Are you a fan of sidecar motorcycles? If you are, and you're also in Europe, then you might be interested to learn what Changjiang is bringing to the table with its new Siberian Express 750.
For those unfamiliar, Changjiang has been around for a long time, and first gained international fame for making yet another licensed BMW R71-alike (see also the history of Dnepr and Ural).
While it raised more than a few eyebrows with its V 750 Defender design a couple of years ago, the company's true bread and butter is a more timeless sidecar design, of the kind that starts to form in even the minds of folks who couldn't care less about motorcycles when you say the word "sidecar."
For those who do pay attention to motorbikes, though, you might be wondering what sets the Siberian Express 750 apart from the Pekin Express?
That's easy: Go Siberian, get a fancy new Kayaba suspension. In pop culture, the concept of Siberia as a place is usually used to denote something harsh, unforgiving, and probably cold. But for Changjiang, it's being used to denote a suspension upgrade above the Pekin, so let's take a look.
The Changjiang Siberian Express 750 is powered by a liquid-cooled 693cc, eight valve, double overhead camshaft twin with bore and stroke of 83mm by 64mm, making a claimed 69.3 horsepower at 8,500 rpm alongside 68 newton-meters (about 50 pound-feet) of torque at 6,500 rpm. It has a four-speed gearbox, plus a handy reverse gear.
Now for that fancy (it's a relative term, folks) new suspension. Up front, you'll find a 41mm KYB airless front fork. In the rear, you'll find a pair of KYB hydraulic spring shocks, which are adjustable to five different settings. For the sidecar, you'll find a KYB Fast Ace adjustable shock absorber as well. And finally, up front, you'll find a new steering damper to keep things smooth.
As for brakes, you'll find a two-piston caliper, 320mm floating brake disc setup in front, and individual single-piston, 256mm disc brakes on both the rear and sidecar wheels. There's also a handlebar-mounted parking brake for added security, which is good because the claimed curb weight is 365 kilograms (just under 805 pounds). The fuel tank holds 20 liters (just over 5.2 gallons), with four in reserve.
Gallery: Changjiang Siberian Express 750
There's a lot more to the Siberian Express 750 than just the basics, though. While it might feature a pretty classic design, features that solidly place it in the modern era include a digital dashboard, LED lights all around, and heated grips. The spare wheel, spare wheel protector, and side cover all come standard on this model, as does the plush upholstered seat in the sidecar. In Europe, it also comes with a two-year warranty on both parts and labor.
What's all this going to cost you, if you're interested? Changjiang Europe's MSRP for the Siberian Express 750, including tax, is €17,490. At today's exchange rate, that's about US $19,380, which seems like you get a fair bit of bang for your buck.
What do you think of the Changjiang Siberian Express 750? Does it make a significant enough change from other Changjiang sidecar models for you to consider it? There aren't a whole lot of OEMs making sidecar models these days, but would you rather have one of those instead? Let us know in the comments!
