Yamaha YBR250 didn't make sense to buy in 2009

Whilst this bike is almost certainly the best road-going legal 250cc bike in China..........

I'm not talking about the running costs for this bike, I'm talking about the depreciation on the new value. The reason being is that, for anyone selling this bike you'd be lucky (according to the opinions of most Chinese riders) to get more than 12,000 RMB for the bike after one year, meaning a massive 13,550 RMB ($2000 USD!) depreciation over the first year from the new price of 25,500 RMB ($3,700 USD).

Then 8,000 RMB 2nd hand value at the most after two years.

The reasons for this depreciation has a lot to do with older unregistered CB400 type bikes in the marketplace, and other cheaper alternatives for potential buyers, and the fact that the bike is just plain silly overpriced to begin with, 15,500 RMB ($2,300 USD) would be a fair price for the bike IMO, and the overpricing of this bike has warped the prices of other bikes in the Chinese motorcycle market.

So on a personal level the YBR250 doesn't make sense unless I want to keep it for the vast majority of its service life (5 years +), however this is something I don't want to commit to, with an eye on potential 400-600cc road legal Chinese or joint venture bikes possibly being available. So the Regal Raptor DD250-2 it is then :icon10:.

I agree that the bike has a high price tag, but I have also heard some people paying just a tad over 20k out the door with rego and insurance included. Any new vehicle will take a 20% hit five seconds after it's purchased, that's just one of the sad things about buying new.

I met up with a Regal Raptor DD250-2 on the road in Hunan and it looked alright, but it's not even worth comparing with the Yamaha. If you spent 20k on the YBR, took care of it, and sold it in two years for 10k, it's not such a bad deal. Tokyokid just got one, and he seems to be pretty impressed with the quality.

The fact that 15 year old, 400cc Japanese bikes are still holding some value shows how far the Chinese manufacturers have to go. They can make them cheap, but they're just not made to last.

In 2008 we saw a huge influx of new 250cc bikes that got us all worked up about having some choices. Here we sit more than a year later and almost none of them have been made legal for China purchase. I wouldn't get your hopes up on the over 250cc models, I think it will be well into 2010 or 2011 before any of the larger bikes can actually be registered in China (JH600 excluded).

Good luck with the new bike, glad you will be on the road again.

Cheers!
ChinaV

V

I asked in dealers all over the place, and I was consistently told 24,500 last year and 25,500 this year. I would have seriously considered the bike for a tad over 20,000 actually, but in my area, seems I'm not well enough connected :rolleyes1:

Anyway too late now...:icon10:

Remember what you are paying for in the YBR250. Yamaha refuses to produce teh YBR250 in China, probably a wise move, as the Chinese govt. seems to still be unwilling to enforce intellectual property rights. If they produced it in China, it would be quickly copied. So, you are paying the 100% import tariff. The price would be closer to 13 - 14,000 if it was made in China.

That is also why the resale is so low. The inherent value of the bike is much lower than the retail value.

iamcanjim, I was under the impression that the YBR 250 was made in China, by Jianshe Yamaha, which is why I thought the price was too high. If it was made elsewhere, and imported particularly from Japan, I would have bought one as 25,500 RMB is a bargain for a Japanese imported bike, with all the sky-high Chinese import taxes.

V, I forgot to mention that there are plenty of 400-500cc engines being manufactured mostly for quad bikes, but with a few tweaks can make a delightful mid-sized single road bike or high-power dirt bike. Asiawing can't get their act together, I know. But surely some Chinese manufacturer would be capable of putting a decent 400-500cc single together for export and the home market. They are really missing a trick as loads would sell just in the commuter and learner market in the west.

Whether the communist authorities could tolerate a 450cc single overtaking their black Santana and allow CCC certification here in China is another matter, but it is a hope or maybe a dream I have that maybe, just one day in the near(ish) future I could be riding a reasonably priced, road legal, street motorcycle with around 30KW of power. :naughty:

I am fairly sure that the YBR 250 is not made in China or Japan. I know there is a factory in India and there are probably others in other Asian countries. This means you won't get better than Chinese quality for the price.

If it wasn't made in China, wouldn't you likely hear people jumping up and down extolling it's legal imported-ness?

Also, wouldn't the price be much higher than 25k rmb?

CC

Iamcanjim,

Sorry mate but really are probably not right.

