CSC Blog

The topic today is how to adjust your CSC Cyclone’s valves, but before we dive into the details, a bit of background is in order.   We’ll start with a discussion of the CSC Cyclone’s engine, then we’ll talk about what valve adjustment is and why it is necessary, and then we’ll cover how to do the adjustment on the Cyclone.

We used our EPA test mule bike for this adjustment because it had about 8,000 miles on it, and we wanted to get a feel for where the valve gaps were after accumulating that kind of mileage.  It’s also the bike to which we applied our camo theme (just in case you were wondering about the paint job).

Your CSC Cyclone has a high performance, single overhead cam, 4-valve engine.   There are two exhaust valves and two intake valves. The reason the engine has four valves is that it provides for more flow through the engine, which is another way of saying the engine makes more power than it would if it only had two valves.

Cyclone valve train

The Cyclone has a single camshaft with two lobes, and two rocker arms.  One rocker arm actuates both intake valves; the other rocker arm actuates both exhaust valves.   The cam’s lobes are what actuate the rocker arms.  As the cam lobe lifts the rocker arm, the rocker arm pivots on its shaft.   The rocker arm has one arm that follows the cam lobe up and down, and two arms that actuate its two valves.We want the engine to open the intake valves to admit the fuel/air mixture, and we want the engine to open the exhaust valves to expel the exhaust.   When the engine is at the top of its compression stroke, we want all of the valves closed.   That’s because we want to compress the fuel air mixture, ignite it, and then allow the resulting high combustion pressures to drive the piston down.   If any leakage occurs around any of the valves while this is occurring, the engine will lose power and it could “burn” a valve if the combusting fuel/air mix escapes around the valve while it is still burning.

When engineers design an engine, they want it to do the above, but they have to account for the thermal expansion that occurs as engine temperature increases during normal operation.  In order to compensate for this thermal expansion, the engineers design in a gap in the cam lobe/rocker arm/valve train.   As the engine warms, this gap approaches zero, and everything works the way it is supposed to.

You might be wondering at this point why the engineers can’t just build in a gap and then leave everything alone.   The problem with that is that the valves close against a seat every time they go up and down.   Think of the large diameter of the actual valve, and the cylinder head port against which it forms a seat.  Here’s the problem:  As the valve pounds against the seat zillions of times as the engine runs, very small amounts of deformation occur in both the valve and the valve seat.   It’s microscopic, but it grows over time as the engine runs.

As the wear described above increases, it has the effect of reducing the valve gap (i.e., the clearance built into the valve train to account for the thermal expansion as the engine warms up).   What happens is that as this wear occurs, the valve actually moves higher into the cylinder head and the valve gap decreases.   If this wear goes beyond acceptable limits without adjusting the valves, the valve gap grows smaller and smaller.  Ultimately, this wear will result in the valve being held off the seat when combustion occurs.   This is bad, because when this condition exists, hot burning gases escape around the valve sealing area.  Ultimately, these burning gases will destroy the valve and the seat.   That’s what happens when we “burn a valve.”

If the above sounds really bad, relax.  We avoid it by adjusting the valves.  All we are really doing is keeping the gap in the valve train within an acceptable range over the life of an engine.  As the valve and the valve seat wear, we keep everything adjusted so that when the engine is at operating temperature we still form a good seal around the valve seat.   That’s the whole idea behind this valve adjustment business.

Different engines use different approaches for adjusting the valves.   Your Cyclone engine uses the best approach for easy maintenance and high performance:  It uses a threaded adjustor shaft with a lock nut to set and lock the valve gap.   These adjustors are located in the ends of the rocker arms that interface directly with the valve stem.   You can see these in the sketch above, and in the photos we’ll be showing you shortly.

So, with all that theory behind us, let’s consider what we’re going to do here:

1. We want to gain access to the valve rocker arms and their adjustment screws.
2. We want the engine to be at a point in its rotation such that the rocker arm is on the cam’s base circle.  This means the cam is not actuating the rocker arm.   We want the engine to have the piston at (or very near) top dead center, which means the valves should be closed (which is another way of saying the rocker arm is on the cam’s base circle).
3. With the engine in this position, we want to loosen the threaded adjustor lock nuts, we want to set the valve gaps to the specified gap of 0.04mm to 0.06mm, and we want to tighten the lock nuts to lock the threaded adjustors at this gap.
4. When we’ve completed the above, we want to put everything back together.

Got that?   Okay, here we go….

Most of the work in adjusting the valves is associated with just getting access to the adjustors.   The adjustment operation (once we have access) takes only a few minutes.

