Magnum 300cc Ice Bear

[rapidjim]

I have sold 2 Magnums this week and expect the first one to arrive on Wedesday next week. Both customers elected to have them delivered here instead of drop shipping. Soooooo, when one gets here I will take lots of pictures and let you all know what I think.

Jim

Update: 3/29

I called the shipping company just now and the 300 Magnum will be delivered tomorrow a day early. Fun Fun Fun

Jim

[aileronjack]

Jim!
That would be awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will look forward to next Wednesday, Thrusday, or Friday; and will check the site for your pics!
So, are you doing the PDI?

J

[Jake aka: Ventoscoot]

Looking forward to the pics and details. That is the one I would get if I went to a trike!

[rapidjim]

Yes Jack I am doing the PDI personally on these two trikes. I want to see exactly what my customers are going to be buying and how well the product is made, shipped ect. Both of these customers are out of State, one is in MN about an hour and 1/2 away, the other is from IL but, has a cabin about 60 miles away and will be coming here towards the end of April. The one in IL just emailed me again this morning, asking about me installing a radio with a USB input for an MP3 player, so I guess I will be doing research on finding something for it and where it can be placed. That one I will have lots of time to work with, that is the one that should be here on Wedesday.

One thing that I was impressed by so far was the shipping company, SAIA. They called the day that the Trike was shipped to set up an appointment for delivery and the truck had not even left the dock yet! It was in OK last night so I figure it will be here before Wedesday, if it is at the "hub" before I will call them and try to get it sooner.

Jim/Owner
Rapid Repair

[budmanr]

Jim I found my stereo here , featured one on top is the one I have and sounds pretty good with mp3 player . FM is OK but you can't change channels with remote . I fit the main amp in the glovebox of jcl mp 250a and had enough room to put speakers on the upper corners of dash .

www.gooddeals18.com/category/motorcycle_audio/

[rapidjim]

Takes for the link. Hope yours is working fine because the reviews I read were not all that promissing. I found 2 others in case anyone else is looking for the same type of system. A Pioneer DEH2200UB and a Kenwood KDCMP345U.

Jim

[rapidjim]

Both Trikes were delivered late today. I was expecting one but not both of them. Crates and cardboard looks good. We will see what we have tomorrow.

Jim

[aileronjack]

Cool Jim!!!
Lots of pics would be a great help.

[wingcommander]

Can't wait to see the pics!! I'm about 1/2 way to saving the money for one!!! (as long as I get my paypal/bank issues fixed anyway but that's a story on another thread lol) Can't wait to see what the 'real' pics look like!!!! Thanks for the upcoming pics!!

[rapidjim]

Well today I got the first one fired up and a quick jaunt around town. This weekend I will post pics and verbage on how it is going. My help was AWOL all week and taking pics as I went slowed things up quite a bit.

Jim

[aileronjack]

Thanx Jim:
We appreciate your attention in taking the pictures. Your help in taking them will assist those of us leaning hard toward the 300cc make a better informed decision. Many don't realize the service you are providing nor its value. You're a totally cool trike selling dude.....

Jack

[als01seville]

Jim,
Take pictures of the axle and differential, after all its a Trike and that is basically the only difference from a 2 wheeler. The problems will most likely come from the rear, everything thing else is basically the same as any other 2 wheeler Except for the quality of the parts.

Also the Muffler, the mufflers on the 150's look good but are cheaply made. The rivets start to come out after a couple hundred miles and leak all around the chrome cylinder cover front and back. I have already gone through TWO mufflers and I just passed 1000 U.S miles. I had the rivets taken out and both of the mufflers ends are now welded.
Alleyoop

[rapidjim]

They arrive! Milltown Chief of Police watching! LOL! He is sooooooo nosey.

Unknown to me both the trikes we ordered two days apart were both delivered the same day. Order March 24th and 25th. The first one was in the Mn hub on Saturday the 28th, the second one arrived at the hub on Monday. Both delivered March 30th.


Nice steel cages.

