Chang Jiang



CHANG JIANG Unlimited.com

				Julien André decided to go solo with his SV, and this is the result. Pretty sweet!

		Pretty nice, eh? This M1M belongs to Bob G. in northwest Washington. (We have very similar tastes when it comes to paint, etc.)
		The pictures below were taken while the bike was being restored. A great deal of work went into this machine as you can see, and the results were well worth it.


	From Tim Clarke of Cape Sidear Adventures: "Eight of our bikes participated in a 500km charity event around the Western Cape, South Africa, handing out footballs to underpriveleged rural kids. lots of fun & some great memories."
	"South Africa is gearing up for the upcoming World Cup Football tournament in 2010 planned for South Africa, so hence the football theme."


From Julien André: "I was in Paris last week where the ”Retromobile”, (the French fair for vintage vehicles) took place. I was in Paris for business, but I managed to spend a couple of hours in the fair and had the good surprise to find an interesting bike between a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT and a 1926 Mercedes Benz (which sold for 2 million euros during the fair!) The bike was a 1939 Saroléa 1000 38H. (My technical English is too bad to translate these innovations).
	For those like me who never heard anything about this bike, this is a Belgian military sidecar with a 1000cc flat twin fed by a single carburetor. I’ve been told about numerous technical innovations Saroléa put into this bike, many of which had inspired other firms such as BMW, Zundapp, Norton, Gilera or Gnome & Rhone.
	Saroléa built about 120 units and had to stop production because of WWII. There’s four units left and this one is the only in operating condition worldwide. I’ve also seen a beautiful 1926 Motosacoche sidecar, another 20’s “sidecar” that is actually a “front car” and last but not least, two 1944 D-Day scooters.


Here's a nice set of images from Bill Marsh. The first six show his first CJ which has since been sold. If anyone ever tried to mess with this bike they would have lost an arm. That little fella means business.

	Below is Bill's current fleet, a solo and a hack, both side valves. "The cannon is a 14th. century Moro pirate swivel gun, about 4 feet long. Still have the cannon and the dogs."



