Hi all. TO give some background, I will be taking my MRSF course next month. I really like the looks of the BMW R71. I found that the Chang Jiang can be made to look like a great replica of the BMW and am quite curious about them. DOes anyone have one? How is the reliability? I also found a place that restores old Changs and imports them from China. Does anyone know the regulations regarding these vehicles and if they can be registered and pass inspection (emissions especially). Finally does anyone have any experience with Boston Vintage Sidecar?
Thanks
Scott
Hi Scott,
Welcome to the CJ world. I've owned over a dozen of these gems (sometimes beasts!) They are alot of fun but like any 1938 designed machine they need a lot of maintainance. I mostly put BMW motors in mine for ease of parts replacement and hiway speeds. Maybe the most difficult thing will be getting it registered. Some states very easy and some states near impossible. If you can find a used opn in the states already that would be my recommendation. The 6V flatheads are the most original to the R71 but the OHV models are more practical for everyday use.
You can check out the www.changjiangunlimited.com web site as well as a CJ forum on Yahoo Groups. There is alot of info on both sites.
Good Luck.
Regds,
Jim
Hi,
One of my customers moved to Brazil and can't take his Chang with him. It's in storage in Memphis. If I don't mind saying, the Changs that I built are about the best Changs on the planet. The frames and hubs are powdercoated, the paint is clearcoated, and the chrome lasts. Besided this, the customer did a few modifications to the ignition and a few cosmetic changes. These bikes look more like the BMW R71 than a Chang as I built them with the BMW R71 type fender brackets so the fenders sit closer to the tires. He's asking $5,000 for what is basically a brand new rig. If you're interested, e-mail me and I'll give you pictures and a list of what he's done to it.
Regds,
Jim