Removing cages

Bottom of the steel cage has 8 "U" pieces welded to the bottom steel to keep the cage from shifting off the pallet. This also makes impossible for 2 people to slide the cage and trike off the pallet. We took 2 floor jacks front and rear to raise the cage up and slide the pallet out from under the cage. Next we took 2 4x4s and placed under the differential and removed the rear jack.

Next we took a torch and cut the rear section off from the cage. This allows room to mount the tires. Removed the 4x4s and was able to roll the trike off the remaining frame.

The trikes were very well packed and protected. The only problem was that one of the side bars of a crate came loose and caused damage to one rear deck.

Linhai 300cc Water Cooled Motor

Notice that the rear brake calipers are on the bottom of the rotors not on the side as I would suspect.

Wanted to reshow this picture, take a close look at the diff and the reverse mechanism. There is quite a throw from forward to reverse, not like the 150cc at all.
I have taken a few more pictures that did not turn out so I will retake them next week.

PDI.

The trike is shipped pretty close to being assembled, but not as some say it is on their websites. Rear Calipers, Rear Wheels, Rear Fender assembly, Windshield, Mirrors and Battery must be installed. Plug wire was also off and taped to the side rail.

All fluids were changed, I was not impressed at the China "stinky" oil. 10W40 valvoline oil used and valvoline 80/90 in the diff.

Preliminary check of all hoses and wiring to make sure nothing was hanging or loose.

Added Premium gas and was impressed on how fast it fired up and ran. Very small vibration at an idle, but I also felt the idle is too low. There was 2.7 miles already on the odometer. Full digital dash, pictures to follow.

Have not installed the rear deck yet, as we just finished repairing it and still needs to be rubbed out.

Now for a quick jaunt around the block. Reverse locks in very nice no noises. Released reverse and forward was right there, no jerks or noises. Impressed with this. Initial pull from a dead stop feels more than adequate, don't want to push it yet.

Now here is where the first problem comes in. There is a bad left to right to left shimmy in the front wheel that starts to subside above 35. There is not up and down movement. Brought it back to the shop, felt no play in the triple tree, and no play in the front wheel bearings. Place a traffic cone in front of the tire, with the tire off the ground and rotated, tread roll is true. Also used the cone to check for bent wheel or side wall warpage and there isn't any. Next step will be to remove the front tire and check the bearing and find somewhere to have it balanced. I really can't think of anything else that would cause it.

With the exception of the above so far I am very impressed. Found nothing loose, bent or distorted yet. I am disappointed with the shimmy! Hopefully it is a balance problem.

Both MCOs arrived by US Mail this morning, and were sent automatically, nothing required on my part.

More to come next week.

Jim/Owner
Rapid Repair

[aileronjack]

Way to go Jim!
Thanx for the pics.
And yes, my first comment of the last photo was the long arm on the reverse mechanism. No problem really. It maybe even an improvement.
It's good to know that the bike is doing well. I am sure the shimmy is a balance issue and you'll get that worked out easy enough.
Did the fuel and vacuum lines look to be in good shape....no cracking, splits, or anything?
Realizing that your professional opinion is carrying a lot of weight right now, do you fell that the bike is a good upgrade for those of us wanting a little more giddy-up in 65-70mph traffic?

Jack

Thanx again, and Happy Easter!

[rapidjim]

Apr 4, 2010 9:24:16 GMT -5 aileronjack said:

Way to go Jim!
Did the fuel and vacuum lines look to be in good shape....no cracking, splits, or anything?
Realizing that your professional opinion is carrying a lot of weight right now, do you fell that the bike is a good upgrade for those of us wanting a little more giddy-up in 65-70mph traffic?



Thanx again, and Happy Easter!

On the initial look all the hoses looked great. I wanted to get a quick ride in to see what was happening. I am going to take a deeper look this coming week. Customer would like to have it by the weekend.

Power I do not think is an issue at all.

Jim

[aileronjack]

That's good Jim:
I kinda figured that it would do okay. I just wanted to hear from a reputable source.
If you get a chance to make it past 50 for perhaps a short test run. And, after your work on the shimmy in the front end, I would be interested if there is a shimmy anywhere else.

