Chinese bikes and scooters
Discussion
I have had Honda Fours many years ago and was always impressed by how well engineered these bikes were, sometimes the metals werent that great but overall they were impressive.
I am now looking to buy something on two wheels and have seen the low prices of chinese commuter scooters and bikes.
My question is, are they a well made alternative to Japanese mainstream bikes?
I am now looking to buy something on two wheels and have seen the low prices of chinese commuter scooters and bikes.
My question is, are they a well made alternative to Japanese mainstream bikes?
Only really experienced two Chinese bikes. One was a CF Moto WK650 (a shrunk in the wash Pan European), and a 50cc Zontes manual. The 650 was used daily as an instructor's bike at the training school I worked at. It was a pretty solid machine and held up to daily use in South London well. I think it was basically copied from an ER-6. A decent piece of kit. Still going strong when I stopped working there, after a year's use.
The Zontes was awful. It broke down a lot, wouldn't idle in any sort of wind, bits fell off a lot. It was dangerously slow as well.
There evidently are some decent ones out there but quality control may well be an issue. Round my way the Lexmotos and the like are largely owned by chavs who don't maintain them, and unlike a Japanese bike they won't stand for that. A second hand one would be an extremely risky proposition.
The Zontes was awful. It broke down a lot, wouldn't idle in any sort of wind, bits fell off a lot. It was dangerously slow as well.
There evidently are some decent ones out there but quality control may well be an issue. Round my way the Lexmotos and the like are largely owned by chavs who don't maintain them, and unlike a Japanese bike they won't stand for that. A second hand one would be an extremely risky proposition.
Unless you're buying a ludicrously cheap Chinese job at a year old I'd buy a proper Jap bike, was very impressed with my local riding school's CB125s.
11 years/35k miles old having led a hard life and they run like clockwork apparently, with only the usual consumables and a starter motor each in that time.
11 years/35k miles old having led a hard life and they run like clockwork apparently, with only the usual consumables and a starter motor each in that time.
Krikkit said:
Unless you're buying a ludicrously cheap Chinese job at a year old I'd buy a proper Jap bike, was very impressed with my local riding school's CB125s.
11 years/35k miles old having led a hard life and they run like clockwork apparently, with only the usual consumables and a starter motor each in that time.
That'll be one of the CB125 that are made in China then...11 years/35k miles old having led a hard life and they run like clockwork apparently, with only the usual consumables and a starter motor each in that time.
neutral 3 said:
I would Not knowingly buy a thing from China, until they stop their Disgusting Dog meat trade......
You got to love those blanket sweeping statements. I work a lot within China and despite what the media would have you believe not every person eats and kills dogs, in fact the younger generation of Chinese find the above very disturbing, dogs are now becoming a domesticated pet to many Chinese.
I don't agree with fox hunting in the UK but I'm not daft enough to believe everyone does it and still buy UK made goods.
Stop reading the Daily Mail and check out the true facts.
Rubin215 said:
If you don't mind using the spanners a bit and getting your hands dirty when things go wrong and you can put up with ludicrous resale values when you come to sell, then Chinese bikes are a massive saving over Japanese or European made.
- IF* you can get hold of the spares.
They're very poor bikes - as others have said, spend your money on a used quality brand.
Dog Star said:
- IF* you can get hold of the spares.
They're very poor bikes - as others have said, spend your money on a used quality brand.
Lexmoto is one of the best-selling brands in the UK - it sells more than twice as many machines as Piaggio (including Vespa) does, and pretty much the same amount as Harley-Davidson. With that number of bikes on the ground getting parts is not an issue.
shavermcspud said:
neutral 3 said:
I would Not knowingly buy a thing from China, until they stop their Disgusting Dog meat trade......
You got to love those blanket sweeping statements. I work a lot within China and despite what the media would have you believe not every person eats and kills dogs, in fact the younger generation of Chinese find the above very disturbing, dogs are now becoming a domesticated pet to many Chinese.
I don't agree with fox hunting in the UK but I'm not daft enough to believe everyone does it and still buy UK made goods.
Stop reading the Daily Mail and check out the true facts.
king bad but not buying Chinese stuff won't change that in the slightest.Out of interest nuetral 3, what phone do you have?
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