Take a look here: http://www.jym.com.cn/Simplified/Pro...&SortPath=0,5,

You can see that the YBR 250 takes prominent position on Jianshe's website. They even make a 劲龙ⅡJYM250, which has a different 220cc engine, they are next to each other on the site, even with Chinese style photoshopped publicity shots and graphics!

The YBR250 is certainly made in lots of different factories all over the world, probably China, India, Brazil, Japan and Portugal to name a few. My old bike the CBF150 was made in China and India, and the Honda CBR125 must be made in loads of countries.

Other discussions aside, I hope that Sundiro Honda begin manufacture of the CBF250 in China at some time, and if they gain CCC approval can sell the bike for a fair price in China, of course there would be an export market. (15,000 RMB)

Also why not produce the VTR250? Not likely! :lol8:
http://http://blog.revistamotoviva.c...tr250_2009.jpg

Let's hope Honda's VTR250 lasts a bit longer in the market than their gorgeous VT250 produced for about a year at the end of the 80's.

Both V twins, the VT produced nearly 40 hp, yet despite its looks it failed to sell.

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gal...T250F%2083.jpg

That is a pretty bike... and shit... 40hp!!!

I'd still like a Chinese manufacturer to produce a model that beats the old Kawasaki Ninja 250... which to me still rule the 250 roost.

CC

I am sorry, I had incorrect information. Looks like the old ybr250 is made in china.

That said, interesting about the VTRe50. The same engine is used in the Honda Magna 250. Copies of the Magna 250 are made by Chunlan in the PRC and Kymco in Taiwan. If one of them would be smart enough to put the engine in a standard chassis it would make a kickass little bike.

In the Magna 250 the engine still makes a respectable 33 hp.

I really hate the Magna, another one of Honda's experiments that didn't sell. Ugly looking CMX updated done wrong. Really, the only thing I do like is that engine, but it could be the core of a really lovely street bike.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by forchetto

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gal...T250F%2083.jpg

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That is a good looking bike. It clearly has the lines of the old 1986 Interceptor 500 that I owned (And am sorry I ever sold).

Dan K.

I was just hanging out with a couple Honda V4/VF500 riders last weekend. They are wonderful bikes that both guys and gals can enjoy.
I'll probably get one in the very near future should an excellent price on a nice one cross my desk.

- Jen and her newly acquired VF500 -
http://photos.imageevent.com/comrade...-NOE09-112.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/comrade...-NOE09-117.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/comrade...-NOE09-120.jpg


If you're bored, more photos at: http://imageevent.com/comradecarl/moto/noe2009

:riding:
CC

Good luck Carl trying to find a decent one. They've all long ago been crashed by squids and parted out. I've been looking for a long time for another one in good enough shape to make it worthwhile.

The smoothest motor in any bike I've ever owned. Mine was the same paint scheme as the one in your photo.

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/t...weepCanyon.jpg

Sigh. . .

Cheers,

Dan K.

Dan,

You can find some good samples around on the East coast. I know a couple people with samples in excellent condition but I doubt they're going to give them up anytime soon.

I appreciate your lament though...she is pretty! :goodtime:

:riding:
CC

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

Whilst this bike is almost certainly the best road-going legal 250cc bike in China..........

I'm not talking about the running costs for this bike, I'm talking about the depreciation on the new value. The reason being is that, for anyone selling this bike you'd be lucky (according to the opinions of most Chinese riders) to get more than 12,000 RMB for the bike after one year, meaning a massive 13,550 RMB ($2000 USD!) depreciation over the first year from the new price of 25,500 RMB ($3,700 USD).

Then 8,000 RMB 2nd hand value at the most after two years.

The reasons for this depreciation has a lot to do with older unregistered CB400 type bikes in the marketplace, and other cheaper alternatives for potential buyers, and the fact that the bike is just plain silly overpriced to begin with, 15,500 RMB ($2,300 USD) would be a fair price for the bike IMO, and the overpricing of this bike has warped the prices of other bikes in the Chinese motorcycle market.

So on a personal level the YBR250 doesn't make sense unless I want to keep it for the vast majority of its service life (5 years +), however this is something I don't want to commit to, with an eye on potential 400-600cc road legal Chinese or joint venture bikes possibly being available. So the Regal Raptor DD250-2 it is then :icon10:.