When you adjust the valves, you have to start with a cold engine.  Dead cold.   Let your Cyclone cool down completely.    Don’t cheat on this part.   I always let the bike not run for a day.   If it’s even a bit warm from running, your adjustment will be wrong, and all of your work will be for nothing.  Let your Cyclone cool down completely.

Remove the rear seat with the key lock, the front seat with its two 8mm bolts, all of the bodywork around the fuel tanks, and the fuel tank.  Like I said above, this is the bulk of the labor.  It works a lot better if you’ve run the fuel tank down (so it won’t be as heavy).   Make sure you don’t spill any fuel, and make sure you put the fuel tank in a location where there are no ignition sources.   And make sure you don’t scratch any of the body work.    This may seem like a lot of work, but it’s pretty common on modern motorcycles, and after you’ve done this the first time, you’ll find that this all comes off in about 15 or 20 minutes.

Use the key to unlock the rear seat

Remove the rear seat

With the rear seat off you can next remove the forward potion of the seat

Remove the forward part of the seat

The body work around the tank comes off

The tank also has to be removed to gain access to the valves

All of the body panels around the tank have to be removed, both on the right side…

…and the left.

The next step is to unbolt the Cyclone’s twin radiators.  You don’t have to disconnect the hoses or remove the radiators; you just want the radiators to be loose so that you’ll have access to the valve covers on top of the cylinder head.

Unbolt the radiators but leave them in place…don’t disconnect the hoses

After you’ve done the above actions, remove the access port on the left side of the engine crankcase.  It comes off with a  10mm Allen wrench, and inside of it, you’ll see another Allen receptacle.   This is connected directly to the crankshaft, and it’s what we’ll use  to manually rotate the engine.

The crankshaft access port

Next, remove the view cap on the left front of the engine crankcase, just forward of the port described above.

This is the view port for viewing the stator cover…more on this later

The next step is to remove the spark plug wire and then the spark plug.

Pull the wire off of the spark plug

Remove the spark plug

Finally, remove the intake and exhaust valve covers.   Each cover is secured with two 8mm bolts.    Note that the covers are not interchangeable.

The valve covers are secured with two 8mm bolts

The rear valve cover is removed with a ratchet and an extension; the front valve cover is removed without the ratchet extension

The intake valve cover and the exhaust valve cover are not interchangeable

What we’ve been working to get to…the valves

You know, when I got to this point on the Cyclone, I was pretty impressed.  The casting and machining quality on these engines is very, very high.   This is a quality product.

Once the bike is “opened up” for valve adjustment, the next step is to position the piston at top dead center.   With the motorcycle in neutral, insert a 10mm Allen wrench through the crankcase port and turn the crankshaft until the alternator scribe line is aligned with the index register in the viewing port, as shown below.

Finding the scribe line on the alternator cover may be a bit challenging, as you have to get down low enough to see it.   Wear safety glasses when you do this; you don’t want to get oil spitting into your eye!   It’s further complicated by the fact that even though you’ve removed the sparkplug, the sparkplug hole into the combustion chamber is tiny and it’s difficult for the air to escape when you turn the crankshaft.  You’ll still feel a little compression as you rotate the crankshaft.  Don’t worry; it’s a normal occurrence on the Cyclone engine.

The alternator scribe line doesn’t have to be exactly in the center of the viewing port.   What we are really interested in accomplishing with this action is to get the rocker arms on the cam profiles’ base circle (that is, off the lobes).   We want this so that the valves are closed (they’re not being held open).   We want the valves closed when we adjust the gap.

Once we have positioned the engine as described above, we can insert a feeler gage between the valve and the threaded adjustor.   This gap should be 0.04mm to 0.06mm.   If the 0.06mm leaf slides in too easily, the valve gap is too large.   That can result in noisy valves (valve tap).  If the 0.04mm shim does not slide into this gap, the valve gap is too tight.  Ride around like that too long and you’ll burn a valve (as described earlier).

The shim goes right where you see it in this photo

Personally, a little bit of valve tap noise is okay with me (“tappy valves are happy valves”), because it tells me the valves are fully closing.  If there’s too much gap, though, the valves may not be lifting far enough off the seat when it is supposed to, and power will be reduced.   But a little bit of noise is okay, as long as the power is there.

The valves are adjusted by loosening the lock nut on each threaded adjustor (like a lot of nuts and bolts on the Cyclone, the lock nut is an 8mm).   Back the threaded adjustor out a bit with a flat blade screwdriver (see the photo below), insert the 0.06mm shim, and then screw in the adjustor until it’s just snug against the shim.   You want there to be just a bit of drag on the shim when you slide it in and out.  It’s the kind of thing you get a feel for after you’ve done it a couple of times.

