Has anyone else wound up with a lemon?

[Sport Rider]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

That really sucks. I think the newer Hawks are built like the older Hawks like my 2016. I've been reading a lot of post on broken valves, bad clutches and so on on the Hawk FB group.

my buddy lost a valve when riding in Colorado. He wasn't really happy I suggested chinabikes to him. the problem is that workmanship and quality are all over the place on these bikes. We used to always talk about this with cars. don't buy one that was made on Friday or Monday.

[Emerikol]

Where are you located? These are problems that should have been caught by what is euphemistically called QA. So far, my 2015 Hawk has been great. I upgraded to the digital dash, and I'm starting to have problems with that, but that's an aftermarket part, not the the bike itself. I do know that the clutches that came from the factory in the later bikes might as well be leftover rounds of cardboard. It really sucks to hear someone having these problems.

[Thumper]

Really sorry about your experience. EFI is a crap shoot since any faulty part can send it into a tail spin, and as Emerikol mentions, Quality Control is a random game on these bikes.

I have had cracked cast wheel hub on a Templar X -PSM sent me a new wheel!
No intake manifold gasket on a Templar X (fixed with 600F RTV)
Other less serious issues. Shipping damage has been the most serious problem, but I think I have had an average experience. Fortunately, PowerSportsMax was responsive and excellent while working through these issues. Zuumav seems to have good welders and are following (cloning) an excellent design (KTM and Honda!)

Multiple issues with a TBR7, including bad welds (the footpeg fell off when I put my foot on it), BADLY twisted intake manifold gluing, battery compartment didn't fit the tall battery sent with the bike, wrong hardware for rear brakelight switch, and more). What a steaming pile that thing was. I patched it up and sold it. The bad welding was the most serious problem-think about it... the entire frame depends on welded unions! Scary!

When EFI issues happen, they can be real headscratchers. I will NEVER buy an EFI aspirated Chinese bike! I know, EFI is like the gold ring for those that want altitude change and no choke performance. To me, that is just NOT worth the risk. Carbs are so easy to work on, and I like having the choke to monitor the engines fuel/air "happiness". And I can jet a carb where I want to, not the onboard computer (and EPA!).

Just to fend off the EFI fans, I will restate... I know, EFI is like gold for those that want altitude change and no choke performance. A carburetor CANNOT do that.

[JoeKahno]

Originally Posted by Sport Rider

my buddy lost a valve when riding in Colorado. He wasn't really happy I suggested chinabikes to him. the problem is that workmanship and quality are all over the place on these bikes. We used to always talk about this with cars. don't buy one that was made on Friday or Monday.

I've known several people who sourced products from China for resale. You can work it either way, give them a list of features and let them compete on price or give them a price point to hit and let them compete on features. One thing you have to nail down is the acceptable scrap count, what percentage of unmarketable crap you can tolerate. If you're trying to establish a brand you can't allow your customer to get saddled with a lemon. You have to decide if you are willing to pay a little more to make sure it never gets in the shipping container, or if you would rather eat the cost of an occasional unit after the customer has a bad experience. It can be really tough to strike the proper balance.