Quote:
Originally Posted by krat
The bikes you are bemoaning are available for less than $6K from all the major Jap makers, and as you relate, they are lifetime products. Used ones 30-40-50 years old are still running and in use, not in museums.
Honda CRF300 is only $6k/ KLX300 is $6k. Many others hover around that mark that meet all your criteria.
You can buy a disposable China bike for half that, get half the performance, and replace it every 5 years, after chasing repair parts and accessories all over the internet and trying to find your dealer so you can sue him, if initial cost is your only concern.
Or you can spend twice as much and still be riding your Jap bike, and still walking into the dealership and buying parts that fit, for the next 50 years. And often those parts are bought from the son of the guy that sold you the Jap bike 50 years ago.
I will not pay $2k+ for any China bike that has zero dealer support or service, and NO, a telephone number is not a service department!
There comes a time when you have to decide if you are going to keep engaging in an activity and investing in better gear. It is the same in almost every sport.
But stop with the criticism of the "exotic and expensive Jap bikes" when they are neither. They are the very essence of getting what you pay for, but so are the China bikes.
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I gather from your posts you've had some bad luck with your chinese motorcycle purchase and for that I'm truly sorry and you are entitled to your opinion on the subject of chinese motorcycles. That being said you aren't entitled to your own FACTS about the industry. You are correct that you can purchase CRF300/KLX300 for about 6k but most chinese bikes sell for around 2k which makes them 1/3 the price of jap bikes. And your assertion you can still buy parts for jap bikes 30+ years old is just plain BS. I have several friends whose jap bikes are parked/parted out because parts are NLA [no longer available]. Furthermore, many jap dealers will no longer service bikes 10 years and older. I've HAD to disassemble many new jap bikes simply because bearings weren't greased nor valve clearances set properly, similar to the Chinese bikes you now vilify. People purchase these bikes IMO because they are cheap and easy to work on and replacement parts are crazy cheap. Most purchasers are experienced vets who understand some lever of engagement/modification is necessary after purchase or young people who have little money but big desires and a willingness to learn. These Chinese bikes are at a similar level of development the japs were in the mid 70's; i.e. learning as they go and most engines are built to meet ISO-9001 specs that are worldwide industrial standards, that put them a step ahead of the aforementioned 70's era jap bikes. Have a good day krat, not trying to dump down your neck, just balance the scales so folks have a balanced, realistic view of what they're getting into.