Thursday, March 22, 2012

Chang Jiang

Let me start by saying that I know nothing about the Chang Jiang
but if you click the link, I think I crossed paths with a CJ750 M1M with sidecar. It is not a copy but rather a reproduction of a pre WWII BMW R71

P1000257
Meet Jason

This Hack appears to be a daily driver as it is sporting Commercial Licence plates and he was picking up some items from our warehouse. With his approval I snapped a series of photos but I am only posting a few here. They may be of interest to Charlie6 and he may ask to view more of them.

I have seen a few Chang Jiang's before, a beautiful black one was for sale at the Yamaha dealer and it appeared to look exactly like a Beemer.

P1000255

In the photo above, the black pegs are for changing from Forward to Reverse. The silver lever below is for changing gears, with the toe/heal shifter

P1000250

There is the driveshaft for the single wheel drive (OWD:One Wheel Drive)

P1000249

Here is another view of the drive shaft, but notice the suicide shifter coming out of the case. You can shift gears with this lever, as well as the toe/heal shifter on the left side. I was told that this lever was easier to access when you are physically pushing the rig around and need to shift it out of gear

P1000245

I know that Dom/Charlie6 likes to see how the sidecar is attached, so I always take this perspective for him

P1000240

It has a very primitive "dash", a couple of indicator lights, a speedometer, and that's it, except for the steering damper butterfly knob

P1000239

A view of the right side

P1000233

and a view of the handlebar and brake lever. I'm not sure how many people have ever seen a Chang Jiang in action, but a little too utilitarian for me








23 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Ms M:

      yes, even to my aged eyes, he had that rugged, biker look but he had a gentle way about him. soft spoken, polite . . .

      Delete
  2. I've photographed this bike but I thought it was a Ural. I always learn something from you Bob.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wayne:

      Our paths seem to cross more often than you know. everytime you post a photo, I was only a day ahead or a day behind. Next time you go to Tosi's, go inside and talk to Angelo & Nola. I used to work with Nola (a long time ago). I am also part of the Wing Sang family and I used to go to that Rennie building, decades before that reno. I have also been downstairs in the Opium den. Did you know that the ground level of Pender Street used to be "ONE" floor below the current ground level. There are windows below which look out into a "dirt view"

      Delete
  3. Wow, a Ural looks high tech against this. Definitely not a chick magnet I'd say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sonja:

      I was thinking the same thing, that a Ural would have been High Tech. I am sure it has the same UDF

      Delete
  4. A few years back, there was one of these at the local Harley/BMW/Honda dealer. The previous owner had put in a BMW engine and transmission then rode it from China to Alaska the long way. By heading west. I don't know what happened to it after that. I do remember reading about the trip somewhere. The original engine failed pretty near the beginning of the trip and the conversion was done in China.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard:

      in that link it shows that the CJiang only had 20+ HP, so slow and steady is the way to ride it. The BMW conversion sounds like a good way to make it reliable

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Ms M:

      I was drawn to it too, but all I could think about was parts, where to bring it for service and wishing that Dom was my next door neighbour

      Delete
  6. Wow. Is that guy sporting a little of a Ewan look about the eyes? Very interesting contraption. Parts of it look absolutely fine, then others parts seem to b put together with bailing wire and rust. I like. But don't think i could ride it. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steel Cupcake:

      It would be the perfect vehicle to take you out on a date. You could sit in the sidecar and I would pilot it down a hardly used, solitary road and if I crossed my fingers & toes , it would break and leave us stranded in the cold of night, longing for warmth . . .

      Delete
    2. Wait a minute!! Why the heck do I get the sidecar! I don't take that from Oilburner even.

      Delete
  7. Yeah, probably not a chick magnet, but still cool in a funky sort of way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BlueKat:

      I think if you saw it you would also go running over. It is magnetic and sort of cool looking. I mean, where would you see another one ?

      Delete
  8. Not a chick magnet? I don't know, maybe the wrong kind of chicks. Looks like a blast, of course, I don't mind spine-shattering underpowered relics.

    Brady
    Behind Bars

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brady:

      you should get one. I know you're no stranger to having non working bikes in your collection. Underpowered is Okay, Imagine how much longer your rides could be with a HOT chick sitting beside you

      Delete
  9. I agree with Sonja, it does make a Ural look high tech. Way cool though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trobairitz:

      It would be a lot cooler with a reliable drive train, and the old body on top. I can't imagine how much time it takes to keep it running. You would have to have a spare

      Delete
  10. Thanks for the pics Bob, right you are in that I am interested in such things.....

    Some comments though.

    Not sure why he called it a suicide shifter, that's the lever to put the rig into reverse or neutral.

    Man, and I thought Ural manufacturing quality in the old days was bad, the Chang Jiang makes the Ural quality of their old rigs look almost beemer-like!

    The Chang Jiangs as I understand it, are Chinese knockoffs based on Russian blueprints of the Russian knockoff of the Pre-WWII M71 army sidecar rig. Their reputation in terms of reliability, is even lower than old urals, and that's hard to do. There's even a guy in Beijing who's specialty is to take Chang Jiangs, yank the engine out and replace it with a Beemer engine.....

    Having said all the above, that's still a cool rig....he must be quite the wrench to keep it running.

    dom

    Redleg's Rides

    Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dom:

      I snapped lots of photos as soon as I saw it and immediately thought of you. It is cool looking but I am not sure you want to take it very far but it certainly has that CJDF (=UDF)

      Delete
  11. Not my kind of thing, but hey the rider and the bike looked lik they were made for each other. If he happy and loves his ride excellent. First time I have eve seen one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Roger:

      I suppose that's why it's great to have options. some like to wrench, some like to ride, some like to pillion. some of snap photos, many don't. There is something for all of us

      Delete