OnionTerror Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Anyone got one?...Can pick up a racy Lexmoto 125 or similar for around 500 quid...Yes, I know I might only get a couple of years out of one, but I can't really justify a couple of grand on a Honda et al. at the mo.. I believe the build quality has improved somewhat, over the years.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I'd buy a used Honda for a few grand and be happier to lose £500 quid in depreciation than spend my money on a Chinese bike for the same money and lose it all. There's horror stories making the rounds about Chinese motorcycles with inferior grades steel and welding that fails while being ridden. Polished turds comes to mind. If you think your life is worth £500 then buy a £500 bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 I'd buy a used Honda for a few grand and be happier to lose £500 quid in depreciation than spend my money on a Chinese bike for the same money and lose it all. There's horror stories making the rounds about Chinese motorcycles with inferior grades steel and welding that fails while being ridden. Polished turds comes to mind. If you think your life is worth £500 then buy a £500 bike. A cousin of mine bought a Sinnis about a year ago...brilliant little bike...Build quality has significantly improved over the last few years...I've ridden a couple of "death traps" in my time (Kawasaki AR50 rings a bell)...Haven't yet heard of people being hurt by inadequate welds on these bikes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitevanman Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I had the pleasure of servicing a lexmoto scooter at 1000km. It was an utter pile of shit. I mean really bad. The valves were sinking into the head, the plastics were so brittle they were falling apart, there was rust everywhere and nothing was done up properly in the factory so the carb had a massive airleak and the engine ran terribly. Maybe it was a one off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I've never tried a Chinese motorcycle, so maybe I have become a racist? I am sure some are better than others, but I am not familiar with them. Possibly better off getting a known brand secondhand, which has an established dealership, and you can get spares for. And that will probably be Japanese. And will have some resale value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinAndPlatonic Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I had a chinese electric bike and never trusted it. The parts are as cheap as can be, and I felt like I was risking life and limb whenever I rode it. People do say the Chinese are improving their manufacturing. I do not see it. I reckon it is all down to their own positive spin on things. Their clothes manufacturers are still stuggling to make stuff with any consistency in size and quality. The same for hardware in my opinion. Ask a photographer and they will tell you they prefer a lens made in Japan to one coming out of China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copydude Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Sym and Kymco scooters seem OK . . . probably not the cheapest though. In Cyprus I had a Fehling 125 for a year. . . which was very nice for running around. No problems or dramas. I bought this for 800 Euro, 10 months old with 2000k on the clock. My neighbour in UK bought a Tommy scooter from Direct Bikes, but found it really underpowered and kept it only a couple of weeks. (Yes. he took off all the restrictors.) In Italy, big two wheeler place, saw very few Chinese bikes. Actually, not that many Vespas considering. Honda SH and Piaggio Beverly were the most popular 125s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AThirdWay Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Anyone got one?...Can pick up a racy Lexmoto 125 or similar for around 500 quid...Yes, I know I might only get a couple of years out of one, but I can't really justify a couple of grand on a Honda et al. at the mo.. I believe the build quality has improved somewhat, over the years.. Had to help a young guy at the side of the road about a year back, his swing arm had snapped, dug in, and spat him off. Typical 'immortal' teenager attire, so had a nasty bit of gravel rash on his shoulder and elbow. I dropped him off at A&E, and picked up his bike for him. His father and I had a look at it the following day. The swing arm and axle had NO roller/needle bearings fitted at all, just a plain bearing that had seized. The 'grease' had emptied past the plain washer that was meant to hold it in. Can't remember the name of the bike, it was one of these Honda knock-offs. If it's transport your looking for, and you can only afford £500, get a 4 wheel banger.... It's very difficult to fall off a car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Executive Sadman Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 As a starry eyed 16 year old I did have my eyes on a 50cc harley 'replica' edit: went for an ancient 50cc kawasaki instead... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Yes, Sym and Kymco are pretty good (Taiwan) Would be prepared to go for a new Sinnis st 125 for 1200 quid. Would not touch other Chinese bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Yes, Sym and Kymco are pretty good (Taiwan) Would be prepared to go for a new Sinnis st 125 for 1200 quid. Would not touch other Chinese bikes. Taiwan is a different place maybe! They sure make good spanner sets! For some obscure reason I once had a Russian motorbike, based on an old BMW design! It was very poorly made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copydude Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Yes, Sym and Kymco are pretty good (Taiwan) Oh, Taiwan. Right. I borrowed a Sym Jet for a week which seemed heavier and more solid than my Chinese number. Probably worth the extra . . . not that much more than the 'Primark' bikes. I think it depends how much you are likely to use it and how long you plan to keep the bike. As LongTom said, you can get good s/h Honda 3 grand . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Yes indeed, Taiwan is this whole other IslandI Quality there is almost the same as Japan. I`m STILL thinking of buying a Suzuki GSR750. (£5,995) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Yes indeed, Taiwan is this whole other IslandI Quality there is almost the same as Japan. I`m STILL thinking of buying a Suzuki GSR750. (£5,995) Taiwan has been making good quality engineering for years, but I didn't appreciate there are Taiwan, or Chinese motorbikes! I'm a bit out of that loop now. I do not now the brands now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knock out johnny Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I bought a Haotian Swift 100 (honda cub clone) about 10 years ago for £650 new and drove it everywhere in London for 4 years and it was brilliant. It's now rotting in my front garden as I now drive a car but at the time I was very impressed. Parts could be ordered from the website. All I needed to change however were the shocks(£140 the pair) for it's first MOT after 2 years of running around in London The only downside is that most bike mechanics won't touch a generic Chinese clone so if it goes wrong and you're not mechanical you're stuffed I did get luck and buy a honda CG125 for a song (£625) and that is absolutely bomb proof and a hoot to drive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knock out johnny Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 http://www.themotorbikeshop.org.uk/haotian_swift_100cc.html Worth bearing in mind also, is that you are (or were) severely restricted in choice of insurance providers for some reason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Oh, Taiwan. Right. I borrowed a Sym Jet for a week which seemed heavier and more solid than my Chinese number. Probably worth the extra . . . not that much more than the 'Primark' bikes. I think it depends how much you are likely to use it and how long you plan to keep the bike. As LongTom said, you can get good s/h Honda 3 grand . . . . I've already got a half decent car, and I just want a runner for a summer or two..Wouldn't mind a something like a Bandit, but they still make tidy money - something I can't really justify at the mo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I've already got a half decent car, and I just want a runner for a summer or two..Wouldn't mind a something like a Bandit, but they still make tidy money - something I can't really justify at the mo. Yes you can! If you get a bandit, get the 1200! Get an unmodified one with low miles! Obviously don't wind it up too fast or you will end up in a hedge (or a Lodge)! The 600 is quite adequate BTW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 This thread was made for our Ken !! If only he hadn't become a cannibal running a chippy in Lowestoft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Right...I`m going up to Lowestoft next weekend to find out if the rumors are true. I maybe sometime.....I`m going on my Baotian 110. Anyone fancy coming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I bought a Honda Vision 110 scooter brand new in Nov 2012 for £1600 as I wanted to do the taxi knowledge. I've changed plans now but I'm keeping it anyway because it is fun to ride, has never done less than 110mpg over a full tank, and my third year's insurance with 2 years NCB was 86 quid (I'm 35 and have had a bike licence for just over half my life ). According to the label it was made in China. It's never been back to the dealer since I got it, next week it'll get its 5000 mile oil service with the 10W/30 Castrol fully synth racing oil I bought off Amazon for 30 quid for 4 litres. I expect it to fly through its first MOT in November. The original Cheng Shin tyres have maybe 1500 miles on them still...and I have never had a proper slide on them, outside of diesel spills and wet manhole covers. In fairness it's strictly a town bike; I rode it down to the 2013 HPC meetup in Hampshire and though it got me there and back I didn't enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I bought a Honda Vision 110 scooter brand new in Nov 2012 According to the label it was made in China. It's never been back to the dealer since I got it, next week it'll get its 5000 mile oil service with the 10W/30 Castrol fully synth racing oil I bought off Amazon for 30 quid for 4 litres. I expect it to fly through its first MOT in November. The original Cheng Shin tyres have maybe 1500 miles on them still...and I have never had a proper slide on them, outside of diesel spills and wet manhole covers. In fairness it's strictly a town bike; I rode it down to the 2013 HPC meetup in Hampshire and though it got me there and back I didn't enjoy it. Ah, but it is a Honda, and I'll bet they have something called "quality control", so even if it is made in China, I'll bet it will be good, otherwise they wouldn't put their name on it! Who would enjoy a HPC meet-up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
long time lurking Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Stay well away from Chinese motorbikes end of Just tried to sort out my mates son`s bike it had electrical problems Going on wire colours and checking for continuity ,was making no sense whatsoever leading me to believe there was a fault/short within the wiring harness I stript the tape off the harness ,and i just had to laugh in despair as some of the wires were three different pieces / colours twisted and taped up to join them together one end being one colour and the other end being anther colour If they are cutting corners on something as cheap as wiers i would dread to think what the rest is like Second hand Honda all the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Stay well away from Chinese motorbikes end of Just tried to sort out my mates son`s bike it had electrical problems Going on wire colours and checking for continuity ,was making no sense whatsoever leading me to believe there was a fault/short within the wiring harness I stript the tape off the harness ,and i just had to laugh in despair as some of the wires were three different pieces / colours twisted and taped up to join them together one end being one colour and the other end being anther colour If they are cutting corners on something as cheap as wiers i would dread to think what the rest is like Second hand Honda all the way Goodness gracious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wurzel Of Highbridge Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I have a Honda CBF125, cost £1500 from eBay back in 2011 when it was 12 months old. Still going strong at 10k with no problems. I commute 10 miles round trip on it every day. £12 per month (235 miles) petrol £14/yr tax £75/ry insurance (Full bike license) It will reach and hold 70 mph in reasonable conditions. Perfect little bike, far better than my old two stroke H100, GT200, GP125 and 4 stroke GS125's that I had. It's fuel injected and electric start so always starts first time and every time, no choke to bugger around with. It just works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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