Something to stop me climbing the walls...

[nowhere.elysium]

I'm an avid reader of other people's projects, and I've been desperate for a decent project bike myself for a while now, so I figured that I'd use what I already had to hand: my now woefully under-used 125. Since buying the Bandit, I've been having a blast at a pretty consistent 70-odd mph. However, it's got a godawful MPG rate: I'm going through petrol money bloody fast. Since I work within 5 miles of where I live, the 125 is making more sense.
A little background knowledge, before I continue:
1) Yes, it's Chinese, and no, I make no apologies for it. It's been flawless for me, and I'm happy with it.
2) There's a shopping list of bits that I'm going to add to this, not least of which is a new set of tyres, because these ones give me the fear in the wet. That'll probably happen at the end of next month, because I'm going to be sorting out the cosmetic stuff first (it's cheaper, see?)
3) I'm also going to try and put some hard panniers on, in the form of metal ammo boxes which I have lying around. They're a bit heavy, but this is going to be a 1-man bike. I took the pillion footpegs off a couple of weeks ago.
4) I'm going to be linking to the parts that I'm looking at. I've highlighted them in bold, because they're embedded in the text, and this is a bit on the wordy side, so they may not have been visible otherwise.

The bike's a Pulse Adrenaline 125, which is made by a company called Qingqi; they're licensed by Suzuki to manufacture 125 and 200 single cylinder engines, so the parts are largely interchangeable. Reliability's been pretty good so far, too, so I'm guessing that Suzuki might have some kind of quality control presence on the engine build.
Here's the 'before' photo:
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/3485623065_5f51fcf61c_o.jpg

And here's the current state of it:
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3485630353_0e7d4a1df8_o.jpg

The shopping list I've got thus far is:
New headlights - I was thinking of these, because they're cheap, and I like the simplicity of them. A bowl headlamp would look wrong, and the one that's on there kind of screams 'I wish I was a KTM' a bit too hard for me to be able to cope with.
A new exhaust: the chinese one is not so much baffled as baffling: the entire chamber is packed with this weird corrugated steel, that's been rolled up so tight that it fills the whole of the expansion chamber (is that what it's called on a 4-stroke?). I'll try and get a photo, to show what I mean. The one that I'm replacing it with is this. According to the guys and M&P, it's road legal, and at £17, I figured it's worth a shot. It's got to be better than the cripplingly silent and restricted exhaust that was on there before. I've tried the bike without an exhaust on it at all, and as well as being insanely loud, the throttle response was instantly improved significantly; it seems that it was getting some kind of backpressure, I think. Maybe someone who knows what they're talking about could point me down the path of knowledge on that one...
A new taillight and plate holder. This was a bit of a tricky one, because finding something that's neither sportsbike-specific nor iron cross shaped (read: made for people who think that 'custom' means 'what the man in the shop told me was 'custom''). I managed to find one that's acceptable to me, although I may do some remodelling of it - it can be seen here.
Finally, before people start accusing me of having shares in M&P, I've got something for your perusal which I'd like to get opinions on. The shock on this bike's pretty atrocious - it skitters all over the place, which doesn't inspire confidence in the corners. There's a replacement one offered by Xian Racing, who specialise in modding/tuning chinese scooters and 125s. It's supposed to be a knockoff of a CBR125 shock. While I don't trust the Chinese to design anything new themselves, they are rather good at ripping other people off at much lower cost, so I'm willing to give it a shot. It can be found here.

At this stage, I'm thinking of tuning the engine a bit, too. I can get hold of an air filter and some alternate jets for peanuts, so I'm tempted to see if I can squeeze a bit more out of it. At the moment, it's running rich as hell - I had a quick look at the sparkplug, and it's coated in this jet black crap, so I may even be able to get away without rejetting, if I improve the airflow.

I'm intending to cut the tail of the bike down by a few inches, because it's a bit on the unnecessarily long side. The likelihood is that I'm going to take it down to where the indicators are mounted in the second photo: I moved them forward between photos. They were mounted on the grab rails originally, so there's two mounting points to choose from.
I've also got my eyes on that seat, too; it's like being violated with a shelving unit, at the moment, so I'm going to re-cover it, re-shape it a bit, and probably curtail it, so it's obviously a one-person thing. This will also give me the option of fabricating some kind of rudimentary luggage rack, if/when I do decide to put those ammo boxes on.

