Zongshen ZS250GS new owner

[aggieboi254]

hey guys, im just bought my first bike and it just happens to be a ZS250GS. i think overall with it being the first bike ive ever rode it is a great bike! so i got my first 400 miles on it and the dealership said between 3 and 500 miles i should have the first servicing done. i asked him about how much it would costs he said 170 out the door.does this sound like a normal price to you guys or do you think im getting ripped off? the bike drives great,but the front brakes squeak a little and the back tire seems to be a little off center or maybe its just me. i am mechanicaly inclined as far as cars go but motorcycles are a new world to me and i would really like to not kill my first bike and i dont have an owners manual yet so i dont really know what is included in the first servicing,so do you think i should use the dealer ship or find another one that might know how to do the maintenence on this particular bike?

[Myth]

don't think you're getting screwed on the price.  Most people pay a lot for there sevicing.  But the again, most people try to figure out how to do it themselves.   You'll do it much cheaper than they will.  My last service was going to be around $75.00, but that's just remarkably low...  I don't kow how much the guy is really going to charge me, my bike broke down and he still has it, he's had it for a couple of weeks now and he'll have it another couple...  Bastard...  Did you get any kind of warraty?

[250gs]

I don't know about the prices but the rear wheel alignment needs to be checked for sure. Check the spindle position in its sliding position in the swing arms. It should be exactly the same position when measured in the slot from both sides. Mine was also out a bit. Check chain tension first is within specs then adjust alignment. Else get the dealer to adjust them for you as this is part of the initial setup.

[aggieboi254]

i dont think my bike came with any kind of warranty or if it did i didnt get anything stating that it did,i have noticed the chain seems a little loose,there for a while it was kind of squealing but i soved that with a little 3 n 1 oil. at the moment i thought it would be a good idea to let the dealer do at least the first maintenence,just to make sure it was done right!! cause at this moment really the only thing i have figured out to do on the bike is adjust the idle,and oil the chain.But then again ive treid not to mess with it my self so it will stay running ,unlike my car lol

[Myth]

That's funny about the keeping it running.  I tore into mine for the first maintenance...  Literally...     There are several people who didn't get a manual...  Mine came with a maintenance manual and owners manual.  You should've gotten at least a six month warranty, I'd check now before you end up needing it.  There have been too many people with too many problems for you to ignore it...  I just don't wanna see you gettin' jacked around and getting discouraged.  

One of us that has a munual should scan it to a computer and make a ".PDF" file for our brothren who were less fortunate.  Any volunteers???  I lack the scanner or I'd do it.  The only way I could do it right now would be to write it all out and that would be terrible...

[aggieboi254]

ok myth i finally got my owners manual in! i think they let a monkey write it though,the only thing its missin is the r turned around back wards. theres a couple of picture in there that are in the wrong place according to the words ,its good for a good laugh but ,hey it does have some good info in it.well i now have about 550 miles on the zong and its still running strong but if the weather dont change i think it might be time to leave it under the cover for a while!one quick question for you though myth or anybody! what is the bare minimum that you can do for the first service,can you get away with just changing the oil and spark plug? or is there more that absolutely needs to be done. the dealership is wanting to charge a bit much i think and ,the more i ride it the more i wanna fix it myself,that and my car is fixing to cost me half of what i payed for my bike soo,i think im gonna give myself a crash course in fixing my own bike!!!!

[Myth]

Alright aggie, in my opinion you should be able to get by with just doing the oil change, cleaning the oil screen and the air filter, and adjusting the chain.  Changing the spark plug wouldn't hurt either, but you might only need to check it.  Though, if yuo're still running the one that came in it, an after market one would probably be a good idea.  Many riders have noticed a huge improvement in performance by changing the plug.  If I left anything out, someone else please feel free to chime in.  Best of luck!

[aggieboi254]

ok myth i changed my oil cleaned out the filter screen and put a new plug in it! thanks to those of you who recomended the NGK IRIDIUM PLUG. made a huge difference in the way the bike performs and runs by the way,  i get up to 60 before getting on the highway now , now my only problem is that when i do get on the highway my spedo jumps from like 55 to 90 and then just bounces around inbetween until i slow down to what it says is 65 ,but the other day i went to take the dps road test and on the way home i was doing what the bike said is 70 or 75 and my freind behind me in my dad f-150 said we never got above 55 or 60 ,could that just be a loose spedo cable? where do you adjust or make sure its plugged in right at?

[Namikuz]

ok myth i changed my oil cleaned out the filter screen and put a new plug in it! thanks to those of you who recomended the NGK IRIDIUM PLUG. made a huge difference in the way the bike performs and runs by the way,  i get up to 60 before getting on the highway now , now my only problem is that when i do get on the highway my spedo jumps from like 55 to 90 and then just bounces around inbetween until i slow down to what it says is 65 ,but the other day i went to take the dps road test and on the way home i was doing what the bike said is 70 or 75 and my freind behind me in my dad f-150 said we never got above 55 or 60 ,could that just be a loose spedo cable? where do you adjust or make sure its plugged in right at?[/  

I had been an officer do me a favor and Zap me. And Mine reads 6, almost 7 mph faster than I'm, going.
The jumping around will be probobly one of two things, Speedo cable, Make sure its lubed, or speedo head unit itself.
The speedo cable attaches to the front wheel hub with a threaded cap on the bottom and into the speedo head unit on top.
To lube/inspect the cable, remove the speedo end on the front wheel hub, you might need a pair of plyers to loosen, then pull the cable out of the cable housing. Look for burrs, kinks and fraying of the cable. If all looks smooth, get some light grease, like white lithium grease, and just take some grease in your fingers and slide the cable through it while twisting the cable slowly. What you want is a light coating of grease the full length of the cable. Slide the cable back into the housing. When you reach near full incertion, you will need to rotate the cable to engage the cable end into the speedo head. Then do the same to engage the cable into the notch in the front hub. screw down the cap and that should take care of the speedo bounce(if it IS the cable and not the head unit).
Hope this helps.