Chinese bikes and dealers seem to be getting scarce

[TeamCheap]

It appears the heyday of the china bikes is gone as there appears to be fewer sellers out there or maybe its just the economy or the quake or even AL's influence I dont know but I see more and more dealers closing down and less and less product out there.

I'm sure it has more to do with the huge quake they had but I wonder if thats really the majority or if its the economy.

I know there are still some bikes availible but are they new shipments or just old stock ? maybe a trickle of new stock coming in I suppose.

I know a lot of people have took the gamble and tried selling these and a lot have sadly failed.I had even thought about it but the whole getting a building and the permits/licences just wasnt worth it to me.(I dont really gamble much)
It might not be bad as a side business to a more sucessful business as long as it didnt get in the way.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens and hope that th end of 08 and 09 is better and maybe we'll see the 400cc bikes soon.
(I seen that a dealer still has my V-strom I want-I am very tempted)

[AZ200cc]

ALot of it is due to supply i bet, That quake messed a lot up. It could take years for it to get back to what it was.....Kinda sucks.

[TeamCheap]

yeah it does suck, they did get hit very hard but I'd rather be waiting for some products than having to deal with what they have to over there with that huge loss of life and huge mess.
Plus they got the olypics to host so they are a bit busy overthere.

I'm just surprized at how sharply everything dropped off.

I still think a lot of it is the economy here and people are just buckling down and not spending as much.

I would like to see someone bring over those trikes with the the cab up front and the small truck bed in the back.I'd commute on one of those.(if the government allows them)

I have seen so many china powersport dealers come and go around here but they dont seem to pop up as often as before.





Oh well by the time I see one of those the whole gas crunch will be over.

[AZ200cc]

This one seems to have a lot left in stock

http://universalmotorsports.us/index.php?cPath=25#top

A few locations also.....Not sure how good hey are though.

[AZ200cc]

Also these guys have units in stock

http://www.kabra-offroad.com/cart/in...1ccea88bd4fedb

[TeamCheap]

Yeah there are a few here and there but there are very few on EBAY not that they were good but just an indicator as to the volume of china powersports around.

A lot of the sites seem to be backordered now.

Anyway it looks like 08-09 will be a slow time for china bikes/powersports compared to previous years untill those 400cc dualpsorts get here.

[srreynolds2003]

Originally Posted by TeamCheap

Yeah there are a few here and there but there are very few on EBAY not that they were good but just an indicator as to the volume of china powersports around.

A lot of the sites seem to be backordered now.

Anyway it looks like 08-09 will be a slow time for china bikes/powersports compared to previous years untill those 400cc dualpsorts get here.

I guess that means we will have a year or so to save our lunch money for the 400cc

[TeamCheap]

It looks that way or I'll give myself a 400cc for a birthday/christmas gift.
"merry/happy christmas/birthday to me, merry/happy christmas birthday to me" :roll:

Well I just seen that bush lifted the drilling ban and hopefully that will calm the market down a bit a get the gas prices going back to where they say they should be which is around $83 a barrel.(I'm not holding my breath though)
I wonder what impact that will have, yeah I know we wont see any fuel from it for 7 years but just annoucing things like that has an impact on the market.
If the fuel prices ease a bit then it will help our economy a lot.

[AZ200cc]

Originally Posted by TeamCheap

It looks that way or I'll give myself a 400cc for a birthday/christmas gift.
"merry/happy christmas/birthday to me, merry/happy christmas birthday to me" :roll:

Well I just seen that bush lifted the drilling ban and hopefully that will calm the market down a bit a get the gas prices going back to where they say they should be which is around $83 a barrel.(I'm not holding my breath though)
I wonder what impact that will have, yeah I know we wont see any fuel from it for 7 years but just annoucing things like that has an impact on the market.
If the fuel prices ease a bit then it will help our economy a lot.

Still has to make it through congress though :roll: That pretty much screws us right there. Almost makes me wonder if I shouldn't just buy another China bike before they are all gone 8O ..I was holding out for a DR or DRZ

[katoranger]

I not planning on the prices to go down for awhile yet. I need to get my ct90 done so that i have a backup bike.

Allen

[TeamCheap]

I dont expect the gas prices to go down for atleast 18 months but the one expert says that a barrel of oil should be priced at around the mid $80 mark so maybe it will snap back almost as fast as it shot up in price.

But I think we should gear up and start drilling ASAP and the nay-sayers say we wont see any fuel for 7 years but atleast we will have it in 7 years and I'd bet they'd get it flowing even sooner since they know the money/demand is there.

Anyway it looks like we'll have to do some serious tightening up around our house to be able to get thru this mess.

