ZheJiang 250?

[Phil W]

Mate of mine is looking to get back on 2 wheels after a lengthy break. I happened to be in Mt Eden Motorcycles the other day and saw the 250 ZheJiang for sale. Now $3500 for a new bike, under warranty, is difficult to by pass (could ride it for a year then get shut). Has anyone got any real concerns about reliability, finish, chrome, re sale etc. I understand we are not looking at high performance here but would it be OK for someone who just needs to re-gain a bit of confidence and some road skills and not put her off?

[EJK]

I'm not too sure but....
I heard many chinese bikes comes off easily... Even the dealer at Mt Eden Motorcycle said to me "Hey mate, don't buy this Chinese bike ey! they are just dodgy azz!"

so there goes the reliability

[JimO]

it will be shit....buy a gn

[NighthawkNZ]

it will be shit....buy a gn

the GN sigh now made in China... if its got mag wheels (not spokes) is made in china

[JimO]

the GN sigh now made in China... if its got mag wheels (not spokes) is made in china

but it wont be as shit as the zanjag or whatever it is and at least a gn will have some resale value

[kave]

Couldnt you get a brand new Scorpio for about the same price? now that would be a reliable bike.

[NighthawkNZ]

but it wont be as shit as the zanjag or whatever it is and at least a gn will have some resale value

NOt the GN's I have seenn :crazy: Unless the are really really well looked after, has it chromed rechromed...

But on saying that, I have never even heard of a ZheJiang thing...

[cave weta]

Most components for japanese bikes are now made by companies like Jailang (english spelling).
Get advice from people who own them - I own 5 of them I also own 4 japanese bikes and 2 Austrian bikes.

dont listen to those with attitudes and no experience.They have been brainwashed with branding and promotion budgets.
read these instead.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?
t=59282&highlight=chinese+bikes

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=58857&highlight=chinese+bikes

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=60537&highlight=chinese+bikes


But do be aware!- in China there are SEVERAL HUNDRED motorcycle manufacturers. 3 or 4 of them make good quality bikes.

The companies that Honda Yamaha and Suzuki use to cast and machine parts all produce decent products. they wont win races or cross deserts. But they will get you to work cheaply and reliably
5 years ago I looked at the pocket and pit bikes coming in and shook my head- they were utter crap! brought in by people for no other reason than they were unbelievably cheap.- Im talking $80- $120 brand new - landed! but they were crappy toys. Now you can buy a bike as good as a GN or a CRF Honda for around 1/2 the price.

Last year I bought my first Cavallo CFR 230 as a rental bike for beginners and now own 4 more. Simple; they are good value for money. :done:

[tri boy]

I was quite impressed by deanohit's Zongshen 200 trailbike. Some say they are cheap shit. I say they are cheap cheerful cycles for the budget conscious.
Cave weta should know his stuff. I think he hires Chinese bikes out, and after spending a few years working in the hire game, I know things need to be quite robust to take abuse.
Look after it, and I'm sure there will be years of life in it.:niceone:

On a side note about Chinese quality. In 1986 I purchased 4 Micrometers for measuring engine internals etc.
The Japanese Mitotuyo's were $600 for the equivalent set. The Chinese cost me about $180 Aus.
Twenty years later, theyre still accurate, and and in calibration spec.
Don't knock all things Chinese. They were into engineering, when the Poms were still, cowering from the elements.

[EJK]

Scorpio ;) now thats a good bike

[carver]

its a bit of a lottery.
a used HONDA NXR 125 is a much safer bet, i rode my one harder than any other bike i have owned.
im so surpriesed it didn't break under warranty.

very tough, like the hilux of bikes

[JimO]

Most components for japanese bikes are now made by companies like Jailang (english spelling).
Get advice from people who own them - I own 5 of them I also own 4 japanese bikes and 2 Austrian bikes.

dont listen to those with attitudes and no experience.They have been brainwashed with branding and promotion budgets.
read these instead.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?
t=59282&highlight=chinese+bikes

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=58857&highlight=chinese+bikes

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=60537&highlight=chinese+bikes


But do be aware!- in China there are SEVERAL HUNDRED motorcycle manufacturers. 3 or 4 of them make good quality bikes.

