Hola, motociclistas! New Motorcycles Coming to the DR!

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ADV Moto

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Feb 6, 2016
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First of all, a big thank and hat tip to Dolores and Robert of DR1 for adding a "Transportation Forum" to DR1. Great addition, and ADV Moto RD is pleased to sponsor the forum of this most important aspect of the Dominican experience.

Fact #1: The Dominican Republic is a motorcycle culture.

Look around: motorcycles are everywhere! Even expats who move to the DR with little to no riding experience gravitate toward two wheels for many reasons: easy to hop on and go scootin', cheap to buy and operate, the weather is fantastic...and they're big fun.

Did I mention "Big Fun?"

Fact #2: There has been a huge gap in new motorcycle offerings in the DR. One could either ride a cheap Chinese moto or an expensive US, Japanese or Euro bike. There have been few choices, if any, in the middle unless one chooses to suffer through the enormous red tape of importing their own scoot.

So a rider could either spend under US$1500 for a new 125-200cc generic moto, or over US$9000+ for a new 500cc+ US, Japanese or Euro bike.

Or more. Much, much more.

There has been few, if any, offerings in the middle for riding the streets. Fact is many motorcyclists don't want a cheap Chinese bike, but don't want to---or can't---spend a small fortune on a quality US, Japanese or Euro machine.

Fact #3: The used bike market has been dominated by "30 footers." These are bikes that look good at a distance, but when you get close the truth becomes clear: beaten half to death, a confused mish-mash of dubious maintenance, care and crashes. While one may find a used gem, the odds are stacked against you as there is no "CarFax" for motorcycles, and many used bikes don't have clear titles.

Until now.

Adv Moto RD, SRL has a singular mission: to offer unique, "boutique", quality motorcycles at modest prices. To that end, we are pleased to announce the introduction of the Cyclone by Zongshen line of motorcycles, including a full inventory of parts for the bikes we sell.

While keeping abreast of international motorcycle trends, we were in the right place at the right time, securing distribution of this new line of exceptional quality motorcycles for Hispaniola.

Our prices will be "all-inclusive" including all taxes, transfers, matricula fees and warranty. There are no hidden charges or surprises.

Additionally, ADV Moto RD is working closely with a major U.S. motorcycle safety organization to bring formal motorcycle safety training to the Dominican Republic.

This "living thread" will offer ongoing announcements of ADV Moto RD bikes, demo exhibitions, demo track days, dealer additions, current motorcycling trends, maintenance tips, blog entries, owner club activities, and general motorcycling safety considerations.

For more information visit our website: ADVMotoRD.com (because this is our first post, a URL is not accepted.)

Our standards are high. Yours should be, too.
 

the gorgon

Platinum
Sep 16, 2010
33,997
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0
First of all, a big thank and hat tip to Dolores and Robert of DR1 for adding a "Transportation Forum" to DR1. Great addition, and ADV Moto RD is pleased to sponsor the forum of this most important aspect of the Dominican experience.

Fact #1: The Dominican Republic is a motorcycle culture.

Look around: motorcycles are everywhere! Even expats who move to the DR with little to no riding experience gravitate toward two wheels for many reasons: easy to hop on and go scootin', cheap to buy and operate, the weather is fantastic...and they're big fun.

Did I mention "Big Fun?"

Fact #2: There has been a huge gap in new motorcycle offerings in the DR. One could either ride a cheap Chinese moto or an expensive US, Japanese or Euro bike. There have been few choices, if any, in the middle unless one chooses to suffer through the enormous red tape of importing their own scoot.

So a rider could either spend under US$1500 for a new 125-200cc generic moto, or over US$9000+ for a new 500cc+ US, Japanese or Euro bike.

Or more. Much, much more.

There has been few, if any, offerings in the middle for riding the streets. Fact is many motorcyclists don't want a cheap Chinese bike, but don't want to---or can't---spend a small fortune on a quality US, Japanese or Euro machine.

Fact #3: The used bike market has been dominated by "30 footers." These are bikes that look good at a distance, but when you get close the truth becomes clear: beaten half to death, a confused mish-mash of dubious maintenance, care and crashes. While one may find a used gem, the odds are stacked against you as there is no "CarFax" for motorcycles, and many used bikes don't have clear titles.

Until now.

Adv Moto RD, SRL has a singular mission: to offer unique, "boutique", quality motorcycles at modest prices. To that end, we are pleased to announce the introduction of the Cyclone by Zongshen line of motorcycles, including a full inventory of parts for the bikes we sell.

While keeping abreast of international motorcycle trends, we were in the right place at the right time, securing distribution of this new line of exceptional quality motorcycles for Hispaniola.

Our prices will be "all-inclusive" including all taxes, transfers, matricula fees and warranty. There are no hidden charges or surprises.

