Buying a Chinese Bike in Haiti

Hello! I recently moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti and need to buy a motorcycle. It seems that most everyone down here ride one chinese bike or another, and since there are so many different brands, I was hoping to get some help picking out a good one. I do own a 77 Honda 550F back home in the States, but as its not possible to bring it with me, I'm looking for a reliable bike for the next 2 years. Preferably dual sport.

The most popular dual spot models here seem to be the Sukida and Kayak brands. Does anyone know much about these brands? I was looking at the Sukida 250, as its the same price as the 150 and 200 models, and there is a Sukida dealer close to me. Here are a few other brands i've seen around town:

Apollo
Jailing
Haojin
Loncin

and im sure a couple more...

ANy help is greatly appreciated as I am way out of my league on this one. Thanks!!

Just follow native Haitian's wisdom:lol8:
Kayak (WMI:LRY) don't had market share in motherland. Typical Chongqing product
Sukida (WMI:LP6) Typical Guangdong product
CQ bike are heavier | GD bike had better paintworks & chormes. Bikes made by BOTH "hubs" are quite OK as workhorse.
Avoid Apollo as possible because it's other "hub"'s product.

If parts are available and cheap, go for whatever brand the parts are most readily available for. For instance, many 'brands' have popped up in South America, have a dealer network throughout the respective country, and that brand becomes a low-cost alternative to one of the big-brands. My guess is that if speed limits or conditions for riding keep speeds low, the bike will last far longer than what we in the countries with high speed limits/high-speed driving conditions see these bikes lasting.

Dear Benjamin,

Welcome to MyChinaMoto. What a fantastic adventure and privilege to be able to ride a motorbike in Haiti!

From what I know about the state of Haitian infrastructure both before and after the 2010 earthquake (not to mention Tropical Storm Jeanne, Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Hanna and Hurricane Ike, and decades of mismanagement and exploitation), I'd suggest that the best transport option there will be a lightweight, small displacement dual sport or utility motorcycle. You won't be on highways much, so it'll be outfitted mainly for off-road use with the best knobby tires you can find, engine guards and a strong skidplate, and handguards to protect your levers when you drop the bike (which you will).

That said, I'd strongly endorse Culcune's advice to go with the prevailing brands, and hopefully you'll find a range of choice that goes beyond basic farmers' utility bikes. But a utility model will be better than something exotic that cannot be repaired as Haiti has her way with your bike (which she will). You want a reliable supply of inexpensive parts as well as consumables like tires, tubes, oil and filters, and knowledgeable local people who can help out when you need it.

And this: Never let the bike out of your sight.

And this: Every picture you post, whether of the bike or of Haiti or both, will be received with equal parts of gratitude and wonder in this forum. Keep us posted about your progress, and please plan to post (with pix) early and often! :deal:

cheers!

hi benjamin,
nice to see your looking at getting a Chinese built bike i would suggest a bike thats engine is close if not identical to a honda design that way there is more info about repairs and what you can do to sustain the engine in peak working condition, would be nice to see a few pictures of the selection of chinese bikes available in Haiti.
if this is the Sukida 250 your looking at its actually a 223cc a engine based of the FTR223, XR/CRF230 looks very very similiar to the engine used in the Galaxy XTR 250
Attachment 5500
,Kennon

Thanks for the great replies so far!

I am a member of the www.SOHC4.net forums and I certainly understand the want for lots of pictures. Have no doubt that whichever bike I buy, I will post lots of pictures of it. I hope also to do lots of exploring the country by motorcycle and will certainly post images of that as well. Im a photojournalist, so I love documenting pretty much everything.

I have to admit that my original intention was to buy a Honda, as my other bike, back in the united states, is a 77 CB550f which I bought non-running and have been fixing it one rusty bolt at a time. Im a little attached to the jap bikes for reliability and especially hondas. However, here in Haiti, a Honda XR125L will run almost 4K and the 250 model runs almost 6K. A bit rich for my blood especially since Ill likely only be here a few years. There is basically NO second hand bikes here at all. Most people that invest the money in a Honda will ride it for life, and most of the chinese bikes get abused pretty hard as moto-taxis. So, buying new is about the only option.

