rabbitscooters is showing a 400

[duck]

Yep, no way I'd even buy another qh200gy let alone a china 400. I've been a bike mechanic either pro or hobby for 35 years and I think they are just junk, not even up to the level of early 70's japanese.

That said, I have mine running and looking great, with 4.50x18 big knobs on the back, 3.00x21 on the front, 16/40 sprockets, 30mm carb, cone air, drilled exhaust, acerbis cyclops, everything on it taken apart and lubed.

Takes way too much time to keep it running right and I'm waiting for the big lunky frame to just crack taking my 200 lbs over small whups. Already have an out of true front wheel from a light nose land (as in didn't spill).

Anyone wanna buy a chinabike? . Only 430klicks on the odo and has street title.

Originally Posted by dr1445

with a used japan bike there are many places to have ones ignorance replaced with knowledge. with the china 400 you set sail into unknown waters. who you going to turn to rabbit? good luck. the price of admission is high and the level of confidence is low.

[forchetto]

Originally Posted by duck

not even up to the level of early 70's japanese.

I would go further back to the 60's Japanese iron. No Chinese bike can even compare with something like a Suzuki super Six, Honda CB72, CB77, CB450 or even the early Cubs for performance, engineering, technology, fit and finish, reliability and durability.
Never mind the dealer set-up and training, spares back-up, racing and other grass-roots involvement (By the time Americans saw their first Hondas, they had already won the Isle of Man TT races).

They claim not to be able to afford to set-up direct factory importers and other infrastructure, but, come on, companies like Lifan, Qingqi, Jinlun, Jialing, Jianshe, etc are big and rich enough to be able to afford that and more. Many of them make upwards of two million bikes a year. Triumph and other much smaller European makers manage it.

If the need arose I'm sure a centralised economy like theirs would contribute financial, research and development and other means to help their makers establish themselves properly and hold their name high and proud.

The reason, I suspect is that they don't plan in being long term players in this field. As soon as their economy improves to near our level they will turn their manufacturing power to other things. Hope it isn't weapons...

Still...never mind eh?

[shakembakem]

[quote="duck"]
Anyone wanna buy a chinabike? . Only 430klicks on the odo and has street title.


ill give you 50 bucks for that pile of dog crap.... well i could go 55 since it was put together by a "mechanic"

[shakembakem]

forchetto figured it out. china is building 400cc motorcycles to the can afford nuclear weapons! cause they dont have any of those right now thats for sure! WOOT!

CHINA'S NUCLEAR FORCES

According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the SIPRI Yearbook 1999, the size of the Chinese nuclear arsenal is about 400 warheads. The Bulletin estimates that 20 nuclear-armed missiles are deployed in the intercontinental role, and another 230 nuclear weapons on deployed (or can be deployed) on aircraft, missiles, and submarines with regional capabilities. The 150 remaining nuclear warheads are believed to be reserved for "tactical" uses (short-range missiles, low yield aircraft-dropped bombs, and possibly artillery shells or demolition munitions).1

Nuclear weapons in China are under the control of the Central Military Commission, which is headed by the President. Other members of the commission are generals from the People's Liberation Army (PLA), who may also serve on the Politburo of the Communist Party.

[VinceDrake]

Anyone want to spot me a couple of bucks?

I'm up for the challenge. (Got my slobber-master 200 warmed up and ready to go.!)

--Vince

[TeamCheap]

Those 400cc engines will be useful to stick in older jap bikes and get them going again on the cheap, you know after the china frame folds on them.

[duck]

Rofl! Bout what it's worth, well, with the new tires and the cyclops mebbe $175.

One of the kids that hangs out here has never ridden a bike so if his parents give permission I'll teach him on the chinabike and let him get his beginner wrecks outta the way.

duck
[quote="shakembakem"]

Originally Posted by duck

Anyone wanna buy a chinabike? . Only 430klicks on the odo and has street title.


ill give you 50 bucks for that pile of dog crap.... well i could go 55 since it was put together by a "mechanic"

[Kawazacky]

Duck, I still want to see a picture of that Acerbis cyclops headlight on there! I've been wanting one of those for a while for mine.

