Re-cycling: Chinese style
Published Thursday May 28th, 2009
Middle Kingdom enters international motorcycle market.
Every spring, the motorcycle market heats up in Saint John.
Experienced riders start thinking about replacing last year's bike with something different and showroom floors start to crowd with first-time riders trying to find the right bike for them. For years there were only two economical options for the bike buyer.
If you wanted a motorcycle bargain, you could either look at a used motorcycle or a new Japanese bike such as a Honda or Suzuki.
Both options carry some risk "" you never know how much a previous owner has abused a motorcycle before you buy it "" and a brand-new, $7,500 bike is a big investment if you decide weeks later that motorcycling is not for you.
The wealthier buyer could also look into new European or American brands like BMW or Harley-Davidson but these are usually priced even higher than their Japanese counterparts.
But in the last few years, the cycle-shopping scene has changed in Saint John. Bike buyers now have new options from an unlikely source "" China.
Area motorcycle shops such as Cruisers Custom Cycle on Station Road or All Star Recreation on the Marr Road are both carrying Chinese motorcycles.
It might seem like a bit of an odd move for Cruisers Custom Cycle to branch out into the Chinese motorcycle market.
The shop was known for its impressive custom motorcycles and the customers who buy chopped Harleys aren't likely to be impressed by Chinese bikes.
However, owner Mark Anderson says he saw the bikes as a good market opportunity and the shop has done very well with their new line.
"Our customers are happy and we're happy," Anderson says, adding that Cruisers moved 40 Chinese bikes last year.
Anderson's shop sells the Chinese scooters and bikes under the Saga brand name. They're actually produced by Benzhou, a Chinese manufacturer in business since 1994.
They sell a street-and-trail enduro motorcycle "" basically a street-legal dirt bike "" with a 200 c.c. motor for $3,699. That's far lower than its closest Japanese counterpart.They also sell a 150 c.c. scooter and a 49 c.c. scooter.
And while it's the smallest vehicle in the line-up, Anderson says a 49 c.c. scooter called the Spark has been a great seller, mainly because it gets 100 miles per gallon (14 kilometres per litre).
It's low price tag ($2,399) and retro Vespa-like styling also probably don't hurt either.
The Chinese bikes at Cruisers Custom Cycle carry a two-year warranty and the shop services the machines they sell. They are also able to order in spare parts, unlike some Chinese motorcycle dealers in other parts of the country.
That's a significant problem with other sellers of Chinese bikes says Don Gallagher of All Star Recreation. But like Cruisers Custom Cycle, All Star Recreation services the bikes they sell.
All Star Recreation sells Polaris off-road vehicles and Victory, Hyosung, and KTM motorcycles but they have also branched out into Johnny Pag motorcycles "" a Chinese brand far different from the Saga bikes that Anderson's shop sells.
The Johnny Pag bikes Gallagher sells are chopper-styled cruisers based on a design by California custom bike builder Johnny Pag and his son.
The bike's parts are manufactured in China but the finished product is impressive, whatever one's perceptions, accurate or otherwise, of manufacturing standards in its country of origin might be.
The bike features dual-disc front brakes and a disc rear brake, all featuring stainless steel brake lines. There are lots of machined billet parts and the bike comes with a custom-looking flamed paint job. It's a lot of bike for $5,699.
The engine is only a 300 c.c. inline-twin but it is based on a time-tested design.
"It's actually been fashioned from the original 250 Rebel Honda but it's been upgraded to the new style," says Gallagher.
"The new valves, liquid-cooled versus air-cooled; it produces a lot more power that way. They've done an extremely good job."
Who should be interested in the Johnny Pag bikes? "The Johnny Pags are the perfect bike for somebody that wants an inexpensive commuter or a cruiser for just around town," says Gallagher. "They will run highway speeds and they are liquid-cooled but they are designed for a starting rider or somebody that is looking for a little bit lighter bike with the big look."
Gallagher says that All Star Recreation started to look into carrying Chinese bikes after they had success with their Hyosung line, itself a non-traditional motorcycle brand from South Korea. He thinks consumers should give the Chinese bikes a good look.
"You can get some good Chinese products," he says, adding that he thinks Chinese brands can probably be compared to Korean vehicles like Kia and Hyundai that initially faced an uphill battle in North American markets but are now respected brands.
If a Johnny Pag chopper isn't your style, the company also sells a sporty street bike. If that still doesn't catch your fancy, Gallagher has some advice for buyers looking at other Chinese bike brands.
"I've seen it in the past "" a lot of the welding is sub-standard. What you'll find in the better-produced bikes is that they're TIG-welded, similar to U.S. products, and the European and the Japanese products.
"Some of them will come in MIG-welded, which is a little less dependable. But probably the primary thing that you'll look for is warranties and parts and that's plagued the Chinese product for a while."
The Johnny Pag bikes come with a one year, 20,000-kilometre warranty.
Despite quality problems with some brands, Gallagher thinks Chinese motorcycles are mainly held back by poor business practices rather than durability issues.
"It's not the fault of the product, it's more the fault of the distributor who's bringing them in," he says. Still he thinks they will eventually command a market share, just as American, Japanese, and European bikes do now.
"In another 10 years, they'll be a force, no doubt about it," he says.
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