I definitely have my mind set on a dual sport because as euphonius pointed out, the roads here are beyond bad. Since motorcycles are seen by most drivers as merely advanced bicycles, and pushed to the side of the road, I would like a bike thats bigger than the standard 125 CCs I see here so I could pass a car if necessary. There are basically no traffic laws down here, and no lanes, its just every man for himself.

Kennon- Its hard to tell from the picture, but that does look like the bike im looking at. Any clue on its reliability, or build quality?

Ive also seen a few Jialing dual sports down here, and Ive seen a few billboards advertising for Jialing, so it seems that is a pretty popular brand as well. Any info on Jialing's dual-sports?


Thanks so much for the information so far. Im certainly looking forward to an adventure into chinese motorcycling. This bike will be my primary mode of transport rain or shine.

Mesi!
Kohl

I have a Jialing JH150GY-2 I bought new. It now has 4000 hard miles on it and it looks like new despite sitting out in the sun and rain. It runs better than new now, with more power and less false neutrals. I've owned many dual purpose bikes during my 40 plus years of riding and this bike is just a notch below any Japanese model and I say that only because the rear shock is horrible. It has way too much rebound damping. It's fine on bad paved roads, but on dirt roads with potholes and wash outs, it will punish your spine[it works best with two girls on the back LOL]. Other weak spots are the chain and rear tire, both of which I replaced at 1000 miles. And the forementioned tranny. Lots of false neutrals between 1 st. and 2 nd. and 2 nd. and 3 rd. Nothing has broke though.
The engine is a real bright spot. Jialing took the Honda XL125, redesigned the piston and rings, added a performance exh. and an extra large air box and combined with the short stroke, it really revs well. On the flat, it will hang with the 200's in a drag race, but hills bring out a lack of torque and the bigger bikes will walk away while the 150 will be needing a down shift or two.
Stock, it's geared really short, topping out at 60 mph or so. I changed out the 12 tooth counter sprocket for a 13 and cruising is much more relaxed.
I could go on and on about the quality materials and features, but suffice to say, at less than half the price of an equivalent Japanese model, this bike can't be beat.
I would buy another Jialing in a heartbeat. Here's a link to this model,
http://www.vehibase.com/jialing-jh-150-gy-2/photo-1.htm

P.S. Jialing also makes a XL125 copy that looks real good. Extra large racks, frt. and rear, engine and hand gaurdes, enclosed chain, center stand and more.

OK, so you have seen jialing billboards, then put that near the top of your list, as they obviously have a presence there! Motomech has just vouched for them, and the man who started this site, Crazy Carl, has a moto-documentary of him riding throughout China, when he lived there, on, you guessed it, a 150cc Jialing enduro. I own his video, and have seen the abuse his Jialing took. Definitely put one on your shopping list, for sure!!

(BTW, I used to own a 1984 Honda VT500 Ascot which I loved and regretted selling a couple years back :goodtime::cryfiddle:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kennon

if this is the Sukida 250 your looking at its actually a 223cc a engine based of the FTR223, XR/CRF230 looks very very similiar to the engine used in the Galaxy XTR 250
Attachment 5500
,Kennon

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The Galaxys, and probably the Sukidas, use Loncin engines if I am not mistaken, Kennon, unless Galaxy has a different engine source. Come to think of it, I think the standard spec Apollo uses a Loncin, too. However, I have never read overtly good things about Galaxy here or on Chinariders--not the engines, but the quality of the rest of the bike, so would not consider one of those.

OK, Ben550, your list should be: 1. Jialing 2. Loncin 3. Sukida out of the 4 brands you mentioned...happy shopping!! (and yes, we need photos of you shopping around, too!!!)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by benjamin550

...Ive also seen a few Jialing dual sports down here, and Ive seen a few billboards advertising for Jialing, so it seems that is a pretty popular brand as well. Any info on Jialing's dual-sports?

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Have a look at this thread for starters.

