Motorcycles from China
April 26th, 2005 at 8:48 am by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider"Chinese motorcycles are coming, whether or not anyone is ready for them. Those soft sales figures many manufacturers have been reporting may be a sign of things to come if the Chinese have their way. China offers an enormous market for anything you might be selling but tariffs on imported goods make selling into that market extremely challenging if not impossible. The potential size is what keeps drawing attention from companies around the world but the Chinese would rather produce their own products and production often begins with copying. There has been an endless stream of companies suing the Chinese for outright piracy, in the case of software, to trademark infringement and copying of designs. Honda, Toyota and General Motors have all sued Chinese companies for blatant product copies that are sold under Chinese brand names with logos designed to look like the originals. They even sell a BMW clone, too, along the lines of the Ural. Companies at the Indianapolis dealer show have mentioned how it’s common to see Chinese visitors snapping loads of pictures at every product display, I guess it’s a way of compressing the time from design to production, no design needed, just copy.
The major Chinese motorcycle company is Zongshen, a huge operation that annually turns out 1,000,000 motorcycles and 2,000,000 motorcycle engines, among other products. The motorcycles are 250cc and smaller, reflecting the motorcycles used in China, but they are planning to move into larger displacement categories with a 1000cc four cylinder engine and that’s where the rest of the world needs to be ready. If that production is aimed at export, low cost motorcycles will be flooding the market. That may be good for riders looking for cheap transportation but it looks bad for established motorcycle companies.
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24 Responses to “Motorcycles from China”
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April 26th, 2005 at 12:08 pm
don’t buy their crap. Their culture and govt. needs to wake up….and if the worldwide consumer doesn’t realize what China is all about then there will be major problems for more than just motorcycles.
April 26th, 2005 at 12:35 pm
To clarify (so I don’t sound like a goof)….a friend has bought some new Ural-like motorcycles direct from China. He said the labor force that welds the frames together are under-paid and their poor quality shows as a result.
My earlier comment was sweeping with generalizations. The world’s largest market will have an impact on everyone, so if China is successful then the world would benefit to some degree (example: China’s economic boom/growth created a huge import of cement & steel).
I was ranting about their govt., their trademark/patent infringements, and the environmental havoc the 7 gorges dam has caused
July 14th, 2005 at 5:55 pm
China is relatively new to the world economy. For the most part they are still a “closed” society with laws, traditions, and a cultural mindset that are several generations behind the modern world.
But in conflict with this is China’s burgeoning interest in global commerce. With an industrial infrastructure that easily challenges the world, China will eventually become a more free and open society. It has to. With globalization comes contact with an outside world. New generations of young are chanting Britney lyrics and wearing fashions (copied) from Vogue.
How can the world compete with a rising powerhouse like China? Easy. ‘Til next time.
December 28th, 2005 at 11:03 pm
As a Zongshen motorcycle dealer, and a life long off/on road rider, I would like to say that I am increadibly impressed with the quality and professionalism of Zongshen Motorcycles. I was VERY sceptical to start. I took one of thier dirt bikes (ZS 200 GY-A) and beat the heck out of it on some pretty tough trails. There were a couple of little adjustments that needed to be made. All in all it took me about 1/2 an hour to make the simple improvements, which I incorporate in each one of my new assemblies now. I told my Zongshen Representative about the faults I found, and I was contacted by a tech to discuss the improvements. Kudos to Zongshen, they won me over and I am proud to offer such a well made, affordable line of products. If you are in doubt, contact me via my website ( http://www.open-road-cycles.com ) for a test ride in New York. I’ll go for a ride with you… I love these bikes.
Bob , New York
May 20th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
I teach in Mexico, and wanted a small motorcycle. For $2300 US, I could buy a Japanese 125cc. When I priced out the Chinese bikes, I bought a 200cc sportbike for $1900. I was worried about the quality, but I’m finding it to be a reliable, decent machine, comparable to a cheap Japanese bike.
