Used China bikes

[roundhouse]

I was just on craigslist and FB marketplace. I saw a BUNCH of used China bikes for sale. Normally I see one or two and a bunch of new ones from dealer ads.

It is a buyers market!

[Kenstogie]

I actually looked for a used hawk or TBR7 or whatever and didn't see any when I occasionally looked....

[RedCrowRides]

Despite all the info here and at other sites , far too many people with little to no mechanical aptitude ,experience with motorcycle maintenance , carbs and with little patience etc . buy Chinese bikes then near instantly become frustrated when it's not " Japanese perfect" out of the box , and then "discover" that most Bike shops won't touch a Chinese motorcycle. ( I have to take my wheels off to even get a tire changed, so they dont know it's off a chinese bike or they wouldnt even change a tire

on the basis of " oh hell no, thats Chinese" )


They then sell what is essentially a brand new Bike at a fraction of it's already low purchase price- So when you can find them, they are extremely good bargains most of the time , personally I wish there were more out there for sale , I am not scared of any issues they may have and I've done pretty well getting them running well and reliable and flipping them .

[NzBrakelathes]

Originally Posted by RedCrowRides

Despite all the info here and at other sites , far too many people with little to no mechanical aptitude ,experience with motorcycle maintenance , carbs and with little patience etc . buy Chinese bikes then near instantly become frustrated when it's not " Japanese perfect" out of the box , and then "discover" that most Bike shops won't touch a Chinese motorcycle. ( I have to take my wheels off to even get a tire changed, so they dont know it's off a chinese bike or they wouldnt even change a tire

on the basis of " oh hell no, thats Chinese" )


They then sell what is essentially a brand new Bike at a fraction of it's already low purchase price- So when you can find them, they are extremely good bargains most of the time , personally I wish there were more out there for sale , I am not scared of any issues they may have and I've done pretty well getting them running well and reliable and flipping them .

I suggest the following might also be true:
Mainstream mechanics don't want to spend the time to learn the niggly things and customers don't want to spend the money for mechanics to learn TIME = $$$

Customers expect perfection of a mechanic when the mechanic is working with 'cheap junk" and he can't get things "perfect" when parts are made so cheap n not perfect -customers bitch.

I can se why this all would play into "I don't want to work on Chinese junk/cheap bikes" as they are trouble and if DIY it all well then Ok it is "worth" it - mainstream not really worth it etc.

No longer cheap when you pay American living standards wage n overhead rates etc.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by NzBrakelathes

I suggest the following might also be true:
Mainstream mechanics don't want to spend the time to learn the niggly things and customers don't want to spend the money for mechanics to learn TIME = $$$

Customers expect perfection of a mechanic when the mechanic is working with 'cheap junk" and he can't get things "perfect" when parts are made so cheap n not perfect -customers bitch.

I can se why this all would play into "I don't want to work on Chinese junk/cheap bikes" as they are trouble and if DIY it all well then Ok it is "worth" it - mainstream not really worth it etc.

No longer cheap when you pay American living standards wage n overhead rates etc.

Both instances are true. Many mechanics will not work on the Chinese bikes due to potential liability issues from poor quality, lack of over the counter parts availability, or the fact that the labor can cost as much as the bike like you pointed out.

As far as the bikes being for sale. Every once in a while a used Hawk will show up for sale here. The picture will be a Hawk with half the plastics gone or broken, the exhaust pipe complete rust, the rest of the bike still caked in dirt, and you can just tell that zero prep or maintenance was done. Asking price? $1000.