFuzz]

One nice thing about the Ural, it has two wheel drive....

CT.

[Deuce Rails]

[ QUOTE ]
One nice thing about the Ural, it has two wheel drive....

CT.

[/ QUOTE ]

Both Chinese and Russian bikes can be bought with either one- or two-wheel drive. Both are very similar in many ways. Single-wheel drive is the best for street use (which is my use) in either case.

The Chinese Chang-Jiangs look a LOT better than the Russian bikes. I'm hoping that they are also built a lot better, too. I'm still worried about the build quality.

Please help me, guys. Does anyone have any first-hand knowledge of imported Chinese bikes? (Not the Russian ones.) Should I buy one or not?

Thanks,

Matt

[metalshapes]

Sounds like you've got your mind made up and you want one, thats cool but try and find out what the parts dept is like.
How long are they going to make you wait when some weird part goes bad.
A couple of years down the road you could always do an engine swap on it, like a BMW or Hot Rod it with a VW engine, or maybe a V8 60?

[RustNeverSleeps]

So, while we're on the subject of cool bikes... I really dig this one! http://www.youngchoppers.com/images/fpside.jpg

Especially dig the finned drum/wire wheel combo...

http://www.youngchoppers.com/images/fpdrum.jpg http://www.youngchoppers.com/images/fprear.jpg
Young Choppers & Hot Rods (http://www.youngchoppers.com/)

Definitely on my x-mas list this year...

[polisher]

Had an original British Enfield bullet 500.
Wet sump.
If I ran the oil level down it used to go much better.
With the oil full it was lazy, I mean Lazy.
Very unexciting bike.
The Constellation and the meteor were well engineered,
the bullit was crap.

[TWO]

[ QUOTE ]
Please help me, guys. Does anyone have any first-hand knowledge of imported Chinese bikes? (Not the Russian ones.) Should I buy one or not?

Thanks,

Matt

[/ QUOTE ]
Not first hand, but everything I've ever heard is that they are WAY WORSE than the Urals. C'mon, build quality? Seriously, it's a Chinese flathead. They have pot metal pistons.

[41sled]

gotta post this pic up..

[badpat]

don't buy one- they truly are shit, and parts are made out of a mixture of unobtanium and potmetal. buy a nice used beemer. the russian and chinese bikes lose their value the minute your cheque is cashed

[Iceberg]

Comrades,
Most of the guys that I know that bought new Ural's love them. They are known throughout the world as being very rugged bikes. However, they are basically new pre-war bikes and do not use the same technology & as a new Honda. Ural is now importing their bikes themselves through an importer near Seattle. They sent me some literature (propaganda) and a list of dealers (political officers) the other day. I plan on test riding one in the spring. They increase the size of the motor to 750 cc and are pretty damn cool looking. Besides, I would rather support the Russians with my business than the Chicoms.

Here is their link:
http://www.imz-ural.com/

Hope this helps comrades!

Da svidaniya