Honda and company have some worries on the horizon…
May 20th, 2006 at 9:27 pm
As the owner of a company always looking to expand our product lines we are investigating importing Chinese scooters and motorcycles for distribution. Some words never spoken are the problems of fraud and quality issues faced by the importers in the United States from fraudulent and dishonest exporters and manufacturers in China. In the past 12 months United States Customs seized over $4.3 million dollars in Chinese scooters and motorcycles because of improper and deceitful certifications, poor quality and other issues. We import other products form China and I don’t know of any other products having this high of a seizure rate anywhere.
We tried at first to work with other so called distributors in the Northeast and after investigation found these sources to be nothing more than local motorcycle shops or wanna bes without sufficent capital to properly inventory or market the products they handle. Most were as unscrupulous as the Chinese manufacturers mentioned above only interested in money and not wanting to provide distribution rights or product support. They didn’t even have a grasp of the concept. Their attitude was as though they owned the market and they were doing something like rocket science and could demand whatever they wanted. Or so they thought. Yet everyone of them was in a poor financial position and couldn’t and didn’t properly inventory or market the products they handled. Most are little more than 2 or 3 years old in business. Their idea of marketing was selling on Ebay and the internet. Those on ebay had horrible customer satisfaction from their feedback profiles and Better Business Bureau reports. I’m not sure which is worse, the sellers or the manufacturers but one thing is certain, almost none have parts or solid dealer or customer support. Yesterday I couldn’t even spell Motorsycle Distributador and today I Are one. Sound familiar??
So we’re going to import the scooters and motorcycles directly and distribute to our already established dealers we presently sell other products to. The problem is in finding a Chinese manufacturer that is willing to provide any satisfactory customer references or proof of their financial stability. We revewed and investigated over 67 sources until we found three manufacturers who could supply credible references and proof of financial stability and had been in buisness more than 5 years. Many of them have the audacity to say “Trust us, we have good reputation”. Sure trust you just like the other American importers who got ripped off for $4.3 million dollars. There’s no way our company is going to lay out $25k or $40k to some unknown Chinese operation that can only provide as credibility the fact that they have a website and can send email in english. Unfortunately too many trusting Americans did that and have gotten ripped off big time. My advice to anyone considering importing Chinese products of any type is to investigate the manufacturer thoroughly and demand references or else be prepared to throw your money away. Good Luck!
May 25th, 2006 at 10:00 am
I picked up a couple of Chinese dirt bikes made by Roketa. 200cc’s for under a grand each shipped directly to my door.
After looking at the Honda CR230 that cost around 3 grand plus EACH - I decided this was the way to go. And yes, I agree… the “accepted” bike companies here should be worried. It wasn’t that long ago that the Japan Bikes were being dissed by everyone in America. The “riceburners” as people used to say to SLAM THEM - are now acceptable. For the same reasons people slammed them originally - lower cost.
Chinese bikes are here to stay folks. It allows people who can’t afford a bike from the established companies to get into, or back into as is the case with me, motorcycling.
When I uncrated my chinese bike, I had some assembly to do. It didn’t take that long to put it together, check over and loctite all the bolts. In fact, I applaud the way the motorcycle was crated in China. It arrived perfectly. Some of the frame welds aren’t as “pretty” as others I’ve seen, but the solid feel of this bike has me grinning when I’m riding it. And the money I saved allowed me to buy a trailer and another bike for LESS the cost of ONE bike I was considering.
It’s up to you if you want to spend big bucks on a motorcycle, for those of you that have it. Originally, I had my heart set on the Honda CR230, but it only came with electric start - no kick start - which I think is a big mistake on the part of the design team, otherwise I may have bought it right there in the showroom.
Oh, and once I assembled my Chinese dirt bike, I put an inline filter in the fuel line, gassed it up and it started on the FIRST try. When money is the bottom line, there are a LOT of consumers who cannot afford to shell out a lot of cash. Afterall, if that wasn’t the case - then Walmart wouldn’t be so popular.
I’m not too worried about getting parts. You’re going to be seeing more and more of the Chinese motorcycles gaining a piece of the market in the USA. Parts will be there if you need them. This is the same argument people had over buying Japanese bikes and Japanese cars. It’s ridiculous. I owned both of foreign cars and bikes when they weren’t popular - and I never went overseas to get service.
