Buying a Chinese Bike in Haiti

[benjamin550]

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!!

[humanbeing]

Just follow native Haitian's wisdom
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.

[culcune]

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.

[euphonius]

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!

cheers!

[Kennon]

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
Sukida.jpg
,Kennon

[benjamin550]

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

[motomech]

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.

[culcune]

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 )

[culcune]

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
Sukida.jpg
,Kennon

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!!!)

[euphonius]

...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?

Have a look at this thread for starters.

Cheers!