Motorcycle from China

[Fozzie Bear]

I live and work in an Engineering environment in mainland China and I have been watching with interest the comments regarding China manufacturing quality.
As the Director of Engineering for a western owned company, I have to deal with local Chinese manufacturing companies every day.

Please take it from me that when a Chinese factory sources materials to produce something, they will find the absolute cheapest material they can lay their hands on to do the job. It may look the same on the outside, but trust me, it is nothing like what you would find from a Japanese supplier.

A lot of Chinese motorcycles are made using tooling that was purchased from Honda or Suzuki when they stopped manufacturing that particular model (or when it had finished it's life cycle) and then copied in order to make locally made Chinese products.
Now you may think that you are buying a Honda CB125 model with a different badge on the tank, and I've seen probably 20 different makes of bikes which all look like Hondas or Suzukis, but that's where the similarity ends.

Also for your information, don't even think of ever buying a used bike from China which has been exported. I have been living and working here for 5 years and I have NEVER seen any bike which after it has left the showroom has not even been cleaned EVER! They certainly NEVER get any maintenance whatsoever. This goes for anything. Motobikes, schooters, bicycles...everone is absolutely filthy dirty, rusting, and generally completely uncared for.

I hope this helps.

[badsekktor]

Peeps, opinion lang ha. There is only ONE motorcycle manufacturer to consider here in the philippines, at least when it comes to big bikes, and that is HONDA.

Not for anything else but for parts! Your best bet to maintaining your bike in top shape. Ang hirap humanap ng Suzuki and Kawasaki parts mga chong! Yamaha, medyo marami rin but not as much as honda parts. VFR ko dami parts sa caloocan sales. Of course, im not saying those parts are cheap but at least theyre there!

+1 sa parts talaga magkakatalo. Some parts ng honda bikes eh galing sa kotse. yun lang honda na xrm kahit saan yata may gumagawa at may tindahan ng piyesa pero ang suzuki raider kelangan pa umorder sa thailand and may waiting time yun pagdating ng piyesa so how much more kung bigger displacement bikes pa.

[bulldog]

may alam akong china bike, big bike talaga ang dating. ganda ng porma. mabuti na lang maganda ang porma kasi hanggang dun na lang yun. parating sira, kaya naka porma na lang sa garahe.

[wool]

yun mga big bike fro china sirain talaga like z200 and others, i have a lifan saturn 110cc form china also pero wala pa naman major nasira. medyo barabal din ko gamitin yun kasi motor, kahit lubak pinapadaan. Pinalitan palang sa akin yun rear shocks ko kasi 2 pa mins ang angkas ko, dayo ng basketball.

[mommyblue]

waste of money kasi porma lang ang maganda pero ang makina mahina..

[papabong]

waste of money kasi porma lang ang maganda pero ang makina mahina..

i agree...

[dopamine101]

yung z200 sa unang tingin kala ko dati big bike eh. hehe! pero pag sa arangkada na nahihirapan.

[paraphilius]

yung z200 sa unang tingin kala ko dati big bike eh. hehe! pero pag sa arangkada na nahihirapan.

nakasubk ka na ba ng z200 sir? meron din kse kong z200 eh... umaabot ng 140kph, ang modification ko lang is change the sprocket and racing CDI gamit ko... two years na yung bike pero maayos naman ang takbo... baka naman di mo pa nasubukan ang z200, and akala mo lang yang sinasabi mo po...

anyway, the z200 is a great starter bike, and it has a big bike feel... with 2 front disk break and 1 rear disk break, plus inverted fork, san ka pa? again of course, this is not a big bike, so dont compare... pero in terms of reliability and overall quality, panalo ang z200!!! remember, yung "japanese" bikes na XRM and raiders, e for philippine market lang, dito lang sa pinas po ginagawa yan.... my 2 cents...




pm me if interested, 45k... kaya ko binebenta kse i wanna buy na a car... pang DP... email me at hibaya14*yahoo.com if interested...