February 10, 2008
			From Julien André: "Here's a little CJ news—a couple of pics and a clip about last Sunday's ride with friends (who are not riding CJs... just a matter of time...)"
			"It was a perfect ride, with perfect weather, in a place called Le Cap d'Erquy, one of the numerous magnificent places in my area."
			"The bike is very eye-catching (in a positive way.) I had never seen so many kids smiling at me in a single day!"
February 2, 2008
		From Brent Fox: "I just wanted to share these photos with you. I worked almost all summer on this thing, stripped it down to nothing and then reassembled it on my own. I have absolutely no mechanical background, but it came out looking pretty good."
January 28, 2008
		From Miin Leong:
		"Here is Jamie MacDonald in Vancouver, BC, riding a CJS built bike. This has been his daily rider to work every day even in the rain & snow."
December 17, 2007
	From Jean Descoteaux in Montreal: "Me, Éric Lariviere and J.C. Laurier (front to back). We just stopped briefly in Lost River, Quebec."
	"Great weather, fantastic ride. It's rare we get to ride together, but we'll surely repeat the experience soon."
September 24, 2007
		From Julien André: "Bonjour! I’m CJU’s greatest fan in France (well, among the greatest, so far silent, fans). I live in west of France, in Brittany, close to Le Mont Saint Michel. I send you some pics of my 1966 M1 I got last month from LRM. Gerald did a great job (as usual, right?) as you can see. I found out about Chang Jiang bikes only last year, and CJU has been a great source of information. I’ve spent hours reading every pages of your website, and it has been really helpful for a newbie like me. I visit CJU every day. So I thank you in the name of every silent newbie worldwide you’re helping." [It's my pleasure!]
		"The box arrived smashed on one side… enough to fix myself a couple of cigarettes. Fortunately, LRM packing is perfect. I had to lift the bike alone, because the box was about to fall apart. Love at first sight… …and I’m not the only one..."
		"After feeding the lady with oil and gas… …time for the first ride! Mine is 24 horsepower, hehe. Let’s meet with the French countryside roads!"
September 14, 2007
		From Richard Midge: "Here are a two pictures of the first ever New Jersey CJ rally, all two of us. Myself with the solo and James with his wife Linda and there sidecar. The two of us along with our wives met and rode to lunch. We had a great time and look forward to doing it again."
August 5, 2007
		From Frans de Wit: "Here's an article from this month's Promotor, motorcycle magazine of the ANWB (the Dutch AAA). It's entitled The Oldest Motorcycle Factory in the World and was written by Hans Moleman (no, not the character from the Simpsons, but a Dutch journalist stationed in Shanghai. That's why he visits Luke's new operation.) He's also a CJ rider! The info is mostly correct except for telling the Russians took the R71 factory from the Germans AFTER WWII. How they manufactured M72s from 1941 on is a riddle to me. He visits they Hongdu factory in Nanchang. The opening text reads: As the door of the derelict Chinese factory hall opens, we have to blink our eyes. The twilight falling through the dirty skylights slowly reveals a prewar view. Time stood still at Chang Jiang. The story is about the things we all know so well—the CJ is more and more popular with ex-pats, Europeans and Americans, it's easy to fix, and still very much like the original R71 from 1938. He visit's Luke's but his sales manager Leon is in the picture as he is Dutch also! Also, a short piece about the Shanghai Black Bats who visit the Chinese GP but don't watch the races as they are too expensive. (And these modern machines aren't interesting enough!) He also spotted a Steib sidecar in the factory! Would be something for export!" Hope you enjoy, Frans
February 17, 2007
	From Jean Descoteaux in Montreal: "Went for a ride with my daughter, clutch cable broke. I got home by running the cable end through the lever hole and attaching a vise-grip to it. Just pulled on the vise-grip et voila! What's that company name again? Barnett something?"
October 8, 2006
	From Mike Davis: "I took the "old goat" out for a trip to Rantoul, IL and the Chanute Air Museum. In all, it was about 250km and took about four hours total travel time. Here are a few pics of the trip."
	"Hmm, looks like it's time to put on the rain gear. It came down in buckets for awhile, but I kept going."
	"Stopped for lunch in Gibson City. They don't make towns like this anymore."
	"Arrived at the museum and ready to look at their collection."
	"Some of the airplane collection."
	"When I was on my way out, one of the docents asked if I owned the antique motorcycle in the parking lot. I was then forwarded to a museum staff member who is setting up an old car and air show next year. We've been invited to park the Chang on the flight line. The trip back home was uneventful, but wonderful. I just wish I had more time to travel like this. "
August 20, 2006
	Conger Murray's OHV came from Toronto
August 14, 2006
	Here's n nice little assortment of CJ pictures from Jean Descoteaux in Montreal. That's Jean's son Elijah in the third picture. I think the solo flatty looks awesome. Well... they all do!
June 9, 2006
	Matt Mepham's solo Super. (Also pictured further down the page.) Matt had the bike up for sale but changed his mind. Check out the tank emblem and the cover! Sweet bike.
March 3, 2006
	From Jean Descoteaux in Montreal: "My Changs were the subject of an article in a local bike magazine!" (Click on the picture to see the article. It's in French.)
January 17, 2006
