Operating

Daily Pre-Ride Checks

Walk-Around

It is always a good idea to walk around your bike before any ride looking for anything amiss. Check for loose wires, missing nuts, check the connection to the sidecar, oil leaks, fuel leaks, and low tire pressure. It only takes a few moments but such diligence could save you money, and perhaps even your life.

Engine Oil

The oil level should be maintained between the upper and lower mark lines of the oil dip stick. To measure oil level correctly, the threaded plug on the dipstick must not be screwed in. The oil inside gearbox and rear drive casing should be filled to start of the plug threads. Before oil filling, check the oil drain plugs are correctly tightened.

Engine care / inspection

During everyday preventive maintenance, clean the engine from mud and dust paying special attention to the cooling fins, fouling of the cooling fins will reduce the engine cooling. Check engine crankcase, cylinders and cylinder heads for leaks of oil and fuel.

Fuel

The CJ 750 is designed and tuned by default to use gas with a rating of 90 RON (European rating system) which is equivalent to 87 PON (US rating system). Should the motorcycle need to be operated with lower or higher RON/PON fuel, the ignition timing must be adjusted to allow operation without engine detonation (pinking).

Before starting, always check the gasoline level. Refill if the level is low. Motorcycle gas tanks should be kept above 2/3 full as much as possible, and not allowed to sit for a long period of time with less than that. This helps reduce the likelihood that the inside of the tank will be damaged by water/oxidation, and also helps to reduce the volume of air available for evaporation/gas destabilization. Re-word the previous sentences. If you do not intend to ride the bike for a long time (more than a few weeks) you should add a gas stabilization additive to prevent the fuel from deteriorating and ultimately clogging up the jets in your carburetor (among other things). One such product is Seafoam. It is also useful as a periodic fuel additive to keep your carburetor and engine clean during use.

When filling your tank, you should use a filter that fits inside the tank opening to catch any sediment/particles that might be in the fuel supply. This is especially true if you are filling from a fuel jug (and not from a gasoline pump) and if you do not have in-line fuel filters. The gasoline level should be 15-20mm below the edge of filler port. Operating with more than this can result in gasoline spilling out of the tank through the air exchange in the gas cap as you accelerate/decelerate.

Tires

Tire condition is critical to safe operation of your CJ. The most common issues you'll encounter will be tire wear and under inflation. If you are being as attentive as you should be, you'll be aware of the condition of your tire tread and sidewalls since their condition is almost always a result of a gradual deterioration (such as through use or weathering) or some significant event (hitting a curb, locking brakes, etc.). Before each ride you should quickly glance at each wheel making a visual check of the level of inflation. Serious under inflation will be obvious but you should periodically confirm your guesstimate with a pressure guage since slow leaks will eventually require re-inflation.

Proper tire pressure

Front	22 psi (1.5 atmosphere)
Rear	36 psi (2.5 atmosphere)
Sidecar	22 psi (1.5 atmosphere)
Spare	36 psi (2.5 atmosphere)

Engine Starting

There are two kinds of starting devices for the engines listed in this manual. One is the kick starter and the other is the starter motor.

M1 and M1M (when kickstarting)

The M1 has a different distributor than the 12V models and requires some different techniques to operate. Learning how to start your bike will take a little patience. Once you master the process she will normally start on the first or second kick. The M1 has an internal distributor that was built to automatically go to and stay in the fully advanced position. To retard your spark for starting you pull on the retard lever. When you release the lever your timing will return to fully advanced position.

• Turn on the fuel petcock. This lever has three positions. The down position is the normal "Running" position and up is the "Reserve" position. (When the lever is in the Reserve position the motorcycle has a further range of approximately 20 km). When the motorcycle is not in operation the lever should be set to the left position which is "OFF".
• Set the gear shift to neutral (between gear positions No.1 and No.2) using either the foot lever or hand lever. Confirm that the bike is in neutral by stepping lightly on the kick starter . If the wheels do not move, the neutral gear position is properly set.
• If the engine is cold, close the choke lever on the left side of the air cleaner all the way.
• If the engine is cold, tickle each carb until you see a little gas around the tickler (one to two seconds)
• If the engine is warm/hot, do not apply choke or tickle the carbs.
• Pull back on the retard lever and hold it back
• Open the throttle fully then return to 1/8 to 1/4 open and hold.
• Operate the kick starter 4-5 times to turn the crankshaft over. The cylinders will be pre-charged with fuel/air mixture and lubricating oil supplied to running surfaces.
• Turn the ignition key to the DAYTIME ON position (turn the key counterclockwise). Once the bike is warmed up you can quickly switch the key to the nighttime riding position as needed (turn the key clockwise, past the off position).
• Press the kick starter down slightly by foot to make the brake block insert into the ratchet wheel of the starting gear (no free travel is felt).
• KICK! When the engine catches, release the retard lever. If the engine doesn't catch, kick again and vary the throttle opening. If after several attempts the bike doesn't start you may have flooded the engine; turn off the ignition and let the bike stand for several minutes before retrying.
• Keep the choke closed until the bike warms up. An M1 can take a mile or two to fully warm up. Occasionally you'll run with a partially applied choke.

