China Bike (Two Years and a bunch of $$$ Later)

[jaytravels]

I am no stranger to china bikes, they are sold nice shiny new, cheap price and they WILL break on you, I do not even try to hide that is an inevitable conclusion to a cheap sale, if you want something quality that will stand the test of time your not buying a china bike.

Ok fast forward to two years later, I bought a RPS Hawk 250, it had 1500 miles or so on it when it was stolen from me in Nebraska, it was recovered 2 months later completely stripped and I rebuilt it. The guys who stole it were lowlife meth heads and they got almost no penalty and I never saw a dime in restitution. Out of the sorrow of the good times I vowed to rebuild her and I did.

Recently she literally dropped the gas tank while my friend was riding her, gas spilled everywhere, the bottom of the tank where the outlet to the petcock is welded just up and separated for no reason.

A local welder said it would be cheaper to just buy a new tank then to re weld it all over again, so i spent another $100 on a tank that should have lasted 5+ years of riding.

The reason for my updated post is to tell you all my gas gauge never worked right from Day one, and i figured since this tank didnt come with a sending unit (or a cap or a bushing or a rubber seal for that matter, go china) I could take this opportunity to fix the gauge.

I removed the sending unit from the old tank and put an OHM meter on the plug, but I saw no variation in resistance no matter what I did.

here are a few pics to show you of the broken tank, and the sending unit, I know there was a thread about a zip tie on this forum, but I think I may have a bigger issue.

BTW if there is not supposed to be a float on this tank, I am going to use a piece of cork to make a new one, because any self respecting tank SHOULD have a float!

I plan on redoing all of her electronics as they are very problematic, but that will be for another thread!

thanks for any tips/feedback

[tknj99]

Chinese bikes were originally considered throw-away bikes due to their extremely low cost. with low cost ofcourse comes cheaper materials and quality control. The beauty of these bikes is that they are low cost initially and then low cost to repair things or replace parts when needed. With that being said, i believe most can attest to the longevity of their bikes. I can speak for my 2020 Brozz only thats lasted 2 years so far, 2500 miles, and runs great. Sure, both this bike and my existing Titan needed some upgrades, but to me its all part of the fun..

[JFOlivier]

All Chinese bikes are not made equal for sure, however I have a Lifan X-pect with around 2000 miles on it and it runs like a dream. I can maintain 65 MPH on highways and have pushed it to around 70 MPH on its speedo which I find to be around 2 or 3 MPH low so am quite happy with my purchase which was delivered to my home in 2020 for around $2000.
Go figure what a Japenese bike would have cost.

[TominMO]

Lots of people are putting some pretty big miles on their Chinese bikes with no failures lie you are experiencing. You bought a Hawk for $1548 and are complaining that all Chinese bikes are crap.

Total BS. Grow up, you get what you pay for.

Yeah a KPX is $3200 from Venom, but that's about $2K less than a Japanese equivalent, and it is as good or 95% as good as the Jap bike. BTW many Japanese Big 4, and some KTM, and some BMW, etc etc bikes have their engines made in China. And some of those exact same engines are in Chinese bikes. Refer again to paragraph 2.

[Thumper]

TOTALLY DISAGREE JAY.

My experiences with THREE chinese motorcycles Ibought in the last couple of years have been predictable and rewarding. Predictable in the sense that I knew there would be some issues, but rewarding since all three run GREAT, deliver excellent fuel economy, start up instantly, show no signs of excessive wear or premature failure. We ride them all the time.

Exception... OEM chains are OK, but need to be replaced at some point-noisy mostly, but work OK (knew this going in!).

I am no chinese bike fanboy. I am realistic, enjoy working on small motors, rear axels, changing tires, adjusting valves, etc. And these are activities that I have done for DECADES on more than 40 Japanese motorcycles.

I am sorry you have had problems. But they are no longer typical for Chinese motorcycles. The average purchase is a happy one these days.