	From "Chef Jeff" Powell in Beijing: "I have been looking at the site for a while now and I thought it was about time to register. I am a member of the Beijing Dragons MC and a good friend of Big Bill, Jim Bryant and Tim Lagonero. I have three bikes, one Chang with sidecar and OHV engine (the OHV isn't in the photos because I have gotten a new engine but not a new camera since then) plus a solo Chang with a custom build from the bottom up. It took Zhang's Motor Works five months to build this sucker. It has a Triumph front brake assembly and rim (stops way better) and the rear rim is from an M1M I believe. All of the wiring is inside the frame and under the gas tank. The headlight is from a Chinese bike and there is a speedometer that is accurate! The paint has gold ghost flames and was designed by Big Bill and me. The battery is in that chrome box on the side, and everything was triple chrome plated. The engine has a high polish as does the front rim and brake assembly. All in all it is a very very sweet ride and very fast! I also have a Kawasaki KLE400 for a daily driver. Believe me you need this on some of Beijing's roads!"
January 5, 2006
	From Chris Conley in Chengdu: "The other day I visited the old mechanic in a town called Huayang just south of Chengdu. He's always out there wrenching on some old Chang so I waited in line (my black OHV is sitting there) as he first fixed up the locals' bikes. You don't often see these kinds of Changs on the road (actually, in Chengdu we almost NEVER see any kind of Chang) but the locals seem to get some good use out of them! Nice engine! Ha ha! I know some people might say they want their last ride to be on a Chang, but as for these pigs... I certainly don't envy them!"
January 4, 2006
	From James Lewis in Sydney, Australia: "Hi there, Have been watching the site for years since I bought my first CJ 6V (green) in 2002 (Beijing). Just got the black solo registered in the NSW, Australia (about an hour south of Sydney) Anyway thought it was time to register. All the best for the holidays and 2006. James"
December 29, 2005
	From Jean Descoteaux in Montreal: "Here is my old flathead. I sold the hack. I'll sell the bike soon but I hate to see it go... it was my fist CJ."
September 7, 2005
	Chris Conley is a friend of Dave Finlay in Chengdu. He teaches English there and had been enjoying this Super ever since he bought it from Dave a couple weeks ago. That's Chris's friend Lizzy in two of the pictures.
July 15, 2005
	Mike Davis bought a bone stock M1 from Lanny Grilly. It looks like it may be an old PLA bike. He hasn't had time to do much with it yet and plans to start by servicing the chrging system. This is a neat bike!
July 7, 2005
	From James Quinn in California, some CJS bikes that he and his friend Dave and brother John are importing. James tells me that Fred Balanay was a big help throughout the project.
April 28, 2005
	Take a gander at Matt Mepham's solo Super. I'll bet this bike flies right along. He's owned it since last year and—as you can see—he's added a few personal touches.
	I love this! It's the Jiangxi speedometer emblem in adhesive chrome material.
	Here's another neat thing Matt did to his bike. He was getting tired of replacing fuses all the time so he bought this circuit breaker for $10 at a marine supply store. If it trips, all he needs to do is reset it and he's on his way again. Excellent idea.
July 30, 2004
	Tom Andrus went to the big WWII re-enactment near Reading, Pennsylvania earlier this year. There were genuine BMWs there, even some R75s. The distributor and horn tab on this bike reveal its true M1M identity.
	I can't say for certain, but this is probably an M1. The aftermarket cheese jar battery holder hasn't caught on around here just yet. Looks pretty cheesy.
	The same bike from ahead. Were the German's really that sloppy with their paint jobs?
July 6, 2004
	Dan Shelley lives in Shanghai and just got this M1S from Hongdu.
	As Dan points out, there are very few Hongdu bikes on CJU. This one looks great!
June 29, 2004
	Frans de Wit's M1M shows us that no two bikes are alike once their owners have applied their personal touch. The front fender lighting on Fran's bike reminds me of vintage Indians. He bought it at a gas staion in the US. In the enlarged image you can see the famous pink seat that he won from Scott Snaden on eBay.
	That rear lighting looks pretty stout. Frans is keen on visibility with the traffic situation the way it is in Amsterdam where he lives. The lights by the license plate are auxilliary brake lights. The fronts of the fixtures have clear lenses.
	Ammo boxes!
	These Italian horns are ideal for getting the attention of tourists wandering around Amsterdam's narrow side streets—whether they're stoned or not! Not everyone notices the width of a sidecar bike.
	Among the other features Frans has installed is a PLA black-out lamp from LRM. Frans says the soft bags will soon be replaced with something sturdier.
11/14/03
	From my work colleague and K-750 owner Dan Barratt, this spiffy Chang that turned up at a Ural meet Dan attended recently.
	Check out all the hardware!
9/27/03
	This is Pete Laughlin and his CJ, a far cry from the images he sent last year (down the page.) The bike represents a civilian R71 that was pressed into military service in Poland and France early in the war.
	The license plates are from Blitz Bikes. The IIA code is for the city of Munich.
	The Beemer emblems are also from Blitz Bikes, but Pete did all the lettering and pinstriping himself. The toolbox fuel tank was won on eBay. Nice job, Pete.
9/27/03
	Emanuele Scialpi sent this recent shot of his bike, the only Chang Jiang in Italy. Look at all those scooters in the background.
9/5/03
	Frans de Wit's CJ sits at the end of a row of Russian bikes at a 1999 gathering of the Ural-Dnepr Club fo the Netherlands.
	The campsite and barbecue!
	Be sure to enlarge this image to see it all. It's from the 2001 winter gathering in the Belgian Ardennes, just a few miles off the Francorchamp racing circuit.
	At the Tholen (Holland) meet earlier this year, this Chang had some electrical trouble and these guys are sorting it out. That's Frans in the middle.
	Cooling off on a hot day...
	Another advantage to having a sidecar... you can carry a BIG tent! This image is from the Limburg meet. This tent has been in the de Wit family for 35 years!

