Odds & Ends Unlimited
I was excited when I stumbled upon this PLA relic from the Korean War. I couldn't wait to find out what it said. Miin Leong provided the somewhat disappointing translation: "Wishing Big Fish - Foo San Seafood Limited Company". Better luck next time.
 
Not exactly a Chang thing, but it was sent by a Chang enthusiast, and that's good enough for me. This is a Belize license plate that Miin Leong picked up while he was down there on vacation. My collection of exotic and old license plates continues to grow.
 
Keith Pedersen makes these excellent CJ stickers. Below are scans from a batch that arrived in the mail today. They're quite nice and available from Keith for very reasonable prices. Note the traditional Chinese character for "Chang".    
   
 
Keith also makes rubber stamps! This is an actual scan from one. They are self-inking as well. He will personalize your rubber stamp any way you like. I've got one with my name and address as well as the CJ design. Really sharp!  
 
This is a white vinyl gas tank emblem shown against a black background. The design is cut out. Keith provides a transparent substrate over the face to facilitate application without harming the delicate applique. It is then peeled off once the emblem is in place. The scan was made through the transparent material and is not as sharp as the actual sticker.
 
Here's a custom design Keith did for my current project. The image on the left shows how it looks before application. The right shows how it will appear when applied to a red background—the color of the bike I'm building. These are really nice items, well worth your consideration.
 
Selling a CJ in Beijing by Chris Drumgoole, courtesy of Clay Jones
 
From Michael S. Burns, the result of a Dave Hill photo-shoot. See more of his work here.
 
These PLA flag stickers from eBay arrived recently. They're too cheesy to go on the bike, but they're fine for sticking on helmets, etc.
 
From Gerald at LRM: The Jia Ling 600 sidecar in use by the PLA.
 
This wrench turned up in my CJ toolbox. I think it's nifty because it has some Chinese characters cast into it. This says "Shanghai".
 
China's flag was designed by Zeng Liansong and adopted in October, 1949. Red is the traditional color of revolution. The large star represents "the Common Program of the Communist Party" and the smaller stars represent the four classes united by the program: workers, peasants, petty bourgeois and capitalists sympathetic to the Party.
This Chinese merchant flag was presented to me by Chief Mate Ai Guang Feng of the M/V Fa Xian, a ship I worked on in 1990-1. It's very large and it's one of my most treasured possessions.
The characters ba yi displayed on the Peoples Liberation Army flag are the numerals 8 and 1 which represent August 1, 1927, the founding of the PLA which took place during the Nanchang Uprising.
The People's Liberation Navy ensign.
The banner of the PLA ground forces, or regular army.
The flag of the People's Liberation Air Force.
 
Behold, the greatest failure in automotive history. I wanted to sneak some Edsels onto the site so I parked the tan M1 with two of our '59s behind it.
The second shot shows two '58s. Counting the jalopies out back, we have ten Edsels.
May 20, 2008  
Neato.
December 4, 2007  
Tim Lagonegro got these tags at a Beijing swap meet. They're as phony as the day is long, but they're as cool as ever and will occupy a place of honor on the wall in my shop.
October 12, 2007  
Tim also picked up this genuine Beijing tag that has obviously seen some service. Does this puppy have character or what? It too will go in a place of honor in my garage.
October 12, 2007  
I prefer inexpensive Chinese plugs over all the rest as I've had very good experiences using them. (My favorite brand is Torch.) I recently got my hands on another Chinese brand that I'll be trying and this is the box they came in. The box alone was worth the price.
October 12, 2007  
From Jack, who we know from eBay as seller Hubenhang, a Gong An windshield. Wow.
July 30, 2007  
Shandong MC tags, also from Jack.
July 3, 2007  
This PLA M1M was on eBay. It has one of those great CJ750 windshield farings with all that neat Chinese calligraphy on it. You never see these in the US.
June 24, 2007  
Steve Christo put together a thorough Word document to share his experiences with importing a CJ to his home state of Virginia. Check it out. (It's over 2MB.)
April 24, 2007  
Tim Lagonegro was at a Beijing bike mart where he picked up these excellent counterfeit motorcycle tags. Fake or not, I still think they're pretty cool.
April 2, 2007  
Feast your eyes on these babies. Here's a pair of M5 wheels from Jimbo's Classic Sidecars. The rims, hubs and spokes have been powder coated black for a very nice vintage look.
Included were two sets of brake shoes with about 50% more width than the stock CJ brakes. These are really nice wheels. I hope to have them on the black solo within the next couple weeks. You can count on more text and pictures when I do.
April 2, 2007  
This is a set of flywheel tools from Long River Motorworks. Not only are they useful, but they're very novel as well. The toolbox is wood with a sliding lid. It looks like something from the early Twentieth Century.
The tools themselves are well oiled to protect against corrosion. Included in the set is that most useful item of all—the clutch spline alignment tool.
April 2, 2007  
Here's something I'd been trying to find for a long time—not one but two sets of Gong An (armed police) leg guards—made from heavy steel and embossed with Chinese characters. These were found for me by the webmaster of Xitek.com, a Chinese gentleman who goes by the screen handle Red Star Troop. (Thanks Clay for being the intermediary.)
For comparison, here are two sets of the more common Chang Jiang leg guards. (The grey ones were actually on one of my bikes.) These came by way of Jim Bryant who we all know from Jimbo's Classic Sidecars.
And check this out. It's a PLA map case that Clay tucked into the parcel with the leg guards. It has numerous compartments for pens, compass, pen light and so on. This is pretty cool, don't you think?
January 24, 2007  
An old Beijing license plate from Gerald
November 12, 2006  
These are some kind of "tax paid" tags I found on eBay.
They might not have anything to do with motorcycles but I still think they're pretty neat.
October 12, 2006  
Here's a foot peg rubber embossed with stars.
And here's a tire with Chinese characters in the rubber.
June 13, 2006  
Three parcels arrived while I was out of town last week. The fender is from CJS to replace the one I damaged on the black bike. The gear sets, seals, plugs and three of the five arrows are from LRM. (The grey bike's gearbox will soon be repaired.) And the other two arrows are from Jim Bryant who brought them from PRC when visiting New Hampshire.
A closer look at the new hi-tech seals that LRM sells. Since I ordered a set of brass carb floats I got the free rear fender reflector. It'll go on the sidecar fender of the black bike.
May 26, 2006  
Two excellent license plates from Frans de Wit: "MV-46-HY is from my CJ. Because of new EU laws we had to change ALL numberplates for ones that have a blue line with the 12 EU stars and lettering of the country they're from, in my case NL. MB-BR-54 is from my '99 Moto Guzzi California Special that was set on fire on the night of April 12 last year. It was irretrievably damaged so now I have an '88 California III that has a better saddle but lesser brakes. As I'm used to CJ brakes I can overcome that.