May 25th, 2006 at 11:24 am
Well, the great thing about buying one of the already established Japanese brand bikes is that they are actually legal to ride. It doesn’t do any good to get a bike for much less than a CR230 if you can never register it and ride it. Don’t be surprised either if, when you need replacement parts, the design of the bike has already changed and they don’t carry the required 10 years of replacement parts for your particular year/model. Sure eventually Chinese bikes (and cars) will take over but not quite yet. There are still many issues to clean up like Dan was referring to and China does not have the sort of business and ethics regulation like nearly every other country we import stuff from.
Dan, I’ve found the only way to have a peace of mind when sourcing stuff from China is to actually go and visit them. You can tell by the size and busyness and cleanliness of their facilities - and their openess to allow you to tour their building and warehouses - whether or not you would want to continue doing business with them.
-todd
March 9th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Hi. I am the guy who posted back on May 20th. I still have the motorcycle 10 months later. It’s a Loncin 200cc sportbike, styled to look like a Ninja 250/500. The engine is a copy of a mid-80s Honda XR200. I ride the bike almost daily as local transport, and use it for weekend jaunts in the local hills. It’s not very fast (as you might expect from an XR200, it cruises at about 80 KPH and redlines at about 100 KPH) but then on these potholed, bumpy roads, 80 KPH is actually going pretty fast!
So far (about 5000 KM) I have not had a single problem of any kind with it. Not one. I think that these Chinese bikes will end up being a real challenge to the lower end of the Japanese bike market. Maybe that’s a good thing: for a long time the Big 4 have concentrated on higher end sportbikes and tourers, ignoring the lowly commuter/casual riders.
I have a week of vacation coming for Easter (semana santa) and I plan to go for a ride on it down into Chiapas. I’ll let you know how it goes.
April 3rd, 2007 at 11:50 am
I made the mistake of buying a Chinese dual sport bike and I was horrified by the poor quality of it. I have owned numerous Japanese bikes over the past 20 years and I have never seen anything as poorly designed and built as this Chinese bike. The tires were already showing signs of cracking and all of the rubber parts started to fall apart almost immediately. The suspension was absolutely horrid and the brittle plastic parts would break from the slightest movement. I hated this bike so bad that I was embarassed to sell it, but I wanted it gone so bad that I sold it at a big loss! I guess I am a little too honest sometimes, but when people asked my why I was selling it, I had to tell them the truth! I would rather ride an old Honda XL that is 30 years old with 50000 miles on it than a brand new Chinese bike. Unless the Chinese can seriously improve their quality, design, parts/service, performance, dealer network and support,etc. they will never have a lasting effect in the US market!
April 29th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
I am the proad owner of 3 chinese knock off bikes. I purchased them direct from the factory in China 2 years ogo.
For all those who say they would just buy a 10 year old Jap bike , I have tried . When I was young I sold an IT 175 for $350. Sixteen years later I wanted to start riding again with my son and wife. I first went to the local Yamaha dealer and look at buying a 250 for myself and a couple 125’s for my son and wife.
I just could not justify spending 12 to 14 thousand . I looked in the paper for a used bike or two. I saw an IT175 now after 16 years its worth $1,000.
“This is where all the Japanese lovers say look at the re-sale value” This is true in a way but….
If you try to restore this you are not going to get parts off the shelf and to buy these old parts the dealers charge you an arm and a leg anyway. But they do however take you in as one of the “crowd” slap you on the back and say wow neat old bike.
Back to the topic, I then started looking into other choices and the Chinese looked to be very cost freindly. I started looking into factories and dealers here in North America. There were heaps to choose from. I am in the shipping business and can bring things in from overseas very easily so I thought I would go direct and see what I could do on my own.
I contacted about 30 factories out of about 75 I found and asked for info and product specs. Most were very quick to respond . I quickly narrowed the search down by dealing only with factory people. Many are just some broker sitting at home with a computer.
