KTM and CFMoto the other thread

**englishman in china** · 10-30-2013, 03:20 AM

On October 17, at China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition (CIMAmotor 2013) held in Chongqing, KTM held a ceremonious press conference announcing that the KTM brand was officially entering the Chinese market. At the KTM booth, popular models such as 1190 ADVENTURE, 1190 ADVENTURE R, RC8 R, 690 DUKE, 690 DUKE R, 200 DUKE, 390 DUKE, 350 EXC-F and FREERIDE 350 that are among the first batch introduced to China were all on display. “With the rapid economic development in China, China’s motorcycle market will see an increasing demand for high-end and personalised products. We believe that it is a great opportunity for KTM. We are very excited and have begun to plan and build KTM’s Chinese market with a long-term view”, said Mr. Hubert.

At CIMAmotor 2013, KTM’s senior management introduced the new model that is especially designed for the Chinese market - KTMR2R, and brought KTM’s well-recognised orange logo that is loved by motorcycle fans worldwide and the slogan “READY TO RACE” to China, presenting a passionate and energetic brand image to Chinese motorcycle fans.

As the strategic partner of KTM in the Chinese market, Mr. Lai Guogui, Chairman of Zhejiang CFMOTO Power Co., Ltd., stressed at the press conference that CFMOTO and KTM had a lot in common. “We both emphasise high-end, recreational and personalised products in brand positioning and advocate an active and healthy motorcycle lifestyle. It is because of the essential common points that we come together. In the future, we will cooperate with KTM in promoting races and events in China, bring original KTM products to Chinese customers and provide them with the true experience of high-performance products and better after-sale services brought by a world leading motorcycle brand. Meanwhile, to CFMOTO, we will learn KTM’s operation ideas through cooperation, trying to make contributions to the branding of China’s motorcycle market.

**bikerdoc** · 10-30-2013, 04:02 AM

ah, yeah... you might find this thread somewhat interesting...

**ZMC888** · 10-30-2013, 05:09 AM

Englishman, please check that the new threads you start haven't been covered elsewhere extensively. Also please check the name of the thread you are starting doesn't have a typo.

**englishman in china** · 10-30-2013, 08:32 AM

Sorry about typo, noticed it but couldn't find a way to edit.

I don't think the KTM article emulates what BD wrote, I thought it added to it.

**bikerdoc** · 10-30-2013, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by englishman in china

Sorry about typo, noticed it but couldn't find a way to edit.

I don't think the KTM article emulates what BD wrote, I thought it added to it.

Go into the editing option for the original post by selecting the "Edit" button near the bottom right of the "post window" then look for the "Go Advanced" button in the same position, which will give you a whole suite of options... in this mode you should be able to edit the "Title".

If you ever have need to deal with photos etc then this is the better of the two modes to do so, since there are limitations as to how many photos that can uploaded into one post.

**Lao Jia Hou** · 10-31-2013, 12:35 AM

I find this KTM <-> CFMoto "discussion" interesting.

It seems like there is an "everything Chinese is bad" and "everything foreign is good" attitude. Don't taint the superior purity with something Chinese!

Yes, the Chinese have made some poor quality bikes. But so too have the Yanks (AMF Harleys), the Brits (Nortons, Triumphs, etc pre mid-70s), the Japanese (anything pre 1970s), the Italians (it is Italian - enough said), and even the Germans (BMW continues to rank at the bottom of "customer satisfaction" surveys, just don't tell the Germans), and so on. Quite frankly, KTM also does not have a stellar reputation for reliability or ease-of-maintenance, even now.

Today, there are several examples of Chinese bikes of decent quality. I've personally come across many. During my tenure in China, I am making the effort to experience Chinese bikes (I'm in China, FFS). To date, I've owned 17 different Made-in-China bikes, and borrowed/ridden several others - some are great, some are middle-of-the-road, and some are down-right disasters.

Re KTM entering the Chinese market, I am completely supportive of it finding a way to offer lower-priced alternatives to the domestic marketplace. The average income in China is still a small fraction of that found in developed countries. And, of course, the wisest route for any foreign company coming into China (and offer reasonably priced products) is to partner with an existing Chinese company, preferably a like-minded manufacturer.

I think that many critics of name-brand companies partnering with Chinese companies have a deep-rooted fear that the "racial purity" of their brand will suffer. This applies to all sectors, not just motorcycles. Essentially, it is all about maintaining the "brand purity".

I sometimes wonder how many of my elder relatives are turning over in their graves because my SO is Chinese. Hmmmm ... works for me!

**TexasAggie** · 10-31-2013, 01:38 AM

Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou

I find this KTM <-> CFMoto "discussion" interesting.

It seems like there is an "everything Chinese is bad" and "everything foreign is good" attitude. Don't taint the superior purity with something Chinese!

Yes, the Chinese have made some poor quality bikes. But so too have the Yanks (AMF Harleys), the Brits (Nortons, Triumphs, etc pre mid-70s), the Japanese (anything pre 1970s), the Italians (it is Italian - enough said), and even the Germans (BMW continues to rank at the bottom of "customer satisfaction" surveys, just don't tell the Germans), and so on. Quite frankly, KTM also does not have a stellar reputation for reliability or ease-of-maintenance, even now.

Today, there are several examples of Chinese bikes of decent quality. I've personally come across many. During my tenure in China, I am making the effort to experience Chinese bikes (I'm in China, FFS). To date, I've owned 17 different Made-in-China bikes, and borrowed/ridden several others - some are great, some are middle-of-the-road, and some are down-right disasters.

Re KTM entering the Chinese market, I am completely supportive of it finding a way to offer lower-priced alternatives to the domestic marketplace. The average income in China is still a small fraction of that found in developed countries. And, of course, the wisest route for any foreign company coming into China (and offer reasonably priced products) is to partner with an existing Chinese company, preferably a like-minded manufacturer.

I think that many critics of name-brand companies partnering with Chinese companies have a deep-rooted fear that the "racial purity" of their brand will suffer. This applies to all sectors, not just motorcycles. Essentially, it is all about maintaining the "brand purity".

I sometimes wonder how many of my elder relatives are turning over in their graves because my SO is Chinese. Hmmmm ... works for me!

What he said

**ZMC888** · 10-31-2013, 01:57 AM

KTM? CFMOTO? Don't care really. If it teaches CFMOTO to source better electrics and bolts and use better threadlocker, an torque all the bolts on their bikes, great. If it helps KTM lower their price point on certain models good too. I don't really care particularly, all I want or ever wanted was a Honda CB500, CBR600 or Hornet 600 for a reasonable price, which between Chinese government red tape and Japanese lethargy in China hasn't happened....yet. Maybe in a year or two I'll be finally be able to buy the bike I wanted legally for the last 11 years.

**Rewi Alley** · 10-31-2013, 05:02 AM

I think this will be interesting. CFMOTO is very professional and has spare manufacturing cabability, so making KTMs from CKD kits - 200 and 300 (300 ?) makes a lot of sense.

They have already opened dealerships in Shanghai and Beijing, with more to come in 2014.

CFMOTO has a very good names for its 4-wheelers also...

**MJH** · 10-31-2013, 05:16 AM

KTM will make sure their bike are to international standards.

If the 200 and 390 are to be launched in 2014 and assembled in China then that has already been set up, the assembly lines are already in place and have already put some together and are being checked for quality of build….that may explain the copy of one not branded as KTM or CFMOTO showing up at CIMA 2013?

http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...hongqing/page3