PROCEED WITH CAUTION

The Chinese are pushing hard into the motorcycle industry. For some folks this may be old news, yet others may be surprised to see Chinese dirt bikes at their local dealer for half the price of their Japanese competitors. Other pathways being used by Chinese money are purchasing existing brands such as the Italian manufacturers Moto Morini and Benelli. Want a Chinese-made rally bike? That’s a thing too, for a quarter of the cost of a KTM Rally Replica.

These Chinese brands have questionable quality, and their dealer network and general parts availability is also a huge question mark. For new riders, a Chinese bike that costs half as much as a bike from a reputable manufacturer may sound like a great entry point. But what happens when that cheap bike breaks down and can’t be fixed, or parts are unobtainium? It’s bad enough that Adventure bike fans only have a few dealer options in the Pacific Northwest for Aprilia and Ducati, let alone these Chinese alternatives. It’s easy to see how a potential lack of parts and support can annihilate motorcycle hopes and dreams and cause these new riders to flip the bird to our beloved sport.

The funny thing is, that the Chinese are more than capable of producing quality stuff. Case in point, you only need to read the fine print on the back of the iPhone on which you may be reading this article.

Time will tell what impact Chinese influx into the motorcycle industry will have. A data point we’ll never be able to capture is how many potential new riders get burned by a bad experience from taking the cheap Chinese entry point into our sport. While it’s certainly possible that the new Chinese bike at your dealer with a price too good to be true will provide plenty of good experiences, so too will a well maintained used bike from a reputable brand. There is also a known network of dealer support and parts availability with established OEMs. Buyer beware: Buy nice, or buy twice may very well apply to motorcycles too.

Upshift Staff