Once I had a factory that was I.S.O. 2000 or better I picked the bikes I liked and started the process. The factory guys are very eager to please and will make changes if you ask. This is why some of these bikes are good and some are crappy. If you have an EBAY seller who knows nothing about bikes ordering bikes to sell, you are at risk of getting something that you do not want.
My bikes came in as planned packaged nicely and were actually better than I expected. In the two years we have ridden about 2,000km’s all off road , mostly easy stuff and have had only a few repairs. 3 batteries and 1 flat ( a nail ) and 1 throttle cable. I do however look them over after every ride and had to tighten a few bolts when they were new and grease a little.
These are great for what I intended them for, riding like a guy who has responasbilities, and teaching two learners how to ride.
I have read hundreds of these posts from all the people who hate them. They almost always start the same” My brother-in-law, my neighbour, or I knew a guy.” These always seem to end the same “go buy a used Japanese bike” I don’t realy think you have to.
. I have the fealing 75% of these people who write the hate mail kind of posts don’t even have a china bike. This all seams too much like highschool and the mine’s better than your’s attitude.
Then there is the parts problem, If there are thousands sold here every month there must be parts.
The local Honda dealer has no problem selling a chinese sprocket and helmet and chain for your Japanes bike. I haven’t needed any parts so I can’t say I had a problem. I just bought a generic throttle cable and a couple of Delco batteries (made in China by the way )
I have seen good and bad chinese bikes just like good and bad Japnese bikes, good and bad North American etc.
The slave labour always gets me too, I would like to see the factories only hire 19 years and older and why not pay them a good wage like we do here. But the reality is , if the kids don’t work there or some other factory, they don’t eat and they don’t get a chance in life other than starving on the family farm.
To sum it up, These bikes may not be for the hardcore rider, but they are great to learn on, a good value for the money. Do your homework before you buy one and see what factory makes them and check it out. And if you buy for heaven’s sake if it comes in crate and you have to assemble it check it a few times after riding. I bet the old “wheel falling off “was a problem that could have been prevented , I wouldn’t just assume the factory tightend everything.
If it gets people riding and enjoying a family sport and everyone is happy don’t put them down and make them feel second rate just because you have a KAWYAMASAKI. and paid 4 times the price.
Since I got mine the quality has improved and bikes are getting better all the time, I am ordering a couple more this year just because we are all getting better and would like a little more bike.
As far as re-sale, I just sold my son’s 125 for $800. Not much different from what I paid for it.
Ever check the depreciation on a 2 year old ttr?
Have fun, what ever you ride.
August 27th, 2007 at 10:34 am
I agree with James. James, I couldnt of said it better myself. The chinese bikes are a blessing for those of us that would’nt otherwise be able to afford getting into biking.
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:42 pm
my posting will be brief at present. i,ve finally decided to try a chinese bike and today purchased a dayang venture 200. for £700 taxed for the year and with 12 months parts and labour warranty, hopefully i won,t go wrong. time of course will tell.i,ll let you know in due course. i also own a hyosung 650 aquila, £5000. big difference price wise, however this comes with 2 year unlimited milage waranty. that in itself speaks volumes in my book and so far it has exceeded all my expectations. so i believe if the koreans can have such confidence then it,s only a matter of time for the chinese to follow suit.
January 19th, 2008 at 8:36 am
As a Zongshen dealer for 4 years and a rider/racer for 40 years, I can truly say Zongshen is a quality bike. Parts are available and dealing with Zongshen is a pleasure. For those who criticize Chinese bikes …laugh while you can. I heard the same stories about the Japanese bikes years ago. Zongshen is a huge company. Business cooperation is with Piaggio and Harley Davidson. It was Harley and Piaggio that went to Zongshen seeking cooperation. So what does that say? two established companies asking to work with Zongshen. I’ll stick to selling and riding Zongshen.
