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View Full Version : Move over Hyosung, here come the Chinese



Hillbilly
2nd June 2007, 01:23
Yep! Here's the new Zongshen SZ250GS. To learn more, check out the Aussie website HERE (http://www.zongsheninternational.com.au/index.htm) There are spare parts (http://www.zongsheninternational.com/webtest/Products/Sparepart/tabid/219/Default.aspx) available too.

This little 250 sells for around AUD$5k including ORC.

Gremlin
2nd June 2007, 01:31
Seen one, seen a shop test it just sitting outside... you really don't want one...

Brakes and suspension shit... but I suppose thats why you said hyosung should step aside, there's a bigger piece of shit... ;)

edit: 0 :lol:

xwhatsit
2nd June 2007, 01:31
Countdown til the Chink-crap comments... 3... 2... 1... 0....

Quality will improve eventually. Direct parallel between Jap bikes in decades past; Hyosung is nearly on par with Suzuki in terms of build quality these days, and if the Koreans can do it, China sure as hell can. Maybe wait a few years first, though.

Diversity in the bike market is an excellent thing. Bikes have reached such a level of standardisation that diversity ceased to be a hindrance long ago. Now it's a matter of the more marques of bikes we have, the more innovation and price competition there is.

I, for one, welcome our new Zongsheninese overloads ^_^

Holy Roller
2nd June 2007, 01:46
They had a rip off of the XR250 a few years back. One of the farm hands had one until it got stolen.:gob:
Sure it was not that great in quality but a cheap farm bike for the young fella it was ok.

Whynot
2nd June 2007, 02:13
Hyosung is nearly on par with Suzuki in terms of build quality these days ....

That's not saying much .... :shutup:

ZeroIndex
2nd June 2007, 02:23
The big question about THIS chinese bike... does it have an oil filter, or just a crappy piece of gauze?

Just looked over the specs... 13KW and 166KG dry? That's a bit steep, and then it goes downhill, when you see ZS250GS, which is actually read over-weight underpowered two hundred and thirty cubic centimeter engine, marketed and labeled as a two hundred and fifty cubic centimeter motorcycle.

And WHAT is up with the USDs and twin front brakes? Do they really think the bike is that powerful that it needs two front discs to stop the thing, or are the brakes THAT shocking?

ZeroIndex
2nd June 2007, 02:41
Holy crap... they also have a v-twin cruiser(not a single 230cc like the GS) that is a 248cc motor, and it comes with footboards and a queen-seat backrest as OE, except it lacks the USDs that their GS has. Strangely though, it has the same power as the single: 13Kw, but with torque, the single: 16.5Nm vs the V-Twins 17.5

DO THEY REALLY KNOW HOW TO MAKE ENGINES? Shouldn't a V-twin made by the same company, if it is exactly 18cc bigger, plus has a 2nd cylinder in a V, shouldn't it put out at least 1 more Kw, and maybe slightly more than 1Nm or torque?

Holy Roller
2nd June 2007, 04:40
The big question about THIS chinese bike... does it have an oil filter, or just a crappy piece of gauze?


My old XV500 only had gauze, a quick wash out and its back in action again.

deanohit
2nd June 2007, 05:32
dont need heaps of power to have fun.i have a zongshen zs200gy trailbike with 11kw and it is heaps of fun in the twisties,keep it on the boil,come in hot and brake hard, give it shit on the way out and head for the next corner.may not be movin superfast (not many 250s do) and it keeps you on the good side of the cops.

Bonez
2nd June 2007, 12:53
The motor looks like a sr250, with re machined head, donk with oil filter and all. Looks ok and to some that's all that matters.

avgas
2nd June 2007, 13:08
Its got potential.
But 5K? thats to much for any 250.
4K max.
All the 250 riders are getting screwed by the bike co's

ZeroIndex
2nd June 2007, 13:20
Its got potential.
But 5K? thats to much for any 250.
4K max.
All the 250 riders are getting screwed by the bike co's

didn't you read my other post? it's not a 250... it's $5000 for a crappy chinese 230cc, with the stopping power of a brick wall, that is sure to bring you down from the unlikely 100kph (if it gets to that)

James Deuce
2nd June 2007, 13:50
I don't think Hyosung has anything to worry about in regard to Chinese manufacturers.