M1S and M1M (when using starter)

• Turn on the fuel petcock. This lever has three positions. The down position is the normal "Running" position and up is the "Reserve" position. (When the lever is in the Reserve position the motorcycle has a further range of approximately 20 km). When the motorcycle is not in operation the lever should be set to the left position which is "OFF".
• Set the gear shift to neutral (between gear positions No.1 and No.2) using either the foot lever or hand lever. Confirm that the bike is in neutral by stepping lightly on the kick starter . If the wheels do not move, the neutral gear position is properly set. When using the starter you can also leave the bike in gear and use the clutch lever to fully disengage the clutch during starting.
• If the engine is cold, close the choke lever on the left side of the air cleaner all the way.
• If the engine is cold, tickle each carb until you see a little gas around the tickler (one to two seconds)
• If the engine is warm/hot, do not apply choke or tickle the carbs.
• Open the throttle fully then return to 1/8 to 1/4 open and hold.
• Operate the kick starter 4-5 times to turn the crankshaft over. The cylinders will be pre-charged with fuel/air mixture and lubricating oil supplied to running surfaces.
• Turn the ignition key to the DAYTIME ON position (turn the key counterclockwise). Once the bike is warmed up you can quickly switch the key to the nighttime riding position as needed (turn the key clockwise, past the off position).
• Push the big starter button on the right hand handlebar.
• As soon as it starts, continue to give it throttle and open the choke lever part way.
• Depending on temperature, it will take a while to warm up. When the engine is warm, open the choke lever all the way. In summer you can open it immediately. In winter it will take several minutes. In extremely cold weather you may have to run with the choke partly on.

Engine Stopping

To shutdown the engine, close the throttle, then switch off the ignition switch. After engine shutdown, remove the ignition key and set the gasoline control knob to the OFF position.

Fuel Smell

Alternatively, if the gasoline fumes from your carb float bowls are a problem, such as might be the case if you park your bike inside a garage attached to your home, you can turn off the gas control knob prior to shutting down the engine and let the gas in the float bowl burn off as the engine continues to run. It may be preferable to cut the engine off just as the mixture goes lean and the engine runs rough, rather than letting the engine die on its own. People seem to feel no harm will be done using this approach, and this approach is strongly recommended before any sort of long time storage where fuel would evaporate and the residue clog the carb.

Reversing the motorcycle (with sidecar)

For reverse driving, operate as follows:

• Stop the motorcycle.
• Set the gearshift to neutral
• Apply the reverse lever to the reverse position.
• Reverse the motorcycle.
• To return to forward travel, repeat the process but reset the reverse lever to the forward position.

Driving

Changing Gears

The CJ has a 4 speed transmission using the common 1 down / 3 up shift pattern. The CJ has one somewhat unusual feature, on the opposite side of the gearbox a hand lever is available; the hand lever is primarily useful for shifting into neutral while off the bike.

M1/M1M/M1S: Shift Pattern (Foot Lever)

M1/M1M/M1S: Shift Pattern (Hand Lever)

If you are stopped for more than a few seconds (such as at a light) you should shift into neutral. This will reduce wear on the clutch.

Turning with a sidecar

Since a bike with a sidecar attached cannot lean into turns like a normal solo motorcycle, you may find turning difficult to get used to. In particular the offset nature of the sidecar makes turns in the direction of the sidecar harder to execute than those away from the sidecar. If you have never driven a sidecar rig, drive slowly, and take the corners especially slowly. And while you can't lean in the same way that you do a solo bike, leaning can help you maintain control in turns by reducing the likelihood that the sidecar will leave the ground or press too firmly into the ground (depending on the direction of your turn).

Braking with a sidecar

With the significant added weight of the sidecar braking distance is significantly longer than an ordinary motorcycle. Also, be aware that the unbraked weight of the sidecar will cause the bike to turn/veer in the direction opposite the sidecar when you apply the brakes. The harder you apply the brakes the more it will want to turn/veer and the more you'll need to compensate. So, brake early and be ready to steer!

And as all old time bikers or drivers know, the drum brakes on this bike mean that your brakes can lose power the longer they are applied, as the drums expand or the shoes glaze over.

It is possible to improve braking performance and control by adding a brake for the side car. (insert link to sidecar brake kit/info)

Flying the sidecar

When you've mastered turning and braking the only thing left to master is flying the sidecar! If you're a real pro you can even manage to keep the sidecar up in the air long enough for your sidecar passenger to change the tire.

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Copyright 2006. All Rights Reserved. Chang Jiang Collective / Besiex / B. 'Quincy' Cabell