When the adjustor is where you want it to be, tighten the lock nut.   Then check the gap with the shim again.   Sometimes I’ll have to do this two or three times to get the gap to be where I want it after tightening the lock nut.  It’s all part of the process.   Take your time and get it right.

Loosening the lock nut and adusting the threaded adjustor to get the required valve gap

You need to do the same adjustment (and set each valve at the same gap) for all four of the Cyclone’s valves.  When I think I’m done, I crank the engine through a couple of revolutions by hand, and check the valve gap again.  It’s usually right where I want it, but if it’s not, I’ll repeat the above process until it is.

What you’ve just accomplished can set you back a thousand bucks or more on some motorcycles when you take them to the dealer to have the valves adjusted.   You’ll probably take two or three hours to do this job the first time you do it, but after you’ve done it a couple of times, you’ll get it down to under an hour.

Folks, that’s it.    All you need to do now is put everything back together, and get out and ride!

When we were at the Sacramento ISE show last week, a local dealer had a few Honda and KTM motorcycles on display.   Now, before you go getting your shorts in a knot, I know that a direct comparison is not fair.  Ours comes with luggage and theirs does not.    But hey, who said life is fair?

Valve Adjustments 101 coming up, folks…

We’ve had a lot of questions about the RX-3 centerstand I showed you on the yellow Cyclone…you know, the bike we had at the Sacramento International Sportsmen’s Exposition last week.   Here’s a couple of shots of that bike again…

The new CSC centerstand is $129.95, and that includes all mounting hardware and the return spring.

Incidentally, the guys in that photo above are Steve Seidner, our CEO and a good buddy of mine (he’s sitting on the bike), and J Brandon, my good friend and Baja riding buddy.

A few of you correctly observed that the bike rests on the rear wheel when it is on the new centerstand.   As is frequently the case with stuff on the Internet, the comments started flying.   Folks, relax.  If you want to spin rear wheel when the bike is on the centerstand, just put a little downward pressure on the tank or the bars (or a little upward pressure on the rear of the bike), and the bike will tilt forward for as long as you keep the pressure there.  It’s close to being balanced fore and aft when the bike is on the centerstand.   You’ll have no problems lubing your chain with the bike on the new centerstand.

Okay, next topic.   A lot of folks saw the Zongshen assembly line picture I posted (nothing gets by you guys), and you asked about it.   You properly noticed the centerstand on the bike as it was moving down the assembly line….

The centerstand that you see in the photo above is not available, and you wouldn’t want it to be.  It’s only used as an assembly aid during production, and when the bikes get to the end of the line, it’s removed.

Hey, we’re not done yet.   This gets a little confusing, because there’s one more centerstand (of sorts).  We also offer a two-piece Cyclone maintenance centerstand, like you see in the photo below…

The maintenance centerstand is a maintenance-only proposition.  It doesn’t stay with the bike.    The price for this puppy is $79.95.

One more thing…if you install the centerstand shown in the first photo above (the one that stays on the bike), you can’t use the maintenance stand shown here because it uses the same mounting holes.

That’s it for now.   Stay tuned for our valve adjustment tutorial…it’s coming up next!

Good morning, folks.   Just a short entry with a few photos from Day 3.    This first one is our good buddy Ben checking out the fastest Cyclone in Sacramento…

And here’s our good buddy Tim doing the same on the other fastest Cyclone in Sacramento…who no doubt will see this photo shortly after we post it…

Tim told us he reads the blog every day, and he’s read everything there is to read on the CSC Cyclone.

We had a fun time yesterday, and the high point was a visit from our new good buddy Diane.  She drove 6 hours from northern California to get to the show, and the only reason she made the drive was to see the Cyclone.  Diane, we enjoyed meeting you and we know you’ll enjoy your new motorcycle!

More good photos, my friends, of some of the good grub here at the ISE….

I know what you’re thinking, and no, they did not have Lipitor at the condiments bar!

Here are a few photos of colorful fishing gear…

And of course, the fish themselves…as you might imagine, the fishing hall was jam-packed yesterday.   It was literally shoulder-to-shoulder.   I knew it was going to be that way based on what we had seen the previous two days, so I was out and about early yesterday before the ISE opened its gates to the public.   There’s a lot of people in Sacramento who like to fish!

That’s it for this morning, folks.   Today is the last day of the International Sportsmen’s Expo.

If you’re around, swing on by!

Day 2 at the International Sportsmen’s Expo went well yesterday.   We sold several bikes, we made new friends, our good buddy J Brandon joined us, and I grabbed a few more photos for the blog.