Korean business ethics are entirely unlike Chinese business ethics (it physically made me shudder to type that non-sequitur). The next batch of Hyosung designs will be so close to current Japanese practice as to be indistinguishable.

All the Chinese care about is selling stuff. Once the stuff is sold, their involvement is over. They don't care if it breaks, you don't like it much, or it kills you. They have their money.

Coyote
2nd June 2007, 13:54
Despite the Chinese being 'on par' with the Japanese of yonks ago, they're still shit. I'll be giving them several years before I consider them

However, I would consider a Hyosung if I found a GT650R cheap and had the cash. The one I rode was pretty nice except for it's clunky gearbox, the cycleworks muffler gave it some real character too. The crackle of the exhaust as you let go of the throttle sounded great

Coyote
2nd June 2007, 14:06
didn't you read my other post? it's not a 250... it's $5000 for a crappy chinese 230cc, with the stopping power of a brick wall, that is sure to bring you down from the unlikely 100kph (if it gets to that)
Factoring in cheap chinese labour plus cheap materials, the bikes should only cost roughly 2000-3000 (most of the cost would be shipping). The mark up is pure profit, the dealers know they can get away with it

Coyote
2nd June 2007, 14:23
<img src="http://www.zongsheninternational.com.au/chexing/images/zs250gs.jpg">

Now did the europs actually design this? Don't think we can trust such a claim considering 13kw isn't really racing power

vamr
2nd June 2007, 15:36
Just looked over the specs... 13KW and 166KG dry? That's a bit steep, and then it goes downhill, when you see ZS250GS, which is actually read over-weight underpowered two hundred and thirty cubic centimeter engine, marketed and labeled as a two hundred and fifty cubic centimeter motorcycle.

And WHAT is up with the USDs and twin front brakes? Do they really think the bike is that powerful that it needs two front discs to stop the thing, or are the brakes THAT shocking?

Um, if it states that it's 230cc in the specs that's hardly marketing it as a 250, wouldn't you say? And you may want to check out the likes of Honda CB250 Nighthawk, Yamaha SR 250 etc..

Performance wise it's very basic but 13kw is a stone's throw from the likes of Yamaha Virago, Kawasaki BJ 250, Honda Rebel or Suzuki VL 250.

I think it's not bad as a new comer.

xwhatsit
2nd June 2007, 16:03
That's about 17 hp, which is not totally ridiculous. There's enough variance in horsepower figures from manufacturers to make that reasonable enough for a single 250. I rode a Suzuki Intruder 250, which is 20hp (I think), and that got around quite nicely.

What's wrong with USD forks, anyway? Surely better suspension isn't a bad thing? Hell, I wish I had USD forks on my 26hp single (if it weren't for the fact USD forks are so ugly), the fork flex I get is phenomenal. Twin front discs too, probably a gimmick, but the bike does weigh 166kg, and will be able to do 100kph; you can't blame a manufacturer for putting in better technology than you'll need. That's silly.

Robbo
2nd June 2007, 16:46
Have a look on page 10 of the latest NZ Motorcycle Trader Magazine. There is a very interesting article in regards to Chinese manufacturing of motorcycles.

Gremlin
2nd June 2007, 16:58
USD... hah... have any of you actually seen one in the flesh, and tried pushing on the front end? Just wait until you actually feel the suspension, its rough. Quality of paint is shocking, same with metal...

The demo the importer dropped off was quite new, was rusting, suspension and brakes horrible... The shop wouldn't touch it.

breakaway
2nd June 2007, 18:45
That thing is ugly as hell.

Bonez
2nd June 2007, 18:55
USD... hah... have any of you actually seen one in the flesh, and tried pushing on the front end? Just wait until you actually feel the suspension, its rough. Quality of paint is shocking, same with metal....Have a decent look at the assembly build quality of some of the so called premium brand cycles sometime.

Hillbilly
2nd June 2007, 20:44
Have a decent look at the assembly build quality of some of the so called premium brand cycles sometime.

Yeah! Here's part of an article reviewing the GS500F:


The package is very straightforward, and is not far removed from a lot of the mid-range bikes you could buy several decades ago...

In all the machine feels as though it's built to a price...

