Things I (we) dislike most about Chinese motorcycle

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by wheel spinner

Lately I have been looking on the internet on youtube and I must say... these guys do not take care of their bikes...

BINGO! As a mechanic, I have a special point of view when I watch the way people treat their machines. It's amazing how abusive many owners are to their bikes, and then when it breaks they blame the bike. Being made so cheaply, these bikes are a lot less forgiving to abuse. That is why guys like me can reliably run theirs as a daily commuter machine racking up thousands of miles, and other guys are broken down in less than 1000 miles. It's the exact reason I look at every complaint of "They are junk" with almost a sense of humor, because I know the chances are very high that they just took the bike out and beat on it and never did one tiny bit of preventative or normal maintenance.

Originally Posted by upgasgas1224

Honestly the weight of these bikes is my biggest gripe theres no reason in this day in age a sub 250 cc bike should weight more than 260 lbs the bikes would handle so much better with weight off them expecially when many of us add weight for luggage systems

This is one thing I do agree with. I think it simply comes down to material quality. How do you make something stronger when it is built from a lower quality material? Add more material.

[Landsvw]

Originally Posted by Megadan

BINGO! As a mechanic, I have a special point of view when I watch the way people treat their machines. It's amazing how abusive many owners are to their bikes, and then when it breaks they blame the bike. Being made so cheaply, these bikes are a lot less forgiving to abuse. That is why guys like me can reliably run theirs as a daily commuter machine racking up thousands of miles, and other guys are broken down in less than 1000 miles. It's the exact reason I look at every complaint of "They are junk" with almost a sense of humor, because I know the chances are very high that they just took the bike out and beat on it

As another fellow mechanic this is actually the same way I look at some of the people who own Jeeps. TJ/YJ/CJ/XJ and etc. they drive them like maniacs through mud holes and over logs and just abuse the snot out of them, then complain when things go wrong. They are just a mechanical device. When driving in mud, water and silt go into the differentials, transmission and etc. What do you expect will happen when your Jeep is abused? They are a 1/4 ton light duty truck. Anyway, I totally agree.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Landsvw

As another fellow mechanic this is actually the same way I look at some of the people who own Jeeps. TJ/YJ/CJ/XJ and etc. they drive them like maniacs through mud holes and over logs and just abuse the snot out of them, then complain when things go wrong. They are just a mechanical device. When driving in mud, water and silt go into the differentials, transmission and etc. What do you expect will happen when your Jeep is abused? They are a 1/4 ton light duty truck. Anyway, I totally agree.

My Comanche is a "half ton" truck It's actually rated at 1700lbs bed weight (optimistic) and 5000 towing (Good ol Uniframe). The issue I have with the bed rating is the Dana 35 axle they put on the back. Not the right axle for the job. Now, the Metric Ton package on the other hand got 2 more leaf springs in the pack and a 2200lb bed rating with a Dana 44. (also a bit optimistic lol).

[NzBrakelathes]

Originally Posted by DualSport

crimp and inline-bullet wiring connections everywhere.. Frame and engine made from metal that will actually turn to powder under some common use cases..

You typically have to reverse engineer the electrical system to find testing procedures for things like CDI and stator-charging and the coil and CDI don't last long..

You must remember the Hawk etc is an "export only" bike and not sold in China as the local community really wouldn't and does buy so a low spec bike.
Yes there is a market for cheap crap like it here and I have 1 that I would like to sell but can't yet it is road legal.

I know a bunch of riders here locally and all either ride higher end Chinese bikes and many ride BMW or Honda CB500X as they don't like the local quality of bikes at all.
Its a funny world when I tell them Americans like the cheap bikes and they get a weird look on their faces and ask why you don't ride Harleys lol.

We have locally KTM, HD, Honda, Kawasaki, Ducati, Peugeot Indian, BMW and Chinese made Benelli, CF Moto plus countless other cheap Chinese brands as well as cooperation like Suzuki/Chinese partnership Honda/Chinese partnership etc

No Haosen no TaoTao near nothing you get in the USA except for Zongshen/CSC Shineray (doesn't have a good reputation for quality) Some older Qingqi/SSR GPX/PitsterPro etc

You get the point tho.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by NzBrakelathes

Its a funny world when I tell them Americans like the cheap bikes and they get a weird look on their faces and ask why you don't ride Harleys lol.

Some of us also have big name bikes as well. I have my Hawk simply for something cheap and fun to tinker with. The quality isn't the greatest, but they aren't all terrible either. A lot of us simply do it because we love to tinker and fix things.

I get a weird enjoyment from riding my Hawk. My big VFR1200 is 10 times more powerful than my Hawk, and built to a standard far beyond my Hawk's wildest imagination, yet it isn't 10 times as much fun. The small cheap nature of the bike is part of its charm.

[BBOWL10]

Originally Posted by Megadan

Some of us also have big name bikes as well. I have my Hawk simply for something cheap and fun to tinker with. The quality isn't the greatest, but they aren't all terrible either. A lot of us simply do it because we love to tinker and fix things.

