9/19/19, 13,000km Update

I recently finished a 9 day round trip Chongqing to Lijiang, South route there and back through a North route on Highway 318. I'm still generally happy with the Colove, but some issues have arisen.
Starting with the positive points; the installation of the taller seat and a steering stabilizer did improve the motorcycle. The taller seat available through the manufacturer’s store on Taobao, is 3 cm higher. Another 2-3 cm might be even better but the 3 cm is a definite improvement for a taller rider. Also off of Taobao is a steering stabilizer kit for the Colove made by a Colove 500x owner. The rather cheap damper used for the steering does cause the bike to feel off at very low speeds but that is worth the trade for a much more stable bike at speed and in rough sections. For 400 RMB the kit is worth it in my opinion.
Now for the negative issues that have arisen. At about 12000 km the front wheel bearings fell apart. I noticed a tick which was getting worse as I was descending from a 4200m pass. Having completely worn through the stock brake pads at 6600km I was concerned it was the second set of pads or a rotor that was causing the issue. By the time I got to a town of any size the bearings had fallen apart to the point there was significant play between the axle and the wheel. I managed to get the bearings replaced at a random shop and made it home. During this time I was in contact with the Colove manager and he has asked that I bring the bike to the factory for inspection and replacement of front and rear bearings. After talking with Shuben of this site I decided to track down quality bearings and have had those installed myself rather than have installed another set of stock parts. At the same time I had the rear wheel pulled off and found those bearings to be well greased and in good condition.
The second issue which manifested itself in small ways for a couple of weeks before revealing itself was the battery. After a couple instances of the battery being to weak to start the bike, combined with dash and alarm quarks, the Colove after-sales team suggested the battery was failing as opposed to some other issue in the electrical system. Replacing the battery with 2 days left on the trip has seemed to resolve all of the odd electrical issues. Given the mileage of the bike, over 12000 km at the time of complete failure, the battery was not under warranty. (I now see that bearings are also listed as a wear part and covered for only 5000km.) The replacement battery was 300rmb. Not expensive for a decent battery, but damn expensive for a battery with a five month lifespan. Hopefully this is a one-off and not a further indication of quality issues at Colove. [I’d love to hear thoughts on replacing the battery with a lithium battery which is something I’ve done on my last two motorcycles in the US.]
The last issue for now is the chain. Even when new it was too small for the bike and looked of questionable quality. It has stretched considerably and is close to needing replaced, which should include the sprockets. I know some people go for 2 chains with a set of sprockets but I've always leaned toward replacing the chain and sprockets as a set. I'll see if I can find sprockets for a heavier duty 525 series chain that fit the bike. Course that will mean finding a decent 525 chain as well.
On a side note at 13000km the front tire is close to needing replaced. This is the first time for any bike I have ever owned where the front tire is wearing faster than the rear. I assume this is due to underwhelming power saving the rear and hard braking and cornering taking a toll on the front. Overall I have no issues with the Chinese manufactured Metzler Tourance tires. They are a little more street bias than I’d like but the reality is they are a good fit for the bike and 90% of what I have used it for. That 10% off pavement is what I really enjoy, and where the Tourance falls short. I’ll probably go with the gang’s suggestion of Pirelli Scorpion STRs as replacements in the next couple months.
Overall I still believe the Colove is a great motorcycle “for the money.” These experiences have made me contemplate taking the plunge and spending the three to four times the money it takes to get a foreign motorcycle. What I’d really like to see a something in the middle. Based on all I’ve read and seen I don’t think it’s a matter of the Chinese developing better quality, it’s a matter of their choosing to use it in domestic motorcycles. I can’t believe that there is not a market for better quality, even at the cost of 10-20,000 RMB, or even more. The Colove, the Benelli and the CF Moto are steps in the right direction. Now if one of those three, or another manufacturer altogether, takes the real step and builds a high quality ADV I have little doubt they will find there is a market.
As I stated above on the day my front bearings failed I was in contact with the manager of Colove regarding finding replacements and possible a Colove dealer and he had offered to have all bearings replaced when I got back to Chongqing. An offer I did not take up. Today he reached out to me to follow up and suggested I bring the bike to the factory for a full service and inspection, for free. Not sure if it’s because I’ve been a thorn in his ass or this is way above and beyond expected factory attention. Either way it tells me Colove is trying.
On a side note, during the trip I ran into numerous Chinese riders, including one on a CFMoto MT. He posted on WeChat that the front bearings on his bike had failed, the same day as mine. His post was almost bragging, saying he rode hard and normally the bearing would be fine. I’ve flattened tires, broke spokes and bent rims on race bikes, this is the first time I’ve had bearings fail on any bike less than 10 years old. I called and will call BS on anyone who thinks bearing failures in any bike less than 3 years old and less than 30,000km is acceptable. [Excluding professional racers and stunt riders.]IMG_20190704_154806.jpgIMG_20190704_154806.jpgIMG_20190704_154928.jpgDSCN6561.jpg