When I get the time, I'm going to try and mock up the luggage thing in Photoshop, so I can decide whether it's going to work or not.

Current costings:
Headlights: £15 (self-fabricated mountings)
Exhaust: £17
Tail light unit: £20
Shock: £45
Running total - £97
I'll get the tyres next month, because I desperately want to start doing things to this bike with spanners, and replacing the tyres is inordinately, well, responsible and tedious. I cant look at it and think it looks good. They're just practical, which although useful, lacks that 'new toy!' feeling.
The tyres I found are the Conti Go tyres (again, at M&P), and it'll cost about £100 for the pair.

As a final note, I'm intending to make up some simple plastic plates that can be secured to fill in the open spaces in the frame: the previous fairings covered a great deal of internals on the side that's not shown - most of the wiring loom and the battery is now exposed, so that'll need addressing. Fortunately, I have access to a laser cutter, and cheap plastic's not a real problem for me.

Oh yeah: I know the tax disc holder's fugly. It'll get sorted sometime soon.

So, after that epically long statement of intent... any thoughts?
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[The Artist]

Sounds good.

For tyres check these people as they were the cheapest for my 125. I got Pirelli city demons for £57 delivered!

https://www.intobikes.co.uk/

[nowhere.elysium]

Unfortunately, as great as the City Demon prices look, they won't fit. The sizes on this bike are 110/70/17 Front and 130/70/17 Rear.
Incidentally, these rims are tubed (as the spokes would suggest); does this make a difference to tyre choice? Are there any that are specifically tubeless only, that I should avoid?
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[The Artist]

[nowhere.elysium]

Cool. Well, I've just got to track down some half decent tyres that are the right size, then.

Incidentally, how long would it take for me to get nicked if I rode it around a bit without an exhaust can? I'm itching to deafen my work colleagues...


edit: Just out of curiosity, is there any significant difference in structure between front and rear tyres? I've found some tyres which are listed as being for the front wheel, but they do the right sizes for both the front and rear for my bike.
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[nowhere.elysium]

Right. Apologies for the lack of updates - it's been a weird week at work for me.
The exhaust is now with me, as is the shock and the jet/air filter.
However, the shock is too short, by about an inch and a half, so sod that - I guess I'll have to make do with upping the preload on the existing shock, then. I'll upload the photo in a bit, when I've got the time.
The exhaust looks good - much better quality than the stock one, at least, so that's all good. It's effectively a straight-through, which is nice. However, although being sold it as 'road legal', there's no e mark on it. I may have to see if it can magically sprout one some time this week.
I'm still waiting on the head and tail lights at the moment, but the exhaust is what I was most worked up about.
I've got to get hold of a pipe adapter for it, too, because the bore of the can is a bit bigger than the bore of the outlet from the bike, but that should (hopefully) be fairly simple to acquire.
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[Moonie]

Looks good, I like it without the plastic side bits.

Why not relocate the battery to under the very rear of the seat?
____________________
Don't practice it until you get it right, practice it until you don't get it wrong.
Presenting the one and only Chinkmobile

[nowhere.elysium]

Thats pretty much what I had in mind. I've got figure out how to mount it, but fortunately, I've happened across a bunch of that weird steel angle stuff (you know, like that dexian shelving crap), which I'm going to use to make the pannier rack. I should have more than enough to put together a battery cage too, methinks.
I'm hoping to start getting some kind of visible results on this soon, because I'm a bit tired of looking at this unchanged 125 that's just waiting for my attention, you know?
I agree with you on the side panels, too. I'm unsure about the tank ones, though: I kinda liked them, but it looks funny with those on but not the side panels. I think I'll just leave them off for now.
I've got to make up an adapter for my exhaust tonight or tomorrow: the can that I got is a bit too big, as previously mentioned, but I should be able to bodge something with a bean tin, some jubilee clips, and some gun gum. This is going to seem so ratbike in places, and pretty tidy in others. I'm not sure how to class it anymore...
Once I've started building the new bits, I'll get some more photos up.
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[nowhere.elysium]

