New Proto Type bikes

Marquass Motorcycles donates sidecar to Children's Education Fund

On December 8th of 2007 Marquass Motorcycle donated a side car motorcycle to the Blue Marlin Auction for Charity for the Children Education Fund in China.

Last year the auction had raised 25,000 RMB(3,500USD) for the Children’s and teenagers fund which augments funds for children to attend school who otherwise would not have the opportunity.

We generated a ton of interest on the Friday night Auction when we put the Marquass Sidecar up on the chopping block. Our motorcycle generated a whopping 45,000RMB alone.

This not only was a record for the auction it nearly doubled last years total amount raised.

The end result was our donation alone sent 85 Chinese children to school for a year.

We at Marquass are pretty proud of this and thank the anonymous buyer for his contribution to a great cause and we look forward to continuing community involvement projects.

Who runs the Marquass Factory?

Most people are aware of who I am but only a few know who the real unsung hero's in our Operation actually are. First and foremost is Steve LaPlume an American Ex GP racer from the early 80's who married a Chinese girl in the USA and moved back to Shanghai to be close to the "OUTLAWS". Steve is an even partner and owner and is responsible for all manufacturing and shipping operational duties. Steve has great motorcycle mechanical skills and has a very keen eye for detail and improving anything he works on. Steve has been responsible for many of the innovations we offer standard and is always tinkering with something new on the side. He still currently races on the Chinese amateur circuit for fun and enjoys naked strolls in poppy fields.

Steve has been mentoring a young guy who has been with us now for 2 years Jack "the man" High!! Jack is quite famous around Shanghai as he branch out and started his own mobile mechanical service and workshop. We are please to have him back on board full time again and his input and clear understand between the Chinese and Western mind set has been beyond our expectations. Jack has always been a real keen go getter and has a patience level that most mechanics don't. Jack speaks perfect English and is always on hand to talk with local or international customer enquires. Jack handles all the day to day duties. Work delegation and testing of all the completed bikes. If Jack is happy then its down to Steve to give the finally Quality Control Inspection and Testing then he supervises the crating loading process. So in future when you wonder who is looking after your bike building, you can think if the quite achievers Steve & Jack who oversee our 15 strong crew of mechanics rebuilding our vintage classics.

New Dealership in Australia

Marquass Motorcycles plans to open a new dealership in Brisbane, Australia. Currently a few demo models are being shipping for our major launched planned for early February. I'm personally here to make sure it's done successfully and properly. We have had a lot of interested parties from Melbourne and Sydney. I hope our success and commitment will attract more of the same minded people who love vintage sidecar motorcycles to expand the Marquass name.

Any interested parties, please contact me directly via jeff@marquass.com . Please include your phone number so i can call you for a faster response. More information will be given when our bikes are here,registered and ready to rock and roll!!!

Ramada Hotel gets a new display Sidecar Motorcycle

A month ago Mr Bernie Primack the new GM of The Ramada Pudong Hotel in Shanghai called us to request a new Sidecar motorcycle for display. We though this was a great opportunity to show how much our bikes have improved in the last 6 months. Bernie requested a cherry red Sidecar with white pin stripe. Steve La Plume (COO Marquass Motorcycles) delivered it last week to the Ramada Hotel with much excitement. I think the pictures speak for themselves. Thanks Bernie for allowing us to display our bikes in your lovely hotel.

New Dealerships Opening Very Soon

Marquass Motorcycles is excited to release our strategy for the next upcoming Summer. We Plan to open 5 new dealerships by May 2008. These Locations are as follows in the intended opening sequence;

1. Brisbane - Australia
2. Amsterdam - Netherlands
3. New York - USA
4. London - UK
5. Marbella/Malaga - Spain

These locations are best suit to our unique product and allows plenty of good riding weather (UK being the exception). In the UK we intend to open in either the Porta Bella Rd or Notting Hill area. Currently a lot of searching is being done to find the most visual and accessible property.

Watch this space for the Opening dates and Launch Parties. We will be show casing our new bikes. So plenty of opportunity to see what all the fuss is about.

Interested in joining the growing team and expanding in your city? Email me directly at jeff@marquass.com

New Motorcycle Release coming soon.

Well its finally almost here. We are on the final stage of the first proto type bike being build. The second design is being worked and will follow soon after. We can not give too much away yet as we are planning a world release end of November in conjunction with a very famous publication. Followed soon after with many other print publications and a track day release. Watch this space!!!

