Suzuki star, clugged antipollution system/rough iddle. Recommendation: rebuild upper engine. Nsr 150, wrong carburetor all together/studders during acceleration at 7000rpm.Recommendation: Rebuild engine. Yamaha Jog 50cc(see above post). Maybe I’ve just been cursed with mecanics for a while. I’ve found a good one now and I’m sticking with him. Yes, it’s that cheap! 800nt for all necessary parts to oversize a NSR 150cc. 650nt for a RZR 135cc. I’ve done both in the last year. It’s even cheaper on smaller scooters(2 strokes). 4 strokes do cost more and take longer but you won’t get it done for 2500 either. Mecanics make about 40nt on a brake job. 15 minutes. They make about 50nt on an oil change.5-10 minutes. That’s a lot of bikes they have to work on to make a living. Doing an oversize, they make 600/hour. Definetly cheap by our standards(60$ Canadian for a bike mecanic in Canada) but yet very good money for a majority of locals. Not to mention it’s a third of a day’s work garanteed.
I keep my bike clean too. I’ve always had a bike and it’s a perk to live here as they are so cheap to buy and fix in Taiwan.
As for truant’s comment, only a mecanic could have written that. Made me laugh but it’s so true.
Hmm…Let’s see, my bike is morphed out of 4 different RZ’s. I’ve never had any problems getting it worked on, but then again I’ve been using the same mechanic for 12 years. If you keep your junk in decent shape, then it won’t be an issue. I’m scared to even think about what I’ve spent on upkeep, but I’ve had the bottom end rebuilt 4 times, dozens of bores, 8 or 9 different heads, complete new electrical system, and finally a brand new front end. I replace the shocks and fork seals annually, and generally keep my spouse wondering why the hell I spend so much money on a 14 year old machine.
Labor of love I guess…The wife and I got to know each other on our endless mountain forays, and until the ok for the large displacement monster comes around, The RZ will look and run as new.
MJB, you mentionned that your bike looks like new and with all the parts you’ve mentionned having to put in, that’s no wonder you never have troubles finding someone to help you. I gather you also speak chinese which makes it again easy for you. RZR’s are good solid bikes and there used to be a whole lot of em on the road. The one I’ve rebuilt was 26 years old,(1978)Two owners have had it since and it’s taking them with retro-style where they need to go. If you maintain that bike as you described, it will out live you. You must have had that bike for a long time to need dozens of bores and so many heads? The 26 years old RZR I’ve rebuilt had a 26 years old head on it in pristine condition. No offense but it sure sounds like that mecanic you have been going back to for 12 years can’t rebuild an engine to last. 12 years, dozens of bores, 8 or 9 heads! Maybe you put in a lot of mileage. A whole lot of mileage.
176, 492km’s as of yesterday… 
But only the bottom end of the motor has that kind of milage. The rest of the bike only has 25k or so. Funny though that my super high milage engine outlasted the locally owned one by almost a factor of seven.
However, I’m kind of confused about one thing. You mentioned rebuilding a 1978 RZ? They didn’t start making them until 1987…Maybe you meant ming-guo 78 nien (1989)?
For spares I’ve got the reminents of my original RZR, and two other complete bikes that currently do not run. Picture of my junk here.
pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/michaeljb … pg&.src=ph
The guy that owned the rest of the bike before was a neat freak that hardly ever rode it. But, the maintenence wasn’t up to snuff, and I blew the bottom end out soon after purchase. So, in went my high milage goodies, and it’s been problem free ever since. The thing that killed my first RZR was not mechanical failure but frame rust from sitting outside.
You also mentioned that my mechanic might not be “up to snuff”. Hmm…I’d have to disagree. He’s kept my motor pristine almost since new, and the bike is damn quick for being stock.
[quote=“Leo”]Maybe I’ve just been cursed with mecanics for a while. I’ve found a good one now and I’m sticking with him.[/quote]My mechanic’s good too. If anyone needs a Yamaha certified, conscientious, English speaking bike mechanic in Taichung pm me and I’ll give you his details.
He’s quite happy to work on my old FZ which is why it has;
Complete engine rebuild
Renovated front forks and brake
New back shock, switchgear, starter motor, brake fluid reservoir, electronic control box thingy, high performance o-ring chain and sundry other stuff I can’t remember.
Reburbished gel-filled saddles – no more genital torture!
Decent tyres, filled with nitrogen. (Doesn’t heat up as much as air so tyres last longer, less risk of blowout and supposed to have better characteristics in terms of suspension although can’t say I’ve noticed).
Good for you MJB! Definetly the highest mileage on a 2 wheels I’ve ever heard of by far. Still looks awesome too. We must have misscalculated the year obviously? This is awesome! I’m not the only one who values a bike for what it’s worth as opposed to what year it was manufactured which unfortunetly decreases the value depsite our determination to keep em running like on day one.
At the end of the day, it really depends on how you feel about your mecanic. My mecanic doesn’t have to be a nice guy(although he is)but he has to be trustworthy and he has to know his stuff. If you trust your man, stay with him… 
I enjoyed the picture. How do I post a link to a picture like you did?
