First time buyer needing some direction

[Asymptomatic]

fully agree Asymptomatic. +1

Only for the standard street bike I have different opinion.
I would consider a GW250 Suzuki or a YBR250 Yamaha.

These are strong and sustainable enough to bring you everywhere.

For sure ShuBen, however he did say he wanted a cub style scooter, not a motorcycle or a typical style scooter. I was just catering to his wants and presenting the best 3 I know of in his preferred style.

If I told him to get a real bike I would of said the new Kawasaki Z250SL. It is super light, plenty of power, reliable and has ABS. I think it is the best entry level bike for China. It even has a ton of ground clearance and suspension travel. You could easily get some DS tires and take it most places and they have a ton of accessories for it. I guess I just really like the super light bikes for the heavy traffic I deal with every day.

[prince666]

In the long term it is best good luck if you need some help or advise just ask

[KeLaiFu]

For sure ShuBen, however he did say he wanted a cub style scooter, not a motorcycle or a typical style scooter. I was just catering to his wants and presenting the best 3 I know of in his preferred style.

If I told him to get a real bike I would of said the new Kawasaki Z250SL. It is super light, plenty of power, reliable and has ABS. I think it is the best entry level bike for China. It even has a ton of ground clearance and suspension travel. You could easily get some DS tires and take it most places and they have a ton of accessories for it. I guess I just really like the super light bikes for the heavy traffic I deal with every day.

I prefer your suggestions to the usual scooters but I am still kinda dreaming of the retro styling of the old cubs. Theres a number of cheap clones on taobao, which I hoped would be a good starter. Is there anything I should be wary of with the retro cubs?

[zhu]

The difference between a semi-auto and a standard bike is simply a clutch... Clutches are easy to use and simply isolate the spinning engine from the wheels. Retro style is just that. Style. Having ridden those old Honda cubs back in the day when they where all you could afford, I have no desire to ever sit on one again.

Poor brakes and weird suspension coupled with an asthmatic engine leaves no fond memories. Cheap copies from taobao , avoid like the plague. Clones of clones with no warranty, built with the cheapest parts possible and slapped together by unskilled labour.

Consider perhaps a standard 125/150 Honda Yamaha or Wuyang .Simple to ride and cheap to run.

[ZMC888]

Yeah, I'm with Zhu and the others; if you must have a gas bike then get one made for export and the domestic market carrying a familiar Japanese brand name eg Honda, Suzuki, or Yamaha. The quality is better and the resale is also better. Never consider a Chinese copy bike unless you are strapped for cash or it's a type of bike or style simply not on offer by a familiar brand.

Personally I think everyone's first bike should have a clutch, as you may decide to carry on with your motorcycling career on something else and it's important to get these skills dialed from the beginning.

[KeLaiFu]

The difference between a semi-auto and a standard bike is simply a clutch... Clutches are easy to use and simply isolate the spinning engine from the wheels. Retro style is just that. Style. Having ridden those old Honda cubs back in the day when they where all you could afford, I have no desire to ever sit on one again.

Poor brakes and weird suspension coupled with an asthmatic engine leaves no fond memories. Cheap copies from taobao , avoid like the plague. Clones of clones with no warranty, built with the cheapest parts possible and slapped together by unskilled labour.

Consider perhaps a standard 125/150 Honda Yamaha or Wuyang .Simple to ride and cheap to run.

Well, that's great info, my dream of being that handsome brit on the quirky bike is fading fast!

I have heard similar opinions regarding Chinese bikes and to go for an import. I checked this out at the local market and found that the choice is very limited and the price difference between a Chinese and Japanese bike is often an additional 100% on the price, which for now certainly puts it out of my wallet scale for the time being.

I was hoping to find some advice about finding a decent Chinese brand / model, although I am beginning to think such a thing doesn't exist.

The local sellers seem to have some Yamaha and Suzuki bikes they claim are made in China under some sort of agreement with the Japanese manufacturers, which I am guessing is also the case with the ones branded Honda Wuyang. These seem to be sizably cheaper than the imports, but I have no idea if those sellers are trustworthy. Is there any value in their claims?

One shop I went in had an impressive line of Yamahas and to my untrained eye I excitedly saw a nicely branded bike for under 6000, but on closer inspection all the Yamaha branding was cheap stickers which would probably peel off on the first ride. Very disheartening!

[Asymptomatic]

They still make the Honda Supercub! This is what the new model's look like. Not to bad. Still kind of classic.

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