The companies that Honda Yamaha and Suzuki use to cast and machine parts all produce decent products. they wont win races or cross deserts. But they will get you to work cheaply and reliably
5 years ago I looked at the pocket and pit bikes coming in and shook my head- they were utter crap! brought in by people for no other reason than they were unbelievably cheap.- Im talking $80- $120 brand new - landed! but they were crappy toys. Now you can buy a bike as good as a GN or a CRF Honda for around 1/2 the price.

Last year I bought my first Cavallo CFR 230 as a rental bike for beginners and now own 4 more. Simple; they are good value for money. :done:


whats it going to be worth in a year..sweet FA

[FROSTY]

I just bought a bike out of china for jorja -I had to change a bunch of minor stuff but mechanicaly it seemes fine--watch this space.
I must agree with others here though --For 3500 ish you are better off with a scorpio. Solid,reliable and good resale

[cave weta]

whats it going to be worth in a year..sweet FA

Well its all relative surley you understand? for so long we have been buying $10,000 bikes that in 5 years are worth $5000. now we can ride $5000 bikes that are worth nothing in 5 years, whats the difference:lol: for me its a 100% tax deduction! I can cope with that:devil2:

[Katman]

Your mate sure won't love-it-long-time.

[JimO]

Well its all relative surley you understand? for so long we have been buying $10,000 bikes that in 5 years are worth $5000. now we can ride $5000 bikes that are worth nothing in 5 years, whats the difference:lol: for me its a 100% tax deduction! I can cope with that:devil2:

$3500 for a new xingwang in a year worth $1000 if you can find a buyer or $3500 ish for a scorpio or gn in a year worth $2500 at least and where in dunedin could i get warranty work done on a zangpong?

[Phil W]

My thoughts are, it's a 250cc, it's brand spanking for $3500. Ride it without doing much damage for 12 months. Get some experience on the road. Sell it for $3000 with a max of 10 000 on the clock.
Doable or not?
Have lost contact with the 250 market. What are the prices of new/10 000 KM 250's these days?

[JimO]

My thoughts are, it's a 250cc, it's brand spanking for $3500. Ride it without doing much damage for 12 months. Get some experience on the road. Sell it for $3000 with a max of 10 000 on the clock.
Doable or not?
Have lost contact with the 250 market. What are the prices of new/10 000 KM 250's these days?

HA good luck getting 3k for it

[cave weta]

My thoughts are, it's a 250cc, it's brand spanking for $3500. Ride it without doing much damage for 12 months. Get some experience on the road. Sell it for $3000 with a max of 10 000 on the clock.
Doable or not?
Have lost contact with the 250 market. What are the prices of new/10 000 KM 250's these days?

Ask jimjim- he seems to know a lot more than people who own them:zzzz:

[EJK]

I think I can sell my scorpio for $3000 which has done just over 10,000km

[JimO]

Ask jimjim- he seems to know a lot more than people who own them:zzzz:

not at all .do you think he will get 3k for a year old longdong...i dont really give a shit its not my $$$

[EJK]

Oh who gave me a bling for the above post?
Send me a PM if you want to have a test ride (and if you live in Auck) :yes:

Pleasure :)

[Phil W]

Hey. Was really looking for some advice to help out a mate on a subject I know little about. Not looking to start any beef. All good if you have an opinion but would like to know the facts.
If it's not viable to do the resale thing on a Chinese 250 thats cool. we will look elsewhere, no damage done eh?

[kave]

My thoughts are, it's a 250cc, it's brand spanking for $3500. Ride it without doing much damage for 12 months. Get some experience on the road. Sell it for $3000 with a max of 10 000 on the clock.
Doable or not?
Have lost contact with the 250 market. What are the prices of new/10 000 KM 250's these days?

If it was a new japper you could easily get that sort of resale, and there are a lot of 2nd hand japanese bikes for a similar or lower price that you would hardly lose any resale value. The market for chinese manufactured bikes is quite weak, and I think you would lose close to 50% of the value of the bike after a year of riding. I honestly think that buying a brand new 250cc bike is unnecessary, and generally a 2nd hand bike from a reliable brand will provide more riding pleasure than getting a new bike from a brand that isnt well supported in New Zealand and then getting stuck with your bike off the road for 3 months while you wait for parts.