Additionally, ADV Moto RD is working closely with a major U.S. motorcycle safety organization to bring formal motorcycle safety training to the Dominican Republic.

This "living thread" will offer ongoing announcements of ADV Moto RD bikes, demo exhibitions, demo track days, dealer additions, current motorcycling trends, maintenance tips, blog entries, owner club activities, and general motorcycling safety considerations.

For more information visit our website: ADVMotoRD.com (because this is our first post, a URL is not accepted.)

Our standards are high. Yours should be, too.

thay are pleasing to the eye...
 
Aug 6, 2006
8,775
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They look pretty, and the ads say they are modestly priced, but the prices are not mentioned.

All new motorcycles look pretty to me. I am not much of a connoisseur.
 

ADV Moto

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Feb 6, 2016
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The Cyclone RX3 is the bike that started it all:

With 8 years and over 45,000 miles riding motorcycles in nearly every corner of the DR I've developed a set of personal observations:
  • The road conditions vary greatly. Some are excellent, some really rough and if you want to explore the island expect some unimproved dirt and gravel roads.
  • Speed is not that important. It's rare when one rides the autopistas---they can be the most dangerous roads in the country---and it's unusual to exceed 50-60mph on the other roads safely.
  • The best of exploring the DR is on unimproved roads. The roads keep getting better, but that street bike is the wrong tool for the job when the riding gets rough.
  • A big, heavy bike is a handful when the going gets rough. And, frankly, a lot of power becomes hard to handle in bad conditions where torque trumps horsepower.
  • Mountain roads don't require massive horsepower to have a blast. Carving twisties isn't done at high speeds, but at steep lean angles and rapid direction changes. Here, weight and imbalance are your enemies, and "flickability" is your friend.
  • There is no "right" motorcycle for all conditions. Each bike has a specific mission. That fat cruiser is like a beached whale off the pavement, that tall dirt bike is like riding a roller coaster on wheels in the twisties, that sport bike will beat you to death off smooth tarmac, and that dual-sport will give your butt serious apnea on long rides. Every bike is a compromise, and one needs to determine how they will actually use the bike before choosing the "right" one. Certainly any bike can ride anywhere, but that is a testament to rider skill, and not the right tool for the job at hand.
  • Adventure/Touring motorcycles are quite at home in the Dominican Republic. Designed for both tarmac and off-road, they are a common-sense compromise for street and improved gravel/dirt that make up most of the roads in the DR, where the true adventures live.
Two years ago we began a search for an "adventure/tourer" that, in our opinion, represented the best set of traits for the above conditions. Our criteria:
  • Smaller displacement
  • Relatively light
  • Rugged
  • 70% street / 30% offroad capable
  • Modestly prices
  • Quality construction and manufacturing
  • Higher tech engineering
  • Comfortable for long rides
  • Able to carry a good load
  • Ease of maintenance
While many bikes fit one or two of those criteria, almost all failed in more than one category.

Then we found an interesting machine called the Minsk TRX300i in Belarus, and to say the least were simply stunned at first sight.

Further research led to discover the Minsk TRX300i is a privately labeled motorcycle by Zongshen in China, manufactured under the brand and model known as the Cyclone RX3. More research lead to many highly positive and acclaimed reviews about the motorcycle from around the world, and multiple enthusiast websites dedicated to the RX3.

And the price, to say the least, was right.

We communicated with Zongshen for over a year about bringing the RX3 to the Dominican Republic. And during that time a solid America custom small motorcycle manufacturer, California Scooter Company (CSC), became the exclusive distributor for the RX3 and other Zongshen models in the U.S. and Canada, and achieved a huge feat: they received the required EPA certification for the Cyclone RX3 and full distribution was initiated.

After reaching preliminary agreements with Zongshen, ADV Moto RD ordered and imported two RX3's---and another model---to the DR for closer inspection and analysis. AND we became good friends with the gurus at CSC (who, by the way, offer a full line of aftermarket options that we will also offer in the DR for bike customization.)

Upon receiving the bikes, our jaws dropped over the quality of construction, engineering, and thoughtful design of the RX3.

Some impressions:
  • This is not a small bike. The RX3 has a considerable wheelbase which lends itself to stability.
  • This is not a short bike. With a 31" seat height, it clearly fits into the "adventure/tourer" category.
  • The engine is a work of small displacement art: 250cc, Delphi fuel-injected and water-cooled, started within 2 seconds of the first push of the starter button, and settled down to an amiable purr thereafter.
  • The paint and body work are as good as it gets.
  • The single rear monoshock is adjustable, as are the front forks.
  • The instrumentation is all Siemens digital and even has a gear position indicator. Rare.
  • The fuel tank is big: holds over 4 gallons, giving the RX3 well over a 300 mile range. 75mpg is average.
  • The wheels are spoked, and account for some of the suspension positive characteristics.
  • The tires are dual-sport: plenty of rubber for the twisties, and knobby enough for improved dirt and gravel surfaces.
Bottom line: if you unbranded the bike, had no pre-conceived biases and didn't know it's origin, you'd be convinced the bike was of high-end Japanese or European bike. It's that good.