Cheers!

personally i dont have too much experience with chinese built bikes as all my bikes i have own have been japanese engined european built bikes, only reade reviews on here or on other forums but i did get a good amount of info on chinese bikes when i was back in hong kong this year but that was mostly on a Apollo/Orion RX 250 air cooled version which according to culcune is probably the same engine i found no problems with teh bike at all only the seat height was the most ideal for me. so i know the engine is okay but its a very unstressed engine so doubt there would be major problems with its running and reliability might depend on the manufacturers electrics. personally i would go for Lc in haiti as the AC engine in the Orion got extremely hot in the weather and humidity especially in the mid day, but allot omre maintence on a LC engine :/

Hey all,Its been a while since I started this thread. Getting the paperwork to buy a motorcycle in Haiti is a very complicated process and took the better part of a couple of months once all was said and done. i have it now, and after weighing many options about which bike to buy I have am looking at this one. http://www.dyk-motorcycle.com/web/pa...30201423.htmit is a Kayak 200, and the place selling them is very close to my work, so logistically it works well. Does anyone have any info or advice on this bike? I wasnt able to find any around the internet. Also, already started planning a 10 day tour of Haiti by motorcycle this summer, so lots of pictures will be coming. I've done a bit of riding here on motos that ive been able to borrow, and Haiti has some AMAZING sights to be seen by motorcycle. Thankskohl

Your link did not work Benjamin, which model did you purchase.
KAYAK

I am curious as to what took you to Haiti? Are you in the Peace Corp?

Kayak is formally Chongqing Guangyu Motorcycle Manufacture Co., Ltd.
They rank 45th out of the TOP 50 in production, they gained 10% from 2010 to 2011.
They rank 33rd out of the TOP 50 exporting and gained 63% in 2011 over their exports in 2010.

MJH-

Hmmm, sorry bout the bad link. It worked when I put it there. On the page you linked to, Im looking at the "Warrior" model. in 200cc. They go for 1200.00 USD here in Haiti.

As for why im in Haiti, its not for the Peace Corps. In fact, they pulled out of haiti in 2004 i think. I am a photojournalist and right now I am working with a haitian News agency helping them build their audio visual production. Within the next year Ill probably start freelancing though.

There aren't a lot of options with motos here, and supply is so unreliable that its kind of a "get it while it there" mentality, or you might miss out. There are also some Sukida 150, 200, 250's here, but they sit a little too tall for my frame. I see some Lifan moto cross bikes running around too, but most look a little older and I cant find where they sell them, in fact they might not anymore. Another one I say the other day called "Vayat" but i had never seen them before so i sort of ignored them. it basically looked like a copy of the Kayak anyway.

Other than those, it's mostly just small 125-150cc street bikes used as moto taxis, and I would prefer to stick with a larger bike so i can wonder outside of the city.


kohl

Odd that the Peace Corp is not in Haiti, seems that would be one country that would need them most?

Anyway you are probably are aware of the PARC Industrial Park going in at Caracol.


I have noticed that the media coming out of Haiti is rather polished lately.

The Kayak Dual Sport looks like a nice bike, the 163FML 200cc OHV should be reliable. Guangyu
seems to be on top of its business model at least they have a decent website.

I think with the literally billions of foreign aid going into Haiti, you should have plenty of projects to take photographs of?

Yeah, back in 2004 there were some pretty serious political problems and the PC deemed it too dangerous. Still its rated like #3 on most "dangerous cities of the world" lists. Of course there are risks, almost exclusively in Port-au-Prince however, once you venture into the rest of the country it becomes very safe and quite beautiful. Like most capital cities in South America and the Caribbean it has its dangerous spots. The unfortunate thing for Haiti is that it is not nearly as dangerous here as people think. If more people knew the reality here, it really could become a potential tourist destination. However, over the years "Haiti" has become synonymous with poverty, corruption kidnaping and most of all, the earthquake. So, that means you end up with WAY too much development work being done and not nearly enough business investments that will sustain the middle class after the aid money is gone.