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:19 am
Fantastic to see some good reports about those bikes/I want to buy one so much as now that I am 60 I think a little moped would be handy for the shops and one of those little chinnese jobs would suit my ticket/So far I just dont know what to believe/I feel quite disturbed by the whiole thing
February 12th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
i bought one of these chinese bikes before christmas and have had no troubles with it.It comes with a bit of assembling to do,but while you put it together you just check all the other nuts ect.It goes great i love it and have roosted on some very exspensive japanese bikes.The only real thing i have done to it because i heard before i bought it that the frames are crappy,so a while after riding it i just stripped it down completely and for an extra $50 i got it professionly re-welded,not that it was needed but i know my bike will last longer.All my other parts are of great quality as nothing has broken,i just ocassionly go over it making sure everything is ok.I just like it when people ask you what bike you have,and when you mention its a chinese bike they laugh,next thing they know there gettin there ass whooped on the track lol. Im also a pretty damn hard rider.Also my engine is a zongshen and it goes damn hard.Its a 250cc and kicks alot. I recomend these bikes for the people who dont want to spend an arm and a leg on a jap. bike.I only paid $1200 for mine and dont regret one bit.I agree with james, the critics who think they are crap obviously dont own one and if they had they treated it like shit. All in all i dont care what people think cos i know the real truth about them,like sum ov u other guys do.Later
May 6th, 2008 at 7:28 am
writing again with an update on the dayang 200. sadly i only had this for one day. the rear sprocket was rubbing against the frame because one of the spacers was too thin. also the oil cooler started leaking. bear in mind this bike had been pdi, or so i was informed. i was refunded and i am now told this dealer no longer imports these bikes because he has had so many complaints. i have also examined other chinese bikes such as sukida and lifan and i think the finish on these machines is very poor. even on bran new bikes i have seen rust in various places so be careful out there.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:58 am
Hi. I bought a Pulse Adrenaline 125cc from my local dealer here in the UK called Reading Superbikes. It’s just awsome. The engine is Suzuki licenced. It’s like the next generation of Chinese bikes. Looks, quality and mechanicals are state of the art. I love it. I’ve done 8600 miles and not had a single problem. 8600 miles on a 125cc without any problems is nothing short of amazing. It’s a tough bike too. I’ve dropped it a few times (oops!) and not even so much as a panel has cracked.
The only niggle I’ve got with the bike is the fact it will only do 65 mph flat out. Bit slow for a 125 I think?
Japanese bike manufacturers beware! I reckon the Chinese are going to open a whole can of woop.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:39 am
Ok first of all I’m only 15, but I’m not dumb like you might think. I’ve owned 20+ Japanesse motorcycles since I’ve been riding/racing everything from enduro to motocross. Just recently I went into a shop where Chinese bikes/ATVs were being sold and wasn’t too impressed, but before i let all my negative commments come out about them I think back and realize Japan was in Chinas same spot. Not well known, no big names, OK quality. I have read and heard many reviews about Chinese bikes and really I don’t doubt them. Yeah they might not rally the piss out of their product, but at least the wheel didn’t pop off. Give it some time and before you know it China will have large name manufacuters and no doubt will be giving Japans sucessful motorsports companies one hell of a competiton. It’s just a matter of time It was for Japan and will be for China, look out.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:33 am
I have two Zongshens. A 200cc and a 150cc. The 150cc is three years old. Replaced the CDI. Complained but the dealer said it only cost 500 pesos. CDI for Yamaha 5000 pesos. Shut my mouth. Both bikes a pleasure to ride and very dependable.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I’ve just taken delivery of a Dayang DY200; brought from a local shop who assembled and tested it. They pointed out to me that part of the frame was scuffed, possibly in the crate, and they’d be sorting out a replacement part. I haven’t yet sorted out insurance or a helmet so I can’t take it for a spin, but apart from the scuffed paintwork, it seems to be complete and undamaged. Of course, whether it falls apart or breaks down is yet to be seen, but if it lasts 3 years then disintegrates I’ll be happy as it cost less than £800 new. FWIW, this isn’t my first Chinese bike - I used to own a Fosti 125 (old CG125 ripoff which actually cost more than this Dayang) which I used to pass my full bike test on. I don’t recall that ever breaking down, though the nuts holding the exhaust collar to the head came loose and fell off (easy fix, two nuts of the right size), and I used to take it on the motorways or sometimes carry a passenger! Oh yeah, trying to buy a replacement engine gasket from the importer was almost impossible and eventually he told me to just use instant gasket or cut gasket paper to shape… Although the bike and engine were 98% Honda design, this one had an electric starter so the original Honda gasket wouldn’t have fitted. Still, when I had to buy a new rear tyre and some brake shoes, I had change from £15. All in all, for the few years I had it, it was exceptionally low cost and relatively trouble-free riding, and that’s why I’ve bought another Chinese bike - I just hope I’m as lucky with this one!
