CSC Blog

I’ve read a number of posts on a couple of Internet forums lately about fuel in the RX3’s crankcase oil.

I had never noticed a fuel smell from the oil before on any of the motorcycles I previously owned, so I asked Zongshen’s engineers about this phenomenon.   They explained to me that it is a normal occurrence.   In fact, they told me a fairly high percentage of fuel in the oil is expected as a normal part of the engine’s operation.

Here’s what’s going on:  In the early stages of the fuel injection cycle, some of the injected fuel does not atomize completely.  When that occurs, a small amount of raw fuel washes down around the rings and finds its way into the crankcase.   Ultimately, as the engine reaches operating temperature, most (but not all) of this fuel will vaporize and either be sucked back through the intake tract, or it will condense and go into the drain tube beneath the oil/air separator.

As a check on the guidance offered by Zongshen, I did a literature search on my own at the California State Polytechnic University (I teach in the College of Engineering there).   There’s not a lot of information on this issue, but what information there is supports what Zongshen tells us.   In particular, here’s the conclusion from a technical paper in which the researchers focused on this topic for both diesel and gasoline engines:

The obtained results are in agreement with the relevant published data for fuel-engine oil mixtures, where amounts of fuels in oils of up to 4 or 5% are foreseen as acceptable levels, while amounts of 7 to 10% of fuels in oils are considered as unacceptable levels.

Someone on one of the forums wondered aloud if my recent blog describing improved smoothness and performance with 20W-50 oil was related to any of the above.  Folks, it was not.   We’re not that devious…if we have a reason for stating something we won’t hide it from you.   Not surprisingly, my literature search indicated there is some viscosity reduction as a result of fuel in the engine oil.  This is acceptable within the fuel-in-the-oil levels indicated above for both 10W-40 and 20W-50 oil.  The literature indicates that a higher viscosity oil (the 20W-50) will have higher remaining viscosity than would a lower viscosity oil (the 10W-40) if fuel is present in the oil.  That’s entirely logical, but it wasn’t the reason I mentioned that my bike runs better with 20W-50 oil.  I mentioned that because, well, the bike runs better with the 20W-50.

The significant point from all of the above is that fuel in the oil is normal, as both Zongshen and the engineering literature tell us.

I stopped by the plant for a bit this morning and things are buzzing.   The guys are on overtime working prep and setup activities on the TT250s and the RX3s…

Derek and Willie mugging for the Nikon

And folks are stopping in to take delivery of their new bikes when their TT250s and RX3s are ready.   I had a nice conversation with our good buddy Jim this morning.   Jim was here to pick up his beautiful white TT250 (I hear that’s the fast color)..

Steve and Jim, after Steve walked Jim through the features on his new CSC TT250…Jim was headed out for a ride in the San Gabriels!

More to follow, folks, so keep an eye on the blog.  I’ll be posting more about the upcoming China ride, too…that’s going to be a hoot!

Wow, I just met Troy Siahaan, one of the motojournalists from Motorcycle.com magazine!   Troy is road testing our RC3 preproduction bike, so watch for the story in Motorcycle.com.

Gerry briefing Troy Siahaan of Motorcycle.com on the CSC RC3 sport bike!

We like Motorcycle.com.  They did one of the very first stories on the RX3 when it first arrived, and it helped us a lot.   You can see that story here.

Evans Brasfield’s awesome photo of Tom Roderick on one of the very first RX3 motorcycles in America

We expect the RC3 story to appear in the near term, and we’ll let you know when that happens!

…without really intending to.  I like the DR650, but when I posted that blog earlier today from an ADVRider post, it sparked a response from my good buddy Tucson Greg.   You’ll remember Greg from our first Baja run…

Here’s what Greg wrote about an hour after my post…

Joe –

In the Spring of 2011, I bought a brand new DR650. The bike was only $6199, but I spent a lot of time & money fixing it up exactly the way I wanted:

• First thing was a Suzuki rear rack for about $120 because it didn’t have one. Or any other carrying capacity of any kind.
• Second thing was a Suzuki skip plate for about $120 because it didn’t have one.
• Third thing was a jet kit for about $70 because DR650’s run so lean that they will die young here in the desert.
• Fourth thing was a Sargent seat for about $350 because the stock seat was possibly the worst seat I have ever had.
• Fifth thing was a set of Rox adjustable handlebar risers for about $180 so I could ride standing up when I wanted to.
• Sixth thing was lowered foot pegs from ProCycle for about $180 because my knees couldn’t bend that way.
• Seventh thing was to lower the bike.  No parts cost except for the $72 for the new, shorter kickstand, but the dealer wanted $300 for the labor, so I did it myself.
• Eighth thing was Progressive springs and Intiminator valves for the front forks for about $300 altogether.
• Ninth thing was to have a guy rebuild the rear shock so that it would work.  That was $200, but I did it twice during the 6500 miles I put on the bike.
• Tenth thing was a 5.1 gallon Clarke gas tank for about $350 because the bike could not be counted on to go 150 miles with the stock tank.
• Eleventh through the 15th things I forgot.