When you have a bike from before '72 you're allowed to keep the classic blue plates with white lettering. Bikes from between '74 and '78 are allowed to keep the old yellow plates, like these, but you risk being hassled by the police as they think you have the wrong plates. I found out riding my '76 Izh Planeta Sport on the first day after I bought it. I was stopped by a motorcycle cop. Why they made an exemption for the years '74-'78 is a riddle."
March 3, 2006  
Chang Jiang spoken in Cantonese by Brett Dixon's wife Cui Chengxin.
(Click here for the Mandarin version from Bart Sanders.) 
January 2, 2006  
From Keith Perron: "Just recently I was at the China Railway Museum and came across the most interesting engine. Took some pictures that you might find interesting for your site." He's right about that. The motor is a 6V CJ SV, probably ideal for this application.  
 
 
This shot is from Rider-CN. Take a close look at the front of this speeder and you'll see a CJ engine down there. Which model? It's difficult to see.
 
John Heim's padlock. According to Brett Dixon: "The Chinese characters mean Chang An which is the name of a city, probably also the name of the company that made the lock (similar to Yale, etc.)"
"If you stretch the imagination it could be a shortened version of CHANG Jiang AN Quan which means "Chang Jiang Secure" or "Chang Jiang Safe" so it is very possible it is something to do with Chang Jiang motorbikes."
 
Shao Yi Qi at CJS in Beijing saved these old license plates to go on the wall of my shop. I recognize the Beijing plates but not the others.
 
Theft-proof license plate screw cap from Liaoning. (Scroll down to see similar caps from Beijing.)
 
A Chinese license plate from eBay.
 
M7507 is a motorcycle tag from Liaoning Province.
E0445 is a car plate. More Chinese license plates can be seen here.
 
A counterfeit Hebei license plate. It might be a fake but I still love it.
 
Someone had this license plate on eBay.
 
Look at the engine in this ATV—a CJ750 OHV, courtesy of Gerald Gardebled.
 
Whoa. This is cool. Ever see a North Korean license plate? You have now. This tag is on an LRM solo M1 that was sold to a client who works in North Korea. The lettering appears to have been applied with spray paint and a stencil. Courtesy of Gerald Gardebled.
Just when you thought everything was safe, this North Korean tag shows up on eBay.
 
Dan Mullins has a new front number tag. Feast your eyes on this.
 
A carton of cigarettes for PLA soldiers only courtesy of Gerald Gardebled. I wonder if they're any good?
 
Guests at the Hongdu Aviation Hotel in the holy city of Nanchang get their very own toothbrush and toothpaste. (Thanks Clay.)
 
My latest LRM parts order had some goodies I wasn't expecting. Take a look at this license plate from Hebei Province. Coooool.
Here's the one for the front fender.
Hebei tags are often counterfeited and sold to unsuspecting buyers in Beijing. These tags may well be counterfeits (but I don't care.)
The front fender counterpart.
And one last Hebei tag.
 