Anyway.....here's my thoughts. I've owned quite a few used Jap bikes and the fact is, a used bike is only as good as its previous owner. I've had several that were real dogs, and one or two that were great, reliable bikes. If you know the PO, you have a way better chance than if you buy a bike from "some guy." I didn't want to buy a used trail bike because I know what they get put through. I didn't want to inherit someone else's problems. My Lifan was priced competitively with the used Jap bikes around here. I could have bought a KLR250 for much less, but after I put new tires, a new chain, had the engine serviced, topped up the fluids, etc....I would't have saved any money, and I would have had a bike that's 20 years old. And I've had enough of trying to keep old bikes on the road. It's almost impossible to find a good mechanic, and dealerships only want to sell you the new 2008 WXYZ450. With my Lifan, I do everything myself, I take care of my own parts needs, and I like it that way.

[duck]

As long as you are happy with it, that's what counts. You also have a Lifan which at least from anecdotal evidence has a better build quality than my hi-bird.

The gate guards at work love the cyclops, but I don't have a camera .

I finally have a sigma speedo on mine, properly calibrated by rollout, and it looks like my top end is right at 60mph. Have some gear left, just no engine. Plug only looks slightly lean so I may just leave it this way, highest speedlimit around here is 55 anyway and I can do that uphill (both ways!).

4.50-18 rear and 300-21 front kenda with gnarly knobbies looks very good and gives the bike a much more aggressive look than the stock knobs.

Originally Posted by Kawazacky

Duck, I still want to see a picture of that Acerbis cyclops headlight on there! I've been wanting one of those for a while for mine.

Anyway.....here's my thoughts. I've owned quite a few used Jap bikes and the fact is, a used bike is only as good as its previous owner. I've had several that were real dogs, and one or two that were great, reliable bikes. If you know the PO, you have a way better chance than if you buy a bike from "some guy." I didn't want to buy a used trail bike because I know what they get put through. I didn't want to inherit someone else's problems. My Lifan was priced competitively with the used Jap bikes around here. I could have bought a KLR250 for much less, but after I put new tires, a new chain, had the engine serviced, topped up the fluids, etc....I would't have saved any money, and I would have had a bike that's 20 years old. And I've had enough of trying to keep old bikes on the road. It's almost impossible to find a good mechanic, and dealerships only want to sell you the new 2008 WXYZ450. With my Lifan, I do everything myself, I take care of my own parts needs, and I like it that way.

[knothead]

I noticed the oddball 16" tires and it looks like that headlight is a BA20... now why in the heck do something like that? At least use stuff that's easy to find for things that will need replacement (bulbs, tires, chain, etc...).

[Kawazacky]

I agree with you there. They've been in the business long enough now that they should be learning their lessons. They need to have proper chains, headlights, and suspension to crack our North American market.

Of course, remember that we are their smallest market. They sell way more of these over in Asia, Africa, and South America, so if that's what works for those markets, that's what they get.

[mebigdave]

So this is how I see the would today!

I bought my bike in November last year and since January this year, I have ridden it four days a week two hours a day, at full RPM. It sleeps out side in the wind and the rain and starts every morning at 6am in the middle of winter. I can say that all I do is change the oil every 3 - 4 weeks and have to refuel it every day (5.5lt). One of my friends bought a new Suzuki SV1000 for NZ$12,500 and by the time my bike had payed for itself (NZ$2,340) by saving me the cost of running my SUV 130Km a day, by May this year he had already lost $3000 of the resale of his bike. My bike may be Chinese but I have never ridden anything this hard for so long and had it still be the same as the day I bought it, just better when it was run in. The only time it has left me standing on the side of the road was when I had put 194km on the clock and ran out of fuel. I did that again the next day too, never again after that.

I have done a few mods to my bike but then I feel that the bike is cheap enough to have a bit of a fiddle. When I want to really thrash something, I jump on my 94 YZ250 which has been tweaked to be like a light switch and cane it! But on Monday morning, it's back on the trusty Shineray and off I go @ 100km/h and hour each way on the motorway.

[dr1445]

the 200cc bikes are a good value for round about $1200 here in the usa. the question is the 400cc machine being the same good value at $3200?

[IronFist]

Originally Posted by TeamCheap

Those 400cc engines will be useful to stick in older jap bikes and get them going again on the cheap, you know after the china frame folds on them.

Great Idea :idea:
Put a good motor on a good frame, cheap, cheap, cheap.

[forchetto]

Originally Posted by IronFist

cheap, cheap, cheap.

You do bird impressions?