[heightdeprived]

nakasubk ka na ba ng z200 sir? meron din kse kong z200 eh... umaabot ng 140kph, ang modification ko lang is change the sprocket and racing CDI gamit ko... two years na yung bike pero maayos naman ang takbo... baka naman di mo pa nasubukan ang z200, and akala mo lang yang sinasabi mo po...

anyway, the z200 is a great starter bike, and it has a big bike feel... with 2 front disk break and 1 rear disk break, plus inverted fork, san ka pa? again of course, this is not a big bike, so dont compare... pero in terms of reliability and overall quality, panalo ang z200!!! remember, yung "japanese" bikes na XRM and raiders, e for philippine market lang, dito lang sa pinas po ginagawa yan.... my 2 cents...




pm me if interested, 45k... kaya ko binebenta kse i wanna buy na a car... pang DP... email me at hibaya14*yahoo.com if interested...

not necessarily, Philippines will be too lucky to manufacture these bikes, for all you know all these are assembled from CKD parts made in Thailand and mostly available in SEA markets...

[ariz]

sir sorry to read about your bike being stolen. i hope the thieves get whats coming to them.

regarding china bikes, i own and ride an unknown china brand bike for two years already. all i can say is the quality of the product certainly doesn't compare to a branded (ie. honda, yama, kwak, etc...). its fairings vibrate incessantly. screws and bolts fall off every now and then. as previously mentioned the metals and electricals on the units are not that good.

with that in mind, if you work within its limitation then you have a good bike on your hands. don't compare it to something its not. it is a grade on its own. yes some of the parts on my bike has broken down. typical wear and tear. clutch cables, rectifier, break pads, etc... but i quickly replaced them with durable and quality parts. i try not buy any china made spare parts if i can help it but if i am forced to buy a chinese brand i make sure its the top of the line china brand. i also make it a point to maintain my bike regularly. using quality engine oils available in the local market (yes i don't buy imported oils. shell lang o kaya castrol ok na ako.).

i guess what im trying to say is if you take care of your china made bike and work within its limits it will last you for quite a long time. its dirt cheap and the availability of its spare parts are unbeatable.

i ride a cbr150 clone, 150cc (stock) by the way. i use it almost every day, rain or shine, my bike gets subjected to the extreme weather of our country almost daily. i've ridden it through the toughest storm and the hottest day, and it rarely fails me. yes it will not win me any races but its fast enough for my taste (heck if i wanted to race ill get a fast bike like a raider 150 or a superbike like a yam R1). the looks of the bike isn't bad either, when i ride on the road, i still get the occassional appreciative glances from the people i meet on the road. as a matter of fact, humility aside, my bike had a few closeups on a couple of tv shows already. talo pa ako. hehehe.

with regards to the slow speed of the bike, im assuming its still new, i too experienced the same thing when i first rode on my bike (50-70kph tops). however as the engine got broken in the top speed increased significantly (current top is around 120kph). maybe sir your bike is still in its breaking in period then thats why it was still slow? i guess now we'll never know....

ride safe always!

peace.

[salev]

I have a 4 yaer old sinski 150 na service pangdeliver sa water biz namen (laging full load) kumakarga ng 15 or more 5 gals water everyday, ok pa naman sya hanggang ngayon, pansin ko lang sa china,taiwan etc. kelangan maganda pagka breakin mo at dapat sobrang alaga change oil, and the more na nasisira ang pyesa nya at napapalitan lalong tumitibay (kasi napapalitan ng honda parts )

uhmmm just to update you guys, mag 6 years na china bike ko and still doin well

i aint no fan of china bikes anyway

[dwhittall]

Mention Chinese Motorcycles to most people, and they think small capacity, cheap (possible good value for money)?

Not many will think of Chinese Motorcycles as emerging into capturing increased market share, with better design, materials and Quality, as well as excellent value for money?

This Loncin T200 'Terminator' was my first Chinese Motorcycle.



I bought it off an American, going back to the USA, for very good price.
I discovered some Pilipino 'bodger' mechanic, had 'fixed' a Rectifier/Regulator problem, by disconnecting it and 'splicing' 4 diodes, into the wiring. Sure this gives a rectified DC output to power lights and charge the Battery. Trouble is without voltage regulation, it overcharges the Battery. What I don't understand is WHY they did not remove the Tank, and unbolt the funned Rectifier/Regulator bolted to the frame.

A replacement only cost Php350 brand new!

I think this has something to do with the 'poor' reliability' of Chinese Motorcycles perhaps.

I could not get on with this heavy monoshock 'Cruiser' of 200cc that was rather underpowered for the weight.