The CSC Stalker drew a lot of attention.  It’s camo theme is perfect for the International Sportsmen’s Expo…

The CSC Stalker. This bike uses a camo wrap; the production version will feature several camo paint themes.

A macro shot of the Stalker’s right saddlebag

I wandered around a bit at various times during the day (the ISE show ran until 8:00 p.m. last night).  One of the exhibitors featured metal-framed apparently indestructible sunglasses.  The guy whacked these hard enough on a metal block that folks across the room jumped.  I’m not in the market for expensive sunglasses, but I asked if I could get a photo and the guy told me to go for it.

Another day, another selfie…

The ISE features hunting and fishing stuff, and the displays are impressive.  One entire hall is devoted to hunting, and half of it featured trophies (that’s what we call stuffed animal heads).

Check this out…

A stuffed elk…there were lots of these guys on display at the ISE

This business of stuffing things holds a special attraction for me.  Whenever I get into a conversation about what’s going to happen when I kick the bucket, I always tell people to forget cremation, burial, and all that.   Don’t get an undertaker for me, I always say.  Find a good taxidermist.   Stuff me.   With baloney (well, I actually use another word that starts with a “b,” but I can’t write that here).   Stuff me with baloney, put me in front of a laptop, and I’ll keep on writing the blog…

I’m not a hunter any more (I used to hunt a lot, and I loved it).   I’ve kind of got this notion that it would be cool to get a rattlesnake and make a belt out of it, but I think that’s an idea that will never come to fruition with me.

One time when my buddy Jim and I were chasing jackrabbits in the west Texas desert about 45 years ago, I heard Jim scream like a school girl.   That grabbed my attention, of course, as Jim was a big macho guy with a deep voice.   When I looked over, Jim was up in the air and his feet we’re pedaling like something out of a roadrunner cartoon.   I knew what had happened, and when I looked down, I confirmed it.   Jim had stepped on a west Texas sidewinder.   Hence the scream.  And his current airborne condition.

The whole thing was pretty funny thinking about it in retrospect.   Jim was carrying a big .45-70 Ruger (basically, a buffalo gun), and he fired it straight down while he was up in the air screaming.  By the grace of God, ol’ Jim nailed that sidewinder and didn’t blow his foot off.   The snake had struck Jim, but it was so little its fangs failed to penetrate Jim’s shoe leather.  It’s a good thing, too (that old joke about “the doc says you gonna die” comes to mind).

After Jim de-adrenalized, he skinned the thing.  Jim said he wanted to make a belt out of it, but he was at least a size 44 and that snake was maybe 10 inches long.   We both looked at each other and started laughing.   “Maybe a hat band,” Jim said, but that poor rattler was even too tiny for that!

Okay, enough about baby sidewinders.   Take a look at this booth, and those tusks!

Visions of Karamojo Bell…check out the ivory!

There were a lot of exhibits featuring African safaris.   I guess people have money to do this sort of thing.   The booths were interesting and I’ll probably get back over there to poke around a bit more.

I had walked over to the hunting exhibits in the morning, and it was cold.   I saw a booth selling camo jackets at super low prices.   One thing led to another, and, well, can you find me in the photo below?

Where’s Waldo?

If I could return to the topic of inane Internet comments for a moment, a couple of guys actually posted somewhere that they didn’t like the Stalker’s camo theme.  The reason?   If the bike fell on you and you couldn’t pick it up, they conjectured, no one would be able to find you.   Seriously, folks.   I can’t make this stuff up.  Charles Darwin had the right idea, but the wrong direction!   Anyway, we kind of joked around a bit about that when I came back with my $40 camo coat.   It’s reversible, with International Orange on the inside, so if the Stalker fell on me and no one could find me, I could just turn my new jacket inside out to up my survivability odds!

Hey, another highlight of the ISE show:  The food!   We’ve been sticking with the ISE barbeque offerings, we’ve trying different things, and it’s all been great!   I liked standing in line just talking to folks and taking in the pleasant aroma of sausage, onions, and peppers on the grill.   That fragrance would make a hell of a men’s cologne, I think.

The food is incredible…good times, great conversation, and making new friends while standing in line

Back to the CSC booth, and few more photos…meet Hannah, who told me she is not a model, but I think she should be…

America’s next supermodel!

And meet Matthew, a young fellow who was quite taken by the Stalker…

A young man with excellent taste in attire and motorcycles!

One or two more goofy shots, folks, and then I’m off to breakfast and Day 3.

