I thought I would ask you guys your thoughts on Chinese bikes. I guess it is not really you guys taste when it comes to bike but I do believe there’s place for them in the motorcycle world especially when the budget is tight.
So, here is a little back story. I have been in the market for a 400 sport for a daily commute use but for my budget it seem hard to find a good one, so when I was reading the MCM, there’s load of Chinese bike ads and they sounded ok considering the price point. Brand new bike with 2 yrs warranty and of course no need for MOT for 3 yrs and cheap to run. I have done a bit research on them and the view on them don’t seem to bad for its price, so I just want to see if any of you know anything about it or maybe even own one yourself and able to give me some feedback on them.
Here are few that I have be looking. Skyteam Ace, Sinnis Cafe and Retrostar and Pulse Adrenaline. Any feedback or view will be greatly appreciated
Dan
P.S. I didn’t want to buy Chinese bike because I am Chinese LOL
The Chinese bike story has been done to death, for my two wotsits worth
Since 125’s are learner machines and not proper commuters find yourself a secondhand Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki or Kawasaki to meet your budget.
Drop it once or twice, pass your test and then get yourself a proper commuter bike.
Chinese motorcycles are getting better year on year but they’re not there yet. The bottom line is ‘One day Thomas’
In the meantime for commuter, economy and realibility think low bhp
Chinese bikes are fine in other countries… the UK weather is too harsh for them, especially when you come to winter with the salt etc.
I see chinese bikes in greece all the time and they run well, are cheap and surprisingly are easy to fix. That said, they tend to be small semi-auto cub type bikes. However I have seen a few like the Pulse and they still seem to run around.
They are cheaply built (there’s no denying that) and in the end you’re likely to spend more than you bargained for…
The chinese market will slowly slowly take over but at the moment, it’s still at the early stages of being good…
I seem to remember reading articles of the British pooh poohing Japanese cars a good 20-30 years ago
True they are cheap and can be ok…but i had a sanya 125 and it became very dangerous with bits falling of at speed…I crashed onto the road with a fuaulty front brake …and after only 1500 miles the engine effectively broke down and the big end bearing went…the mechanic told me the quality of chinese bikes are notoriously poor and quality control is very inconsistent…stay away and buy a bike with solid engineering such as honda etc…chinese bikes are not only a false economy but a major gamble…hope this helps
Skyrider
I guess I wrong to think the Chinese bike has come a long way since and it is good enough as a commute bike but it seems I shall carry on my 400s search.
why not get a cheap 600-650. i picked up 650 up for £225 lol
i dont see the point in 400s they sell for to much money some are quite small parts are expensive.
for the same price as a 400 you could get a 600 bandit sv 650 both of witch might not be as pritty but are cheaper to buy and for parts and a few extra bhp.
^^ “Chinese bikes are wank”… from the guy who rides a scooter!!! :w00t: Seriously, ask these guys to tell you about their experiences of the Chinese bikes that THEY have owned themselves. You’ll probably get errr… zero replies. Everyone with a ‘proper’ bike has a tale of woe when it comes to talking about Chinese bikes, but 99% of the time it’s all hearsay from a mate, or a mate of a mate, or some other tenuous connection.
One of my brothers has a Pulse Adrenaline 125 which he bought brand new, on-the-road, for £1600 a year & a half ago. Now coming up for 13k miles, it’s been really good value for money. Not without it’s problems… all 2 of them - an intermittently dodgy side-stand switch, and a new indicator relay(?) required. That’s it. He bought it when he lost his job so that he could still get about cheaply on two wheels but without the running costs of his Street Triple. It’s been a good bike for him which has encouraged me to go for the new 250 version. Only problem with that is that the initial batch sold out so quickly, Lexeter has apparently ordered a huge stock in but it won’t be in stock in the UK until nearer the end of the year.
Some Chinese bikes are really good, some are cack. Brands I would recommend are Sinnis (Qingqi manufactured), Pulse (Qingqi subsidiary Shandong Pioneer manufactured and imported by Lexeter), and Huoniao (can’t remember straight off who makes them but Lexmoto sell them under their own name) Jury’s still out on Lexmoto who are reasonably good (another Lexeter imported brand), HMC (mainly Zongshen produced bikes), and WK bikes. I would avoid Lifan at present as I’ve heard too many variable reports about them… you can be lucky and get a good one, or unlucky and have troubles. For parts, just Google Chinese Motorcycle Parts Online.
Forget Londonbikers, MCN etc for advice on Chinese bikes, and instead look at sites like Twist 'n Go (and the magazine in larger branches of WH Smiths), as well as specific Chinese moto sites.
Almost everything is made in China so why not bikes?
Some of the designs look pretty funky and ‘they have the technology’. However ‘bad’ they are in comparison to current bikes twice the price they’ll probably still be better put together than the sort of bike I started out on.
My first bike was a 5 year old Hornet, and my current one a Yam XT660 (which I’ve got on long-term loan). If either of these were half-way as reliable and problem-free as my brother’s Pulse, I would be very happy
Check out MCN’s comparison of the Honda CBF125 v the Lexmoto ZSX125. The ‘Verdict’ section tells you everything you need to know.
I seriously considered a HMC Classic ‘mini-Bonneville’ when looking for my first bike.
Could have had it for under £2k new.
I reckon I’d be lucky to sell it for half that within a year though.
I went for a one year old Yamaha YBR for less than the HMC.
It is still under warranty, loads of spares available, mechanics know them and they are known to be reliable.
I should make most of my money back on it when I come to sell it in a years times.
As said, they are made in China in the same factories by the same people, but from different materials.
You don’t need to own one to see the price in the showroom and the second-hand price everywhere else. Two minutes of research will show you that the depreciation compared to Japanese bikes is incredible.
But saying that, I have owned a Chinese bike and it was ****, as you would have expected.