	Frans de Wit of the Netherlands has been riding CJ #950006 since 1995. Here's his friend Ad Knippels during a chilly night ride. Since then Frans has added bags to the sidecar and extra lights.

	Jean Descoteaux of Montreal aboard his M1M. He sure looks happy!
	A more recent shot of Jean's bike, looking as fine as ever. Jean put Harley baffles inside the original mufflers and the bike sounds fantastic!
	Jean has discovered that kids and Changs are a wonderful combination! (The enlarged image shows Jean and more of the bike.)
	And away they go!
	Snow came early to the Province of Quebec this year.
	If you stay warm and dry, snow riding is a hoot. Here's Jean's M1M waiting for someone to take it for a spin.
	Another view of Jean's bike. Check out the nice looking bullet turn signals.

	This is Pete Laughlin and his wife Erin at Historic Fort Snelling in St. Paul, MN where Pete manages the 1820s blacksmith and carpentry shops. They do an in-costume living history program of the military garrison of 1827. What an occupation! In the enlarged view you can see the original 1821 Round Tower in the background.
	The Laughlins' first outing with their Chang was a ride around the grounds on a closed day. More pictures Pete!

	Here comes the PLA! Dirk Heck found this image somewhere on the Internet. Can you believe they still use these things?

	Emanuele Scialpi lives in Italy, and he loves his Chang. (Don't we all?)
	Notice anything different about this bike?
	That's right. The sidecar has a convertible top!
	Looks a bit like an old covered wagon.
	Here it is again...
	...and again. I would imagine the sidecar passenger stays comfortable in all kinds of weather. Neat!

	Thomas Mueller, GM of the Sheraton hotel in Nanjing, uses this fine M1M for transporting guests!
	Among many other mods, it even has a stereo system. Nice pin striping job, too.
	Tom plays fifties & sixties R&R which, apparently, the Chinese just love.
	Is this a great bike or what?

	Look at this spare wheel cover! It was on one of the bikes at the recent MC Long March/Ural Roikka gathering in Finland, courtesy of Orvo Valila. The Chinese reads Chang Jiang—Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Group Ltd. Co. (Translation provided by Butch Walter and Simon Vallance.)

	Look at this thing! It's a CJ-750B-2 with only 91 miles showing. Pretty modern looking bike for a sidevalve! It was discovered in a barn and is for sale. For details, contact Eric.

	Peter Gray tipped us off to this decent looking M1 for sale in Australia, CHEAP. It was being offered on rmoa.au.com but has apparently been sold.