Looking for used BMW 650GS or if no BMW, last resort is Jialing 600 Enduro

[laoshi19]

The tax amount I got from the leader of the tax department in Yunnan after several meetings so it is correct for the import duty tax.

I don't know where you found your bike but it is a lot easier for you in Suzhou or Shanghai to find them and of course that was last year... makes a difference...
It would be nice if you could share some specific information about how and where you bought your bike. That would be much more helpful. was it a new bike when you bought it? can you supply a dealer name or what?

Give me some details so I can follow up bitte

[SabineHartmann]

there are so many threads on MCM that I cannot find it again; even with Google help. we have a thread from autumn last year with a lot of connection data from BMW dealers in Shanghai and Beijing. we have bought mine not from an official BMW Dealer, but from Mr. Wang, Suzhou. it was a new bike, 3KM on the speedo. nobody wanted to buy the G650GS, because in between they sell the newer 700GS. please contact ShuBen, he just bought a fine 1200GS in Beijing. he can share information and actual prizes.
on MCM are also threads about taxes. it is not only the import duty tax, additional are also local town taxes and what ever else.
of course I can send the contact Mr. Wang to you by PM or mail.
there is something else for you to think about. if there is no BMW dealer close to Kunming, how will you handle maintenance and repairs?

I found some tax information: http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/sh...-into-PR-China

after reading the thread you will forget the idea to import a bike

[juice]

As far as I know, the only BMW dealers are in Shanghai & Beijing

[Lao Jia Hou]

I currently own both the JH600 and a couple of BMWs (one in China, one in Canada). Over the years, I've owned 3 different BMW GS bikes.

My two cents ... inside China, unless you live in Beijing/Shanghai (where the official BMW dealers are located, equipped with the specialized tools & diagnostic equipment), AND your bike is under warranty, your only choice should be the JH600. BMW reliability is a myth, pure and simple.

Owning a specialized vehicle far away from support reminds me of when I owned a unique super car in Vancouver. The only dealer was in Montreal. During an oil change, a specialized crush-washer needed to be replaced during the re-installation of the drain plug. Price ... $36 for the washer, plus 6 weeks lead time for back-ordering.

I don't know why so many people diss the JH600. Subsequent to Jialing fixing the early models' EFI issue (which, by the way, almost every brand out there has had EFI problems), the bike is great for China ... cheap as chips, too! Far, far better than a BMW, IMHO. Oh, and of course, be prepared for arguments in getting warranty work done on a BMW inside China. I've heard that the new crop of dealers in Beijing are trying to overcome its very poor sales/service reputation (original dealer), but we'll see.

[SabineHartmann]

My two cents ... inside China, unless you live in Beijing/Shanghai (where the official BMW dealers are located, equipped with the specialized tools & diagnostic equipment),

this is true

BMW reliability is a myth, pure and simple.

this sentence is simply dump shit

[Lao Jia Hou]

this sentence is simply dump shit

Sabine, nobody cares if you drink the Kool-Aid, just don't spike it with alcohol and then climb aboard MCM and spew out vulgarity.

As someone who has actually put many, many miles on a GS, on rough Canadian roads, and had several break-downs (including a total engine failure), I will say that BMW cannot hold a candle to Japanese bikes, in terms of reliability. BMW is not even close.

But why listen to me? Consumer Reports surveyed thousands of motorcycle owners and BMW ranked dead last, in terms of reliability ... behind Harley. Google it.

But, hey, I'm not German ... so I don't follow the BMW religion. BMW is entirely about "image" ... nobody ever ooohs and aaahs my inexpensive JH600 ... but I enjoy riding, not impressing.

[juice]

Well, personally I'm going to disagree with the broad stroked brush denigrating BMW reliability and I don't even like Kool-Aid.

I to have many miles on my GSA and not only do I ride like I stole it, I show it no mercy in off road situations and that bike has never let me down. It's even brought me home after numerous dumps.

But, let's be fair, the bike in and of itself is not the best thing since sliced bread, but it can be made to come close.

BMW sells you a proven engine and really good frame, the rest is up to you. The wheels are 大條 and the shocks & springs are really only good for one good adventure rides thrashing. A quite as it's kept about 90% of the bikes off the line are out of spec in terms of valve adjustment, the lower triple clamp is not nearly as strong as it should be which allow the forks to twist, because of emission regulations and the advent of fuel injection the bikes are setup to run to lean, and to top things off very few dealers PDI the bike properly.

Having said all that, only the well informed can hope to overcome these short comings. The GSA that I have today is clearly not the same bike that I once purchased a few short years ago. Other then some new fangled gadgetry and a bit more horse power, I'd put my bike up against any new BMW water cooled bike or otherwise, any day of the week.

I'm not saying that 大條 can't happen (I do ALL of my own work) but if you take care of your bike, your bike will take care of you.

Total engine failure is a pretty broad statement. Why did your engine fail? There had to be a reason for it, the boxer engine has been proven over time and engine failures are not a normal occurrence. What type of maintenance schedule did you adhere to (if any)? You mentioned riding MANY MANY miles, how did you manage to ride so many, many miles with such a piece of 大條 bike? And I have to ask, how could stand to put up with that piece of 大條 for such a long period of time?

I haven't read any of the Consumer Reports ratings on the bike but as it turns out I'm glad that I didn't because I probably never would have ended up with such a great bike. I've seen and ridden a lot of bikes and as far as I'm concerned if you are a competent rider, a better suited bike for China simply doesn't exist. My GSA has been made to do some amazing things, but of course I'm the one riding it.

[Lao Jia Hou]

My mom used to say "never discuss religion or politics" ...

One would also think that by my age I would have learned to never argue religion ... especially with believers.

Further, being in China, I should also not advocate anything Japanese ... another instance of my bad form.

Sorry mom.

But but but .... ah, never mind.

[marcrbeaudry]

can anyone recommend a dealer in BJ for the JH600 ?

Brand faithfulness is truly a remarkable thing - almost stronger than religion,
you cant tell and avid BMW,HD,XYZ (any) brand ' faithful ' a single negative thing about
their bike brand . it's a blind faith and cant be reasoned with.
it's normally not based on a broad experience with a great deal of
different brands. and the internet forums THEY normally hang out on defend their reasoning
(or refusal to listen to reason) so they think that have the fuel to make an argument for their claims
on other forums.

the truth is , at some point any and all brands require maintenance and repair - no brand is exempt ,
some have varying degrees of issues and known problems - enjoy what you've got, keep the rubber side down
and spend your time riding it . People will carry flags for their brand - whatever . i'd rather ride a bike
than wear the tshirt m'self.

[ZMC888]

Sabine, nobody cares if you drink the Kool-Aid, just don't spike it with alcohol and then climb aboard MCM and spew out vulgarity.

As someone who has actually put many, many miles on a GS, on rough Canadian roads, and had several break-downs (including a total engine failure), I will say that BMW cannot hold a candle to Japanese bikes, in terms of reliability. BMW is not even close.

But why listen to me? Consumer Reports surveyed thousands of motorcycle owners and BMW ranked dead last, in terms of reliability ... behind Harley. Google it.

But, hey, I'm not German ... so I don't follow the BMW religion. BMW is entirely about "image" ... nobody ever ooohs and aaahs my inexpensive JH600 ... but I enjoy riding, not impressing.

LJH is exactly right. Consumer satisfaction reports put BMW and Harley way down the leagues near Chinese bikes. Yamaha in fact lead the customer satisfaction charts.