Suspension is okay one-up, though two-up loads will stretch the friendship. There's ride-height adjustment at both ends and we found the package worked fine until you really gave it a hard time in turns, when it would start to show signs of becoming overwhelmed.

BTW, I agree with those comments. I have more fun on the GPX.

Mr. Peanut
2nd June 2007, 21:33
Shows a lack of coherent design, twin disc brakes on something with less than 20hp is worse than pointless. Apply that incoherence to every single moving part on that motorcycle; then run.

If the Chinese sold a well bolted together thumper, I'd buy it. Instead, they keep trying to imitate more sophisticated machines.

Build something solid dammit!!

deathstar
3rd June 2007, 12:04
wow wondered when they would get into gear on this bike ... i test rode the first one of these in the country for the importer and it really was a peice of shit but got clocked at 135km/h max speed so don't get to worried about speeding tickets just yet .... yeah not bad on fuel economy and if anyone remembers seeing me on this 6 months ago it really sounded good but thats about it

Bonez
3rd June 2007, 12:20
wow wondered when they would get into gear on this bike ... i test rode the first one of these in the country for the importer and it really was a peice of shit but got clocked at 135km/h max speed so don't get to worried about speeding tickets just yetLast time I looked 135km/h is ample speed to get a ticket and in some instances loose ones licence...............

ZeroIndex
3rd June 2007, 14:15
That's about 17 hp, which is not totally ridiculous. There's enough variance in horsepower figures from manufacturers to make that reasonable enough for a single 250. I rode a Suzuki Intruder 250, which is 20hp (I think), and that got around quite nicely.

What's wrong with USD forks, anyway? Surely better suspension isn't a bad thing? Hell, I wish I had USD forks on my 26hp single (if it weren't for the fact USD forks are so ugly), the fork flex I get is phenomenal. Twin front discs too, probably a gimmick, but the bike does weigh 166kg, and will be able to do 100kph; you can't blame a manufacturer for putting in better technology than you'll need. That's silly.

The thing though is the standard forks on GPX's and VTR250's are better than the Korean USD's found on Hyosungs... what's the chances that the Chinese USD's will be any better than the Hyosung USDs?

ZeroIndex
3rd June 2007, 14:17
USD... hah... have any of you actually seen one in the flesh, and tried pushing on the front end? Just wait until you actually feel the suspension, its rough. Quality of paint is shocking, same with metal...

The demo the importer dropped off was quite new, was rusting, suspension and brakes horrible... The shop wouldn't touch it.

I predicted this, didn't I?

ZeroIndex
3rd June 2007, 14:18
wow wondered when they would get into gear on this bike ... i test rode the first one of these in the country for the importer and it really was a peice of shit but got clocked at 135km/h max speed so don't get to worried about speeding tickets just yet .... yeah not bad on fuel economy and if anyone remembers seeing me on this 6 months ago it really sounded good but thats about it

135? Are you sure? I bet the speedo is out...

deathstar
3rd June 2007, 14:26
you try telling the police the speedo is out because if so great ... oh well anyway yeah cheap peice of shit costs like 2.8k so yeah with the budget should be like 4k but god knows

crshbndct
3rd June 2007, 16:12
yamaha scorpio 225 is a far better bike, and cheaper too. imho.

ZeroIndex
3rd June 2007, 16:31
yamaha scorpio 225 is a far better bike, and cheaper too. imho.

agreed, plus they don't lie about the engine size

Mr. Peanut
3rd June 2007, 16:32
It's not lying, it's marketing.

Bonez
3rd June 2007, 16:34
It's not lying, it's marketing.Too right SR250s are not 250cc either. And look how long they've been around.

James Deuce
3rd June 2007, 16:41
Nothing is what it says it is. My Z750 is 748cc, and the Katana is 399cc. Thus has it always been.

Sanx
3rd June 2007, 18:27
...with the stopping power of a brick wall

Dunno how many brick walls you've run into, but usually they do a pretty good job of stopping someone.

ZeroIndex
3rd June 2007, 19:45
Dunno how many brick walls you've run into, but usually they do a pretty good job of stopping someone.

but at what cost? :yes:

90s
5th June 2007, 09:24
but at what cost? :yes:

Generally its free to ride into a brick wall.

nudemetalz
5th June 2007, 10:00
Bikes which are either 400's that are 399's etc are that way to allow for a first and/or second rebore and new pistons. This always increases the capacity for obvious reasons.