I get a weird enjoyment from riding my Hawk. My big VFR1200 is 10 times more powerful than my Hawk, and built to a standard far beyond my Hawk's wildest imagination, yet it isn't 10 times as much fun. The small cheap nature of the bike is part of its charm.

Me too Megadan. My Kawasaki Versys 650 and my Hawk both give me a lot enjoyment for different reasons. The Hawk is slow and primitive compared to the Kawi but it will go places the Kawi can’t.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by BBOWL10

The Hawk is slow and primitive compared to the Kawi but it will go places the Kawi can’t.

It's the "primitive" part that is part of the appeal for me. I love "barn door" simplicity. The Hawk is an old school bike that you fix with a hammer, zip ties, bailing wire, and duct tape if needed. No complex electrical systems, sensors, computers, or anything else to go wrong. Good old fashioned simple carburation and a basic CDI ignition. All of the important bits are easy to get to without taking the bike apart.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by NzBrakelathes

We have locally KTM, HD, Honda, Kawasaki, Ducati, Peugeot Indian, BMW and Chinese made Benelli, CF Moto plus countless other cheap Chinese brands as well as cooperation like Suzuki/Chinese partnership Honda/Chinese partnership etc

Do they sell the Haojue/Suzuki bikes in China? Hoping we get the DL 250 'Weeeeeee' Strom, since we already have the GW250 and GSX-R250 in the US.

http://en.haojue.com/products/styles_102_156_b156.htm

[JerryHawk250]

My only real complaint I have about my Hawk is the crappy non-adjustable rear shock. Everything else was just a matter of fine tuning and adjusting. I'm more than happy with it. Let me put it this way. It was way more than I expected for a $1100 bike. Now if I paid $3500-$4500 then I would of probably be complaining. When I bought it I knew I would have to do some work on it. I looked at it as buying a kit and modifying it to my liking.


Even with all the mods and accessories I still have less that $1800 tie up in this bike so far.

[PaiN]

All I can add so far is that I hate the cheap "accessories" of my Pitster Pro...
The bulbs, horn, switch gear and lever assembles.
But as a whole and at its price point the machine is very well put together and designed.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

My only real complaint I have about my Hawk is the crappy non-adjustable rear shock. Everything else was just a matter of fine tuning and adjusting. I'm more than happy with it. Let me put it this way. It was way more than I expected for a $1100 bike. Now if I paid $3500-$4500 then I would of probably be complaining. When I bought it I knew I would have to do some work on it. I looked at it as buying a kit and modifying it to my liking.


Even with all the mods and accessories I still have less that $1800 tie up in this bike so far.

Jerry, your comments really capture how a China Rider should approach China bike ownership. You exhibit realistic expectations, combined with a sense of humour.

[DualSport]

I've had a XL 600R or XR 650L since my teens, and then mostly Suzuki dirt bikes like the 87 DR 100 and mini bikes before that.

I often hold RPS against those benchmarks even though the metal of the bike itself will never make that sensible.. I have XR controls and Renthal bars on my Magician to get close though, and am currently looking for Honda coil and CDI to replace the Shenzhen quality ones..

I've had my Magician engine and frame tore down many times as documented on these forums and can confirm the frame is the only weak link that can't be cheaply replaced.. Grade 8 fasteners from a US hardware store are about all the help you can give it..

[ChipToothy]

Originally Posted by upgasgas1224

Honestly the weight of these bikes is my biggest gripe theres no reason in this day in age a sub 250 cc bike should weight more than 260 lbs the bikes would handle so much better with weight off them expecially when many of us add weight for luggage systems

Ditching the stock pipes and muffler had to save 20 pounds. I imagine swapping wheels would save another 10 at least. Those things weigh a ton too. Removing the EGR had to save at least 2 pounds. A plastic tank would make a difference I’m betting also. Ditching the air box system and hose should be another 5 gone.

[NzBrakelathes]

Originally Posted by ChipToothy

Ditching the stock pipes and muffler had to save 20 pounds. I imagine swapping wheels would save another 10 at least. Those things weigh a ton too. Removing the EGR had to save at least 2 pounds. A plastic tank would make a difference I’m betting also. Ditching the air box system and hose should be another 5 gone.

Strap on some shoe just walk has many benefits

[Landsvw]

I forgot about the horrible rear shock my Roketa had. What I did was, found that a DR125 had the same length shock, bought one for 35$ on eBay and replaced. Changed the whole demeanor of the bike actually.

The ‘progressive’ shock before changing was actually regressive as it would hit a bump then spend as much time as possible NOT contacting the ground after the bump. It was just a very cheap imitation of an oil and pressured shock. No pressure and the oil had leaked through to both halves. So what it really was, was just a giant spring. Lol. But replacing it really made a difference.

And, I love the prices of the Chinese bikes. However, resale value is very poor.