[tknj99]

I think one of the overlooked parts of the Chinabike world is that it has enabled many who may never have considered buying a bike to have the means to purchase one.. im sure it has also served as an excellent way as well for new riders to learn how to ride, without having to resort to buying an older used bike. Plus, im alot less sad about dropping an $1800 bike than a $10k bike.. especially since the replacement parts may be less than $100 vs hundreds to thousands (locktite and safety cotter pins in the axles go a long way)

In the ops defense, these bikes definitely do require heightened QA and maintenance from their owners than a Big-4 established brand does but you pay for that for sure. Do i wish a KTM or KLR was $2k, hell yea, i would never have bought a China bike if that were the case, but its not, so we are here to share and help eachother on this forum and learn and grow and have fun.. Your experience is unfortunately/fortunately an outlier but then again, a known brand doesnt always guarantee you wont get a lemon.

[XLsior]

Most of the Chinese engineering products are made from or based on 30ish year old Japanese tooling once the patent expires along with any cross nationality agreements.

Be thankful you have the options to even purchase and ride these cost effective motorcycles on the road.

These options are limited to non existent in Australia.

However these clone engines are allowing older bikes to live on ...like my XL185 project.

I doubt you could change valves for less than $15 or piston and rings for under $30 shipped to you door on any other modern non China bike...

I will say the china complete loom electrics have been the biggest issue in my project building experience.

My Acewell digi dash is made in Taiwan and that has been great...

Do I like supporting China in some financial way....no but since 'our' globalized governments and corporate overlords have basically sold out the West into cheap crap consumer dependency...The illusion of choice is nice sentiment.

However I like to still have the ability to work and fix/repair my possessions cost effectively and without 3rd party hindrances.

High strung modern equipment no longer allows me to do that.

As for the $100 fuel tank repair quote. Looking at the fault...I would de gas the tank (no boom) and then use a torch and braze/soldier the fitting back...shouldn't cost any more than $20. Another option is to feed a flanged threaded bushing through the fill cap into the tank and out the hole so the threaded end come out and then wind on a lock nut with a tank putty/fuel resistant epoxy to seal the deal.

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by XLsior

...
Do I like supporting China in some financial way....no but since or global governments and corporate overlords have basically sold out the West into cheap crap consumer dependency...The illusion of choice is nice sentiment.
...

Touche

Such is our global economy. Slave labor or oppressed workers fed nationalist rhetoric have created a remarkable source of "stuff". Complain all you want about a misthreaded bolt, bad weld, misadjusted valve, but this machine is selling millions of units in Eastern Europe, South America, South Africa, and all over. This is why these bikes have gotten BETTER! Now, if we could just make our own microprocessors, we might have a chance!!

[jaytravels]

well aside from post # 6 I can see where peoples passion lies, buy junk and be prepared not to complain, lol

I did not see one post offering to help me, just fluff up how good their "chinese time bombs" are, sure your all happy with what you got, and yes we can own something we might otherwise have not been able to, but the same people "fluffing" their rides, will be crying next year over something that broke, thats a FACT.

Calling me immature for stating that the bikes we ride are junk, when that is also a DOCUMENTED FACT, that is immature.

I came here for help on a gas tank issue to repair my bike because as post # 2 stated "Its all part of the fun" to open your wallet many times instead of once.

Seriously lets leave the childish insults for Reddit (another childish site) and lets get to work here, now I ask is anyone have any ideas on the sending unit issue, I am here with my second gas tank, and Im sure ill be back when its time for the third!

FYI: most of the people on this site do love their chinese bikes, but they are also likely "Weekend warrior" riders, whereas mine was used across 50 states over the past two years , so yeah it got worked, and in the future NO I would not buy chinese even though I can fix them, that stopped being "fun" awhile ago, now its necessity because the thing probably wouldnt sell for $200 bucks lol.

anyway the fuel sending unit issue?

[severely]

Originally Posted by jaytravels

I am no stranger to china bikes, they are sold nice shiny new, cheap price and they WILL break on you, I do not even try to hide that is an inevitable conclusion to a cheap sale, if you want something quality that will stand the test of time your not buying a china bike.

Ok fast forward to two years later, I bought a RPS Hawk 250, it had 1500 miles or so on it when it was stolen from me in Nebraska, it was recovered 2 months later completely stripped and I rebuilt it. The guys who stole it were lowlife meth heads and they got almost no penalty and I never saw a dime in restitution. Out of the sorrow of the good times I vowed to rebuild her and I did.

