Gerald Gardebled in Beijing
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	"Here is a new item in my collection of CJ related items, a PLA Pictorial from April 1973 that has a CJ on the cover. If you look at carefully, you can see vintage type headlight with vintage ignition switch, vintage mirror and vintage arrow turn signal."
January 16, 2007
	"Here's an NOS Type I headlight in its original box. It's a rare item, especially brand new. It has the mechanical dimmer switch inside."
October 14, 2006
	These clutch springs are color coded based on their strength. Yellow is rated for 20+1kg., white for 21+1 and green for 22+1. And there you go!
9/30/2006
	A recent visit to a PLA warehouse just outside of Beijing yielded a number of early style taillights...
	...as well as five sets of NOS PLA forks. Wow!
9/29/2006
	Here's an M1M Gerald spotted in Nanchang.
	It appears to have been well used.
	Would I ever love to have a license plate from the holy city!
March 12, 2004
	Here's the Hongdu warehouse as it appears today. It wasn't that long ago when it would be filled with brand new M1Ms awaiting shipment.
	There were several of these so-called plastic Changs, the CJ750B-3.
	But there were also a couple M1Ms like this black one.
	Here it is again.
	There was also one of these traditional green M1Ms.
	Take a good look at this image of parts stores and make note of the water puddles on the floor. What does it tell you about the people running Hongdu these days?
March 9, 2004
	During Gerald's visit to the Hongdu Works he got to see this thing, a CJ750B-4. So this is what they have planned for us in the future...
	Yep, it's liquid-cooled... but there's still an M1S underneath all that fancy plastic. (Yes, we know it's really metal but we call these bikes plastic because thats what they look like.)
	The new style sidecar has the PLA insignia.
March 8, 2004
	Gerald got to see something very special during his visit to Hongdu, PLA CJ prototypes. This one is an M1S. Note the Earles forks.
	The trunk of the sidecar has a little extra carrying capacity.
	No front fender—it's in the trunk box. That light on the sidecar has a visor. I like it.
	Here's another M1S prototype. You have to wonder why they camouflage just some of the sheet metals parts.
	This gun mount is mounted on the bonnet of the sidecar.
	M1S miltary bikes have a lot of potential as far as looks go.
	From the rear you can see what might be described as a luggage rack over the spare wheel.
	Again, Earles forks, but this bike also has a front disk brake. It also has a visored light on the sidecar. I'd sure love to have one of those!
	This sidecar has brackets for panniers.
February 25, 2004
	This is one of the vehicles Gerald saw while visiting the Hongdu plant. Did you ever wonder what's inside the cab of a CJ trike?
	Now you know. Surprised? I'll bet the motor provides plenty of heat in cold weather—but riding this thing in the summer might be rather unpleasant.
	Here's the speedo. I've never seen one like this.
	Another trike. This one is in much better shape. In fact it looks like it's still in service.
	But not this M1M.
	Look at the height of the sidecar windshield!
	The tube for the sidecar fender running light points backwards on this bike. I wonder what the story is behind this arrangement. It's actually a pretty cool idea!
February 24, 2004
	More images from the Hongdu plant! This is a roll of coiled steel—the raw material that gets stamped into fenders.
	And here's a nice big stack of brand new front fenders.
	These wheel rims appear to be rejects.
	Does anybody know what this machine does?
	All kinds of jigs and machine tools. Some of these probably date all the back to the beginning of CJ production—1957.
	A big welding jig, possibly for sidecar frames.
February 15, 2004
	Meet the CJ Godfather himself, Shen Liang Qing of Nanchang. He owns one of the best stocked CJ750 parts inventories known to man.
	Here he's seen assisting a CJ owner troubleshooting an M1M. Mr. Shen started working at the factory in 1953 and was appointed to test ride M72s while they were being evaluated by the Chinese.
	He was also a CJ test rider when the bikes were being developed and first went into production. He is now 70 and still immersed in Chang Jiangs. Mr. Shen is one of Gerald's favorite people in Nanchang because he is so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about vintage Changs.
February 13, 2004
	Is this absolutely cool or what?! It's the Hongdu factory in Nanchang.
	Look at all the freshly stamped fenders!
