[Buses in Beijing]京华 Jinghua BK6120N1 <CNG> 北京公交集团 BPT #57721 Front-right at Xiaozhuang Crossing

A BK6120N1 12m low floor CNG bus built by the already diminished Jinghua Buses in Beijing

 

BK6120N1 is the predecessor of the prevailing BK6120N2 and BK6120N3, successor of the rarely-seen three-door novelty BK6120N. BK6120N is the first low floor CNG bus built by Jinghua, but the three-door configuration is not practical at that time. So the successor BK6120N1 retain only two doors, front and middle. Also, the exterior is no longer the outdated pattern; instead, "MAN replica" design, same with its diesel counterpart BK6129K and 11m mid floor BK6111CNGZ3, is applied.

 

BK6120N1 is of the same age with JNP6120GC (1st version), DD6129S05, XMQ6125G-1, and share the entire power train with them: Iveco F4BE0641A*G 200hp Euro V CNG engine, Allison T270R 6AT gearbox with integrated retarder, and ZF center-lowered axles. While Youngman Neoplan, Huanghai and King Long use their own chassis, Jinghua, unqualified to be a chassis maker, use a Dongfeng (Second Automobiles of China) 11m-based chassis. Similar to its siblings, although 12m-class, BK6120N1 is only 11620mm long.

 

Although the face is a copy from MAN Lion's City, the body has original side boards, although very plain with a narrow front door, and tail, which is quite stylish, if the "crevice-like" rear windscreen is ignored. The biggest problem of BK6120N1 is its annoying unreliability. The bus seldom stands upright---it either leans to its side or squats. When it brakes, both axles lose suspension air pressure. These problems are due to the chassis maker, but the body builder is not satisfactory either---the exterior paint peels off while the interior falls apart. During summers when the air-conditioning is on, the radiator temperature goes up high until the driver turns off the blessing cool wind and the bus becomes a hot dog. BK6120N1's Break down rate is high among all low floor buses.

 

In the picture, Fleet No. 57721 (Division 5 CNG bus, code 721) on Line 9 is turning left from west to north at Xiaozhuang Crossing. Although only 19.5km long from Jinjiacun Bridge in the west and Jintai Road in the east, Line 9, most legendary line of Division 5, connects two railway stations and the CBD by only 12m rigid buses. But the fleet size is overwhelming---more than 80 units.

 

BK6120N1 has only 49 units which are all operated by Division 5 on Line 9. Perhaps taking the unreliability of Dongfeng chassis into account, Jinghua abandoned N1 before shifted to Shanqi chassis N2 and FAW chassis N3, although these two models are not successful either.

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