AJS Nac12 Engine.

[matt4395]

Hi guys and girls.
I'm probably going to get a lot of judgement right now, but I would rather like an AJS Nac12 125cc I love the look, the feel etc and it just seems perfect for me.

I was wondering if anyone knows about the reliability of the engine and only the engine. I mean if there are any issues how easy are they to rectify...blah blah blah the same old stuff.

I know a lot about bike maintenance plus my dad has had something stupid like 35 years of experience with motorbike repair, diagnostics and things.

But yeah if anyone can tell me anything about the engine that'd be great. Thanks guys

If you're going to be insulting towards me because of my interest in this bike then kindly leave it out.

[-Matt-]

https://t.qkme.me/3shkxw.jpg

No clue personally sorry

[matt4395]

Okay thanks, do you know anything about the bike in general?
I've heard it can be a bit dodgy (I've previously owned a chinese bike so I've got plenty of experience when it comes to fixing most small and some major faults)

[-Matt-]

Personally - maybe biased and unqualified opinion having never OWNED a chinese bike, but i've known many a person to of owned them and had a barrel of grief and wouldn't go near them with a barge pole myself - also because of their horrendous devaluation [from their already low price] and difficulty in selling them.

If you have good experience confidence and patience to fix things that may require it more often than some other bikes its not something to rule out i guess for the price - but that all being said - why not just get something more reliable and value holding that will do the job for the short time you'll probably want such a small-end bike before moving up unless you intend to genuienely keep it a very long time - in which case its back to the is a chinese bike really a good idea for this plan questioning

[Rogerborg]

Water cooled parallel twin "balance shaft" 125cc? That only makes 8.5kW?

That's exactly the same as the typical CG-copy 156GMI pushrod lump, but with a hojillion more things to go wrong.

Also, the £1800 price is just ridiculous. It's just another generic £200 Chinese bike with a no-name badge and a 900% markup. CMPO.co.uk don't carry parts, getting insurance will be the usual lengthy, expensive chore, and it'll plummet in value, making any reliability issue largely moot - it comes with a guaranteed high cost of ownership.

You should ask your dad what he thinks, and listen very carefully to the answer.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Ariel Badger]

The makers should rot in hell for what they have done to the once proud name AJS.
____________________
Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[matt4395]

Really I only intend to be keeping the bike for around a year and a half until I've done my A1 motorcycle license so I can move up to a real motorbike. It's mainly just something cheap to get me to and from college and work. Insurance I've already checked and most places actually have the bike listed. My friend is selling one because he's not got a CBR 250 after doing his A1. He just used it for a bit of road experience etc you know?

[-Matt-]

How much are you planning to spend on it - what miles and what condition roughly

[matt4395]

£650 And it's done around 5000 miles I think

[-Matt-]

Any idea on the insurance quotes

The thing is 650 isnt BAD even if it devalues, but even with knowledge and patience if shit goes wrong, it only takes a few things and some delivery/sourcing costs if the parts proove a bugger to find and it'll quickly add up - factor in the loss even on 650 just because it is what it is.

And overall the hassle free alternative and less drop/maintenance issues being likely to occur of something more simple and 'mainstream' still would stand out as the better option in my opinion.

[SQL]

[matt4395]

Shit sorry A2 I pressed the wrong button

[Pigeon]

There are loads of clips of people on their bikes......did find one of an example that is owned by Cheech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QzwdH1WI7Y


But others liked them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxOghuJXBtg

[Nope.]

[matt4395]

Okay thanks, From the sounds of what you're all saying I'll probably leave it well alone. The trouble was I've been getting mixed reviews about it from people who've owned it.

Yeah I owned a chinese bike. Once I'd worked all the kinks out (Which took about a month) it's been absolutely fine and hasn't actually failed me since then.

[Rogerborg]

Hmm. Well, it's taken its big depreciation hit, and you're not going to bag a decent Japanese branded bike for that money in summer.

He'll have been ragging the nuts off of it, that's a given. Do you know that he's done oil changes on it? 5,000 miles (might be km) should be at least 3 changes.

For that money, it might be OK. You know the risks, you'll know that you need to give it a thorough going-over both before and after purchase, and prophylactically sort out anything that looks remotely dodgy.

Pay particular attention to the tyres, bearings, bushes, chain and sprockets, suspension, and exhaust - you'll likely find that the cost of a replacement twin pipe system will exceed the value of the bike by the time you're done with it. If if it needs anything done (and if in doubt, assume it will) then do factor that into the price.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[matt4395]

He's not actually been ragging the shit out of it, he's not that kind of rider lol
Yeah he's done I think he's actually done 4 oil changes in that time.

[charlie74]

daft question...

if your still happy with the reliability of the bike you have, why change? if your only looking to use the new bike for a year why bother possibly loosing a few hundred quid?

me personally id keep the cash for a nicer bike when you pass your test


on the AJS... ive not got any direct experiance but they seem to be the least supported chinky brand atm

[matt4395]

Valid point in all fairness. The trouble is my current bike is a 50cc...Need I say more? Lol I am lucky if I can hit 40mph. It's just not safe at all.

[i.p.phrealy]

I thought AJS were Indian not Chinese?
____________________
it is impossible to lick your own elbow...
and if you just tried you need professional help.
Finally allowed a big bike 19/03/14!

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[_Iain_]

Front suspensions soft & they're a little undergeared. On first service we go +1 on the front sprocket, add a little preload & thicker fork oil.

Not typical chineese tat, the guys at AJS are utterly fantastic with spares backup/technical and nothings ever more than 48hrs away. Early bikes were terrible, now theyre getting there.

With that said;

Dont buy the NAC, go for an eco. Those little fuckers just wont die & come off the same production line as the YBR. Genuine yammy bits fit em all the way through too...we also hardly see any on warranty. Would own one myself.
____________________
Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[UnspeedySam]

[_Iain_]

Ahh, the Jianshe. With it's horse like start

The eco does say Jianshe all over it.

The motor isn't a copy of anything as far as i can work out. Theres an air cooled variant & a water cooled variant. There's also a 350cc motor which they're putting in big nac (the SPT350) We had a prototype of the SPT here for a few weeks to test & let customers have a play with. I diddnt think too much of it, but the engine would suit a round town commuter perfectly. Suspension setup was way off though. But then big bikes for less money than a branded 125 arent going to be as well finished as a premium bike.

Early bikes were poor, however AJS did weed out the factories that were making the duff ones & stop using em. They went to china and had conversations with em along the lines of "yes, but if you want brakes that work then it will cost an extra £4.06 per unit?!?!" "No no, you see thats fine. We'll happily pay the extra couple of quid as we need a product that actually works in the UK" Etc etc. They opted to spec certain parts above what the chineese wanted to fit onto em. In china you can have anything made at any quality & it's a case of working out what you can skimp on and what just doesnt work.

The NAC isnt a fast bike. The Eco is probbably slightly quicker, but the NAC has the big bike looks & the motor sounds quite fruity for a 125. They seem to crash well too.
____________________
Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[P.addy]