I do indeed know about the PARC industrial that is being built now, there is one like in PAP, and anther like it in Oeneminthe in the North. Unfortunately these first two have a very bad reputation for paying extremely low wages. In the North the factory is located in what was deemed a "Free Trade Zone" which basically means that it is a special zone that is exempt from many regulations and taxations. Thus inciting businesses like Levi's to set up shop there knowing they will be given tax breaks and not have to pay their employees fairly. There are lots of reports of corruption and managers witholding workers funds, which only amount to about 4.00 US/ day. So, its a catch 22. Jobs are good, housing is good, but the pay is crap.

Indeed there is still billions in aid coming to Haiti, and Im sure I can find freelance work with the these organizations which to some extent will help pay the bills. I hope to be able to research and pitch my own story ideas too, both news but also feature. Like I said Haiti is a staggeringly diverse and beautiful country and I would really like to find a way to show that part. We shall see!

Kohl

Yeah the minimum wage in the USA is about $42.00 a day and the real cost per employee is higher then that with overtime, contributions to social security, worker compensation etc. We all know that a single person cannot live on that, the matter is always the cost of living meeting a living wage and in most countries those at the lowest social economic level never really earn enough. They do the most work and earn the least.

People all want more and also still want the ridiculous level of low cost options. Hell I would be willing to pay more for a pair of Dockers. But it is not about me or the price it may actually be more about the top one percent not willing to give up the big bonus or lucrative stock options that actually increase in value when the land a real low cost labor rate in an undeveloped country.

I want to see all the numbers who gets what…I cannot see how it is every fair if people cannot see were the money comes from and were it ends up. We have seen an exodus of industry to low cost nations but how much cheaper is or are the goods from that? Are the goods lower priced or are the profits just ridiculously high? If the profits are high then the value of the stock goes up and those having a share get that profit and all they did was move some paper around.

You have the market price and if the cost per unit exceeds the market price then it moves to another location, it has to move to one that offers at least enough to cover costs. But how can anyone with a conscious justify making any profit if it is on the back of low paid laborers?

The life expectancy in Haiti is about 63...so they really do not have much need for pensions since most die to retire? The USA could build retirement communities in Haiti, they could offer to send all the people that only live on social security there and they would be the richest people in Haiti with that $40.00 a day average benefit. They could build healthcare facilities and pay the staff $40.00 a day and they also would all be rich in Haiti. They could make a five year option that any licensed doctors live and work there before they practice in the USA, in return they could get their education loans forgiven, in fact they could open health care schools their and only offer the forgiveness to those that attended the lower cost school in Haiti?

I do not think low cost garment workers are a solution…..I think the billions are being directed into the pockets of a few and you may want to be careful detailing that, it could get you killed. Those that manage these project funnel the capital out to account elsewhere, the contractor do not work at the lower wages they come in with the market prices from elsewhere and charge exorbitant fees and make lucrative profits. Charity is often a mechanism to get rich, some see it as a business and the top people are stinking rich that manage it all. They drive Range Rover and wear Prada, seriously they do!

I agree, and I think above all else the main problem in Profit. Haiti is a country that is basically missing a middle class. In fact its middle class would be the many NGO workers here that are earning 20K-100K per year. And unfortunately PAP is an expensive city to live in, and its also the city where everything is done, passports, visas, drivers license... everything. Above everything else, haiti needs people to invest in it for the long term, and to do that the government needs to get its act together and make things like exporting products easier and more reliable. Its sort of a downward spiral...

BUT, in better news, I bought a bike today. On my way to go look at the Kayak again, I passed by another place and saw that they had gotten a new shipment of Lifan 200's. All in all, I paid 1400 USD for the bike, and another 100 for them to take care of plates and insurance. Its a pain in the ass process here. The only photo I can find on the internet of the exact bike is here http://www.americanlifan.com/products.html# Its the orange bike at the very bottom its called theSphinx /LF 200 GY-3B. I couldn't find any other info about it, but from what I read Lifan is supposed to be one of the better chinese bike manufacturers. I think? Any info?

Kohl

Are you sure that is the model name?



