First time buyer needing some direction

Looking to buy a general run about bike with hopes of doing some long trips in the future and absolutely lost on which way to go.

I've been to the local bike shops here for a more hands on look and was totally disheartened by the sheer amount of copycat brands, HDNDA, JOC and endless no-name brands with similar decals and logos to the big brands.

So, wheres a good place to start? I've read about the licence requirements and how loose they are, so I'm willing to take a risk with that but another issue I've forced upon myself is the desire to avoid buying the usual style of bike (at almost 40, I dont want the usual 17 year olds bike!)


From this I ended up looking at the Super Cub style bikes, which I believe are slightly more difficult to ride than a normal scooter (but not as difficult as a motorbike)

Anyone gimme a push the right direction?

Hi Ketaifu and welcome to MCM

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I read about the licence requirements and how loose they are, so I'm willing to take a risk with that

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Let's start and Stop you at this point IMO no need to think about a bike until you have completed and obtained a full Chinese Motorbike licences.

You may think the law are "loose" in China but let's just see what happens "IF" you have a accident or "IF" you get stop riding a Motorbike without a licences ?
Because in China on both counts there is no "IF" about it, but "WHEN"

well that's shot me down!

The voice of responsibility is very loud here....off to re-read the sticky about obtaining a licence, and to apply oil to my bicycle.

Not trying to shot you down, just trying to give you good advise based on my years off riding in China.

But you are over 21 with long trousers so do what you think is best for you.

Have a good ride today

As prince says it is sadly just a question of when . Get a licence , it is not really difficult just a bit ma fan.

Like I said on the other thread, I wouldn't bother. I'm 41 and cycle 400km a week, I also have a 650cc motorcycle parked in the garage, for an occasional jaunt.

You are absolutely not too old for a bicycle in fact late 30's is prime enduro physique. If your cycle is crap get a better one, spend over 10,000 yuan for something that can scream along a road at 30 plus kmh or a full suspension MTB if you prefer dirt.

If however you are still interested in motorcycles-
You need to do the medical test - 100
Police photos - 100
Computer Test - 100
Practical Test - ??
Insurance - 200
Registration - 300
Bike (recommend Jianshe Yamaha YBR125 or Sundiro Honda CBF150) - 10,000-13,000
Clothing - 1000 plus

Grand total - maybe pushing 20,000 yuan, and one to two months of your time.

Then you'll probably have a few accidents in your first year, a low-sider and some collision with a car/ebike/cycle (will be their fault, but won't help you).

Not trying to be negative or kill your dreams, just keeping it real and being totally honest.

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Then you'll probably have a few accidents in your first year

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Only a few you are being kind .

I really think the position on a motorcycle or a super cub style scooter is more comfortable and easier to control then on a typical scooter with your feet forward. At least for me, I feel I have more control. Yes, you need to change gears but after a few weeks that will be muscle memory. So Super Cub would be a great way to go in my opinion. Honda has a great little 125 this style called the Innova. Not sure if it goes by the same name in China but I have seen several of them in Changchun. You also have the Suzuki FL 125cc cub style scooter and the Yamaha X1R 110cc. All three would be great choices and you should easily find parts for them here.

As far as the license goes, if you plan to go back to your home country anytime soon, it is certainly easiest to take the motorcycle class in your mother country and come back here and have it transfered. If you speak good Chinese taking the class here may not be so bad. If not, finding someone that will let you take the class is very difficult, at least for me it was. You may be in a position where you need to bribe them to even allow a translator. Once the class is over, the rest is easy. You study, pass a fairly simple driving test and get your license. You can pay an agent to handle registering, inspection and everything else for your bike and enjoy your self.

Everyone else is saying stick with your bike. I say do the work, get your license and ride! I ride every single day through the city and I feel that I could find no better way to start the day then my joyful cruise to work. I am with everyone else though, I have been in 2 small accidents already and I can only imagine the trouble I would have had with no license.

Here are the bikes I mentioned:

Honda Innova 125cc
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Yamaha Xr1 110cc
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Suzuki FL 125cc
Attachment 18564

You can get pretty sweet E-Bicycles for cheap also if your interested but they wont help with the long trips you mentioned in the other posts really. My friend has this bike and likes it a lot! I just looked it up on taobao, not sure if this is a trustworthy seller or best price but just so you can check it out if interested.

https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?sp...s=1&abbucket=6
Attachment 18565

fully agree Asymptomatic. +1

Only for the standard street bike I have different opinion.
I would consider a GW250 Suzuki or a YBR250 Yamaha.

These are strong and sustainable enough to bring you everywhere.