FkNAmerican
5th June 2007, 10:30
I've ridden on a Hyosung 650 R that I was momentarily considering as a possiblity........it really wasnt all that bad as a first bike considering but: It was used and straight away I noticed some quality control issues with the bike (mirror plate fell out, Hyosong labels pealing off, brake feel not so hot, clanky sounding engine, not the best fuel delivery on planet earth). THEN, I called around looking for places that would service the thing and had parts. Not so many!!! Mind you the price of the thing was $3,000!! Not bad for a 650cc bike. But perosnally I'd rather pony up the few extra G's for something really nice like a Kwaka Ninja 650 or even a GS500.

Either way I've been rather severly put off by the experiences of a friend of mine who bought a "legit" korean scooter about 8 months ago. He works with me and still, eight months later, we bust his balls daily over it hehe. He was looking into a scooter as a cheap way of getting to and from work. I told him to get a Yamaha or if Honda makes a scooter get one of those. He found some dealer selling korean scooters out of a storage shed. I told him this guy should not be trusted. He bought a scooter from him anyway for $900. Within two weeks the headlight had failed, then the brakes started failing and he almost rear ended a truck, then the thing wouldnt start and he had to re-wire it. The brakes, by the way, wouldnt have been sufficient for a 3 year olds pedal go-kart!!! I think they were actually made of eraser tips and saw dust. It was hilarious. Turns out in the end that this wasnt just any korean scooter, it was an illegally smuggled in North Korean scooter that local police were calling a death trap. Apparently, a few people had bought the things and plowed into cars at traffic lights after the brakes went to shit.

So basically that whole episode made me cautious of Korean motorcycles in general.....not to mention I couldnt stand getting laughed at every sunday up at the local bike meet. If being different was important to me I'd pony up and show up on a Triumph Daytona 675 rather then a Hyo. Of course, I'd have to completely ignore cost concerns with the Triumph hehe.

James Deuce
5th June 2007, 11:42
So basically that whole episode made me cautious of Korean motorcycles in general.....not to mention I couldnt stand getting laughed at every sunday up at the local bike meet. If being different was important to me I'd pony up and show up on a Triumph Daytona 675 rather then a Hyo. Of course, I'd have to completely ignore cost concerns with the Triumph hehe.

Interesting how people ignore the quality control issues with the 675 engine assembly. They can run out of oil between services if not checked religiously and there have been documented reports of pistons meeting valves in well looked after machines.

ZeroIndex
5th June 2007, 13:38
Too right SR250s are not 250cc either. And look how long they've been around.



Nothing is what it says it is. My Z750 is 748cc, and the Katana is 399cc. Thus has it always been.


At 248cc, rounding up 2cc isn't a problem. Eg. VTR250
At 399cc, rounding up 1cc isn't a problem. Eg. Katana 400
At 748cc, rounding up 2cc isn't a problem. Eg. Z750
At 998cc, rounding up 2cc isn't a problem. Eg. GSX-R1000
At 230cc, rounding up 20cc IS A PROBLEM. Eg. Zongshen SZ250GS














And finally...
At 1352cc, rounding up 48cc IS A F**KING PROBLEM. Come on Kawasaki, it should be marketed as a Kawasaki ZX-13.5 (George Foreman Edition)

James Deuce
5th June 2007, 13:53
20cc as a percentage of engine capacity is still less than the likely speedo error on the average motorcycle from any manufacturer.

MSTRS
5th June 2007, 13:58
20cc as a percentage of engine capacity is still less than the likely speedo error on the average motorcycle from any manufacturer.


And over-priced, underpowered crap is still crap, esp when it's Chinese.

FkNAmerican
5th June 2007, 13:59
well, any bike can lose a bit of oil. I check my oil level religiously anyway so its not an issue :)

No bike is perfect and no company has a perfect record with any model. There will always be lemons and little niggles in the works. Thats just a fact of life. BUT, if the bike in general is of poor quality because of design or because of poor quality materials then they makes a difference.

