What is the story on the Chaing Jieng (sic) sidecar rigs? Are they worth messing with? We looked at a local rig for sale, looked good and ran perfect. What is parts availability like? We found very little real info on the net, are there any owner forums? Inquiring minds want to know...
When in Germany arrived in the 80tees a licence of Royal Enfield from China with sidecar. (cannot remember the name) (just 750ccm 4 stroker twin with about 21 hp) many people bought the rigs from Hein Gerike for the low price. But all rigs I knew of (perhaps 8) where on sale again after 2000 to max. 7000km. Engine and electric problems were to blame. beside that they couldn't hold up German road speeds.
After years in tool machine repair I may state that the (red) chinese machinery has only the photografy in the catalogue in common with a machine. All lathes that get imported by one of my clients, he has to change the hole electric himself, although we are protesting and blaming the factory for their lousy assembly and design for 10 years now, they improoved only in mechanical and paint finish. Not even the material became more appropiated.
From Taiwaneese machinery you may say the design is opticaly nice, but when you have to rescrape a CNC mill after only 6 years of work (5 broken servo motors and 1 frequency variator and very often out of tolerance products )......
I better shut up.... for not to insult anybody.
Best regards.
Sven
Peter Pan - 9/23/2009 8:32 PM
When in Germany arrived in the 80tees a licence of Royal Enfield from China with sidecar. (cannot remember the name) (just 750ccm 4 stroker twin with about 21 hp) many people bought the rigs from Hein Gerike for the low price. But all rigs I knew of (perhaps 8) where on sale again after 2000 to max. 7000km. Engine and electric problems were to blame. beside that they couldn't hold up German road speeds.
After years in tool machine repair I may state that the (red) chinese machinery has only the photografy in the catalogue in common with a machine. All lathes that get imported by one of my clients, he has to change the hole electric himself, although we are protesting and blaming the factory for their lousy assembly and design for 10 years now, they improoved only in mechanical and paint finish. Not even the material became more appropiated.
From Taiwaneese machinery you may say the design is opticaly nice, but when you have to rescrape a CNC mill after only 6 years of work (5 broken servo motors and 1 frequency variator and very often out of tolerance products )......
I better shut up.... for not to insult anybody.
Best regards.
Sven
Hi Sven,
I never heard of a Chinese Royal Enfield. The only Enfields I ever saw were originally British and lately, India built. They were single cylinder both 350 cc and 500 cc Bullet models. It's pssoble that the Chinese have started copying one of the twins. They seem to copy everything else.
As to machines, I have an Enco 13 X 40 geared gap bed lathe that I bought new in 1994. It's been perfectly reliable and I use it almost every day. I've not spent anything on it except for tooling, gear lube and way oil. It was built in Mainland China. It is powered with single phase 240 VAC power and I've had no trouble with the electricals at all.
I also recently bought a used Taiwanese Webb 4VH Mill. It needed to be refurbished but I started using it just this month. It's a 1987 model and weighs 3,500 pouinds. It looks like it will be a good machine.
I don't know anything about the manufacturer you have been using except to say that there are all levels of Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese machines and many of them are quite good.
I rate Enco, Grizzly, Jet, Birmingham, Cadillac, Webb, Acer, Lagun as very good. Some are mainland Chinese and some are Taiwanese. As in all things there may be some problems but there are also levels of quality.
I use the Chinese and Taiwanese machines because I couldn't find any good used American machines. When the professionals get around to selling them, they are totally worn out. I looked for a good mill for more than 15 years and finally found one.
I'd be upset and would change vendors if your problem has been going on for 10 years.
Hello Gaylord,
internet has one strange disadvantage! You rarely find information about things from before Internet.
I passed now 2 1/2 hours searching information about the bike I mentioned....nothing.
The engine looked like a license Royal Enfield, AJS, Triumpf or JAP. typical english design from end thirties, 750 ccm parralel twin about 23 hp. It was imported to Germany about 1984 to 1987 by Hein Gericke...Who never worried about good service. Colour oilive or ugly dirt green.
I have met in those years about 8, only one driving the others standing for sale and each between 2000 and 7000km on the clock.
Brand no idea its too long ago Yangtse, cj, xy-unknown ???
Had a metal like sound that did remind me to a Triumpf I helped once.
The indian Royal Enfield were started to be imported to Germany about 1984 the 350 model. (Curious in the beginning there was only the thread for the right mirror!) My first boss had to service one sometimes because the importer didn't give any service. The paint looked more like for a military bike the sound was good and anounced the arrivel way before the bike would appear.
For now I hit the road to my farm for to fix my s/c seat. The boat is nearly repaired.
I hope to have my Wendy returned to Jolly Roger before my birthday. (match the sidecar again to the bike)
Sven
They certainly are cool looking and I thought about getting one also but the HP rating of the engines kept me away.
Having had a Ural, which had a lot more horses than a CJ,, and realizing its limitations as far as speed was concerned I went with a CJ sidecar only and am hooking it to a Honda CB750 that I am customizing for the right "LOOK"
When the East Indian folks started building the Enfields, they had rather poor castings, particularly in the ports in the cylinder heads. They've improved them a great deal in the past few years. A 500 cc Bullet would be adequate for a small rig, say with a Ural sidecar unit.
After The American Indian COmpany went out of business in Springfield, Mass. in 1954, a deal was made where the Royal Enfield 500cc Bullet (British) wouudl be sold with the Indian name on the fuel tank. I had one. We called them "Royal Indianfields". They were actually quite powerrful. With some tuning, one of the Indian versions would make a good sidecar machine for general use.
I'm talking only about the 500cc Single Cylinder Indian Models. I don't know anything about the Chinese ones. There is always the problem of getting parts for a Chinese machine with little or no dealer setup. The ones built in India do have dealers here and there in the U.S.
SIGHhhh....So much for the original post...
Jane1450 - 10/2/2009 12:17 PM
SIGHhhh....So much for the original post...
I know. This thread has changed dramatically from your original question. That never happened before on the internst. LOL.
Keep smiling. 🙂
he he.. hear ya Jane,..I have seen a couple of the CJ rigs around here,Chinese knockoff of the early BMW I believe???..decent machines,..early years had some electrical and dependability issues however; nothing too severe for those wrench capable types,..coils and other required hardware is available through the usual aftermarket suppliers, most upgraded to an electronic ignition situation and greatly improved the "broke down "problems,..they are not big speed machines, but there are alot of them around, decent bang for the buck I'd say,....I looked seriously into purchasing one before this rig. CJ websites and clubs would help ya more then I could,...any one own one here???? cheers crawf.
