By now, you probably can I am a chopper/cruiser rider. My last 2 bike being Shadow 400 and Marauder 125.

The Shadow VLX 600 is my latest ride. Compare to the Shadow 400, this Shadow VLX looks more like the Steed with minimal front and back wheel fender. Also the handlebar is higher and not as wide compared to the 400.

Overall it is a rather economical class 2 cruiser. Fuel consumption averaging about 150km to 10 l petrol. If I remember correct (that was 6 years ago) this is about similar to the 400.

The only gripe is the 4 speeds transmission. At top gear it gives a feeling that there is still another gear to shift up. Above 100kmh, the engine vibration is rather noticeable. Not sure if it is because this is an old 2nd hand bike. Other reviews online also mentioned about the vibration.

It is not a speed demon bike but as for me it has more than enough power and acceleration to pull away from a tailgating car in a swift.

Well, fact is, without real a motorcycle to ride, writing about motorcycle isn’t all that motivating. To substitute the lack of ride, I surf, web surf to be precise, for information. Piecing together bits and pieces of information about motorcycle that I gathered.

Particularly, I find information about motorcycle in China especially intriguing. In this interesting country that I happened to be staying at the moment, motorcycling is a mere transport rather than a ride. I wouldn’t relish riding here, at least not in the city I know anyway.

Three years now since I last ride regular. Would I forget how to ride? Would I want to ride again? Will I enjoy as much as before?

This blog was supposed to be a bridge. Between the days that I have no motorcycle to ride and the day that I finally ride again.

Writing on till I ride again. Interesting that one can actually miss riding around.

I can’t say much about their motorcycle since I had not ride them. But if you know the standard of quality in China, the comment is certainly not too far off.

On the other hand, we want to give credit to some companies are proactive in catching up with the quality chasm. Maybe CFMOTO is one of them. The change of logo is an indication of that determination.

(Note: I do not know, own or have any relationship with CFMoto except as a casual observer.)

Beijing Dragons MC member Phil McKinnon’s Yamaha TDM850 (Yellow +
Silver color) with Hebei license plates CJ045 was stolen in Beijing
last week.

please get in touch with us directly in case you see the Yamaha TDM850
in China.

A few interesting point about it that I wanted to find out.

1. A 850 bike registered in Hebei. Can motorcycle larger than 250cc be registered at all in China?
2. Can motorcycle register in a province be rode outside the province?
3. How effective is reporting stolen bike over a rider network like forum, mailing list?

Wish him good luck in finding the motorcycle!

The Shadow was brought used from the same shop that I brought the Marauder. I basically traded in the Marauder and got the Shadow.

Having ride 2 smaller motorcycles, the Shadow gave me a taste of what power “pull” is like. Of course compared to motorcycles of similar capacity, the Shadow is really heavy and slow.

I remembered my first time on the Shadow, the handle bar was so wide and low and it to ok a while to get use.

Nice and stable, I had no accident with it except once I slipped while waiting at the red light. Boy, was it heavy to right the Shadow. I learnt never to ride with a flat soled business shoe.

Drop by the website of Guangzhou Haojin Group and you will find Brazilian soccer stars Ronaldo and Rivaldo posing and similing on a Haojin motorcycle.

Soccer is a very popular sport among the men in China and many countries in the world. So I guess it make some sense to get them as motorcycle brand ambassadors.

If you have the patience, try to understand what they are saying in their company introduction.

After spending so much money getting the soccer stars, one wonders why they do not bother to get a good copy writer.

A lot, enough to fill an article about the difference between tacit and explicit knowledge, the power of relationships and how knowledge is transferred in a community environment.

In summary,

• Access to information is not enough
  Knowing how to ride is not enough, you have to ride it.
• Structures that accelerate learning
  You are not alone, learn from fellow riders, we all like to share
• Personal and organizational application of communities of practice
  Motorcycle riders are friendly people that intrinsically love to help fellow riders. This is the biker culture.
• Personal and collective results
  You are reponsible for yourself but your action affects the image of bikers collective.

Ride on Ken!