These little stuffed frogs were $5.   I almost bought one, too.   Almost.   Then I had a thought:   I wonder if anyone makes a wrap that looks like frog skin.   Maybe the next bike could be the CSC Bullfrog.   We could do a horn that goes “ribbit…ribbit….ribbit…”

The CSC Bullfrog? Nah, probably not…

There was a fellow doing a fly casting exhibit that was pretty impressive.  He could drop that fly just about any place he wanted with astounding accuracy..

A cool photo catching the line in mid air…

Like I mentioned earlier, our good buddy J showed up in the afternoon (he rode over the Sierras from the Carson Valley in Nevada).   This photo is kind of interesting.  I grabbed it late in the day, the lights were way down, and I had the Nikon’s ISO cranked nearly all the way up.   There’s lots of post-processing in Photoshop in this one, folks, but it brought in a useable image…

Steve and J talking travel…

That’s it for this morning.  Keep an eye on the blog for our next ISE report, and for you Bajaenos, we’ll have more details on the Baja trip posted next week!

Up at 0:Dark:30 yesterday, a quick flight up to Sacramento, and wow, what a wonderful first day at the International Sportsman’s Expo!    You know, one of the things I like best about these events are the photo ops.   The absolute best part is meeting new people and making new friends, but the photo ops are cool, too.

So, before things got really rolling and the show opened to the public, I wandered around a bit and grabbed a few photos…all of these are natural light (no flash) pics using a 28mm Nikon 2.8 lens, just in case you were wondering.   It’s a set of circumstances that really pushes the camera’s capabilities…and I was having a blast!

Wood carvings…nothing I’d ever buy, but a great photo subject!

The technology on fishing gear sure has changed from when I was a kid!

The colors on these bottles just worked (they reminded me of the orange RX-3), and I grabbed a photo…

A fish. I asked. Her name was Wanda.

I was having a good time.   There are big exhibit halls up here for hunting, fishing, ATVs, and other goodies.   I was working the Nikon overtime, but the show was about to open.   I grabbed one more shot before returning to the CSC booth…

After this photo, Steve told me to quit horsing around and get back to work!

We had a great time, and Steve’s new styling study, the CSC Stalker, drew a crowd all day long.  As you might imagine, quite a few folks arrived in matching attire…

Where’s is everyone? I can’t see you!

Are you there?

And how about this next shot!

Recognize this man?

Hey, what a cool evening!  That’s none other than Stan Morris, a nationally renown flat track champion who’s graced tracks all over the United States!    And here he is, gracing our very own CSC Stalker at the Sacramento ISE show!

Stan the Man, a motorcycle flat tracker of national renown!

Lots of fun, folks, and hey, the Cyclone speaks for itself.   Check out this cool shot of our good buddy Mitch, who got on the boat early!

Mitch and his motorcycle!

Mitch ordered an orange RX-3 just like the one we had on display, and I couldn’t resist getting a shot of him on the bike!

All of the colors are popular, and we had a lot of inquiries about the Stalker.   We’re working through the details on it now, folks, and we’ll be publishing a price on that bike in the near future.  Sacramento was just kind of a test to gage the public’s reaction, and it was extremely positive!

I know everybody is joking around on the Internet forums about which color is faster.   Personally, I’m getting an orange RX-3, but I thought I would ask this guy which one he thought was the fastest…

It’s orange! Don’t ask me again!

Oh, and one last teaser photo, boys and girls…

Give us a few days, and we’ll announce a price!

If you’re in NorCal, folks, the ISE show is awesome.    We’re in Booth 4023, so be sure to stop by and say hi!

We’re here…up in Sacramento for the International Sportsmen’s Exposition!   The action starts tomorrow (Thursday) at 11:00, and we’ll be here through Sunday.

We’re in Booth 4023, so if you want to see the Cyclone and the Stalker up close and personal, please stop by!

When I woke up at 3:00 a.m. today (which is what typically happens for a couple of weeks after I return from Asia), I started surfing the Internet and I came across this little gem.  15 seconds into it and I knew I had to share it with my blog buddies…

That park where these boys ended their trip (the Statue of Liberty Park) is about 35 miles from where I grew up.

Cool stuff, and it definitely has me thinking about joining these guys on the Baja Blaster on the next trip.

I’m on an airplane again tomorrow morning for the run up to Sacramento. We’ll be at the International Sportsmen’s Expo in Booth 4023, so if you’re in the area, please stop by!

Lots of things are happening these days, my friends.  We’re getting ready to roll on up to the International Sportsmen’s Expo in Sacramento, the guys at the plant are busy taking calls, emails, and new orders based on the incredible exposure generated by our EPA approval press release, and I’ve got a two or three updates for you.