[JimO]

If it was a new japper you could easily get that sort of resale, and there are a lot of 2nd hand japanese bikes for a similar or lower price that you would hardly lose any resale value. The market for chinese manufactured bikes is quite weak, and I think you would lose close to 50% of the value of the bike after a year of riding. I honestly think that buying a brand new 250cc bike is unnecessary, and generally a 2nd hand bike from a reliable brand will provide more riding pleasure than getting a new bike from a brand that isnt well supported in New Zealand and then getting stuck with your bike off the road for 3 months while you wait for parts.

what he said

[Katman]

All good if you have an opinion but would like to know the facts.


Read my lips. P-i-l-e o-f s-t-e-a-m-i-n-g s-h-i-t.:msn-wink:

[EJK]

Read my lips. P-i-l-e o-f s-t-e-a-m-i-n-g s-h-i-t.:msn-wink:

lololololol bling awarded :2thumbsup

[cave weta]

:girlfight:
Hey. Was really looking for some advice to help out a mate on a subject I know little about. Not looking to start any beef. All good if you have an opinion but would like to know the facts.
If it's not viable to do the resale thing on a Chinese 250 thats cool. we will look elsewhere, no damage done eh?

Friday nights get like this about now- Blame the Bourbon!:argue:

[Phil W]

Originally Posted by katman View Post
Read my lips. P-i-l-e o-f s-t-e-a-m-i-n-g s-h-i-t.

Thats a fact is it?
I can take that to the bank can I?
If I steer my friend wrong I can just point to your erudite critique can I?
Technically detailed and fair was it?
Sounds fairly convincing though.
Maybe not a good idea is the sense I'm getting.

[cave weta]

look at it this way- its been a great way to get your post count up!

[Katman]

Originally Posted by katman View Post
Read my lips. P-i-l-e o-f s-t-e-a-m-i-n-g s-h-i-t.

Thats a fact is it?
I can take that to the bank can I?
If I steer my friend wrong I can just point to your erudite critique can I?
Technically detailed and fair was it?



You're getting the idea.:msn-wink:

[Katman]

:girlfight:

Friday nights get like this about now- Blame the Bourbon!:argue:

Why do I feel like I'm being spied on?:msn-wink:

[kave]

Put it this way, look at the newer chinese manufactured Suzuki GN250s, the build quality is shite compared to the older japanese ones. The only upside is that the parts are interchangable with the earlier GN250s so they are cheap to fix, and suzuki have a large presence in New Zealand which means that you can get certain things fixed under warranty.
The chinese may (probably will) produce awesome bikes at some point in the future, but they are not producing them yet. What they are producing at the moment are unreliable but cheap bikes, great for your wallet in the short term, but expensive over the long haul.

[Dave-]

I was told that in korea hyosung have 40% of the market and ZheJiang has 60%

this doesnt say much about the motorcycle market in korea...

[deanohit]

I'm stoked with my Zongshen 200GY, done 5000kms now and needed only routine maintinence, and I flog the hell out of it. I bought it knowing I wouldn't be on selling it, so havn't worried about dropping it or taking care of it's looks, so the plastics on it are pretty shitty. It is a copy of a Honda CT200, so parts are common for if I need them.
Once I'm onto my licence, I will either turn it into a bucket motard and continue thrashing it or give it to my brother for the short commute he does each day.

After seeing EJs Scorpio, if you want new, you'd be hard pressed to beat that though.

[Buddha#81]

I have three Chinkers (along with Jap race bikes). I've found the engines seem to be the strongest part of the bike when looked after. If your mate is ok on the spanners and can keep the the bike servicable the chinker is OK value for money.

Before buying a cheap Chinese bike, I would check for parts supply either genuine Chinker or Jappo equiv. My bikes I have no worries because I can get genuine Suzuki (LT50) or Honda (Z50R) for the boys bikes and my quad there is motors on Tardme fo a couple of hundie. The rest of the bikes are slowly being replace as parts fail and thats only been the odd bearing and chains and sprockets all stuff that shits on bikes 10 times what these cost me. As a family we can have as much fun on these cheap bikes. If your careful in what you buy there is nothing wrong with a Chinker.:niceone: