Another Chinese bike, but this looks quite nice!

[gtd65]

Talking of Chinese bike prices, I read a post on a Facebook page where a guy was talking about the little pit bikes that he was importing at £68 each!

Probably dire quality of course but knowing you can get a complete bike for that price is something else!

I'd like to see the Chinese manufacturer's bring out products that are reliable and competitively priced but too many seem to have overly optimistic pricing...

This appears to be true even for the cars.

You can see that you can source good quality Asian cars (Hyundai/KIA/Suzuki etc.) for less money than something Chinese with an MG badge ....and the Korean stuff comes with a great warranty and above average reliability too!

[Jon]

Talking of Chinese bike prices, I read a post on a Facebook page where a guy was talking about the little pit bikes that he was importing at £68 each!

Probably dire quality of course but knowing you can get a complete bike for that price is something else!

I'd like to see the Chinese manufacturer's bring out products that are reliable and competitively priced but too many seem to have overly optimistic pricing...

This appears to be true even for the cars.

You can see that you can source good quality Asian cars (Hyundai/KIA/Suzuki etc.) for less money than something Chinese with an MG badge ....and the Korean stuff comes with a great warranty and above average reliability too!

All this is true, but you have to bear in mind that there are two routes to market.

The first one is when an 'entrepreneur' looks at a catalogue of products, picks the product he thinks he can sell and make a bundle on, and buys a container load....This is your typical Chinese tat product followed by poor or no back-up and a brand that disappears in a year or so. The Chinese company build a poor quality but generic product available for re-branding knowing that it will be bought by 'get rich quick' western buyers.

The second route is where a company wish to produce a product to a certain specification and quality look for someone to build to that specification at a competitive price. ....Like Honda did with the C90...And everyone from Aprilia to Zonda does.

The quality of this item is determined by the specifying company, not the manufacturing facility.....You can use Fender guitars as an example...Fender guitars are built to Fender specifications and standards in America, Mexico, Korea, China, and India...They enjoy difference price points to reflect market expectations and labour costs but there have been times when the 'lowly' Korean model has eclipsed the more expensive US model...To the frustration of Fender themselves who stopped the production of the Korean model.

Most of us are using a Chinese product built to a Western company's specifications to read this forum....

I think the French importer who have created the Mash brand are getting a product built to a specific specification and quality for a niche western market rather than buying a generic bike and badging it.....

[stevew]

I think the French importer who have created the Mash brand are getting a product built to a specific specification and quality for a niche western market rather than buying a generic bike and badging it.....

Reckon most of what you say is true but the big problem comes with knowing what sort of purchaser you are dealing with as that can really only be discovered by time alone
Some brands will stand the test of time and become a "standard" product well supported and reliable and others will fall by the wayside and leave their customers in the lurch. I fear time alone will tell.
Given that Mash are doing as you say (and i tend to think you are right) we can only hope they survive

So, who have we got in the UK that we can trust in the Chinese market? My thoughts are:-
Lexmoto (Chinese motorcycle parts on line) ..........seem big and well established
JIANSHE as they are also AJS and Yamaha as well as being imported in their own name.
Kymco, & Sym, Korean but using their own name and importer
Keeway........................not sure about this one but seem to be imported using the manufacturers name so maybe

What can others add to this very unfinished resume of Chinese importers?

No doubt there are others....what say you?

[Jon]

Sima are the parent distribution company who created the Mash brand to market their 'in house' range of bikes seen on the web page. Amongst the other bike brands they distribute are Gas Gas, HRD and Hyosung. They also do the JCB Workmax range, and Adly and TGB Quads so quite a big and diverse company

[currykev]

I had a Taiwanese Hartford 125 a few years back.
It was satisfactory, but I now stick with old Japanese bikes.

[Jon]

I had a Taiwanese Hartford 125 a few years back.
It was satisfactory, but I now stick with old Japanese bikes.

I did a road test on one of those For F2 Motorcycles. I had just done one for the MZ250 and was alarmed at how cheap and nasty the fittings on the Hartford were. Things like indicator finish (chromed plastic) were shoddy and it was generally a bit poor. Motor was Yam derived if I recall and the frame was Suzuki based, weirdly. The MZ was a revelation though, beautifully made, punchy and smooth with a superb ride....I think it was a Turkish built one too....

[TimeBandit]

XBR based motor.....

Tried an XBR a few years back an wasnt right impressed with it... wasnt much better than my RS250 in terms of poke an 'get up n go'....
Its alot of money for rather dated tackle

i had both too, but found the 500 miles better in terms of ride ability, more torque etc,
the 250 was gutless, and a good 20mph slower
perhaps i had a good 500 and you got a good 250, lol

I think part of the problem with the XBR was that it attracted the wax cotton jacket/jeans in Derri Boots brigade an they tended to ride at a rather sedate pace so the things ended up being bunged up with years of plodding about.. the one i had was just that and although i gave it some thrash on runs out it wasnt right inspiring...certainly nothing to right home about... The intension was to shoe horn the motor into my RS as the XL500 RFVC lump i had was showing the classic signs of cracked head an i couldnt source a good head for it..ended up punting on the XBR an buying a smashed up eyetie non leccy start XR400 for the lump to bung in the RS... much better than any XBR an suitably geared it went thru Performance Bikes radar at the 2004 TT down from Brandish well into three figures...
The modern crop of singles are a waste of snap n bacca.. toooo sanitised for my liking an all sounding like jumped up chinko generators

[gtd65]

This is the bike it is based upon I believe?



http://www.chinamotorworld.com/index.ph ... ew&id=1849

Doesn't appear that Mash had that much of the design input other than some minore details?

Back in the 1990's I visited a number of Chinese facilities that were manufacturing products to "specification". It beggared belief some of the quality (or lack of) that was observed!

Mind you they always took you out for a nice lunch to keep you sweet

[Diesel Dave]

If your old enough....remember the term 'Jap Crap'.

Used to be applied to stuff that has since become the envy of the world in terms of manufacturing prowess.

Started off quite simply after the war, torches that fell apart, bulbs that expired in a short time - within 20 years they had several world racing titles.

Considering some of the stuff the UK was turning out in the 60's - we really shouldn't have a lot to say, ever worked on a Bantam?

[digger06]

Back in the 1990's I visited a number of Chinese facilities that were manufacturing products to "specification". It beggared belief some of the quality (or lack of) that was observed!

that's between 15 and 25 yrs ago, a lots changed since then,
the Chinese are fully capeable of building good stuff now, its the European demand for crap that's fecking things up,
they have the man power, tooling, and technology....

im wi dave here, I remember bantams and jap crap,
the Chinese are just catching up at the mo, and would do better setting up their own importers and send the decent stuff over....
the japs were catching up within my memory, but with one difference,
they were a fair price, the importers wernt so greedy, the japs went on to almost lead the world in bikes and cars,as dave said
that bike at a fair price would sell, its the greedy importers,
sell it at the right price and the little niggles and poor finish are not a problem as much,
we expect jap quality at those prices, not many will risk purchase