	Stacks of wheels, some waiting to be drilled and punched for spokes.
	Looks like a bunch of frame bits waiting to be welded up.
	Yup, that's exactly what these are.
	This might look like a scrap bin to some...
	...but to the seasoned professional, it's a treasure trove!
	A jig for forming modern style CJ sidecar buckets.
February 11, 2004
	This is indeed the holiest of places. The Chinese characters hanging from the ceiling say NO SMOKING
	Things were pretty quiet there when Gerald visited.
	Not a soul in sight.
	I think this is a dynamometer.
February 7, 2004
	Hongdu Motors in Nanchang!
	The Hongdu showroom. You'll see all kinds of bikes in the enlarged image.
	This M1S looks pretty cool for a factory-built machine.
	The tank graphics look pretty nice. The swoosh logo is the icing on the cake.
	Hey, what's up with that big light on the sidecar?
	Let's take a closer look at.
	This is really neat! It's a PLA star on the sidecar bonnet. The characters 8 and 1 represent the August 1, 1928 founding of the PLA.
	Looks like a comfortable chair.
	Jim Bryant wrote to say that this device is most likely a brake fluid reservoir for the front disc brake.
	And here's the disc brake.
February 4, 2004
	Welcome to the CJ muffler factory. In the foreground is a pipe bending jig. In back is a stack of megaphones and a man working on a fishtail.
	A header pipe on what looks like a welding jig.
February 3, 2004
	Did you ever wonder how those notches got in your clutch discs? Now you know!
	Clutch discs and plenty of them.
	I'm not sure what this worker is doing but there's a drill press and about a million large flat washers...
	This is how your gas tank began.
	Inside one of the shells.
	Top half of a shell.
	This appears to be some type of panel beater's jig but it could be just about anything.
	From the side.
January 31, 2004
	One stop on Gerald's parts buying expedition was the sidecar factory in Nanchang. These are partially assembled buckets.
	Freshly stamped side panels.
	More side panels.
	This worker is beating panels into shape.
	A stack of trunk lids with spare wheel brackets.
	A piece of machinery used in the shop. It appears to be a band saw.
	A spot welder.
	Two brake presses.
January 30, 2004
	What's the best thing about going on a parts buying expedition?
	Why buying stuff, of course!
	These images are from a CJ wonderland in Zhuzhou, one of several such places Gerald likes to visit whenever possible.
	Just LOOK at all the vintage CJ parts!
	This is the real stuff! Headers, brake drums, spokes, front covers...
	...steering heads, frame brackets, spring tubes...
	...brake springs...
	...all kinds of different stuff...
	...and my favorite, a pair of leg guards with embossed and painted CJ characters!
	Horns, rotors and a regulator...
January 26, 2004
	More images from Gerald's trip. These two "plastic" bikes are Xiangjiangs with OHV engines.
	It's not a CJ but it's still pretty interesting. This is a Nanfang 125.
	That little motor must work very hard hauling people around in the sidecar.
	This crankcase tag is pretty rare nowadays. It's from the Lanxiang factory, formerly called Guo Ying Le He Ji Xie Chang.
January 24, 2004
	Here are the first of many images from Gerald's latest buying trip. We'll start with a look at the Zhuzhou Nanfang Motorcycle Factory where CJ750 engines are produced.
	Yet another sign I'd die for. The top half says Nanfang Motor Limited Liability Company.
	This placard describes their 32 HP OHV engine with not two, but one carburetor.
	This is a photo of one such engine, also from the placard.
	A closer look at the single carb setup. I wonder how well it works compared to the old configuration.
	Inside the building. These are mostly OHV motors although there are a couple flatties as well.
	This is an M1 engine.
	And here we have a few M1M engines.
	More engines plus a couple gearboxes.
	I love this. It's a steel shipping box the factory uses for sending engines by train to Nanchang. Would I ever love to have one of these!
	Here's a dealership Gerald visited during this journey. The top half of the sign reads Zhuzhou Motor Company Factory Outlet. The bottom reads Xiangjiang Motors Central Depot.
	Inside this machine lives a Chang Jiang 750...
	...and here's the speedo, a Huangshan.
January 23, 2004