The great chinese bike discussion/argument thread!

Argue your fors and againsts Chinese bikes here.......

don't like them?

love them?

think theyre good for something but not for other things?


whats your thoughts on Chinese bikes?


post it all here..... .

 

had 2 now the first was 5 years ago very poor quality metal the latest is a different thing not to bad at all looks like a Honda innover but les than half the price done 5000 miles on it so far no bother don't thrash it and change the oil regularly for the price a good commuter at a affordable price

 

not a bad bike for the money chap who sells them is very helpful and carries all spares which is a problem with Chinese stuff, did the isle of weight run on my loncin in august no problem at all even them bloody steep hills
in shankin

 

Self build? Fuck that those sellers are shit I think that scootersdirect place used to do that as well.

Ain't nobody got time fo dat

 

everything is made in china now anyway, so its kinda a mute point. but im biased, i like chinese bikes, they are cheap, well built and reliable. pretty much the same standards as most of the big companies now.
still waiting for the delivery of my 2 brand spanking new, built-to-order supercubs, the factory are having problems sourcing a 3 speed transmission from the engine department, so they need to make one.

 

the email count to and from the supllier since confirmation of my order is 24 now!
crated bikes dont take too long to set up actually, some it only takes half an hour, the worst bit is folding all the damn cardboard up!
but quadbikes are a pain to uncrate, the tyres actually have negative pressure!

 

I just like them as workhorses. pure and simple. couldn't ride one for fun. Buy one cheap, Keep it looked after. Ride it to/from work, scratch it up the gate post etc etc etc not give a crap about it but mechanically be on top of everything and theyre great.

 

thats how i treat most of my bikes!

 

I like the Chinese scoots. We get 150cc GY6 Chinese scooters here in the U.S. cheap. No import tax from China.
People buy them here in San Diego, park them for a year. When they will not start they sell them for $350.

I have picked up a two from "Craigslist" and replaced the carb ($15 US on eBay) vacuum lines, spark plug, and the belt on one. I was able to make a good profit selling them once they were running and dependable.

I still have my original 150cc Tank I bought from a dealer in 2008. That one is a keeper. I put a larger battery in it, replaced all the Chinese crap fuel and vacuum lines. and it is great fun. I use it for grocery store and town runs. I live too far from San Diego to ride it to work, so it is just a utility scoot. I also take it camping. It works for me.

They are nothing like Japanese quality, but they work and are extremely inexpensive to buy and maintain.

If you want to do the PDI yourself you can buy one for $700 US (455 pounds) in the crate. They make a fun project.

 

thats my chinese scoots, built to order, to my spec. the CEO at the company keeps changing stuff because he is not happy with the quality, the white one will go in for paint again as it does not match correctly.

 

Check out "Churchill Customs" on youtube. An American and a South African living in China have started doing custom Chinese bikes. Good looking bikes.

 

just had a quick look, nothing special really. same old same old, nobody has any style anymore, its all the same, remove the old seat/side panels, shove a banana seat on it and a little round tail light, some renthal bars and then call it a cafe racer/flat tracker. so many bland bikes now. like dime city cycles and stuff, anything from that cafe racer show.... its just a hipster thing..... dare to be different. break the mould! thats custom. something nobody has done before.

 

Just fun stuff to do. They live where the parts are produced, so it is easy to throw stuff together.
I like the purple one in the videos. Not the color, but the collection of parts used to make it.

I have seen 3 Chinese bike and scooter dealers come and go in San Diego the last few years. It seems to be a hard business. Not sure why. San Diego is a perfect scooter city. We don't have much of a winter.

People have to maintain them or they are not dependable. They are not like a Honda where you can park it for 6 months and it fires right up.

 

here in norway 80% of the market is for 50cc scooters/mopeds. people spend a fortune on them and ride them to the ground. we dont have any kind of road testing, so tyres can be falling apart and people still ride..... a lot of people store them up over winter then they dont start and they spend a bucket load on new batteries and stuff and do the exact same thing a year later!

 

Over here batteries and other parts are very cheap on eBay. How is it in Norway?
I can get a YT12 battery for $25 US, a carb for $15 US. CDI is $9 US.
I buy the American made vacuum and fuel lines by Goodyear and NGK sparkplugs.

Nice bike by the way. What is the tank on the front fender?

 

we dont really have ebay in norway... cheapest crappy 4AH battery is around 300 NOK....
the bike is a VF750F its one of those cruiser fork bag things, i keep my tools and stuff in there. its a rigid BTW, no suspension, its all welded up

 

I am too damn old for a rigid frame.
300 NOK is $35 US. Damn that is expensive for a tiny battery.