I had the bike for a little over 5 years for a cost of over $10,000 and I loved it for 6500 miles.  I sold it in Spring of 2016 for $4200.

In the Spring of 2015, I bought one of the first RX-3’s off the boat for the introductory price.  CSC added the 12V and USB outlets to the dash and the mudguards for my hands for $150.  The first thing I did with the bike is take it on the inaugural ride with CSC down the Baja. I later lowered the bike with the CSC lowering link for about $100.  I later bought the Seat Concepts seat for it.

I have about 6,500 miles on it.  I have tracked every penny I have ever spent on the bike, gas, oil, tax, registration, insurance, EVERYTHING.  I’ve got $3955 in the bike now.  But more important, it’s my go-to bike.

The DR650 is a great bike and I loved mine.  But I chose to sell it and keep the RX-3.  Do I need help?

Greg

Greg, I don’t think you need any help at all.   Maybe next year you’ll join us on the 3rd Annual CSC Baja Run.   I’m hoping so.   Thanks for writing, Amigo!

Our good buddy Doug recently purchased both an RX3 motorcycle and a copy of 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM, and he asked for key members of the CSC team to sign his copy of the book that tells the CSC story….

I think that’s very cool!  Doug, thanks for buying the bike, and thanks for buying 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM.   I know you’ll enjoy both!

One of our good buddies (he goes by the screen name “Villageidiot”) on the ADVRider forum was thinking out loud in a post about why he wasn’t ready to swap out his DR650 Suzuki for an RX3.   Hey, that’s okay.   I struggled with the same decision regarding my KLR650 Kawasaki, and I finally decided (after thinking about it for more than a year) that it was time for the KLR to go.  I wasn’t riding the KLR at all, and I concluded that the RX3 is just a much better motorcycle.

Another ADVRider forum poster (our good buddy Buck) added his thoughts.   We see a lot of very complimentary comments like this, but I particularly like the way Buck expressed his thoughts.  I asked for (and received) his permission to post his ADVRider entry here…

Villageidiot…

It’s not really hard for me to go from the DR to the RX3. My DR is very well set up, runs like a top, but it’s all about needs, for me. About the worst part of the DR, and one I should’ve explored more before getting it, is that it just sucks for 2 up, and carrying gear. That sealed its fate. Plain and simple. I ride 2 up with my wife, and 3 of our kids like to ride as well. I needed more of an adventure bike than a dual sport. I loved my old Vstrom 650, and my wife and I did many thousands of miles on it, but it was too damned big, top heavy, wide and tall. Caused more grief than anything. I figured this one would fit the bill better than anything else for the price I wanted it to do wonderful things at.

I researched the RX3 for quite a while before purchase. I came away impressed with not only the manufacturer, but CSC. The manufacturer offers a level of design and commitment that puts Suzuki, Kawasaki, et. al., to shame. They make design changes yearly based on consumer input. We’ve been tightening NSU screws, fitting large gas tanks, turning off our headlights to run heated gear/grips, and fixing Doohickeys for 20 years. Now THAT is ridiculous. Guess what, neither company really gives a Tinker’s Dam what you, or I want.

Lets now compare to the new kid on the block. I applaud CSC/Zongshen for really listening to what the consumer wants, and implementing it…i.e., hand control hard wired accessory switch, for TWO accessories, 300W stator, 17″ rear wheel, two front wheel options, upgraded handlebars, headlight, adjustable front forks, upgraded paint for 2016… and yes, there’s more.

Finally, the level of customer service offered at CSC was just outstanding. Not only from my research, but my own experience. MANY dealerships could learn from them. Frankly, it puts dealerships to shame. Lastly, regarding a Chinese bike. I couldn’t give a damn. I’m so tired of hearing stupidity and political correctness spout from adults, you’ve no idea. These same people (or their parents) said the same thing about “those Jap cars” when they came in the 70’s, so I won’t even waste my time with that nonsense.

In the end, it really wasn’t a tough decision.

It’s interesting (and fun) to see comments like this.   Buck, thanks for saying it like it is.

Ryan received this nice note from Diana yesterday, along with three great photos…

Hello Ryan,

Riding mileage continues to climb with the break in days on my ‘16 RX3, so here are a few photos taken on the Foothills Parkway in East TN.  I am very appreciative of the customer focus that has been exhibited during my new relationship with CSC.  Everyone has been most helpful with all my questions and needs.  The riding has been great fun due in part to the bike’s nimble handling.  The other part is it is a great time to be riding.

Thank you and the entire CSC team for all the help I have received and will no doubt be receiving in the future.

Here’s to a long lasting relationship.

Diana

Thanks for writing to us, Diana, and thanks for the great photos.  Looks like you have great riding out there in Tennessee!