We went to our local sporting goods store and they had just gotten a whole like of Chinese made motorcycles and scooters. The 250 Baja was a near exact copy of the KLX250 (but cheesy) is felt light and the workmanship was not Japan....but $1399.00

 

I saw a report on the chinese motorcycles and four wheelers on the news this weekend, the main story was about a 10 yr old child being burned, the four wheeler he was riding just exploded. the chinese bikes are cheaper because the chinese bikes do not have the safety standards we have in the U.S. we have to be careful with that type of junk. the boys dad said he bought it because it was half the money of a japanese bike same size.

 

I would not ride this one over 20 mph

Rik

 

These bikes got a half decent review in ADB magazine recently.
http://www.puzey.com.au/index.php
They look good and are waaayyyyy cheap.
You gotta start somewhere.
I old enough to remember when the same was said for japanese product.
Now it's a badge of quality.

 

i'd sport it, at least for alittle while.

if you want a durability check i can get that for ya. if it lasts an hour w me...it's a tough ol boy n worth 1300 bucks. i'd buy one for sheeits n giggles if i could.

 

Yeah, I hear you. Was at a local Sam's club recently and saw a display (just inside the front door, killer spot for eye traffic..) of two Chinese 200cc bikes. One was Ninja clone, the other a dual sport. $1,899 OTD. From 50 feet both bikes looked great. Closer inspection revealed some sloppy fit and finish, unimpressive castings and a whole bunch of critical bolts/screws/other fasteners of unknown metallurgy.

So far China has decided that cheap trumps everything else and quality control be damned. Everything from toys to toothpaste to milk has been of suspect quality at best, downright dangerous in some cases.

The Chinese are coming, for sure, but so far I've not seen the dealer infrastructure or parts availability that will help them get off on the right foot with American consumers. Next time you are in that sporting goods store ask them if they stock any oil or air filters. For now, my money is going to companies with a proven track record. Just my 2cts......

 

I had a close-up look at a Chinese dual sport (I dont' recall what brand, it was navy blue and silver) and it looked utterly Mickey Mouse. Me and my dad were riding through the camp and the guy went buy, it sounded like an idling gas chainsaw (but not as manly), he came back and BS'ed with us for a while, he seemed to like it, but just looking at it. The welds looked bad, the swingarm was rather small and flimsly appearing, and it sounded like it barely ran. We just had a great laugh after he took off.

I think the greater initial investment in a REAL machine is better over the long run vs. $1500 every 15 months. JUST MHO .02

 

+1 on the Puzey Neil. They just got one at the local dealer. Looks value for money in the flesh. Wait for the Enduro model to arrive.