All this is just hammering the economy and I wonder what the retail sales outlook will look like this christmas.(dismal)

I may still consider a 400cc china bike if the price is right otherwise I'll just get me a drz400 or maybe a V-strom in the not to distant future.

[frostbite]

I've also heard rumours that container shipping from China has gone up substantially in the last year. The only reason Chinese bikes were on the radar in the first place is the huge cost savings versus the Japanese. If the price divide narrows China bike sales will be in the crapper.

[TeamCheap]

Well its true that the big factor in favor of china bikes is the price, take that away and look what you got.

So they cant ship them as cheaply as before because of fuel costs most likely.
So the chinese have hurt their earning potential by subsidizing their fuel costs which has lead to a rapid fuel price increase by disturbing the real demand for fuel.
Hmmm everything seems to be connectted one way or another.


I actually heard president Bush today mention the chinese fuel subsidy and how it has hurt things I was floored that he would even mention it.

[theENIGMATIC]

Yeah.all true.but there has never really been enoughplaces to get these bikes or parts for them.I dont think most people are interested in them at all.there does need to be more services offered for China bike riders, I dont see business picking up for several years seeing as though China has bigger problems to deal with than exporting motorcycles into the U.S. after that quake.oh well!

[Doug]

Hey Guys,

Doug here from ATV Wholesale Outlet in Sacramento CA.

I just got back from a 1 month stay in China at the factories. The main city of Bike and ATV Production is in Central China.... Chongqing (ChongChing pernounciation) There was little dammage from the quake there. The main dammage was in nearby cities, and villages, so the Motor industry was not really affected by the quake.
There are 3 main cities for Bikes, Scooters, and ATVs.
Guangzhou (120 miles NW of Hong Kong) , they are pretty good quality, but generaly the cost is more there for the bikes.
Yongkang: Below Shanghai. This city makes loads of scooters, and cheaply made smaller bikes and ATVs. There are a couple of makers that have OK Quality, but poor for the most part.
Chongqing: This is in central China.... the Shechwan area. This is the center of the motorcycle and ATV industry. The quality is good, and prices too. Most reputable makers are based here.

Performance: There are a few things we do at our company.
We sell allot of 250cc ATVs and Bikes. Most of them have crummy, but durrable mufflers that look like crap, and are very restrictive. That gets cut off at the end of the pipe where it goes into the muffler. We replace them with used, or new take off Honda 450 Mufflers from Honda Bikes and Quads. This gives much more power, and a lower deeper bassey rumbel. No more raspy trebble.
When we do this muffler swap, and have the pipe off of the head, we use a high speed dremmel tool to grinde smooth the inner welding in the header pipe to let more air out of the motor from the very start. Shape it like a funnel for the air flow.
Most full size ATVs have no chain guide or tentioner. We make a custom hand made double roller bearing guide/tentioner in our machine shop from a hardened brass, aluminum arm, and galvanized spring. This reduces chain flop, chains from hopping off, and chain adjustments so frequently. Our roller has tall lipps on the sides to guide the chain.
There are many anodised parts out on the market that actualy fit these bikes and Quads with little or no adjustments.
Carbs: If you take off your factory Chinese made carb, and take it to a local Parts/Service dept, they should have a man there that is a real Mikuni Pro. He will be able to match you up a real Mikuni carb with the same flanges as your intake, and this guy should be able to re-jet this carb and adjust it just perfect for your quad. Do this after the exhaust mod.
Spark plugs: If you take off your Chinese plug, and take it into a experianced Japanese parts dept. Tell them you want a NGK plug the same as yours, and they should have a match for you. A real common one for 125-250cc motors is the NGK 2120 D8EA.
So many other parts fit fine like ATV Grips from Pro Grip, Spider and many others fit perfect. What a diffrence $15-20 makes. It will look cooler too.
Alloy Handle Bars: Pro Taper Honda XR50 Bars fit perfect. Look better, and come with a really trick bar pad. There are several colors too. $65... and well worth it!
Seat: Take it off and go to a marine upohlstery shop. It should cost no more than $65-100. Tell them to use water and sun proof gripper material on top, and there are a choice of colors for the side pannels to match your Quad. I used a material called Carbon Fiber on 1, and Ostritch Skin on another. Very cool, and looks so much better.
We actualy are the only ones in the country to have full size Chinese ATV USA Made rims from DWT or Douglas Wheels. They replace the skinny 8" steel rims. The new pollished rims we carry add a good offset to make the stance wider, the rims are 10", and way cooler looking! We had to have these custom fit for the Chinese center hub, bolt pattern and suspention.
Any way.... hope all this helps.... See us at www.atvwholesaleoutlet.com