Right: I'm being an awful lot slower at this than I thought I would be. I'm afraid that minor illness has gotten the better of me at the moment, so you'll have to forgive me that one.
I've gotten started on both the exhaust and the pannier racks, with a bit more success on the exhaust.
I decided to go down the bean can method for making the reducer, because I couldn't find one that was, in truth, small enough.
So, without further ado, here it is, as it currently stands, until I get some more jubilee clips from B&Q:
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/3512804044_ea87ff0767_b.jpg
I'm going to make some cuts down the length of the bean can, so it can kind of concertina/crush down to a smaller diameter, under pressure. I'm then going to coat the whole sordid affair with gun gum, and leave it a day or two to try and cure before I stat the bike up to give it the final cooking.
I'm hoping that having the ridges cross the cuts at 90 degrees will help it all seal a bit more neatly: if I can get the ridges to interlock, as I tighten up the clips, it should (hopefully) form a fairly decent gas seal. I'm considering the possibility of wrapping some gaffer tape around it (just a single layer) before I make the cuts, so there's a thin, deformable layer that'll help it seal a bit better; I know that gaffer tape will just end up getting baked on, after a few uses of the bike, so that should also help hold this thing together a bit better if the biking gods smile upon me...
Thoughts or suggestions would be best placed soon, given that I'm going to B&Q in an hour or so.
Cheers all
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[nowhere.elysium]

Incidentally, that shock that I was on about is here:
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3659/3512020085_eee2eec5f0_b.jpg
The shock on the left is the one that I bought, and the one on the right is the standard. As you can see, the new one's about an inch and a half short, which isn't so much use, really. It's been sent back now, and I'm just gonna crank up the preload on the old shock, in the hope that it might at least make it feel a little less, well, flabby, for lack of a better term.
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[qarka]

This is mine:
https://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/f8f2baa977.jpg

https://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/74742c0964.jpg

https://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/8831696322.jpg[/img]

All opinions welcome
____________________
Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500

[rainer]

Hey guys, I've got the same bike as both of you.

So far its got a Xian 125 exhaust, Molkt carb and filter.

Qarka, what jets are you using, with which carb/filter and how's it running??

I ask because I think you've got the same setup as me but mine's running crap!

Thanks a lot!

Rainer

[qarka]

Xian P&P end can, K&N filter, Molkt 30mm carb with original jets, Im not sure what size they are.

Im a newbie to carb tuning so Im not too confident about rejetting it. She was running crap when I first put the new carb on but I played about with the idle mixture screw and she seems to go alright now.

I also removed something that I think is "secondary air injection" ?? basically pipes running from the airbox and carb manifold to a valve and then another pipe to the crankcase, dont know if that made any difference but it sure sounds better

What size jets are you running?
____________________
Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500

[qarka]

Rainer, I forgot to add that I moved the main jet needle up to its highest setting. I've also been having problems with the choke, vibration at 70mph causes the choke to fall down and flood the engine , really embarrasing when you overtake someone then suddenly loose power and have to fiddle about with the carb .

Nowhere_elysium I really think your onto something with that rear end, its definately too long. What are your plans for the side panels?

As you can see from the pictures I need a new set of plastics but the only ones I can find are the ones for your bike (pulse adrenalin has different plastics to the sinnis apache and superbyke RMR).

I was thinking of banging a set out of some old washing machine drums then spraying them matt black, what do you think? I think the holes would make it look the sex
____________________
Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500

[nowhere.elysium]

I'm going to be closing up the gaps in the frame using spraypainted perspex, is all. I'm not a great fan of the fairings that came with the bike.

When I first saw how it looked without the back end, I was quite taken with it: it tidies up the whole profile quite a bit I think.

How is the Xian exhaust? they didn't have any in stock when I looked recently: that's why I went for the M&P one. Is it straight through? I've started up the bike without the exhaust on at all, and it sounds like a miniature version of the Gaza strip at the moment; the sound's insane...

I'm not likely to change the carb over, because last time I tried it ran like crap, and I'm more comfortable with the idea of re-jetting it now than I was then.

