This is a very special Chang Jiang. To the best of my or anyone else's knowledge, it's the only CJ750 that has ever been restored as a proper, vintage Chinese bike. The earliest Changs replaced Russian M72s which were abundant in China before the CJ went into production. When the CJ was introduced in 1957, there were stocks of M72 parts on hand in China. Many of the early CJ750s were built using a mixture of CJ and M72 parts. Chang Jiangs were serviced with M72 replacement parts for many years after as everything interchanged. (Remember, the CJ750 is a copy of the M72... which is a copy of the BMW R71.)
Gerald Gardebled has recreated one of those early bikes using vintage parts almost entirely. And here is the result. Gerald has a bit more to do before he considers the restoration complete. He plans to replace the exhaust system with something a bit more appropriate, same with the high beam switch and a couple other minor details.
As you can see, this is a wonderful bike. My favorite details include the Chinese speedometer, the IMZ logo on the gas tank, the outside fender bracing on the sidecar frame and the externally routed wiring with fabric insulation. Of course, there are dozens of other interesting features on this bike, most of which are pictured and listed here.
The ratty old bike in the first three images served as the platform for this project. The transformation into the machine you see pictured below it is nothing short of amazing. Nice work indeed, Gerald.
The ratty old bike in the first three images served as the platform for this project. The transformation into the machine you see pictured below it is nothing short of amazing. Nice work indeed, Gerald.