Jim, this is good information and we are appreciative of your effort.

Thanx,

Jack

[rapidjim]

Rear tire balance was the cause of the shimmy!

Yesterday after getting it all balanced up, I proceeded to install the rear deck/fender assembly. What a pita! It can not be done with the tires on! Alignment is a bit tricky but taking ones time it does fit together nicely. I really don't care for the "gap" between the top of the assembly and the bottom of the rear section of the main bike, but is necessary because of the up and down movement of the rear differential.

Sorry for no pictures, my camera died. I am getting a new one today and will take pictures of the white one when I get it put together. The customer is wants the black one tomorrow.

Overall I am more than satisfied in the way it turned out. I think they are great machines. Now one word of caution for those that are thinking of buying a trike, keep in mind they do not handle like anything else you may have ridden. You actually drive a trike and don't lean into the turns like you would with 2 wheels.

Jim

[rapidjim]

Apr 4, 2010 17:59:45 GMT -5 aileronjack said:

If you get a chance to make it past 50 for perhaps a short test run. And, after your work on the shimmy in the front end, I would be interested if there is a shimmy anywhere else.

Sorry for the lack of posting, but not only has it been busy, I have now gotten a cold and sinus infection so things have really slowed down.

I did have it up above 50 and it rode very nice. The customer has picked it up and says there is still a low speed shimmy/wobble in the front.

I have managed to get the 2nd Magnum at least up and running and was able to take it out yesterday for a short jaunt. To my surprise it didn't have the same shimmy/wobble in the front end as the first one did. So now more investigation needs to be done on the first one to see what is up. I suggested he have the front tire and wheel assembly checked again and balanced. That is one thing I do not have here or available in the local area is a balancer that will handle these front wheels. Need to find one! I have also done some research on other trikes that had shimmy issues so I have things that can be checked after the wheel/tire is balanced.

Is there anything in particular that you folks want as far as pictures are concerned before I get it all together?

More to come.

Jim

[jas34613]

Jim,

I'd like to know what your honest opinion is of the overall quality of the trikes because they are Chinese built as is the 2007 VOG we bought in 2008 for my girl friend. The VOG's main drive assembly (XY260T-4) seems fine. It's the very cheap ancillary parts (switches, bulb sockets etc.) and the horrendous workmanship of the electrical assembly - e.g. wires twisted together and taped - no solder nor connectors used - numerous shorts and breaks in harness.

Carole, who is 64, is not comfortable riding the VOG because she is short and has to stand up forward of the seat in order to put both feet on the ground. We'd love a scooter trike. I'm just hoping Chinese production quality has improved in three years.

Jim, would you let your Mom ride an Icebear?

John

I'm a Newbie Dawg but old biker, 66, I love to ride but not fix so I have a Goldwing

[rapidjim]

So far my honest opinion on the Magnum is very high. I have laid out a couple issues we have had so far, but these issues aren't, in my opinion, anything out of the ordinary. At this time I am impressed on the build. Both started right up and sounded healthy.

I am going deeper into the second one because I will have more time to work with it before the customer comes to get it.

As far a twisted, taped, breaks and so forth on the wiring harnesses of Chinese products, I have not run into that issue with the scooters we have sold.

I will pass on more information as time progresses.

To answer your question on would I let my Mom ride an Ice Bear, yes I would if she wasn't so in love Harleys while she was still with us.

Now all the information I am passing on is on the Magnum only. I have no fist hand information on the 150 or 50 cc models. There is posts in this section that deal with the 150cc models.


Jim

[marciag]

Hi Jim: I sure do appreciate all of your input and first-hand accounts on all aspects of the Ice Bear scooters! It is reassuring (as a future owner) to know that you are working with them and like what you see!

Thanks for taking time out to keep us informed.