Also, how do I quote 2 posts in the same post? Please use easy lingo, I’m a computer beginner. Oh and, how do I get a picture below my name? Don’t understand, tried, did not work. Where should I post these questions? Thank you.
Cheers!
Mine was made in 1988 (民國77年), and I’m the third owner. The second owner is a friend of mine and I remember seeing him on it just after he bought it (used) in 1989. I’ve had it since 93 or 94. After a going-over by Jeremy, it still runs fine, though the front shocks leak fluid all over the disc brake despite best efforts to stop the leak. New seals don’t seem to work and new shocks are several thousand NT.
[quote=“Mordeth”]It always bewilders me that some people choose to ride bikes that are litterally falling apart.
It amazes me how people put their life in the hands of something that isn’t even road legal and wouldn’t be able to pass the least of safety inspections. I often get critized for riding too fast, but I’d rather do a 100 on a well maintained bike than 50 on the death traps many people ride.[/quote]
It’s quite simple really, people here are niggardly. Accidents always happen to other people lol
Mordeth…excellent topic, and one that is often overlooked.
My first bike, which I still have, is a good one because my Taiwanese boss and her Canadian BF helped me choose it at a reputable dealer. However, knowing squat about regular check-ups, I soon let some small problems turn into big problems; tires, brakes, oil-change, etc.
I finally got off my lazy ass and fixed all of the above at a good scooter shop and with the urging of my Chinese gal, have kept up on the overall health of my ride. Especially the tires and brakes.
Funny thing happened to me though, at my favortie scooter shop of all places. I took my ride in for new brakes all around. I got the bike back and…no brakes! 
What was even worse, they had somehow dislodged or loosened the drive train in the process so there was next to nothing for power.
These fools had ruined my once good ride (Jockey 125), into a pitiful performer. I promptly turned around and became very angry at their lack of inspection on their own job. If they had just taken it for a test drive after the supposed work, they would’ve realised their mistakes. Too bad. They were my “go-to” mechanics! Sure they fixed the problems, but I could have ran into someone 100 feet from the shop. And these guys had never let me down before, so I stupidly assumed the work would be done.
Currently I have a vexing problem…electrical of course. A while ago I replaced the battery and starter, at a different mechanic because it was the closest, biggest shop and I was not going anywhere on the bike in that state. Anyway, I now endure a recurring electronic start-up problem, one that at random moments, no electric start! It really sucks to have to kick start my bike in front of a bunch of inquisitive Taiwanese. All of them thinking: “Yeah…dumb foreigner…” or something like that.
So the issue of maintenance is a double-edged sword. Sure it’s cheap most of the time, but now I have to find a new, reliable mechanic. 
Some of them will do a quick fix to get you out of the shop, others see nothing wrong with driving a less than ideal ride.
But there are some diamonds in the rough out there. 
[quote] wonder:
So the issue of maintenance is a double-edged sword. Sure it’s cheap most of the time, but now I have to find a new, reliable mechanic. Some of them will do a quick fix to get you out of the shop, others see nothing wrong with driving a less than ideal ride.[/quote]
When I first moved to my present house, I had to find a mechanic nearby. First place I went to get a new rim…he sold me a 2nd hand one, painted it and told me it was new.
Next place I went seemed nice. Extremely polite and proffesional. Was good for awhile but I noticed that his prices seemed to slowly be rising. After about 3 times of questionable prices on the fourth time I called his bluff. I was buying shocks for a 50cc scooter and he wanted 3000. I said it was expensive and he assured me they were very good. I asked him if I took the packaging to another mechanic and asked him what the price was would he also say 3000? He assured me they would. I left, ate lunch and went back to see him. He came running out to meet me to tell me the price was wrong…the dealer had sold it to him for the wrong price and it wasn’t his fault of course 
.
Next mechanic was good and cheap. But one time I went there to put some air in my tire which was much too low. I pulled up and told him I just needed some air and I could do it myself. He replied “No, your tire is fine.”. I answered “Uhh, no it’s not.”. He gave my tire a quick squeeze with his hands and said “It’s ok…no problem”. I got off my bike and showed him on the tire where it says it should have 30psi then took his pressure checker thingy and showed him that the tire had 12psi. To which he responded “Oh, that’s enough…the front tire doesn’t have much weight on it so 12 is fine.” Even though he never cheated me and was fairly capable at fixing…I never went back there again…except once to explain to his wife/mechanic how stupid her husband was and why I wouldn’t be coming back.
The next mechanic wanted to rebuild my engine because of a burnt out spark plug.
And once at my old house I went for an oil change…and the mechanic told me that my Oil bolt was stripped…and that he would have to redrill the hole as the grooves were gone. He told me to leave the bike there overnight as it was too late to fix it. I pushed the bike with no oil to the next shop and they put the oil in and put the bolt in with no problem. Who knows what would have happened if I had left it there over night.