July 25th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
DAYANG DY200 ONLY DONE 93KLMS GEARBOX OUTPUT SHALF SHOT,JUST OUTSIDE WARRANTY,DEALER/IMPORTER NO INTERESTED THEY DON’T HAVE PART NOR WILL ORDER FROM DAYANY,I EVEN E MAIL DAYANY IN CHINA NO REPLY
TOTAL PEED OFF IMPORTER TEC/HELP DIN’NT KNOW HIS OWN BIKE INFO TOLD ME TO REMOVE SIDE CASING TO PULL BEARING YOU CAN’T ON CHINESE BIKES GEARBOXES OUTPUT ALL ON PART A FULL ENGINE STRIPDOWN REQUIRED,UNLIKE JAP BIKES GEARS WILL SLIDE OUT AND CAN PULL BEARING NO BIG OVERHAUL NEEDED,THIS BIKES ONLY 15 MONTHS OLD.
August 16th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Follow up to the Dayang 200 - it’s turning out not to be as good as I’d hoped! Sure, the ride is fine, the brakes are much better than my old Fosti, and it copes 2 up with ease (well, me and a kid at least - low weight limits on these bikes). Unfortunately I’ve had a fair few faults, some of which prevented me from using it.
1. Shop tried replacing the scuffed part of the frame, only for the new part to crack when they tightened the bolts! They’ve refitted the original and painted the scuffs - it’s only cosmetic so I can live with it, but still, on a brand new bike…
2. Fuel gauge packed up. Mind you, my previous bike didn’t even have one. Shop have since replaced the instruments which has cured this.
3. Speedo went down instead of up when accelerating hard. Fixed when shop replaced instruments.
4. Gear selector lever fell off. Nut on the back holding it to the frame (it’s a remote shifter with link rod) came off so the gear change got worse and worse until eventually I went to press the pedal and it wasn’t there! Thankfully the only part that had actually been lost was the nut as the lever and through bolt where dangling down from the link rod. A new nut on the back cured this, but obviously I couldn’t ride it until done.
5. Now leaking oil from the return pipe linking the oil cooler with the bottom of the engine. I think it’s the horrible crimped join where it meets the solid piping leaving the cooler. Shop have ordered another pipe, but until then I daren’t ride it for fear of seizing the engine.
Overall, would I buy another? Probably still yes; the faults have been annoying but in most all cases, once fixed they’ve worked fine since, and whilst it’s under warranty it’s not costing me anything other than the time I can’t ride it. Don’t forget that this is brand new OTR for less than £800 quid and for the saving I’m making over the equivalent Jap bike I’ll tolerate some grief if it does eventually get sorted.
August 26th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Hmmm, I think this might be a circus bike (i.e. one that the clowns ride and it falls apart) - it’s breaking faster than it’s being fixed! I’m still waiting for the shop to get the new oil pipe - they don’t know when it’ll arrive, so I’ve made a temporary (hopefully not to become permanent) repair to the existing pipe so I could use the bike. However, on the test ride tonight, the centre stand thingy broke so now it won’t stay up. Basically there’s a metal thingy sticking out of the frame which the stand return spring hooks on to and this has snapped off because it’s all gone rusty! Now whereas bolt-on bits don’t worry me if they break ‘cos they can be replaced easily, when bits rust off the frame, that *does* concern me. I’ve now removed the centre stand altogether as the bike has a side stand too which I’ll be using for the time being. However, any more problems and I think it’ll be time to say enough with this bike and get it swapped for something else, or my money back…