Enjoy this little sample shot....

42 Below Vodka Cocktail World Cup uses a Marquass Motorcycle

On Tuesday the 7th of August, 42 Below Vodka held its regional finals for the Cocktail World Cup in Shanghai. During this heat the contestants had to mix a cocktail into a martini glass and be driven around streets of Shanghai inside a Marquass Motorcycle without spilling a drop.The second heat was held at the very swanky Bar Rogue night club situated on the Bund overlooking one of the greatest views of Shanghai. Some of finest and most popular bars sent their best men to show there stuff. Places like The Vault Bar, Dave Laris's super happening spot, Sasha's sent their extremely talented and diligent bar tender Jason to show them how its done. The Glamor bar sent Bobby to show how some tricks are done and the likes of Kathleen's 5, Volar, Naked Cow & the JZ bar sent there best staff. The first heat was held at Kommune in Tiakang Rd the Art district of the City. Jason shined well and showed why Sasha's is one of the most popular spots in Shanghai. His steady hand steered his martini though the busy streets like a surgeon. The Bar Rogue heats were action packed and really got the place rocking. The heats were very close but finally Cross from The Vault pulled out the goods. Great event guys and good luck in the Grand Finals.

To see the video link please click here. Look out for the very cool red sidecar.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BPcVuhD1T-4

Our Electrical System

Most CJ builders and owners would agree that the electrics have been the 'Achilles Heel' of the C J750. Once it rains the old box set up shorts out and fries the battery. Not good if you are miles away from home. Next nightmare is the voltage regular that needs adjusting or replacing more often than underwear. This is responsible for sending the exact voltage to the battery so it recharges. If the voltage is too high or too low the battery will not charge. This mean it will only run as long as the charge last in the battery. After that the bike is not going anywhere. Thats an interesting point I might add. Many people have asked me whether the bike can run without a battery or low battery charge. The usual question is ' can I just kick start my CJ and continue on?'. the answer is a very clear NO!

To sort out this major flaw and improve the CJ's performance we have designed our own wiring harness. This design is fool proof. We housed the electrical system in a side mounted box away from weather and any possible thieves who might want to hot wire the bike. Not only have we put the electronic mounted on the side box but we also put inside the heavy duty battery. We have also added quick release connectors on our wiring to the sidecar. All of these features equates to being able to remove the sidecar without changing over the battery and mounting it somewhere on the bike and cutting all the wires to the sidecar if you choose to go Solo. Next we have done away with the nasty old regular system and added a very reliable Solid State or CDI electronic firing system. This means there is no need for a distributor cap or coil. The bike will never ever miss fire because we put sensor points on the fly wheel inside the engine. So no need for any adjust ever again. Over all the performance is more reliable and a much cleaner spark.

Just another nice finishing off touch that we are Marquass Motorcycles strive for.

Real CJ750 Vintage Vs Fake Vintage

There are many stories about the CJ750 bikes. As there is one factory still pumping out these bikes officially and many other none official factories, the stories can vary greatly as does the quality. It's fairly common knowledge that the new ones are a very poorly made. So why is this? When Mao started production many years ago, these bike were made for a function. They where required to drive great distances through cold, hot, wet or dry conditions. Not to mention off road and covered in mud. Now as there were not too many motorcycle workshops in china , they made these bikes to last. How to tell the difference you ask? Well there are a few tell tale sighs. Most commonly is the quality of the engine block itself. We conducted a very scientific test with a 10 pound hammer back a few years ago. We had just had a guy arrive with a bike which was 8 months old with a cracked bore. When we lifted it out of the frame we could actually feel that it was lighter than the older engines. I put it down marked and X on the good side of the engine and let loose one hell of a swing with my main tool of trade (the 10 pound hammer). I managed to knock a clean hole through the engine the size of a US trade dollar. We changed over the block to an nasty old oil covered 40 year old engine block. We mark the same spot on the block and let loose another hearty swing. We check it and I had dented the outside however no internal damage was done. No happy with the result I swung another 6 times and only managed to dent the block. It was clear that the old metal during China's mechanical revolution were far more Superior to the cost savings and corner cutting metals used today. This methodology applies right across the bike to its frame and chassis. This is the reason we only deal with the vintage stocks.

