Yesterday, we told you the Zongshen RX3 is coming to Canada, thanks to the California Scooter Company (they’re calling it the Cyclone RX3). Now, we’ve got the spec sheet and some photos for you.
Note that the RX3 is sold under different names in different markets. In some places in Europe, it’s sold under the Minsk marque, which is why the bike bears that badge in some of these shots.
You can see the spec sheet below, and the photo gallery is beneath that. The spec sheet leaves out plenty of the bike’s details – details like the bike’s max speed (a claimed 135 kph), ground clearance (210 mm), dry weight (a claimed 175 kg) and max load (150 kg).
Other details mentioned in the specs include LED lighting (not the headlight – that’s a “3D antifog fisheye headlamp”), hazard lights USD shocks and LCD speedometer.
If you have more questions about the bike, you might find some answers in these forum posts here, here and here.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Bike | 2015 California Scooter Company Cyclone RX3 |
| MSRP | N/A |
| Displacement | 249 cc |
| Engine type | Liquid-cooled SOHC, four valves per cylinder, with six-speed gearbox |
| Power (crank)* | 24.8 hp @ 9000 rpm |
| Torque* | 16.6 ft/lb @7000 rpm |
| Tank Capacity | 16 litre |
| Carburetion | EFI |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Tires, front | N/A |
| Tires, rear | N/A |
| Brakes, front | Single disc |
| Brakes, rear | Single disc |
| Seat height | 795 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1400 mm |
| Wet weight* | N/A |
| Colours | Red, blue, white, orange |
| Warranty | One year |
| * claimed |
GALLERY
Check out all the pics that go with this story! Click on the main sized pic to transition to the next or just press play to show in a slideshow.
It’s not too small, but I was a little concerned regarding power. However I just sat down and looked at the weight divided by horsepower, compared to various other small bikes I’m familiar with.
A couple of examples:
Kawasaki KLX 140 is about 100 KG and with around 11 HP – 100/11= 9.1
It’s much bigger brother:
KLX 250 135 KG/22 HP = 6.13
The RX3 is heavy, at 175 KG, and pumps out 25 HP – 175/25 = 7
So a power to weight ratio not as good as the KLX 250, but more punch than the zippy and great fun KLX 140? That’s perfectly rideable. I know, I ride my KLX140 all over the mountains and jungles of Borneo…
It gets more interesting when you add the weight of a couple of people:
KLX 250 – 135 KG + me, at 85 KG, plus my wife at 55 KG, total of 275 KG / 22 HP = 12.5
RX3 175 KG, + 85 + 55 = 315 KG / 25 = 12.6
The same, near enough.
If I were to ask my little 140 to carry both me and wifey = 100+85+55= 240/11 = 21.8
Which is interesting, because just last week I put wifey on the back of my little 140 and had a quick blast off road. Only in 1st and 2nd gear but it had no trouble pulling both our weight for some fun. 🙂
Clearly the RX3 isn’t going to be zoomy on the open highway – but it’s not for that, is it? It’s for going on the roads less traveled, the bad roads, the dirt roads, the roads that you’ve never been down before.
So my next question is, is that engine really 25 HP? Where did it get the extra 3 HP missing from the KLX 250?
Well I can believe it, as modern 250 4 stroke motorcross bikes are in the 40 HP mark, and the KLX 250 engine came out in 2006, making the 2014 RX3 a full 8 years newer.
The crazy taxes in Malaysia mean this is a $6500 bike for me, so I’m still sniffing at it… but I’m liking it so far.
Actually, compared to other offerings over the last five years, this seems to be a step forward in product quality. But, as usual, it’s probably too small and underpowered to grab most people’s attention.