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Take the YBR125 for a ride and after the YBR250, than you know why it worth to pay that much more.
I paid 20,800 rmb and it was worth every penny. Dont forget it has even a fuel injection system, no stupid adjusting of the carburetor anymore. I did 5539m / 18172ft without any problems. Dont know any other bike here I would abuse that much ;)

but your right that the bike is too expensive for the chinese market, even the YBR125 is too expensive for chinese buyers, for them a 125cc should be in a range of 3-5.000rmb

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tokyokid

I paid 20,800 rmb and it was worth every penny.

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I would of paid 20,800 RMB for it, but I was only offered 25,500 RMB for it, from all the local dealers :confused1:, do you have some special connections at Jianshe Yamaha, or did you and some friends buy a few at the same time?

I'd also love the opportunity to be able to test ride the YBR250.....but in my area this is not possible.

What brand tires does the bike come with in China?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

I would of paid 20,800 RMB for it, but I was only offered 25,500 RMB for it, from all the local dealers :confused1:, do you have some special connections at Jianshe Yamaha, or did you and some friends buy a few at the same time?

I'd also love the opportunity to be able to test ride the YBR250.....but in my area this is not possible.

What brand tires does the bike come with in China?

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I love price research and bargaining :) Got it from a dealer in Jiangxi. They are actually forbidden to sell them for under 23.800rmb.

I think they put Kenda tires on the bikes.

Yeah testriding is unknown in China for motorbikes. I remember after i bought the ybr125 and drove on it the first meter after i paid i just wanted to return it :) No way that little shit would bring me to europe haha The 250 feels so different from the 125.

If you want the bike, it has 9000km on the clock and is just 3 month old. At the moment on the way to Chongqing for new clutch and a body make-up. It has alarm, original back tire and offroad back tire and side boxes for lots of stuff, but you can take them off too. Asked price is 15.000rmb but remember it was used intensely in Tibet.

Tokyokid,

Well you certainly have got some good bargaining skills, you could put my Chinese mother-in-law's bargaining to shame! All the dealers I talked to were firm about their prices, I thought that I would only be able to get the price down about 500 RMB with hard bargaining.

Thanks for the offer to buy the bike, I've spent most of my money on my Regal Raptor DD250G-2 and new equipment so I can't afford it. Although I'll put the word around.

By the way, what top speed did you manage to get on the bike?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

By the way, what top speed did you manage to get on the bike?

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117km/h with 2 ppl up, GPS measured

109km/h with 3 ppl up, GPS measured :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tokyokid

117km/h with 2 ppl up, GPS measured

109km/h with 3 ppl up, GPS measured :)

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3 ppl?

Bikes of burden

http://abcnews.go.com/International/...16&start=false

Not my bike, just doing a favor for a friend. She doesnt have the manual, nor does she want to buy it. Ill be swinging by the Yamaha dealer sooner or later to get this mess figured out.

What about the SRV200?
http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...963/SRV200.jpg
What do those sell for, it looks to have the same engine as the TW200
http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...aha-tw2004.jpg
Which is also shared with the Zongshen 200GY
http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...Y_2_Green_.jpg
I would take the SRV200, seem like a street version of the TW200 would be pretty good?

Does the Zonghsen run on scotch; it has an enlarged liver.

To me it’s like "hello" an engine can be a product line. One line can produce variants of the same bike, they can share components. I could see a naked version of the XRV20; a round headlight and gear cluster? It only has 14hp, but that’s all the it needs, its not for the highway.
Seriously with all the holding costs, there are tons of 2006 ZS200GY in the states selling for under $1,500.00, they could get $2,500.00 for the SRV200 version.
These people flooded the market and they are still trying to do sell them, you buy 40 and fill a container?

They are commuter bikes, starter bikes, something you buy on a whim.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by forchetto

Let's hope Honda's VTR250 lasts a bit longer in the market than their gorgeous VT250 produced for about a year at the end of the 80's.

Both V twins, the VT produced nearly 40 hp, yet despite its looks it failed to sell.

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gal...T250F%2083.jpg

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Japanese didn't make bikes. They made art.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by moilami

Japanese didn't make bikes. They made art.

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I second that, but add the Italians as well!

Cheers,

Dan K.

This thread was quoted on a touring site:

http://www.asiabiketours.com/motorcy...ina-tibet.html

yamaha ybr 250 red ...this bike is almost certainly the best road-going legal 250cc bike in China...
(quote: MyChinaMoto)