Weirdly enough, none of the tuning stuff I bought from Xian fitted when I got it: I don't know if it's to do with the year of the bike or not: this one's an 08 model. How old is yours? I'm wondering whether there's more than just cosmetic changes between the sinnis, pulse and the superbyke, at this stage.

That pipe you describe would be a crankcase breather, I think.

The washing machine drums sound like an interesting idea: I'd have to see it before I could really give an opinion, though. My inclination would be to get hold of something that's a bit more readily available and drill holes in it, though, because washing machine drums aren't all that common, even here...

Did you grind off the fairing mounting lugs on the tank, or did it not have any to start with? I don't see any in the picture you posted.

I've also nearly finished measuring up the racking for the panniers, too: I'll give you all a shout when I've started cutting them up.
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[qarka]

First of all my bike is an 07 model.

About the tank brackets
I came off when I first started riding and one of the tank fairings got smashed off so I took the other one off, had a look at the brackets and decided to try and wiggle one of them off with mole grips .

Big mistake as it was spot welded so I ended up with a pinhole in the tank and petrol all over my garage.

So I drained the tank and went and asked my dad for his opinion and he decided the best thing to do was attack them with an angle grinder. Cue an even bigger hole in the tank!

We then decided to get the rest of them off with pliers leaving me with a tank looking like a sieve. I fibreglassed over the huge hole and soldered the rest then filled the dents with polyfiller. IMO the bike looks better without the fairings.

The exhaust is a straight though pipe. Sounds sweet as. I wish I'd started mine without the can on now though.

Have you chopped the back end off yet? If you have put some pics up!
Im thinking of doing the same mod but it would be nice to see what it looks like. Ive already sawed off the rear reflector as it looked stupidly long, however apparently you need one for an MOT?

Do you know what the purpose of the crankcase breather is and if it makes any difference to the performance?

Good luck with the project. Its good to see I'm not the only one who isnt prejudiced against these great little bikes.
____________________
Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500

[qarka]

Here are a few more pics:

https://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/971d3c18dd.jpg
Right side of tank close up

https://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/da4da4bcef.jpg
Left side of tank close up - you can just about see the filler on this one if you look past the blur

https://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/f5edae9856.jpg
My indicators, one of them hanging off and the other one burnt from when it was resting on the exhaust

And a video of me starting her up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6l90Nzd0rY
____________________
Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500

[nowhere.elysium]

Yeah; there's significant electrical differences between the 08 and he 07, which means that most of Xian's parts don't fit mine, which blows. I spoke t Gareth at Xian about it at length, and it's something they're working on, but the sheer scale of the range of Chinese bikes makes it pretty difficult for them, as you can probably guess.

I'll be leaving the mounting brackets alone, then.

I'm going to be taking off the back end soon, once I've got the parts for the number plate mounting, and the lights. I'm kind of loath to make any permanent changes to it, until I've got everything in front of me.

Incidentally, for your MOT, yes you do need a rear reflector. It might seem a bit, well, crappy, but it's there so that you're not totally invisible from behind if your bike dies on the road. However, you won't be needing an MOT 'til 2010 anyway, because you only have to start doing them once your bike is over 3 years old.

I'm going to be sticking mine to the back of the ammo boxes, so I'll have a couple of them.

On the basis that we're assuming that it is a crankcase breather (I'm still not 100% on that), it vents contaminants out of the engine block into the atmosphere. As to why it does so into the air filter, I'm not sure. I'd keep the tube on there, so nothing runs into the crankcase, but keep it out of the airbox. It just means that the incoming air will be a bit cleaner, I guess. Maybe someone that's more mechanically competent than me could clear that up for us, because I don't know for definite.

By the way, what tyres do you have on there? I could just about make out that they're Pirellis, but I couldn't see which particular line they were. I was looking at the Pirelli Sport Demons, because the standard Chiense rubber's arse.

