Buying a Chinese Bike in Haiti

[Kennon]

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 :/

[benjamin550]

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

[MJH]

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?

[MJH]

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.

[benjamin550]

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

[MJH]

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?

[benjamin550]

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

[MJH]

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!

[benjamin550]

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

[MJH]

Are you sure that is the model name?



LF200GY-5A

LF150GY-3B


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.