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[almonpoole]

Originally Posted by mrhyak

Of course the original Chinese Lifan manufacture has nothing against selling online since they do it. As far as this statement of all other Lifan's other then AF being Gray market, that is BS. The chinese company now slaps additional stickers on the bikes that go to the other importers so they are not "American Lifan", but such as the bike my co-worker has who just bought his "Skygo Lifan" from Hooper. The bikes come from the same place but have different decals on them. Hooper sells the GY2 style instead of the GY5 but it is still a Lifan none the less and NOT gray market.

You are absolutely right, gray market makes them sound illegal. I think the word gray should not be used to describe direct importer bikes. They are for the most the same bike, they even have "Imported by American Lifan" on the swing arm.....

[Jim]

Originally Posted by almonpoole

You are absolutely right, gray market makes them sound illegal.

This is where I disagree, black market is illegal, grey market is different... I disagree based on your definition of grey market, I absolutely consider these other bikes grey market, the following is quoted from wikipedia on what grey market is:

Grey market goods are not generally illegal. Instead, they are being sold outside of normal distribution channels by companies which may have no relationship with the producer of the goods. Frequently this form of parallel import occurs when the price of an item is significantly higher in one country than another. This situation commonly occurs with cigarettes and electronic equipment such as cameras. Entrepreneurs buy the product where it is available cheaply, often at retail but sometimes at wholesale, import it legally to the target market and sell it at a price which provides a profit but which is below the normal market price there.

Saying they are grey market does not mean they weren't made by Chongqing Lifan, and it does not mean they are illegal. It simply means they are grey market...

[mrhyak]

Originally Posted by Jim

This is where I disagree, black market is illegal, grey market is different... I disagree based on your definition of grey market, I absolutely consider these other bikes grey market, the following is quoted from wikipedia on what grey market is:

Saying they are grey market does not mean they weren't made by Chongqing Lifan, and it does not mean they are illegal. It simply means they are grey market...

But GREY is still not accurate when describing companies such as Hooper who sells Lifan's through legit means and he does have a direct relationship with the producer of the goods. His bikes are called Skygo Lifan and not American Lifan, but the AF dealers will still try to smear him by calling his bikes GREY as a way to make his business seem less legit.

The AF dealers just don't want you to buy the more affordable Lifans by making buyers un-sure of the quality when in fact if you compare the similar models the bikes are the exact same. My co-worker picked up his Skygo Lifan 200 GY from Hooper for $1199 + $100 for assembly and prep. He and his son have been riding it daily and he says it is an awesome bike.

So compare, tell me these bikes are not the same.

Hooper Imports 100GY $699



American Lifan 100GY $999

[Jim]

Yeah that's a good point too... I haven't dealt with Hooper but I think from what I hear he is a very good guy to deal with...

[almonpoole]

I'm not saying grey is bad, to the contrary in fact, they are mostly the very same as the American Lifan brand.

What I am saying is that when some people use the term 'grey' it sounds bad to a potential customer when in fact most of these bike are the very same.

BTW, Larry Hooper is a great guy and has very good service.