I am swallowing the facts that it's not going to be as easy as I thought, but I think I'll go the whole hog and get the lessons and licence. The cost isn't a problem, the language probably is but I can get around that and by the time I've done everything I'll have enough for a bike, probably.

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Originally Posted by ShuBen

fully agree Asymptomatic. +1

Only for the standard street bike I have different opinion.
I would consider a GW250 Suzuki or a YBR250 Yamaha.

These are strong and sustainable enough to bring you everywhere.

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For sure ShuBen, however he did say he wanted a cub style scooter, not a motorcycle or a typical style scooter. I was just catering to his wants and presenting the best 3 I know of in his preferred style.

If I told him to get a real bike I would of said the new Kawasaki Z250SL. It is super light, plenty of power, reliable and has ABS. I think it is the best entry level bike for China. It even has a ton of ground clearance and suspension travel. You could easily get some DS tires and take it most places and they have a ton of accessories for it. I guess I just really like the super light bikes for the heavy traffic I deal with every day. :lol8:

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::clap::clap::clap::c lap: In the long term it is best good luck if you need some help or advise just ask

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Originally Posted by Asymptomatic

For sure ShuBen, however he did say he wanted a cub style scooter, not a motorcycle or a typical style scooter. I was just catering to his wants and presenting the best 3 I know of in his preferred style.

If I told him to get a real bike I would of said the new Kawasaki Z250SL. It is super light, plenty of power, reliable and has ABS. I think it is the best entry level bike for China. It even has a ton of ground clearance and suspension travel. You could easily get some DS tires and take it most places and they have a ton of accessories for it. I guess I just really like the super light bikes for the heavy traffic I deal with every day. :lol8:

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I prefer your suggestions to the usual scooters but I am still kinda dreaming of the retro styling of the old cubs. Theres a number of cheap clones on taobao, which I hoped would be a good starter. Is there anything I should be wary of with the retro cubs?

The difference between a semi-auto and a standard bike is simply a clutch... Clutches are easy to use and simply isolate the spinning engine from the wheels. Retro style is just that. Style. Having ridden those old Honda cubs back in the day when they where all you could afford, I have no desire to ever sit on one again.

Poor brakes and weird suspension coupled with an asthmatic engine leaves no fond memories. Cheap copies from taobao , avoid like the plague. Clones of clones with no warranty, built with the cheapest parts possible and slapped together by unskilled labour.

Consider perhaps a standard 125/150 Honda Yamaha or Wuyang .Simple to ride and cheap to run.

Yeah, I'm with Zhu and the others; if you must have a gas bike then get one made for export and the domestic market carrying a familiar Japanese brand name eg Honda, Suzuki, or Yamaha. The quality is better and the resale is also better. Never consider a Chinese copy bike unless you are strapped for cash or it's a type of bike or style simply not on offer by a familiar brand.

Personally I think everyone's first bike should have a clutch, as you may decide to carry on with your motorcycling career on something else and it's important to get these skills dialed from the beginning.

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Originally Posted by zhu

The difference between a semi-auto and a standard bike is simply a clutch... Clutches are easy to use and simply isolate the spinning engine from the wheels. Retro style is just that. Style. Having ridden those old Honda cubs back in the day when they where all you could afford, I have no desire to ever sit on one again.

Poor brakes and weird suspension coupled with an asthmatic engine leaves no fond memories. Cheap copies from taobao , avoid like the plague. Clones of clones with no warranty, built with the cheapest parts possible and slapped together by unskilled labour.

Consider perhaps a standard 125/150 Honda Yamaha or Wuyang .Simple to ride and cheap to run.

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Well, that's great info, my dream of being that handsome brit on the quirky bike is fading fast!

I have heard similar opinions regarding Chinese bikes and to go for an import. I checked this out at the local market and found that the choice is very limited and the price difference between a Chinese and Japanese bike is often an additional 100% on the price, which for now certainly puts it out of my wallet scale for the time being.

I was hoping to find some advice about finding a decent Chinese brand / model, although I am beginning to think such a thing doesn't exist.

The local sellers seem to have some Yamaha and Suzuki bikes they claim are made in China under some sort of agreement with the Japanese manufacturers, which I am guessing is also the case with the ones branded Honda Wuyang. These seem to be sizably cheaper than the imports, but I have no idea if those sellers are trustworthy. Is there any value in their claims?

One shop I went in had an impressive line of Yamahas and to my untrained eye I excitedly saw a nicely branded bike for under 6000, but on closer inspection all the Yamaha branding was cheap stickers which would probably peel off on the first ride. Very disheartening!

They still make the Honda Supercub! This is what the new model's look like. Not to bad. Still kind of classic.

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