New Zongshen RX3 (ZS250GY-3) Dual Sport

[Killerbracing]

It is a little porky. As far as them closing shop in the states, I don't blame them. Politics on paperwork from state to state and the EPA, I would run too!

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Killerbracing

It is a little porky. As far as them closing shop in the states, I don't blame them. Politics on paperwork from state to state and the EPA, I would run too!

A good source (insider) told me he thought the person who started Zongshen America was laundering money--so there was no real intention to actually service the brand forever.

As far as hope for this bike coming to the US, perhaps their joint venture with someone could get us this bike in a few years? Zongshen and Piaggio have a joint venture, and Piaggio have an established presence in the US, as well as Piaggio Group's Aprilia. If the bike is tested as reliable, perhaps, if not as a Zongshen, we could see it as one of the above?

[Killerbracing]

Originally Posted by culcune

A good source (insider) told me he thought the person who started Zongshen America was laundering money--so there was no real intention to actually service the brand forever.

As far as hope for this bike coming to the US, perhaps their joint venture with someone could get us this bike in a few years? Zongshen and Piaggio have a joint venture, and Piaggio have an established presence in the US, as well as Piaggio Group's Aprilia. If the bike is tested as reliable, perhaps, if not as a Zongshen, we could see it as one of the above?

Maybe we can get them to the table. Set up shop in Missouri and service the entire United States. I'm ready and able.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Killerbracing

Maybe we can get them to the table. Set up shop in Missouri and service the entire United States. I'm ready and able.

If you are ready to pay the shipping from China, then deal with customs, customs fees, taxes, et cetera, you can order a bike from China. The Deluxe Version, with luggage, costs 20800 Chinese Yuan ($3,431.38 USD).

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...id=36173529491

[SaharaStorms]

As much as I'd like to see it in the U.S. (If/When) I returned there is maybe even a bigger problem to deal with in selling this bike. No matter how fantastic the bike may be and even if it beat all the statistics and competition, it's biggest barrier is the average biker mentality. Who the heck wants a 250 when they could have a 600? Sure the 250s perks as in fuel efficiency, repairs etc vs a 600 and above make it a great bike. Sure you could do the same thing, pack your luggage and go on the same trips - but sadly most other forums I've been to have motor power at the top of the list. The "bigger is better" mentality would make most bike enthusiasts laugh at the RX3 and call it a beginner bike.

[Wolftrax]

Originally Posted by SaharaStorms

As much as I'd like to see it in the U.S. (If/When) I returned there is maybe even a bigger problem to deal with in selling this bike. No matter how fantastic the bike may be and even if it beat all the statistics and competition, it's biggest barrier is the average biker mentality. Who the heck wants a 250 when they could have a 600? Sure the 250s perks as in fuel efficiency, repairs etc vs a 600 and above make it a great bike. Sure you could do the same thing, pack your luggage and go on the same trips - but sadly most other forums I've been to have motor power at the top of the list. The "bigger is better" mentality would make most bike enthusiasts laugh at the RX3 and call it a beginner bike.

Hey I'm a newbie here and just wanted to weigh in. I went ahead and got on the list here in the US for the RX3. I have toured quite a lot in the US, Canada and Africa. I'm currently planning a ride through the Americas through South America. Overlanding in Africa I learned that faster bigger isn't better. I rarely exceeded 100 kph and found 500 lbs of bike a bit much. My priorities now are dependability,range and comfort, I hope the RX3 will deliver on theses points. The only down side I see in the specs are the wheels. Going to have to set it up with 17" rear and 19" front.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by Wolftrax

Hey I'm a newbie here and just wanted to weigh in. I went ahead and got on the list here in the US for the RX3. I have toured quite a lot in the US, Canada and Africa. I'm currently planning a ride through the Americas through South America. Overlanding in Africa I learned that faster bigger isn't better. I rarely exceeded 100 kph and found 500 lbs of bike a bit much. My priorities now are dependability,range and comfort, I hope the RX3 will deliver on theses points. The only down side I see in the specs are the wheels. Going to have to set it up with 17" rear and 19" front.

Welcome!

You sound like a "Long Way Round" rider, which is something I'd love to do. Please feel free to start a new thread about your pending bike, including any research you've done on it, along with any other impressions.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Wolftrax

I have toured quite a lot in the US, Canada and Africa. I'm currently planning a ride through the Americas through South America.

I might suggest a SSR XF250, or the XF200, simply because there are quite a few Qingqi outlets south of the US/Mexico border. Come to think of it, the Bashan rep on the thread on mychinamoto.com gave me several brands that Bashan is sold through throughout Central and South America which would even make a Bashan a consideration for a tour.

Then again, you are probably leaving from Georgia, whereas my perspective is here on the Mexican border.

I love the stout engine in my TMEC 200 (Zongshen air-cooled) so I am sold on the idea of an all-out Zongshen liquid-cooled 250cc bike, but I tense up at the thought of fuel-injection on a Chinese bike. Not to scare anyone away...

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Killerbracing

Maybe we can get them to the table. Set up shop in Missouri and service the entire United States. I'm ready and able.

