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When someone you know sets – or indeed you yourself set – out to buy a new sidecar outfit in North America you will almost certainly be heading for a Ural dealer. There is a lot more choice in Europe, although the bespoke sidecar manufacturers who flourish there are mostly precisely that – they build outfits to order. But there is one notable exception, albeit from China, and while you may have heard or seen the name, it is unlikely that you will ever have encountered a Changjiang in real life.
Changjiang is the transcribed brand name of the CJ750 motorcycles that were once manufactured by the China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company. The name comes from the Chang Jiang River, also known as the Yangtze or, in English, the Long River. The motorcycle was based on the original 1956 Soviet IMZ (Irbitski Mototsikletniy Zavod) M-72 which itself was derived from the earlier German 1938 BMW R71. Nearly all Changjiangs have sidecars. They are sometimes referred to as BMW replicas which is not correct; they are derivatives of the IMZ.
Production began in the late 1950s or early 1960s. They were originally produced for the Chinese military and powered by an air-cooled, four-stroke, sidevalve, opposed flat-twin engine displacing 746cc. The rear wheel is shaft-driven, and the sidecar is fairly clearly a copy of the Russian design. As well as fulfilling government contracts the outfit was made available for sale to the public.
While the original M1 model had a 6 volt electrical system and was kickstart-only, the later M1M introduced in 1968 has a 12 volt system and an electric starter, improvements designed with the help of German engineers. Finally, the 1986 M15 has an overhead valve engine effectively like a BMW’s (don’t ask how that came about), as well as reverse gear. The three models use the same frame and sheet metal.
A sandy-looking Pekin Express looks ready to tackle the desert. Well, a bit. Photo: Changjiang
The Changjiang was not the only sidecar outfit produced for the military in China. The next most common was the Donghai 750 A which has a parallel-twin OHV 750 cc dry sump engine. The engine has some remarkable similarities to British powerplants of the time, but far be it from me to draw inferences. It develops 33 hp, for a 100 km/h maximum speed; that’s an alleged 145 km/h for the solo version. While I have only ever ridden one of the very early Changjiangs with the sidevalve engine for a very short time, I did have an opportunity to play on a more modern Donghai in 1984 while being tested for my Chinese motorcycle licence. It seemed like a fun thing.
The Changjiang models for sale in Europe these days bear some resemblance to the M series, but they are new designs in many ways. The main carryover seems to be the sidecar, which is available only for the left-hand side of the outfit. From what I have seen, it could probably be converted to the right-hand side, so potential Long River riders in the UK, Australia and other left-side drive countries might find them of interest.
The Dynasty’s colour makes it look somewhat more reserved. Photo: Changjiang
Today, Changjiang sidecar outfits are powered by a modern electric start 650 cc twin cylinder, eight-valve engine developed by CF Moto, a Chinese brand with a substantial reputation for quality. It has double overhead camshafts, liquid cooling and electronic ignition with a Bosch fuel injection system. The power output is an adequate 41 kW at 8000 rpm with 62 Nm at 7000 rpm.
Wheels are identical, a nice touch, and tires are 4.10-18. Length is 2235 mm, height is 1070 mm and width is 1655 mm. Ground clearance is 167 mm, presumably unladen, while weight is shown as 365 kg. The fuel tank holds 20 liters, with 4 liters reserve. The outfits include, hold your hats, a toolkit!
That Pekin Express sidecar sure does look like a Ural’s. Photo: Changjiang
Standard equipment includes Kayaba suspensions, a linked braking system, a parking brake, aluminium [aluminum for my US friends] rims, LED lights, LCD dashboard, spare wheel fitted on top of the sidecar, two USB sockets, a 12 volt socket, a set of protective covers for the sidecar and for the spare wheel, a pair of spotlights and front and rear bumpers. They come with a 4-speed gearbox plus reverse, heated grips and tubeless spoked rims as well as a steering damper.
“The latest models with modern specifications bring a new level of sidecar ownership,” says the European Changjiang website, ”making a Changjiang sidecar outfit a practical and enjoyable vehicle for all types of journey from local daily trips, to longer tours and adventures.”
The two models are very similar, although the grey or black Dynasty is targeted as an on-road “beautiful convertible” (according to Changjiang, not me) with road tires, while the military-look green or sand-coloured Pekin Express has more of an off-road flavour with appropriate tires for that.
You get a lot of goodies for the Long River’s price. Photo: Changjiang
Why not just buy a Ural? Well, the Dynasty and the Pekin Express Changjiangs cost 14,990 euros with the comprehensive equipment listed above. The most basic Ural model, the T, is basic indeed and costs 5000 euros more. A Ural equipped to a similar standard to the Changjiangs, say the Ranger, costs 22,590 euros. That gives you a fair swag of spare cash to spend on large plush animals to carry in the chair when your wife decides she is over side-car-ing, to coin a term.
At the time of writing there did not seem to be any plans to sell these outfits in America, north or south.
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