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02-13-2014, 08:40 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Buffalo, Mo
Posts: 259
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It is a little porky. As far as them closing shop in the states, I don't blame them. Politics on paperwork from state to state and the EPA, I would run too!
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02-13-2014, 09:56 PM | #2 | |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
Posts: 9,035
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As far as hope for this bike coming to the US, perhaps their joint venture with someone could get us this bike in a few years? Zongshen and Piaggio have a joint venture, and Piaggio have an established presence in the US, as well as Piaggio Group's Aprilia. If the bike is tested as reliable, perhaps, if not as a Zongshen, we could see it as one of the above?
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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02-13-2014, 11:21 PM | #3 | |
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Buffalo, Mo
Posts: 259
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02-13-2014, 11:44 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Idaho
Posts: 25,054
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Quote:
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...id=36173529491
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Spud "Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level, and beat you with experience." Mark Twain 2015 Zongshen ZS250GY-3 (RX3) 2006 Zongshen ZS200GY-2 (Sierra 200) 2005 Honda XR650L 2004 Honda CRF250X 1998 Kawasaki KDX220 Mods made to my Zongshen ZS200GY-2: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=6894 |
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08-13-2014, 10:10 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 9
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As much as I'd like to see it in the U.S. (If/When) I returned there is maybe even a bigger problem to deal with in selling this bike. No matter how fantastic the bike may be and even if it beat all the statistics and competition, it's biggest barrier is the average biker mentality. Who the heck wants a 250 when they could have a 600? Sure the 250s perks as in fuel efficiency, repairs etc vs a 600 and above make it a great bike. Sure you could do the same thing, pack your luggage and go on the same trips - but sadly most other forums I've been to have motor power at the top of the list. The "bigger is better" mentality would make most bike enthusiasts laugh at the RX3 and call it a beginner bike.
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09-09-2014, 08:25 AM | #6 | |
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Blue Ridge Mtns Ga
Posts: 437
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09-09-2014, 10:56 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Sardis, BC, Canada
Posts: 25,977
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You sound like a "Long Way Round" rider, which is something I'd love to do. Please feel free to start a new thread about your pending bike, including any research you've done on it, along with any other impressions.
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Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer |
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09-09-2014, 10:58 PM | #8 | |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
Posts: 9,035
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Then again, you are probably leaving from Georgia, whereas my perspective is here on the Mexican border. I love the stout engine in my TMEC 200 (Zongshen air-cooled) so I am sold on the idea of an all-out Zongshen liquid-cooled 250cc bike, but I tense up at the thought of fuel-injection on a Chinese bike. Not to scare anyone away...
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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02-14-2014, 01:08 AM | #9 | |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
Posts: 9,035
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It works out in other countries because the price of bikes across the board are so high, it is worth it for importers. Even in Canada, there are many tariffs and whatnot across the board, so a $4500 Honda XR250 in the US would add much more in Canada. So, enterprising Canadians can offer Chinese bikes far cheaper there where they make more sense pricewise, even with the tariffs, taxes, etc. Here, the profit margin is low, so many importers have come and gone. It would take an investor (well funded one at that) to properly fund bringing Zongshen to the US again. Spud mentioned the bikes costing $3300 or so, which wouldn't necessarily be the case since that is retail price (even in China). But, I am doubtful Zongshen will invest several million of its own dollars to open up for business, unfortunately. Then, what price would it be worth to purchase a Zongshen vs. the Honda dual sport? Even with the quality improvement over the years, and the extras thrown into the deal, could someone realistically charge more than $3000 in the US? $3500, and you are only a grand away from Honda's MSRP, which doesn't make a big difference if you need to finance either one, as far as monthly payments go. I could see if Piaggio brought these in to sell alongside their scooters under the Piaggio name, or Aprilia. Kind of like how M1nsk sells them under their name (M1nsk does still have a cult following in many countries, and their domestically produced bikes were terrible as far as quality is concerned, so this bike is a big, huge improvement for them, ironically). A Piaggio warranty and dealer network would help seal some deals, and with the proven quality and reliability once these bikes have a few years of being sold worldwide by the time they even got here. SSR's dirtbike, for now, is the closest we will get to these, and if the engine is bulletproof, or close to it, at least that part of the research and quality tracking is taken care of here in the US. But that bike is obviously used for far different purposes than the RX3...
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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02-14-2014, 04:18 AM | #10 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Idaho
Posts: 25,054
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Also, owning a Chinese motorcycle in North America is much more challenging than owning a European or Japanese motorcycle, since the Chinese don't have any support network for parts, repair, et cetera. As always, whenever the price of a new Chinese motorcycle starts to approach $2,000, one is usually much better off to start looking for good deals on slightly used, Japanese motorcycles. Nevertheless, I still like this Zongshen ZS250GY-3 motorcycle. I think this bike will sell well in the Philippines, Thailand, Belarus, and many other countries. Although this bike probably won't be imported to North America in any quantity for several years, if ever, I am still interested to learn more about this motorcycle. Also, we must recognize these forums have an international membership, and many of our members around the world will consider this bike a very viable option in their countries.
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Spud "Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level, and beat you with experience." Mark Twain 2015 Zongshen ZS250GY-3 (RX3) 2006 Zongshen ZS200GY-2 (Sierra 200) 2005 Honda XR650L 2004 Honda CRF250X 1998 Kawasaki KDX220 Mods made to my Zongshen ZS200GY-2: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=6894 Last edited by SpudRider; 09-15-2015 at 08:16 PM. |
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06-30-2015, 03:16 PM | #11 |
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 247
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The "Riding Activity"
Joe Berk here. I’m the guy who writes the CSC blog and I’m involved with a lot of the company rides we do.
First, my thanks to you for buying an RX3 motorcycle if you already have one. We greatly appreciate your business. Next, I’d like to alert you to a great riding opportunity we have coming up in about two weeks. We are hosting several Zongshen engineers and a Chinese motojournalist on a ride through the western United States from 15 July to 31 July. Our route will take us through California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and back down the Pacific Coast Highway to our corporate headquarters in Azusa. I would like to invite you to ride with us for the entire route or any part of the ride. My good friend Baja John and I will be finalizing the ride and the route this week, and I’ll post it on the CSC blog. Some of you rode with us on the Baja ride. We’ll do fewer daily miles on this ride and a bit more sightseeing, so the pace will be a bit more relaxed than the Baja ride. We’ll do somewhere around 300 miles each day, and on the days where we go over that, the riding will be mostly on the freeway. Most of the Chinese who are riding with us have never been to the US, and they are keenly interested in seeing the sights. This is a good opportunity to ride with us and to have direct conversations with the engineers from Zongshen. I’ve never needed an excuse to take a motorcycle ride, but if you need one, this is as good as it gets. We’ll also be offering test rides at various points along our route, so if you don't already own an RX3 and you want to see and experience the bike firsthand, this is a good opportunity to do so. If you already have an RX3 and you want to ride with us, please let me know this week (and if so, for which parts of the ride). You can reach me at info@CSCMotorcycles.com. Again, you are invited for any part of it or for the entire ride. One last note…the recent article in Motorcyclist magazine, as expected, resulted in a sales surge that has our inventory down to about 12 motorcycles as I write this. I expect they’ll sell this week, and then we won’t have any more RX3 motorcycles until the end of August or early September. If you are thinking about jumping in, this is a good time to do so. |
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