LF200GY-5A
http://www.lifan.com/UploadFile/2011...ec0ee0a4e2.jpg
LF150GY-3B
http://www.lifan.com/UploadFile/2011...32fa878eb6.jpg

Which one does it look like, the engine is what matters and it should have 163FML stamped on it, then it is the 200cc. I believe that American Lifan has the image and name mixed up.

Ok, based on these photos, it is definitely the top bike, the LF 200 GY-5A. I google searched that model and it indeed came up with many more of the same bike. I don't have the bike yet, so i cant check how the engine is stamped, but it is definitely the GY-5A.

Comparing these two bikes, the front wheel on mine looks massive. It looks the same in person too. I havent seen any other models around town that use such a large front wheel. Any benefits/ drawbacks to that?

Either way, excited to finally have my own set of wheels here in Haiti.

Dear Benjamin,

Congratulations on the new bike. We'll be expecting tons of ride reports and pix from you as you explore that amazing place.

Do get a good lock, and then never let the bike out of your sight, even when it's locked, or this will be a short-lived adventure. Take it into your apartment at night, or at least into your compound if you are in one. You might also go for one of those GSM motion sensors that sends you an SMS any time your bike so much as moves. Wire it to the battery and hide it down inside the wiring. That Lifan 200 is going to be an excellent bike for what you are doing. You'll probably want to think about some kind of soft panniers for your overnight rides, though you'll have to be careful about heat coming off the can.

Oh, and be sure to install a set of strong handguards; you'll be dropping that bike all the time, and you don't want to be out the middle of nowhere with a broken clutch lever or front brake lever.

Start thinking about writing a long self-illustrated feature about reporting Haiti from the saddle of a Chinabike. You'll be going places no one else can reach in their SUVs. Is Paul Farmer still up there on the other side of the mountain?

Stay safe!

Thats the standard size front wheel for a dual sport 21”, the image is terrible it distorts the wheel size.

http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...1_200GY-5A.jpg
http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...img_0011-1.jpg

Here are some better images of the Lifan and Lifan Mexico has parts diagrams online for that model.

Thanks for the pics. It certainly is a good looking bike IMO, I hope it holds up well. This will be my first Chinese motorcycle.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MJH

Are you sure that is the model name?



LF200GY-5A
http://www.lifan.com/UploadFile/2011...ec0ee0a4e2.jpg
LF150GY-3B
http://www.lifan.com/UploadFile/2011...32fa878eb6.jpg

Which one does it look like, the engine is what matters and it should have 163FML stamped on it, then it is the 200cc. I believe that American Lifan has the image and name mixed up.

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When I was bike shopping here in Nicaragua, i checked out a G5 in person a couple times and liked it a lot. It's a quality machine.
The frt. whl. is a 19", BTW

"I havent seen any other models around town that use such a large front wheel. Any benefits/ drawbacks to that?"

I could only think that spare tires and tubes (if it's tubed, I guess it is) might be hard to get.

You could ask around at a shop or two and see what they have as far as tires and that could give you a target wheel size.

The Sphinx is a slighty updated GY-5 200cc bike that American Lifan carried in the states since the mid-2000's. On chinariders.net, many, many people bought them, and all had good experiences with them. Consider the fact that many people mail-ordered their bikes but were mechanically inclined; however your situation in Haiti is like someone from the States who buys a Honda or Suzuki from the dealership--they, and you, can take it in for servicing/repair. My guess is that these being simple bikes, and the economy of scale, you should be able to get any necessary repairs or services for reasonable costs.

The Sphinx had shown up on the American Lifan site along with a naked 250 street bike, a water-cooled enduro, and 50cc 2-stroke scooter, as well as the custom chopper they have. However, the only bike that showed up, or will be able to soon show up is the Sphinx which is a cosmetically updated GY-5--my guess is that they updated the body a bit, but kept everything else the same. However, that is a good thing as the GY-5 was/is a stout bike. (the other bikes cannot pass EPA certification while the GY-5 already had) Congrats on the bike, and even though it wasn't one of the ones you had inquired about, it happened to end up being a well documented and proven machine (check out the multitude of threads of the GY-5 on www.chinariders.net) at least among Chinese bikes