One MAJOR problem with Hyo's, at least in the United States, is that they arnt very popular at all and there is hardly anywhere to service them. Most shops wont even touch them, let alone take them in as a trade in. All this leads to really poor resale value on them. Case in point is the one I test rode. It was sold new for well over $5,000 OTD and the guy offered it to me for $3,000 so he lost quite a bit there......and he may not have even sold the thing yet because I didnt buy it.

In contrast, I bought my Kawasaki Ninja 250R for $3,600 brand new including an expensive helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, tire preasure guage, chain lube, chain cleaner, tax, tags, and doc fee's.....plus a full tank of gas hehe. I just sold the motorcycle (not including my gear which I need for my CBR 600) to a friend for $3,000. So basically I lost a few hundred bucks. The lesson here is this:

Shop around and buy smart. If you look for a good deal then you can buy a brand new bike, especially a starter bike like a 250R, then sell it for something bigger/better and not get taken on depreciation. There is no way in hell I could have ever got that much $$ if I had, say, a Hyosung 250R by comparison. I'd prolly be begging people to buy it. Instead I bought one of the best sellers in the entire world: the Ninja 250R....and people have been lining up to buy it as there first bike......and I get to sell it for $3,000 because its really really hard to find one brand new for less then $3,800 out the door.....so people save $800 and they get the first service taken care of by buying mine......and because I took my time and got a great deal I dont lose too much......its a win win situation really.

James Deuce
5th June 2007, 14:06
You're actually wrong, Hyosung is thriving in NZ and I've tested the whole range except for the Aquilas and there's nothing wrong with them. Plenty of dealers and better warranty support than Kawasaki for instance.

avgas
5th June 2007, 14:12
Of course, I'd have to completely ignore cost concerns with the Triumph hehe.
And not get water in the air intakes (i.e. dont hose down the bike), also there are the million settings that you should not do (these are shown by stickers all over the bike referring you to a manual)...... The $50 clips to hold the fairings on......that are so quick release that they can disappear down the road.
I love triumphs, but i've found them more of a lifestyle then a bike.....atleast they dont leak oil no more.

avgas
5th June 2007, 14:43
didn't you read my other post? it's not a 250... it's $5000 for a crappy chinese 230cc, with the stopping power of a brick wall, that is sure to bring you down from the unlikely 100kph (if it gets to that)
I find it hard to believe that any bike is that bad. Considering i had ridden a few deathtraps in my time. Mabey my standards are too low.

Quartermile
5th June 2007, 18:09
Yep! Here's the new Zongshen SZ250GS. To learn more, check out the Aussie website HERE (http://www.zongsheninternational.com.au/index.htm) There are spare parts (http://www.zongsheninternational.com/webtest/Products/Sparepart/tabid/219/Default.aspx) available too.

This little 250 sells for around AUD$5k including ORC.
Took one for a ride about 4 or 5 months ago, theyre just as slow or mybe a tiny bit faster than an FXR.

Possum41
6th June 2007, 10:00
Well the Hyosung would out do any chinese M/C.
I am racing a GT650R in the Vic Club Champs this year and so far i've finished 3rd in F2 and 3rd in F3 before the race was stopped.
Few bad points on the bike when i first bought it was the rear shock which was soon replaced with an ohlins, but for racing this is standard practice, (even the guys racing new GSXR's and R1's and ZXR's change the shocks), and the front brakes which again for racing a set of Brembo's will never go amiss.
Other than that as a road bike these things were fine, after all you never push a bike half as hard on the road as you do on the track.
Performance wise the Hyosung puts out 2hp more than SV standard and quality wise i have not encountered any problems so far.
I would never trust something the chinese build and the only reason i went with the Hyosung is because they have been building parts for Suzuki for years but not many knew it.
And as for value for money, after i had completed the mods on my Hyosung, including having fibreglass moulds made and sets of race fairings, my bike is still cheaper than buying an SV out right.
You can't complain about that!!!

delusionz
8th June 2007, 04:33
A guy on a Hyosung GT250R rode past us in the car tonight and the night driving filament of his tail light was out, as he sped off into the night he was invisible except when he braked. We let him know, He didn't even know himself, Thats scary.

I have a china bike, It's been nothing but trouble and no motorcycle service centre will even look at it, much less service it. I can't get any professional help at all. It's left to rust while I look for a new bike, Japanese this time.

