Concerns with buying a China bike

[dsrt4]

I'll throw my 2 cents in. Buy from a actual brick and mortar store.

I bought my SSR Rowdy through a Local dealer that has been in business for near 20 years now and has a full service shop. It came with a 2 year warranty. The only issue I had with it since 2011 was a stripped out sparkplug hole. This happened 3 months after ownership and the dealer came to my house with a truck and trailer, picked up the bike and brought it back the next day repaired. It has 11k miles on it now and I occasionally take it to him when I don't have time for Maintenance on it.

That was good enough for me to feel comfortable with him and his shop to do maintenance and repair to my American Lifan lf110 gy3 . And then later My Triumph Bonneville T100.

I've been in the Chinese motorcycle game long enough to see issues with drop shipped bikes and what happens if you end up having issues with the bike. At most you can get parts shipped to replace something that failed during their so called warranty but you are left to their discretion if they even do that at all.

If you can find a reputable dealer that has a service dept.. Spend the extra cash and buy the bike through them. I did that with my SSR rowdy. The shop wasn't even a dealer for SSR at the time. I knew he had a great reputation so i stopped buy and asked if he could order it and sell me it through his dealership. I think I paid $250 more than what i would have spent just buying it outright and having it delivered to my house... What I got was his 2 year warranty and him receiving the bike, setting it up and doing the PDI and service after the sale.


It was money well spent.

[Thumper]

I have seen some dealership assembly people using power tools to install threaded bolts. You can just see them getting it threaded wrong and buggering threads. Also seen sloppy wiring and cable routing, straining them while impatiently trying to get the job done.

Frankly I am glad I get to build the bike myself. Sure, saving a few hundred is great, but that is not the point... There is no guarantee like doing it yourself. No offense to dealerships that do a good job, but I would rather apply the loctite and carefully find the best wiring/cable routing myself. I know it is done right and I know more about the bike.

[Mudflap]

When I was in the motorcycle business very few dealers set up bikes in their shop, instead they contracted that out to companies who only do setup and delivery. The set up companies may do a good job but many do a poor job and just get it done as fast as possible with the cheapest inexperienced labor.

[CGcloner229]

Bruh there's literally parts all over made Niche just for these Chinese bikes when you can replace just about any part on there really easy and cheap and as far as mechanic wise goes you can watch YouTube and do it yourself I know a guy from is for Mega Dan he has some great videos on YouTube to check it out these are great bikes to learn jit motorcycle mechanics on and ride on gr8 first bike thete iz in my opinion.the cg engines are vullet proof but if i ever rebuild the top end its a great platform to a bigger hsad on!

[Jwrider]

I own 2 Harley’s and 1 royal enfield.I got an X-pect because I didn’t want to spend over 5k on a Honda 125. So far so good. A little maintenance is good for the soul.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by emt1581

Interesting reply. Seems like the Lifan KP 150 mini I'm looking at is 1st or 2nd Gen tech. However, a few months ago I was comparing the Grom, Z125 and Benelli.

But at the end of the day all gens of China bikes still have the same issue....no repair options near me. So the choice still comes down to: Do I pay $2200 and roll the dice on a China bike or pay $5500 for a Grom?

Not sure anyone saw the question but I am curious if there are any dual sport China bike options for someone with a 29" inseam?

Thanks!!

I would say any new Lifan is 3rd gen tech.--even though the KP Mini is carbed.

For a dualsport I'd strongly consider an X-pect for your 29" inseam. I was flatfooted with bent leg on it with my 31" inseam. At worst you might have your heels up 1/2" or so, but not bad at all. Boots with a thicker sole will help too.

Lifan has a dealership network around the country of about 100 dealers. Maybe you can find one to go sit on the X-pect. I recently sold mine because it was just a little small for me, I didn't like the hump in the seat, and wanted more highway capability. The purchaser is slightly shorter than me, so hopefully all is well for him.

[Brasky]

You need to be handy and willing to do your own maintenance to own one of these Chinese bikes in my opinion.

I spent the first 300 miles tweaking all kinds of things from the carburetor, chain tightness, handlebar, switches, etc until I had them exactly where I wanted them.