Another important point to note is that if you buy a new bike and export it overseas, it will fail every testing requiement needed to register it. Only if the bike is vintage can the bike get around the ususal testing and fall into the "old timers" class. I have been told that the new factories can supply vintage documents but I can not see how this is possible without any hanky panky. The bottom lines is that if you love repairing and working on bikes then a new one is the go, however if you want a bike that has been fully rebuilt, has all the upgrades, imporvements and will give you a minimum amount of trouble, then go with the real old timers.

Thai Copy?

What is this little chest nut? I saw this in Koh Samui on my last trip recently. It is looks to be very similar to the BMW R71. It seems not only the Russian and Chinese had a crack at making the BMW but the Thai's. Except for the noticeable or lack of noticeable engine. This engine looks like a sowing machine. Take a close look at the seat and front end. It's so similar its crazy. Its like a CJ with malnutrition. Anyway, enjoy the pics.

Sidecar or Solo

Its the million dollar question. "I have not ridden a sidecar before and wonder if its the same as a Solo???" Let me tell you that its not. The Solo bike can be driven hard and thrown through corners. The sidecar although very stable (with a side passenger) can be a very ridged ride. I compare this sensation to driving a convertible rather than driving a motorcycle. Now that's not dishing the Sidecar at all. Its the ultimate cruiser. In fact the Solo is quite a challenge the first time to ride. However it's worth it. Luckily we have come up with a our own answer to this question. We have made modifications to the electrical system set up and side mounted the battery on the bike itself in a metal box. The connectors for the sidecar lights are now quick release to enable the sidecar to be removed in about 15 minutes. Its literally 4 large nuts and then you are rolling Solo!! So now no need to worry about which style to choose. Make the decision on the day before your go for a cruise.

BMW R71 war bike

I found these pics from a War vehicle meet in Germany. This is the original BMW R71 complete with machine gun and axe!!! Note the size of the tank is smaller than the CJ750. This has to be worth a mint. The extras make it think too. Show me a tougher looking sidecar!!!

Suzhou Bike Rally 16th July 2007

On Saturday the Shanghai Red Devils, Jack from cjsidecarclub.com and Marquass Motorcycle orginised a Bike rally in Suzhou. The turn out was quite good. We had around 35 bikes and a few street performance race cars. The ride lasted for around two hours and we made our way around 2 beautiful lakes. The ride was finished off was a food and drinks at Mexican Lindo, provided by Sita (The legend Samoan who also owns Bubbers Steak House of Shanghai). These are some pics of the day.

The history of our bikes

The BMW is one of the most influential enduring designs in world history. These sidecar motorcycles were original designed for the civilian market in Nazi Germany in 1938, but because of their exceptional reliability and off road manoeuvrability, they were quickly adopted by Hitler’s military. The bikes proved themselves to be so good that soon other countries began making there own copies for their armed forces: the American government contracted Harley-Davidson to build the 1942 ZA, the French and Swiss also produced similar machines and in the last 1940s, Stalin’s USSR started producing the Ural motorcycle from the designs that they had taken from the German factories.

By this time, the design was already ten years old, but it was still so exceptional that only a few modifications were made. These were chiefly designed to harden the bikes against the harsh Siberian winters. In 1958, Stalin sold the designs for these ultra-tough descendants of the BMW R71 to Chairman Mao. The Chinese started to manufacture them immediately for the People Liberation Army.

The bikes that we restore are all genuine vintage motorcycles from the Mao-era. There are a very limited number of the vintage bikes available because in the rush to modernise China, the vast number of the bikes that were once used by the PLA have been forgotten and left to rust and disintegrate over the last thirty or so years. Motorcycles which are still in a good enough state to restore are now very rare. We believe therefore that each and every one of these bikes should be restored to the highest standard. To achieve this we have trained a team of expert mechanics, and we have sourced the highest quality materials and contractors. This ensures we produce the best available results consistently. I am sure that this is apparent if you look at the frame and general presentation of our rebuilt motorcycles.
We give all our bikes a full year warranty on the engine, gearbox and electrical system (which has electronic ignition and our own design electrical harness). All bikes come with covers, complete manuals and a standard tool set.

Our factory is in Suzhou which is an hour out of Shanghai China. We pride ourselves on our set up. We invite any potently interested people who are visiting Shanghai to visit our factory and make your own assessment of our organisation and commitment to get the best results.

Jeff

www.marquass.com