Riding first impressions:
  • Wow! This is FUN! It took a few minutes to dial in the power curve---I rookie-stalled in 1st it a few times---but once figured out where the torque lived riding the RX3 was a hoot! Keep it above 4500rpm, and the bike will do everything you want easily. However, since it was brand new, we never exceeded 6500 per engineer break-in specs for the first 500 miles. With a 9000rpm redline, no doubt a LOT of fun lurks in those 2500 higher rpm's.
  • The suspension is nicely compliant and a sweet compromise between street stiffness for positive control, and off road smoothness over uneven dirt.
  • The RX3 much lighter than my regular ride, and I could really flick it around. Very pleasant...and a LOT of fun!
  • Very smooth on the streets, and gave confidence on steep gravel twisting grades.
  • I had no problem standing on the pegs and controlling the bike with confidence.
  • Much easier to get on and just ride than my regular scoot, just mount and go.
  • The standard resin panniers in many respects are superior to the optional aluminum panniers, unless you need to bring along the kitchen sink. We joke about lining one bag with styrofoam and using it as a cooler.
  • And, most interestingly and unexpected: the RX3 drew large crowds wherever it went. Even some riders from Bavaro on a Ducati, V-Strom and BMW spent considerable time poking around & asking questions, shocked at the unique design and low cost.
There is a comprehensive factory spec sheet on the Cyclone RX3 at our website, to which BigBird was kind enough to link.
 

bigbird

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May 1, 2005
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So what is the price of a CSC RX3 Cyclone?


Price: US$2345 (all taxes & transfers included). Institutional financing available. Delivery in Jarabacoa

On the webpage click the drop down menu "Bikes". Go the the individual bike page and the price is listed.


Cyclone RA1 - Price: US$2345 (all taxes & transfers included). Institutional financing available. Delivery in Jarabacoa
 

ADV Moto

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Feb 6, 2016
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Prices:

The RX3 is US$4995 all taxes, matricula, transfers, etc. included.

The RA1 is US$2345, all taxes, matricula, transfers, etc. included.

The RC3 is US$4995, all taxes, matricula, transfers, etc. included.

The warranty is a full two years: two years parts (less consumables such as brake pads, clutch discs, and chain, except for failure), one year labor.

We are offering a pre-order discount for early adopters who want to save some money. We both win.

The RX3 comes with a comprehensive shop manual in English for those with even modest wrenching skills, and a great platform for others to develop those skills. We understand the RC3 will also have a shop manual, but we have yet to receive it.

Additionally, there is a massive network of RX3 owners from all over the world and numerous forums dedicated to the RX3. These are great resources for anything you wanted to know about the bike, including any necessary troubleshooting.

We have several digital EFI fuel injection diagnostic meters should a problem occur. However, according to dealers, most have never had to use it-the Delphi EFI system is that good.

We will be exhibiting the bikes in locations all over the DR until a dealer network is established. In addition, we are happy to offer private viewings at your convenience.

We are working on a "Demo Day" at the Sunix Autodr?mo Internacional de Las Am?ricas, a great place for a demo ride in a controlled environment.

We are also working on institutional retail financing for the RX3 and RC3. We may have local private financing for the RA1.
 

Derfish

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Jan 7, 2016
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The prices are on each bike's page.

Could you give us a link to "Each bike's page?" I have seen this ad before and cannot find prices no matter how many times I look over all the pages of the website. Oops, appaerntly you finally fessed up even as I was typing. Thanks, but the two of you should get together and decide which is which!
Der Fish
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
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So what is the price of a CSC RX3 Cyclone?

you're out of your league there , it sounds like.... $2500 may be your speed..

Besides too racy for old guys like us..... you need a softer ride.... hehehe

but $5,000 ALL IN... incl plates, etc. is pretty good.
Cheaper if jump in now !!!

Call the mudanza and ask about importing one
 

Derfish

Gold
Jan 7, 2016
4,441
2
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Can they be adapted to propane? At sixty pesos per gallon one could ride till the cows come home for a peso!
 

bigbird

Gold
May 1, 2005
7,375
163
0
Price: US$2345 (all taxes & transfers included). Institutional financing available. Delivery in Jarabacoa

On the webpage click the drop down menu "Bikes". Go the the individual bike page and the price is listed.


Cyclone RA1 - Price: US$2345 (all taxes & transfers included). Institutional financing available. Delivery in Jarabacoa

My bad, forgive me I cut copy and pasted the wrong info for CSCRX3 the correct price is $4995 as posted by the OP. Sorry

If possible would the MOD delete my post #10 so as not to confuse anyone else.
 
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