The problem with any of the Chinese companies since I have followed the Chinese motorcycle industry for a bit longer than this site has been in existence is that none of the companies seem to want to actually invest here (or any other market). They rely on importers/distributors.

It works out in other countries because the price of bikes across the board are so high, it is worth it for importers. Even in Canada, there are many tariffs and whatnot across the board, so a $4500 Honda XR250 in the US would add much more in Canada. So, enterprising Canadians can offer Chinese bikes far cheaper there where they make more sense pricewise, even with the tariffs, taxes, etc. Here, the profit margin is low, so many importers have come and gone.

It would take an investor (well funded one at that) to properly fund bringing Zongshen to the US again. Spud mentioned the bikes costing $3300 or so, which wouldn't necessarily be the case since that is retail price (even in China). But, I am doubtful Zongshen will invest several million of its own dollars to open up for business, unfortunately.

Then, what price would it be worth to purchase a Zongshen vs. the Honda dual sport? Even with the quality improvement over the years, and the extras thrown into the deal, could someone realistically charge more than $3000 in the US? $3500, and you are only a grand away from Honda's MSRP, which doesn't make a big difference if you need to finance either one, as far as monthly payments go.

I could see if Piaggio brought these in to sell alongside their scooters under the Piaggio name, or Aprilia. Kind of like how M1nsk sells them under their name (M1nsk does still have a cult following in many countries, and their domestically produced bikes were terrible as far as quality is concerned, so this bike is a big, huge improvement for them, ironically). A Piaggio warranty and dealer network would help seal some deals, and with the proven quality and reliability once these bikes have a few years of being sold worldwide by the time they even got here.

SSR's dirtbike, for now, is the closest we will get to these, and if the engine is bulletproof, or close to it, at least that part of the research and quality tracking is taken care of here in the US. But that bike is obviously used for far different purposes than the RX3...

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by culcune

...Then, what price would it be worth to purchase a Zongshen vs. the Honda dual sport? Even with the quality improvement over the years, and the extras thrown into the deal, could someone realistically charge more than $3000 in the US? $3500, and you are only a grand away from Honda's MSRP, which doesn't make a big difference if you need to finance either one, as far as monthly payments go...

I've been quoting the wholesale price for these bikes. As I stated, one would also have to add shipping costs from China, import fees, taxes, et cetera. I agree with Culcune. After all the costs are added, these bikes would not be competitive with the new Hondas being sold in the United States, let alone with the great deals available for used, Japanese motorcycles.

Also, owning a Chinese motorcycle in North America is much more challenging than owning a European or Japanese motorcycle, since the Chinese don't have any support network for parts, repair, et cetera. As always, whenever the price of a new Chinese motorcycle starts to approach $2,000, one is usually much better off to start looking for good deals on slightly used, Japanese motorcycles.

Nevertheless, I still like this Zongshen ZS250GY-3 motorcycle. I think this bike will sell well in the Philippines, Thailand, Belarus, and many other countries. Although this bike probably won't be imported to North America in any quantity for several years, if ever, I am still interested to learn more about this motorcycle. Also, we must recognize these forums have an international membership, and many of our members around the world will consider this bike a very viable option in their countries.

[CSCDude]

Joe Berk here. I’m the guy who writes the CSC blog and I’m involved with a lot of the company rides we do.

First, my thanks to you for buying an RX3 motorcycle if you already have one. We greatly appreciate your business.

Next, I’d like to alert you to a great riding opportunity we have coming up in about two weeks. We are hosting several Zongshen engineers and a Chinese motojournalist on a ride through the western United States from 15 July to 31 July. Our route will take us through California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and back down the Pacific Coast Highway to our corporate headquarters in Azusa. I would like to invite you to ride with us for the entire route or any part of the ride. My good friend Baja John and I will be finalizing the ride and the route this week, and I’ll post it on the CSC blog.

Some of you rode with us on the Baja ride. We’ll do fewer daily miles on this ride and a bit more sightseeing, so the pace will be a bit more relaxed than the Baja ride. We’ll do somewhere around 300 miles each day, and on the days where we go over that, the riding will be mostly on the freeway. Most of the Chinese who are riding with us have never been to the US, and they are keenly interested in seeing the sights.

This is a good opportunity to ride with us and to have direct conversations with the engineers from Zongshen. I’ve never needed an excuse to take a motorcycle ride, but if you need one, this is as good as it gets. We’ll also be offering test rides at various points along our route, so if you don't already own an RX3 and you want to see and experience the bike firsthand, this is a good opportunity to do so.

If you already have an RX3 and you want to ride with us, please let me know this week (and if so, for which parts of the ride). You can reach me at info@CSCMotorcycles.com. Again, you are invited for any part of it or for the entire ride.

One last note…the recent article in Motorcyclist magazine, as expected, resulted in a sales surge that has our inventory down to about 12 motorcycles as I write this. I expect they’ll sell this week, and then we won’t have any more RX3 motorcycles until the end of August or early September. If you are thinking about jumping in, this is a good time to do so.