Just some food for thought.

moko
8th June 2007, 04:54
I've never seen a bad write-up of a Hyosung.Suzuki were rattled enough here to slash the prices of their SV650 when they first came in,probably realising the bike mags would test the 2 makes back to back.They did,the Suzi usually came out better but the Hyosung didn't come out at all badly.A couple of years on SV price-levels have gone back to what they were,Hyosung have re-vamped their 650s and their bikes are way better value,I'd seriously consider one if I was in the market for a new bike.

deanohit
8th June 2007, 06:54
I've had no trouble gettin my bike sorted.Its a zongshen zs200gy,but I tell the mechanics its a copy of a honda ct200 and they all go 'yep,easy.'
been happy with it so far and found it great to learn on.and that cheap,I was able to afford a good jacket,pants,gloves an helmut which will outlast my current bike.would like more power though.brakes adequate in anything but wet,but im a sunday rider so i dont ride when its raining.

chris
8th June 2007, 08:44
There's one sitting in our garage at work, right now. I think (may need confirming) the price is actually about $6000.

moko
8th June 2007, 10:43
To get things into persepective you can get a Chinese 125 traily here for £900 on the road,you can get them cheaper but that's from established dealers who'll back up the manufacturers 2 year warranty and carry comprehensive spares.125s here are very popular because of our learner laws.That £900 is equal to about the devaluation on a Yamaha DT125R or Honda XR125 over 12 months.£900 is roughly a months wages at the national minimum wage for a brand new bike with a warranty.O.K so they're not Jap standard but they're not Jap prices either and I know 2 guys who have done amateur off-road events on them,totally uncompetitive but both bikes survived unscathed and usable on the road afterwards,the riders wanted a bit of fun,neither was any more competitive on the dirt than the bikes were.With a few dollars and a some pukka enduro plastics they can even look quite convincing.People here pay stupid money for Indian-built Royal Enfields that are no better built than Chinese bikes and cost 3 times as much.General consensus here is that Chinese companies are listening and learning,I'm old enough to remember the days when everything that came out of Japan was considered crap,Bridgestone tyres in particular were often changed before you picked your new bike up as they were little short of lethal in wet weather,how times change eh?

Dodger
8th June 2007, 10:44
I'm still happy with my Hyosung Gt250, and it looks much better than the above beast.

That being said I do own a Chinese 50cc scooter that although cheap and nasty (was $1500 new) runs well and is good for popping down the shops.
Don't think I would want one that can do 100kph though, as I don't trust the build quality

Tim 39
8th June 2007, 15:50
that is one ugly motorbike, looks like a cross between a chinese scooter and a tourer gone wrong

Renegade
8th June 2007, 21:01
people keep dissing the hyo but ive had mine a year now since new and she hasnt skipped a beat since the day i got her :)
i am hoping though when i go to sell her i wont lose to much $$

Tim 39
8th June 2007, 21:56
I think Hyosung will be a bit like Hyundai. A few years ago I would've never owned a hyundai, now I've got one and a recent survey of drivers, stated that Hyundai was voted the second most reliable car manufacturer with toyota behind in 3rd. anyway I think Hyosung will be similar with regards to starting small and being the "odd ball" manufacturer to being one of the big names, theyre heading the right way about it anyway

avgas
9th June 2007, 00:20
people keep dissing the hyo but ive had mine a year now since new and she hasnt skipped a beat since the day i got her :)
i am hoping though when i go to sell her i wont lose to much $$
Dont worry they did the same about the RG150 as it technically wasnt japanese (malasian?) But now that bike has legend status here.
The nay-sayers would also think the Honda Hero is black magic (if it came here) even though a good chunk of india ride it.
People are scared of new things. They buy stuff from names that have been here for decades. And will continue to do so.
Would they complain so much if the bike was labelled a Suzuki FXR 230?

