Quote Originally Posted by Steve_Halt View Post
Hopefully, CFMoto and QJ-Benelli will learn from the experiences of Lifan and Zongshen and will eventually establish some market presence. In big markets like US it's not only about the product itself, it's also local management style and marketing techniques that Chinese manufacturers have yet to learn.
Ironically, in the US, we don't seem to buy too many of the Chinese-style bikes (i.e. Harley and big CC sports bikes). I think that manufacturers have to micro-market products, ie CFMoto getting a following with their automatic transmission scooters that look like full-size bikes. Smarter, older adults, often couples, bought them as learning tools to work their way up to larger Harleys (the American collective wet-dream), rather than ego-centric older adults who bought Harleys and learned the hard way that they are more powerful than they are! (with the resulting crashes and damaged bikes).

Skyteam has found its primary niche with street retro bikes such as the CT-70 replicas. If they are smart (and I have faith they are) they will introduce us to another niche bike in the form of the VanVan replica already seen all over Europe as teased by some of the members here and on Chinariders. In fact, they are about to enter another niche started primarily by Cleveland Cycle Werks with the retro Honda Dream replica.

I would love to see a company like the Benelli-QJ partership bring us their lineup, or at least a few bikes to tease us with. Unfortunately, as other companies have discovered the hard way, it does take dollars to penetrate the market unless you can get a grass-roots marketing effort, such as through forums, like Qlink did with the world-wide popular Qingqi enduro. It also takes a reasonably higher-quality product. And don't laugh at your customers