I ended up buying a Yamaha XT225 for Php160K

I had become an Investor/Dealer into the 'Zongshen' brand via 'V8 Motorcycle Dealer & Parts'. For 5 months I did get a good return on my investment but then come January, the Post Dated checks started bouncing. Sole Proprietor, Catherine L. Soronio, asked for us Investors to accept a 3 months Moratorium, since her Banks (Oriental & Cardinal RB) were having many Depositors pre-terminating their Time Deposits.

We were stupid to agree, since 3 months passed and she did not keep to her promises and in fact we learned the reason some 900 x V8 Motorcycles (OEM Zongshen) were not in her V8 Motorcycle Showrooms, was because Zongshen shipped with some essential parts missing, so assembly could not be completed by Zongshen representative/importer Toro Motors. This was because Soronio had not paid Zongshen some Php10M!









The idea she conned us with, was a growing Network of Dealer Showrooms offering Post Sales Service and Spares for Zongshen motorcycles. Her Banks would offer Motorcycle Loans of about Php100/day (over about 3 years), so there was valid profits to be made. Guess she found it easier to steal the Investors money instead?

[dwhittall]

Mention Chinese Motorcycles to most people, and they think small capacity, cheap (possible good value for money)?

Not many will think of Chinese Motorcycles as emerging into capturing increased market share, with better design, materials and Quality, as well as excellent value for money?

I ended up buying a Yamaha XT225 for Php160K

Had there been a good Zongshen Dealer, offering the ZS200GY-2 in Cebu, for Php60,000, I would have bought such a Chinese Dirt Bike!



Zongshen ZS200GY-2
MSRP $2,199
LPI Retail Price $1,295
(This is about Php62,000 * current exchange rate)

Now before anyone says this is Chinese rubbish, and ignores the fact it is under HALF the price of the Honda XR200 in the Philippines, please do a 'Google' for reviews/YouTube etc on this Zongshen 'Dual Sport' motorcycle.

The ZS200GY-2 has a better 'Specification' than the XR200 since it has 'Inverted Forks' for lower 'up-sprung weight'.

I admit the Honda XR200 probably has better quality and reliability over the ZS200GY-2 perhaps, but so it should, for TWICE the price!.

Actually it is the new 'Zongshen' 'CYCLONE' Range, that caught my attention when I was researching into this company.

Zongshen is one of the top 5 Motorcycle Manufacturers in China and the one selected by PIAGGIO of Italy to produce the engines for their 'ZIP' Scooters that sell all over the world and popular in Europe, UK, America, and Australia, in particular.

Harley Davidson, also signed an agreement with Zongshen.
In return for helping them get their Motorcycles selling in China, Harley Davidson offering Zongshen i) non-competing Technology transfer, ii) Sales Consultancy, iii) Design and Marketing assistance.

I was so impressed withthis new CYCLONE Range, I put together a Slideshow from some of the Zongshen material, and uploaded to YouTube.

I think you can see some of the 'Harley Davidson' influence in this 'Cruiser' - the ZS125-50 which is the Zongshen Cyclone 'Pursuit' model:-



This is the new Cyclone 'Fly' Dual Sport model ZS150GY-10



Check out the Slide Show of more ZS150GY-10 photos from Bulgarian Zongshen dealer.

They also have pictures of the Zongshen Cyclone 'Forge Ahead' ZS110-60



I think if you are honest with yourself, you can see, that this is a new generation of Chinese Motorcycles. There is Western design aspects and attention to detail and moreover a big improvement in QUALITY,

Mind you this comes at a price as the ZS150GY-10 is likely to cost over Php100K, but this is still very good compared to similar Japanese, water-cooled 4 -stroke Dual Sport Bike with good suspension by Japanese 'Showa', Disc Brakes front and rear.

[Sriver]

I have a 4 yaer old sinski 150 na service pangdeliver sa water biz namen (laging full load) kumakarga ng 15 or more 5 gals water everyday, ok pa naman sya hanggang ngayon, pansin ko lang sa china,taiwan etc. kelangan maganda pagka breakin mo at dapat sobrang alaga change oil, and the more na nasisira ang pyesa nya at napapalitan lalong tumitibay (kasi napapalitan ng honda parts )

+1
Eto gamit ko noon, ok pa sya hanggang ngayon,
alaga lang sa langis, bihira ko na nga lang magamit dahil sa oto.


at ang balita ko habang tumatagal
mas umaayos quality ng scoots nila
compared sa older models.