Other than that, I'm really liking these bikes. They're a bit of a laugh, and because they're cheapo Chinese tat, I'm not that bothered if it gets a bit scuffed up. I'd be proper pissed off if I bollocked my Bandit up, though...
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[qarka]

When I bought the bike it had a cheapo chinese tyre on the front and the back one had been replaced with a Pirelli MT75. I decided to replace the front after it nearly killed me a couple of times, although the fact that the brake pads were worn almost to the metal didnt help. Now its got a Bridgestone BT45 on the front and new brake pads. I can really squeeze the brakes in the wet now without thinking I'm going to die

I cant wait to see what your back end looks like. Are you going to paint the ammo boxes or leave them? I reckon matt black all the way

How much did u get your bike for btw? Mine was £700 off ebay with about 6k miles
____________________
Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500

[nowhere.elysium]

Hell yes on the matt black: wouldn't have it any other way...

I bought mine new, because I wasn't sure how well the Chinese build quality would last when second hand: got it for about 1400 quid, and I'm intending to keep it as a general hack for some years.
Bearing in mind it was my first bike, and I wasn't sure about the second-hand market, or even if I was going to do a DAS or not, I thought it may be best to get it new.

I just know I'm going to get flamed for that little admission...

Either way, I have it now, and it makes me smile like a loon when I do ride it, so sod the naysayers.

I'm thinking of going all survivalist on this one, and building it up so that it'll happily keep chugging on through the apocalypse. The first thought is to chuck a sheepskin on the seat (if I can get a black one, of course), because, as I say, it feels like I'm being raped with a bookcase on the standard one.

The real loon in me wants to be able to use this for camping trips, so the soon-to-be-built rack will not only have the boxes, but a top that can have stuff bungee'd to it.

I'm waaay too excited about this now. Cheers for getting me back on track with this: I was originally going to rant at you about threadjacking, but you've inspired me to get off my arse and finish this now, and I'm really stoked about it. Cheers again, dude

On a side note: what OEM brake pads fit it? I'd like some decent ones on there in future, because although the current ones are OK, I have no idea how long they'll last.
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[qarka]

Yeah well if I had had any sense when I bought mine I probs would have got a cg or something for cheap but I wanted something cool, and having bought my little chinkmobile I wouldnt swap her for the world .

Definately get it kitted out Mad Max style, I dont find the original seat to bad tbh but I suppose you'll be used to the Bandit.

Glad to hear that I've inspired you mate, I will be following this thread with anticipation!

Oh and I got the pads from https://www.chinesemotorcyclepartsonline.co.uk/partno_30015-F_1637_XF125GY-2B.php
They have all the parts for your bike on there.

Anyways, I'm off to bed now mate. Good luck with the project
____________________
Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500

[rainer]

Vibration at 70? That sucks!

Since changing carb, exhaust and filter over it wont go much over 50. It's accelerating nicely, but I can't get the jetting right

When you say the needle's on the highest setting, you mean the little ring on it is at the top or the bottom? As in does it hang into the pot as deep as it can or as shallow?

And you're using the jets that came on the bike originally?

Cheers man!

[qarka]

Im using the jets that came with the carb. I think the main one is a 110. The little ring on the needle is on the bottom notch, so the needle is as high as possible. Ive also changed the sprockets, 16T on the front 48T on the back, you lose some power but gain maybe 5mph top end. When I say 70mph I mean indicated 70 and that depends a lot on factors such as wind and gradient, with a headwind I only get 50. Out of interest how did you get the OEM airbox off? I had to hacksaw mine in half after wrestling with it for about half an hour
____________________
Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500

[nowhere.elysium]

To get the airbox off, there's a series of bolts holding it in place that are under the side fairings. Once they're all out (there's a hidden one that's just above the battery, too) you will need to unbolt the carb from the cylinder, unscrew the strap securing the rubber interface thing to the carb, and then release the spring that's holding the rubber interface thing to the airbox. Once those are all off, you can wiggle the airbox forward and then out the right hand side of the bike.

Incidentally, I've got the new exhaust on the bike, and it's louder than God. I never knew that a 125 could generate so much noise, in truth. It's still bogging a bit, though, so I'm going to put the K&N style air filter on, and bugger about with the air/fuel mix screw until it's happy. Still waiting on the lights, though.
I'll post pics up tonight or tomorrow morning, since I'm not at home at the moment.
____________________
'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[qarka]

Come on! Get some pics of that exhaust up
____________________
Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500