Under the general heading of “it just keeps getting better,” I want to share with you another cool option we’re bringing your way, and that’s a set of auxiliary 12V power outlets that will be available as an option.   This is going to get a bit confusing, so bear with me.   We’re bringing you lots of accessory outlets to fully take utilize the Cyclone’s humongous 300-watt alternator.

I already shared with you that we are adding two separate 12V connectors, accessible beneath the Cyclone’s seat, with 12V power.   These will be controlled by a right-handle-bar-mounted switch labeled O (for off), A1 (for Accessory 1), and A2 (for Accessory 2).  We taking advantage of the fact that in the US market, the headlights are on all the time, so we’re able to use the switch the other markets use for controlling the headlight.  And once again, this is standard equipment on your new Cyclone; you won’t have to pay extra for it.

Your bike will use the grey toggle switch for O (off), A1 (Accessory 1), and A2 (Accessory 2) connector plug outlets beneath the seat

Squared away on that?  Okay, here’s the next good deal.  We’re bringing to you as an option an additional set of neatly-mounted accessory outlets, one for a standard cigarette-lighter-type 12V outlet, and the other for a USB 12V interface.   Here’s what it will look like:

Our $99.95 12V power supply outlet option (which includes a standard cigarette lighter socket and a USB port)

The above cigarette lighter and accessory outlets, with the new dash mounting wings (and all required hardware and wiring) will cost you $99.95 if you decide to add it to your Cyclone.

We found out that this cool accessory power outlet kit required a complete new main wiring harness, and the cost for that was significant (it’s a whole new main wiring harness).   But when we asked if we could just equip all of the Cyclones with the new main wiring harness (the one that will work with the new outlet kit), the answer was yes, and Steve said we’ll just include that with your new motorcycles (in other words, you won’t have to eat the cost of the new main harness; we will).   If you want the new accessory outlet kit shown above, your price will be $99.95.   You won’t have to buy the new main harness, because we’re having the bikes equipped with it from the factory.   And before you ask, the USB port is a power outlet (it’s not a data outlet).  Like I said, it’s complicated.   But the bottom line is this:

• Your new Cyclone will have two 12V accessory plugs under the seat (those are included at no cost).
• If you want to add the dash-mounted accessory outlets (like you see in the picture above), that’s an option that we will sell to you for $99.95, and every Cyclone we sell will come to you wired to accept the dash-mounted accessory outlets.

All right…on to the next topic, and that’s the issue of the fuel gage showing the tank emptying too soon.  I had commented on this before, and I told you I’d find out what we could do to address this.   As I learned during my recent discussions with the Zongshen engineers, this isn’t a fuel gage accuracy issue.    It’s a useable fuel capacity issue.

There’s 4.3 gallons in there, but the fuel gage is based on only using 3.2 gallons

The Cyclone’s fuel tank holds 16 liters, which is about 4.3 gallons.   I had commented that when ride the motorcycle, the fuel gage was reading lower than I expected based on the distances traveled. The Cyclone gets 70 mpg, but after traveling 150 miles or so it would show lower on the fuel gage than I would have expected, and in fact, when I refueled, the tank took less I thought it should have based on what the gage was showing.  The fuel economy was there, but the capacity seemed inconsistent with the amount of fuel the tank was taking on fill ups.

The guys at Zongshen explained to me that the Cyclone is fuel injected (which I already knew), and that the fuel pump resided in the fuel tank (which I should have known, but it was something I had not thought about).   After thinking about it for a second, though, I realized that all fuel injected vehicles (at least all of the ones I’m familiar with) use this same approach.   They have to.   The fuel pump needs to be in a bath of fuel for cooling, and keeping it in the fuel tank does that.

I knew where this was going as soon as the Zongshen engineers started to explain it to me, and my next question was this:  Is that 16 liter capacity what the fuel gage is based on, or is it something less?  You can guess the answer.   It is something less.  As Zongshen explained, they like to keep 4 liters (out of the 16 total) in the fuel tank to cool the fuel pump.   That means the fuel gage is based on a useable max capacity of 12 liters.   12 liters converts to 3.17 gallons, and at 70 mpg, that converts to a range of 221.9 miles.

So, the bottom line to all of this:

• The perceived fuel gage inaccuracy issue was not an inaccuracy issue at all.  It was a question of what Zongshen based the measurements on.
• The range of the Cyclone is about 222 miles if you observe the Zongshen recommendation not to go below 4 liters remaining in the tank.
• The Cyclone’s fuel gage is based on abiding by the “don’t go below 4 liters left in the tank” recommendation.  But you don’t have to.  If you want to run the fuel level lower (beneath the lowest level indicated by the gage), the bike won’t stop you from doing that.
• The real range of the Cyclone probably exceeds the 222 miles expressed above, but using this range would bring the remaining fuel in the tank to a lower level than recommended for fuel pump cooling.