Marcia

[gio]

Hi there! Whoever is buying the Ice Bear 300cc trike from County Motors watch out.Yes that's exactely the one in the pic.I'm not saying nothing now about what i'm going thru with barely 7 miles trial.If u buy then buy dirrect from Ice Bear,at least the service people are there to help.To start with check the pic. how it's shipped.It's 2 pallets joined together,n by the time u get ur bike it's all broken n ur trikke scratched up plus...N about that 4000 $ trike i'll tell u later if they don't come up with a solution to fix my problems.The salesman know nothing about that scooter yet except The"it's an awesome trike"word.After u get done,u r encouraged to return it.But why? why would we loose 25% for their restocking fee plus 2 shipping charges for their product that has all defects?They sent me to Ice Bear for tips.Then we all stay with Ice Bear, at least they try to help u fix it.10 days since i received it n no manual with it,no title or bill of sales yet.I can get a liscence plate but they still ask u to ride it to a nearest repair shop n send them a bill.Try it for urself my friends,go 15 mph on a curb n see what happens...Anybody from texas is invited to come n try free mine n see what u paying for.For the same money u can get anything...

[gio]

Mar 24, 2010 23:57:47 GMT -5 Jake aka: Ventoscoot said:

Looking forward to the pics and details. That is the one I would get if I went to a trike!

[gio]

Look is deceiving,don't waste ur money on that trike.u r all invited to come n check mine n see what a rip off it is.Can't handle a 15 MPH curb,steering wabbles n so much defect.I'm still asking for help but in vain from County Motors Imports that is a sub of buggy world.300cc cannot even handle 55.The shaking,the roughness,the cheap shocks.......so many things to mention.I messed up my money.I contacted Ice Bear who is the main distributor n they're trying to help me.But i'm embarrassed to tell them or call them on every problem that damn trike has.They help me with one,then comes another.Maybe it don't start or the seat don't open.i run out of favor n that is 'cause i didn't buy it from them but from one of their agent in Wash n Fla.

[als01seville]

Well, first off, your first mistake was ordering from County Motors Sports in CA. All they do is sell them. They are not technical at all. They just order them from Ice Bear and Its from Ice Bear that they get shipped from. I can tell you horror stories about County Motor Sports, I have already written about them in previous Trikes threads. Just so Everyone knows Last year they Closed and Did not REFUND peoples money for Scoots, ATVs they ordered and they did not get there Scoots or ATVs. Just to give you a little taste of my problems with them last year, I Wrote to Attorney General of Illiniois, California the BBB of Illinios and California sent them all of their WEB PAGES which is a bunch of lies all the emails back and forth Finally I had to get a LAWYER he had $5000.00 of my money and I had no product. He finally shipped my TWO PST150H TRIKES after 3 months Due to my lawyer getting on his case and two weeks later he closed. He again opened and he is up to his old tricks again. The owner is Jesse Gonazales 32 yr old that thinks customers all Lie and thats from one of his sales people. Once they have your money forget about service or anything else.
Alleyoop

[rapidjim]

Ice Bear is the importer/distributor of these trikes and do not sell to the public. The rest of us are dealers who sell their product.

You said your trike was all broken up and scratched from shipping, did you inspect it before the driver left? The shipping company is responsible for damages and it is your responsiblity to check it over before signing for delivery. Both trikes I have had shipped here were on a one piece pallet, not 2 I don't have a clue what you are talking about when you say to check the pic.

There should have been a manual under the seat for what that is worth. I am not impressed at all with the manual. The bill of sale comes from the dealer you bought the machine from, also the MCO is sent to the dealer first so they can sign it and transfer ownership to you.

I am curious about this 15MPH curve you are talking about, I have ridden two of these and have not had a problem with turning.

My question to you is, did you PDI the trike before riding it. Change the fluids, check and tighten bolts, check tire pressure, check to make sure the rear hubs and front tire are secured properly, ect.? No one drop ships a scooter/trike that you just uncrate, put gas in and ride, everything requires an inspection, even your local Yamaha/Honda/Harley ect. dealers inspects their products before they are put out for sale

Jim/Owner
Rapid Repair

[Jake aka: Ventoscoot]

Gio, start your own thread in the dealer review thread!