Some small items from a recent LRM parts order were packaged in these styrofoam boxes. The markings indicate that they were originally used as packaging for Huangshan model ML-160 speedometers. Huangshans are the best.
 
The enlarged version of this image has a caption explaining what these PLA men are doing. (This image appears elsewhere on CJU.) It was sent by Frans De Wit. Depending on how old the picture is, the bike is either an M72 or a very early CJ.
 
It this a CJ? I'd have to say yes. Rich Hahn found this metal toy at a Pottery Barn. Wouldn't one look nice on your bookshelf?
 
This old PLA license plate came off a military bike Shao Yiqi purchased recently. Unless you live in PRC, I'll bet you've never seen one of these.
 
Packages from China are always a treat—but the ones you're not expecting are the best.
Dave Finlay in Changchun sent two such packages recently. Inside were this PLA belt buckle and hat badge. Wow.
He also sent a nice selection of official stickers—just like the ones seen on Changs.
I especially like this one. It's BIG.
The urge to put these Gong An emblems on my bike is strong.
 
Ten colorful Chinese license plates borrowed from a web site dedicated to collecting international tags. You'll see several different provinces and cities represented here.
 
Shao Yiqi sent these examples of license plates from Fu Jian province.
The calligraphy is especially interesting on these tags.
 
From John Daskalos (who's awaiting delivery of his bike from CJS) comes this excellent piece of PLA memorabilia.
Click on the thumbnail to see an enlargement along with an English translation. John's intention is to register his Chang in Texas as a former military vehicle... which is excactly what it is.
 
Frans de Wit received a mysterious package from CJ Jones the other day...
...and look at what was inside. That's right, Chinese police emblems—like they use on Changs.
How cool is this? I'd have to say extremely.
 
Shao Yiqi saves old number tags for my modest collection including this batch of frame, final drive, engine and Beijing tax tags. I really love this stuff.
 
Here's another old red and white Beijing license plate that Shao Yiqi scored for the wall of my shop. You can never have enough Chinese license plates.
 
Shao Yiqi sent this old license plate from Inner Mongolia. Most excellent indeed.
 
The text on this Chairman Mao license plate reads Complacency is the enemy of study. We cannot really learn anything until we rid ourselves of complacency. Our attitude towards ourselves should be 'to be insatiable in learning' and towards others 'to be tireless in teaching.' If you're interested in this sort of thing be sure to visit The East is Red.
 
Gerald Gardebled sent this shot of a Nanchang license plate. It's not in the best of shape but it is by far the coolest one yet, probably because it comes from the holy city of Nanchang.
 
Shao Yiqi knows how much I like these Chinese license plates. He recently sent me this one from Hebei Province for the wall of the shop. I love it.
 
Know what these things are? They're screw caps for license plates designed to make it very difficult—if not impossible—for someone to swipe your tags. The character Jing represents Beijing. Different cities have their own characters.
 
It's 1979 and Frans de Wit is in Beijing where he made this photograph of two Changs and a Dong Hai 750. Frans developed an interest in Chinese sidecar bikes a few years later after acquiring an R26 with a Steib sidecar. At the time he wasn't familiar with CJs at all.
 
Is anyone else crazy about these things besides me? Shao found a couple more old Beijing license plates for my modest (but expanding) collection.
There's been a nice variety of color combinations over the years which makes them all the more interesting.
Changchun license plate from EMTC.
Shao stumbled across this one in his warehouse. Most excellent.
Beijing license plate from Shao Yiqi...
...and here's an older one, also from Shao.
A Shanghai license plate
Don Miller sent us a little package in the mail, and what a fine surprise it was. Inside was this Beijing motorcycle license plate. Black indicates the bike is owned by a foreigner.
 
I got a new scanner on January 3. Guess I went a little nuts. Sorry.
More Beijing motor vehicle tax tags from Shao. In the enlarged image you'll see 11 of them in two different sizes. The text says city tax, three-wheel sidecar motorcycle.
Here's another one, but it's orange. I'd have to say this one's my favorite.
Also from Shao, a nice assortment of Beijing license tax tags. In the enlarged image you can see ten of them.
Motor vehicle license tax tag from Beijing, now on my CJ. (LRM)
A recent parts order from LRM contained some bonus items including these two Beijing motor vehicle license tax tags.
 
I stumbled across this 6V turn signal flasher in my shop. It came with the bike however I opted to build it without turn signals. This unit beeps when it's flashing, handy for a motorcycle.
Four different CJ condensers with Chinese writing on them.
Just another neat CJ item for the wall of the shop, a CNAMC spare tire cover.
 
This means Chang Jiang, or Long River.
This means Nanchang, one of the cities where CJs were built.
 
From Scott Snaden, this, uh, turquoise seat.
Okay. How about a pink one?.