Re: Video of xtrs in Dali
They bought them from Galaxy if I remember correctly. Some of us have tried to open up bike rental businesses. It's really difficult and not the greatest business model if you want to make money. Somewhere buried on the site you can find a rental company.
Re: Video of xtrs in Dali
Perhaps consider trying to make MC tours around China?
Re: Video of xtrs in Dali
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ChinaV
They bought them from Galaxy if I remember correctly.
Is Galaxy still around? Or is the parent company, Yinhe? I do know that Pitster Pro sells 2 carb. versions of the XTR (one has 19"/16" wheels and the other is 21"/18"), and more recently, a fuel-injected version which they source from somebody in China. I know they used to deal with Shuopu Science and Technology, and since there is still a site, maybe they still do, meaning the Galaxy bikes have gone away (a shame if that was the case).
http://www.shuopuscience.com/main.html
Re: Video of xtrs in Dali
Quote:
Originally Posted by
culcune
Is Galaxy still around? Or is the parent company, Yinhe? I do know that Pitster Pro sells 2 carb. versions of the XTR (one has 19"/16" wheels and the other is 21"/18"), and more recently, a fuel-injected version which they source from somebody in China. I know they used to deal with Shuopu Science and Technology, and since there is still a site, maybe they still do, meaning the Galaxy bikes have gone away (a shame if that was the case).
http://www.shuopuscience.com/main.html
Galaxy is still around (Chinese name 'Yinhe')- those in Guangdong can probably comment with more certainty. I wrote to Yinhe recently and asked about the xtr 250 . They said it was discontinued. Damn shame as it comes with that awesome big tank.
Hey guys, so yeah, with this thread I'm showing my motivation for riding in China- this video shows a nice bucolic vision, but also my hope for motorcycle related business in future. I drive for the insiders tour group in Shanghai.
I'm thinking what about parts manufacture - like what acerbis and safari do- big tanks but for Chinese bikes. Good idea? got the qingqi 200 gy and 250gy plus the X2... What about manufacturing larger tanks for these?
Actually, I should use this forum for the real gold- what is it that you guys need as motorcyclists in China?
For me, I noticed a dearth of motorcycle rentals and tour guiding or even off road training.
Hey and also info on where to go...
Re: Video of xtrs in Dali
Quote:
Originally Posted by
culcune
Is Galaxy still around? Or is the parent company, Yinhe? I do know that Pitster Pro sells 2 carb. versions of the XTR (one has 19"/16" wheels and the other is 21"/18"), and more recently, a fuel-injected version which they source from somebody in China. I know they used to deal with Shuopu Science and Technology, and since there is still a site, maybe they still do, meaning the Galaxy bikes have gone away (a shame if that was the case).
http://www.shuopuscience.com/main.html
quite a comprehensive website and yeah seems the xtr is available just in supermoto form through them.
Interesting that they are also based in GD.
Re: Video of xtrs in Dali
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ChinaV
They bought them from Galaxy if I remember correctly. Some of us have tried to open up bike rental businesses. It's really difficult and not the greatest business model if you want to make money. Somewhere buried on the site you can find a rental company.
did you know the video makers?
I remember seeing this video years ago.
Of course you yourself have owned an xtr- the one with the big tank...
So people on here have "tried" the motorcycle rentals business.
That means failed in that, no? Or found it to make a loss...?
More details would be great. I heard first hand from one in Dali rented 150cc bikes in the past but found that the people who rented the bikes treated them "like their own" and bust them up pretty badly...
But even from this account, it seemed that renting small capacity dirt bikes here, near a scenic spot was a catalyst for the growth of a business (a start or entry point)
Re: Video of xtrs in Dali
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Metalmonkey
did you know the video makers?
I remember seeing this video years ago.
Of course you yourself have owned an xtr- the one with the big tank...
So people on here have "tried" the motorcycle rentals business.
That means failed in that, no? Or found it to make a loss...?
More details would be great. I heard first hand from one in Dali rented 150cc bikes in the past but found that the people who rented the bikes treated them "like their own" and bust them up pretty badly...
But even from this account, it seemed that renting small capacity dirt bikes here, near a scenic spot was a catalyst for the growth of a business (a start or entry point)
I can't remember if these are the guys that owned the bar/restaurant in Kunming or not. If you're ever in Kunming, see if Colin is still running Salvador's, it's a great place.
I owned a couple XTR's and TGR's from Galaxy. The last contact I had with them was in 2012. I think they closed the Galaxy factory and moved things into the Yinhe facility. They were only a couple kilometers from each other. I would be surprised if there are any Galaxy bikes being made today. I wish they focused in the TGR instead of the XTR. The TGR was a better bike. The big gas tank was great on the XTR and saved our asses in the remote areas of Sichuan/Yunnan. The only problem with those big tanks was the added weight. The front suspension of the XTR wasn't very good and a full tank of gas didn't help.
There are a couple rental agents that posted on MCM in the past. You need to dig deep to find them on the site. I talked with a couple people over the years about opening a rental company with offices in Guangdong/Chengdu/Shanghai/Beijing. The idea was that people could pick up bikes in one city, tour china, and drop off in another city. There was so much red tape and little to no profit. The problem was the typical China BS.... it's impossible to do what you want with 100% legality. I didn't want to risk having problems if a rental bike was involved in a fatality. The other issue was having to babysit tourists. It takes a lot of time and patience to be a full time motorcycle tour operator in China. Great, if that's what you want to do, but I was running a manufacturing business when I lived there.
If you look at the successful rental agents in places like Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand etc. Most of them use Suzuki DR or Honda XR dirt bikes for their rental fleets. Renters treat bikes like shit and those machines can handle the abuse. There aren't too many bikes made in China that are suited for that type of daily use.
If money wasn't an issue and I wanted to live in China again, I think a rental company based in Yunnan/Sichuan would be a lot of fun. I've always been disappointed that MCM members from Yunnan and Sichuan never post. If I had lived there, there would be hundreds of ride reports.
Re: Video of xtrs in Dali
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Metalmonkey
I'm thinking what about parts manufacture - like what acerbis and safari do- big tanks but for Chinese bikes. Good idea? got the qingqi 200 gy and 250gy plus the X2... What about manufacturing larger tanks for these?
.
If you wanted to make a mint--start with tanks for the Hawk 250. Hensim is the OEM, but they are sold under the Haosen name in the US. They are selling like gangbusters if you read chinariders.net My friend just opened a manufacturing business in Shenzhen, but his business is movie special effects. They are currently working on a Korean sci-fi film, as he flew into Shenzhen last Sunday for a 3 day business trip to get production started. I don't know if he has any spare manufacturing capacity to make tanks, but I could ask.
Re: Video of xtrs in Dali
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ChinaV
If money wasn't an issue and I wanted to live in China again, I think a rental company based in Yunnan/Sichuan would be a lot of fun. I've always been disappointed that MCM members from Yunnan and Sichuan never post. If I had lived there, there would be hundreds of ride reports.
Yes, exactly. There is actually a guy inquiring on here atm about such a rental.
I'll PM you