Recently she literally dropped the gas tank while my friend was riding her, gas spilled everywhere, the bottom of the tank where the outlet to the petcock is welded just up and separated for no reason.

A local welder said it would be cheaper to just buy a new tank then to re weld it all over again, so i spent another $100 on a tank that should have lasted 5+ years of riding.

The reason for my updated post is to tell you all my gas gauge never worked right from Day one, and i figured since this tank didnt come with a sending unit (or a cap or a bushing or a rubber seal for that matter, go china) I could take this opportunity to fix the gauge.

I removed the sending unit from the old tank and put an OHM meter on the plug, but I saw no variation in resistance no matter what I did.

here are a few pics to show you of the broken tank, and the sending unit, I know there was a thread about a zip tie on this forum, but I think I may have a bigger issue.

BTW if there is not supposed to be a float on this tank, I am going to use a piece of cork to make a new one, because any self respecting tank SHOULD have a float!

I plan on redoing all of her electronics as they are very problematic, but that will be for another thread!

thanks for any tips/feedback

Gosh dude, you get your bike stolen by some meth heads and they abuse it for a few months and you get it back and NOW you have an issue with Chinese bikes. Grow up please and let us know when you have a REAL problem.

[TominMO]

I would also point out that Japanese bikes didn't used to be good at all. I have owned motorcycles since the 60s, and by today's standards, they were just plain junk. Today's Chinese bikes, even the low-end ones, are better than Japanese bikes back then for sure.

For example, in the 1970s I had a 1968 Honda 305 Scrambler. Cool bike, loved it. Bought another one in the late 1990s, in excellent condition. What a piece of junk! Very crude compared to how much better bikes got since the first one I owned. Like stepping out of a modern sports car and climbing up on a tractor. The bike didn't change, I did. The Chinese bikes have benefited from the improvements in Japanese technology.

I helps to have perspective, which comes with age. I was a bit rough on you Jay, sorry. Caught me at a bad moment.

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by severely

Gosh dude, you get your bike stolen by some meth heads and they abuse it for a few months and you get it back and NOW you have an issue with Chinese bikes. Grow up please and let us know when you have a REAL problem.

Exactly!

This thread is about to get locked, I am sure.

OP. Exactly why did you buy this "chinese junk" that you so clearly abhor and feel is worthless? Seems like your mistake. And yes, the bike was STOLEN AND ABUSED. Want some advice? Start with a little civility. I am sure so many people are lining up to help now that you've expressed yourself. You want warranty and someone to fix it? Go to a dealer and pay twice as much for it, and stop whining about an abused stolen motorcycle!

[JFOlivier]

Hey Dick you were not asking for help, you were just going on about all Chinse bikes being junk, and that was to which most of us here replied. If you want help, just buy another sending unit. Sending units fail on all sorts of equipment and I am sure a replacement would not be very expensive. As for the break in the tank, yours is the first I have seen and if it happened to me I would try to find a larger tank anyhow, but if push came to shove I would repair it myself. You would just need to degass the tank before trying to weld it back together and I think this 10% ethanol is not helping the tanks at all.

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by TominMO

I would also point out that Japanese bikes didn't used to be good at all. I have owned motorcycles since the 60s, and by today's standards, they were just plain junk. Today's Chinese bikes, even the low-end ones, are better than Japanese bikes back then for sure.

...

I helps to have perspective, which comes with age. I was a bit rough on you Jay, sorry. Caught me at a bad moment.

Mine was a 1974 Suzuki TS250. NICE 2-stroke engine, but the frame and suspension were mush! All 3 Chinese bikes in my garage have better frames and FAR superior suspension.

Having access to these Chinese dirt bikes (and many nice road bikes) is awesome! I would have SOOO happy to have my Storm when I was 16!

[tknj99]

For some historical price comparisons my beloved first dirtbike bought new in 1986, a KX80 for $1200 which adjusted for inflation today would have been $3200 is still 56% more expensive than my new '22 today... but damn how i loved that 2-stroke (18hp) fun.. waap waap, good times back then