[als01seville]

From all that you said was wrong after delivery, It probably was dropped thats why the cage and or boards were broke and damaged the plastics on the Trike. When delivered its up to the customer to take the cardboard off and at least do a visual inspection before signing off on the delivery. If there is anything wrong right off the bat, broken cage and the cage has damaged some plastics etc.. the delivery person has to write that on the delivery sheet so you have proof of the damage and then you sign it and the delivery guy signs it. This way you will have Two possible solutions the Delivery Company has to pay for the parts and or the Dealer.
Alleyoop

[rapidjim]

Update stuff from orignal post:

Black One: Customer was in a hurry to get his trike and I didn't get time to finish checking it. He took it to his mechanic and the Wobble turned out to be a bad rear hub and tire, so he says. I called Ice Bear and they had the tire, shipped and received in 4 days. The hub was ordered from China and a box arrived yesterday, to my surprise they sent me a rear wheel instead of a hub so now I have to call Ice Bear again. Now I had to pay half the shipping here on the tire but no shipping on the hub. Will update as things progress.


Customer with the Black one has a speed issue. He claims it will not do over 50MPH, (edit 04/28 should be 60MPH not 50MPH)) I had it radar checked when it was here to check the speedo at 58 without pushing it. Keep in mind I didn't want to run it to hard until it was broke in. Now I am not sure if he is bringing it back or letting his mechanic take a stab at it. Now the white one I have had longer and have had it cruising at 65MPH for a short jaunt.

Attaching the rear deck is somewhat of a pain in the butt. It can be done by one person, but an extra hand at times would make it faster. The brackets have rubber glued to the points where they attach to the axle Assembly and seem to be quite rigid. Now aligning everything so the the bolt holes line up is a slow process. The trick is not to tighten the brackets down to the axle, just attach loose, until the rear deck is attached to the brackets. Tighten the deck first then tighten the bracket at the axle. Tires need to be off to do this.

Also check the rear axle nuts, they have cotter keys in them but don't trust it. The black one was loose and the white one was fine.

I will write more later and more pics. We installed a radio with a USB hub on the white one and it worked out fine.

Jim/Owner
Rapid Repair

[rapidjim]

Update time with more pics.

This is the last of the magnum updates, the white gets to go to it's new home on Monday.

Installing the rear deck is a job that is best suited for 2 people, but it can be done carefully by yourself. As I mentioned before the key here is to assemble slowly and not tighten the bolts completely until all bolts and screws are attached. This leave "slack" for movement and alignment.


Left the rear of the trike with an appropriate jack and support it. I used a padded bike jack with a locking device. Remove the wheels.



Attach the rear brackets on each side, as close to the disc as possible. Remember not to tighten completely.



Top view of installed bracket.



Lift rear deck and install on brackets, install top screws, Be careful not to over torque.



This is the inside of the rear assembly showing the "slip" assembly.



Look to the left of the ID tag and you will see the bracket on the frame where the slip assembly goes. It just slides over this bracket. Now I went one step further and used a very heavy zip tie through the "slip" and around the bracket to hold it securely.

Now from underneath, tighten the brackets to the Axel. Make sure you alternately tighten each bolt, do not tighten one then the other.



Now that you are finished, you can take out the jack. I had to set the tires on 2x4s, then lower the jack. This gave room to get the pad jack out without damaging the rear deck.




Installed the radio under the seat in the helmet bucket. This was the strongest point to mount it. We used "L" brackets to the side of the radio, then drilled holes through the seat bucket area and bolted with lock washers and fender washers from underneath. The Radio antenna is located under the seat also. We found an antenna that is used in Harley fairings so there is not that ugly antenna on the outside of the bike.



Two 2 inch handle bar speakers were used. There really isn't an area on the trike that would support 6 inch rounds. Besides this directs the sound right at the rider. These speakers are full range, not just tweeters and sound really good.





Done and ready for delivery!

Jim/Owner
Rapid Repair
www.rapidrepair.webs.com