A 222-mile range is still pretty good.    It’s good enough to get from El Rosario to Guerrero Negro down in Baja, and that’s my benchmark.   It’s complicated, I know.  But now you have the facts, and in the interests of being completely open with you, we’re sharing them here.

The last issue concerns speedometer accuracy.  The engineers at Zongshen were real helpful on this, and they agreed to meet our requirement that the speedometer accuracy be tightened up substantially.   It won’t be spot on, but it will be better than the 15% optimistic readings we’re getting from our initial three test bikes.

That’s it for now, folks.   Stay tuned, because as always, there’s more good stuff coming your way.

The Internet brings out the worst in people, but as we are learning, maybe sometimes that’s not such a bad thing.   We live in a great country in which people are free to express their opinions, even when they’re dead wrong.   It’s worked well for over 200 years here in the good old USA, and it’s sure working well for us here at CSC.

A bit of background.   I prepared a press release late last week outlining the CSC Cyclone’s approval by the US EPA (here’s a link to it).

Our press release CSC Cyclone photo

That story was picked up by several magazines and websites, and like all of our press releases, it’s making its way around the Internet.   One of the magazines is an online publication called RideApart, which focuses on motorcycles.   Their story on us and the EPA approval (which was essentially a rehash of our press release) subsequently got picked up by the Yahoo Autos page.  The link for that page is https://autos.yahoo.com/news/epa-approves-cscs-3-000-160150190.html.

That’s when the Cyclone’s EPA approval story went viral.   I can’t imagine that anyone who knows anything about motorcycles (much less the adventure riding niche) hangs out on the Yahoo Autos page, but as is frequently the case on Internet forums, it didn’t stop a flood of (as I write this) more than 300 comments.    There’s some positive and some negative stuff there, but a lot of it is negative.   And vicious.  And full of venom.   And vituperative (that means “sustained and bitter ranting and condemnation”).  But mostly, the comments were just the uninformed rants of folks with nothing better to do.   Ignorance sure didn’t slow these boys down, though.   The comments have been flooding in.

Our first reaction (when we read the first 100 or so comments) was:  Uh oh.  This is a bad thing.

Boy, were we ever wrong. 

Ever hear the old expression about publicity?   It goes like this:

There’s no such thing as bad publicity.

Well, as it turns out, the Yahoo Autos “experts” weighing in with their opinions on the CSC Cyclone (none of whom has ever ridden the motorcycle, and for that matter, probably none of whom has ever even seen it) were actually doing us a tremendous service.   For every one of these Triple-V folks (the venom, viciousness, and vituperation crowd) who posted their unfounded comments (and I’ll list a few for your entertainment in just a bit), there must have been another 100 or so people who read the comments and then went to our website.   Our website traffic quintupled, and that was a good thing.  Why?  Because that’s where people discovered the facts.   They saw the independent third-party articles by ADVPulse, ADVMoto, and Motorcycle.com (stories by real experts who actually rode the Cyclone and gave it high marks).

Evans Brasfield’s stunning Cyclone shot for Motorcycle.com…a magnificent photograph!

The bottom line?   Folks, the phones have been ringing off the hooks and the email inboxes are full…with inquiries that are leading directly to new orders for this exciting new motorcycle.   Criticism by ignoramuses on an Internet site?   Bring it on!

So, about those comments.   Here’s a sample of some of the negative stuff…and I’m including all the spelling and other errors (just as they were posted) to give you a sense of the underlying intellect…

From David:  China makes nothing but Garbage

From Larry:  Just what we need,,,more Chinese #$%$ flooding the American marketplace,,,,

The anti-China sentiment was a recurring theme in many of the comments.   So, here we go.   Um, okay, David and Larry:  Does your anti-China sentiment extend to the computers you used when you sent your comments to Yahoo?   Or did you submit your comments using your iPhones…you know, the ones made in China?   And your clothes…do you leave the house naked because you won’t wear stuff made in China?   And your helmets and riding gear (assuming you boys actually ride motorcycles)…do you know that these items were almost certainly made in China?  I could go on, but I think you understand my point.