delusionz
9th June 2007, 02:27
My chinabike is dead on 1560kms on the ODOMETER. So I'm back on a Hyosung SB50 scooter until I get a new bike, The Hyosung is on 3600kms ODO and is slightly suffering from wear on the drive belt but nothing major, It's been raped all day every day and still as reliable as ever. My comment about the Hyosung GT250R with the tail light out was the only negative thing about Hyosung that I've ever seen which in all honesty is awesome for a Korean company. I wish I could say the same for my chinabike which from day 1 was nothing but trouble, The lights blew constantly, there were many clunks & rattles to fix, my clutch cable snapped at the nipple in the lever while riding one day (I don't even drop the clutch) and then the final straw was the spark plug not firing on the morning I had to go to my new job on the first day and I was an hour late!!!!!! And get this, The frame welds have air bubbles and in some areas don't cover the whole join! I now suffer from chinabikephobia and would refuse to let anyone I know ride one let alone buy one.

ZeroIndex
9th June 2007, 03:16
Dont worry they did the same about the RG150 as it technically wasnt japanese (malasian?) But now that bike has legend status here.
The nay-sayers would also think the Honda Hero is black magic (if it came here) even though a good chunk of india ride it.
People are scared of new things. They buy stuff from names that have been here for decades. And will continue to do so.
Would they complain so much if the bike was labelled a Suzuki FXR 230?

people still bitch about those crappy gn250's

rphenix
22nd June 2007, 15:22
You're actually wrong, Hyosung is thriving in NZ and I've tested the whole range except for the Aquilas and there's nothing wrong with them. Plenty of dealers and better warranty support than Kawasaki for instance.




The Aquilas aren't bad I've got an Aquila till I get my full motorcycle license again, back when I brought it I wouldn't have considered for a permanent ride but now I'm rethinking that and might just consider the 650 instead of buying a Honda as for the 250 instead of flicking it on the wife quite likes it so its got a permanent home.

As for parts with Kawasaki NZ supporting the brand parts <b>should</b> be plentiful and I've had no issue getting it serviced.

janno
22nd June 2007, 15:43
I try not to buy Chinese stuff, not because of quality concerns, although that's a worry, but because of their labour conditions.

These bikes are probably made by 10 year old workers getting a bowl of rice a day and a dollar a month, and if they don't work hard enough they get to "donate" their organs . . .

Bad, bad karma to support that crap all in the name of saving a dollar.

Though you'd be hard pressed to find something that doesn't have a component made in China these days.

Bring back tariffs, I say. Global trade is not the best idea in the world, though that comment is from an idealistic point of view with no economic knowledge whatsoever.

Anyone ever feel like you get "issue overload" these days?

Is it getting worse, all these things we are supposed to worry about, or am I just getting older?

rocketman1
22nd June 2007, 20:33
Maybe Im abit older than some of you guys that read this, when I was 13 the local dealer in town bought in a japanese car called it a Datsun Bluebird ugly thing, cheap, and nasty, nobody said the would sell, never heard of Datsun before, Ford Cortina's were the rage. Jap was crap, mate 10years later it was the other way around.. those of you dissing the Chinese bikes,,, you just wait.
In fact I will date this 22-06-07 and come back to it in 10 years time and see if I was wrong.

kevfromcoro
22nd June 2007, 22:49
as above.i can remeber the honda dream when it came out...1st jap bike.what a load of shit we scofted...jap bikes ..now look at them.....iam sure the chinese will get into the market..and take it over..they are a pack of cunning devils...in fact i think they will take over the world one day...not in my lifetime i hope.....then again ...some of the chickies look ok

moko
23rd June 2007, 07:35
Have to agree with 2 above comments,anything Japanese back then in the UK was invariably called "Japanese Rubbish" ,particularly Hi Fi gear and TVs.
Thing that strikes me at the moment is that history is repeating but this time it seems as if the Japanese are the ones not listening and making exactly the same mistakes as the British bike industry all those years ago.They're concentrating on the supersports stuff while seeming not to have noticed the learner and commuter market being swamped with Chinese machines.A Chinese 125traily here(kind of stuff the kids buy) will cost you about the same as the depreciation in the first year of a Honda XR125 or DTR125 Yamaha,the Honda's even built in Brazil so they can hardly blame Japanese production costs.Chinese bikes are improving all the time and most now come with a 2 year warranty.The Lifan 125 traily now outsells the well-established DTR and is gaining on the XR,so far the reaction from honda and Yamamha has been to persist with dated designs and make no attempt to bring prices down.