From Bobb:  these engines have been around for many years not very good at all very poorly built motors,If you want a ok 250 enduro get a moto x aircooled way cheaper than 3500

Okay, Bobb with three b’s:  The RX-3 engine has been around since 2011.   Perhaps when you visited the Zongshen factory you saw something different than I did.  I saw a fully-automated, 100%-tested engine assembly line; a production line superior to any assembly operation I’ve ever seen in any factory anywhere in the world.   And what exactly is a “moto x aircooled?”

From Izzy J:  More Chineese junk ! Should probably buy AAA at same time. The people importing this #$%$ for sale should be ashamed of themselves…..or do they work for Walmart ?

Ah, there’s that Chinese thing again.   Izzy, I checked, and none of our CSC employees is moonlighting at WalMart.   And the AAA thing…dude, I just don’t get the reference.   The Auto Club?  Is that Freudian?

From Rich:  I read this and thought of that scene in Dumb and Dumber where they are riding the minibike across country. This is a waste of money. There is no resale value and they won’t last. Being a Harley rider, I’m usually not one to dog on what you are riding, but these are a waste of money.

Funny thing, Rich, we may have something in common.  When I read your comment, that movie is exactly what came to my mind, too!  Oh, and one more question…where do you think many of your Harley parts were actually made?

From J:  Chinese junk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The quality of the alloys and metals used in manufacturing over there is piss-poor at best.the only thing comparable to this bike would be another chinese p.o.s.! Which one of you test pilots got sucked into this? You should stick with your chink made scooter and leave real motorcycles to people that know something about them.what idiot pays you for your stupidity anyway? Thinking like that makes #10 for iowa look like a genius!

Ah, yet another scholar of Chinese culture.   J (and I should point out that this J is not my good friend J Brandon, who actually passed his 4^th grade English class):  The gentleman you are inquiring about (i.e., your question about “what idiot pays you for your stupidity anyway?”), well, that would be Steve.  I’ll relay your concerns to him.

From ImMyOwnMan:  This is NOT an Adventure bike. Sorry guys. There is no way you are going to get a weeks worth of luggage on that bike and have it roll down the road. May be an OK entry level dually, but an Adventure bike it is not. I have 2 KLR 650’s and a Super Tenere. The KLR’s are working pretty hard with a load. The Yamaha has more power than it would ever need. 250 cc’s are laughable for any touring platform.

ImMyOwnMan, you certainly are!   A week’s worth of stuff for me when I’m on a motorcycle trip would basically be an extra pair of socks and maybe a pair of clean underwear.   And I’d still have room left over for a lot more.  Oh, and that thing about a 250 being laughable as a touring platform?  You might want to check in with Simon Gandolfi, who went to Tierra del Fuego and back on his 125cc Honda.

From JoeSchmoe:  Chinese garbage made by six year old Tibetan slaves chained to their workstations- YAY!

JoeSchmoe.  I don’t know why, but I just don’t like your name.   But let’s get past that.  Okay, Mr. Schmoe, here’s the deal:   Unlike you, I’ve actually been in the Zongshen factory a number of times.   There’s no Tibetan slaves.   Not even 6-year-old ones.  And no one was chained to their workstations.   Not even the guys installing the Cyclone’s drive chains, which is the only place I saw a chain of any kind.   JoeSchmoe?  Seriously?   You could pick any screen name you wanted and you went with JoeSchmoe?

From MFWIC:  wouldn’t want a guy in a chopper to pull up next to me, if I was riding their Mustang bike.

MFWIC, your comment is one of the few I actually responded to on that Yahoo Autos page.   We have folks on choppers pull up alongside us when we’re on the Mustangs all the time.   I get your point; it is a pain.  They constantly ask us if they can sit on the Mustangs for a photo or three.   It’s a burden, but we bear it lightly.

Brandon, one of many Harley riders who wanted a photo on Duane’s CSC-250

I could go on, folks, but you get the idea.

You know, when I first started doing this gig, I wondered what made people so critical on the Internet.   The psychologists tell us people who criticize irrationally often see themselves in what they are criticizing, and they are really criticizing what they don’t like about themselves.   Maybe that’s the case; I just don’t know.   Others say that the anonymity of the Internet brings out the worst in people.  I sure believe that.   And there’s a third factor, I suppose:  Some people just like a platform because they are powerless everywhere else.  Whatever.

I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much.  If you seek us out on the Internet and look for the comments, where there are negative ones posted, other folks weigh in pretty quickly to set the record straight.  That’s happened even on the Yahoo Autos page.   And where folks post negative stuff, if we respond politely, it will usually turn the situation around.  We have a number of cases where folks who had been badmouthing us became some of our strongest supporters.

Well, I thought this was going to be a short blog, and I see I’m up to 1500 words already.  That’s enough, I guess.  Later, my friends…