My new JH600

[euphonius]

Not sure about a H-D, but I recently was talking to a BMW dealer in Shanghai, who acknowledged that the F800GS was a bit pricey at around RMB200k after import duty (about US$29k these days), but he said he had a "great deal" on a 650GS at RMB135k, or just under US$20k, though that bike apparently had been sitting around the shop for a year or two.

A couple weeks ago I ran into a team of guys pushing a H-D Fatboy down the street, having retrieved it from a sales event. I watched them roll it up into a van, and asked how the hogs were selling. By his telling, they were flying out of the showroom at almost one a day, and almost all the buyers already had 1200GS or similar beemers in their stables, and wanted the cruiser to tool around town on Sundays. In other words, these are status-laden playthings of the nouveaux riches and are not really even intended for working stiffs and mere mortals like me.

Let's not forget, that RMB 30k price tag on the Jialing already looks prohibitive to 99% of Chinese, and a couple of years ago even this bike was not an option. So I feel honored and privileged to have a chance to match my fledgling skills with that bike, and have pretty much all of China open to me in a way it never has in my 20 years here. I can't wait to get mine, and will do whatever is necessary to craft it into a reliable, fun, rewarding ride.

And thank you, Pfaelzer, for your infectious enthusiasm!

[TexasAggie]

Euphonius,

You are too hard on yourself. We are following the most intelligent option we have open to us at a reasonable price. I know a lot of very successful people who could easily afford to spend whatever they wanted to on their toys but they did not get to be successful by throwing money at anything without due diligence and common sense. After all the owner thread reports from Franki, Pfaelzer, etc. I confident we both made a great decision to buy JH600's. If nothing else, having a Chinese made bike while living in China just seems appropriate!

I got the same quote on a BMW 650 you did. That was the cheap option and still over US$20K. That is 4 times what we are gambling and playing with.

I have a neighbor here that bought a HD bare bones 883 Sporty for around RMB120,000. That is over US$17K for a bike you pay $7K for in the USA. 8 years ago I owned an 883 Sportster for 6 months. Left me walking 2 times due to electronics. I did not give it a third chance. Traded it on a Triumph Tiger to get me 400miles back home when it puked the second time.

There are no guarantees with anything mechanical and electrical, only warranties.

But the adventure has started! We will meet up somewhere between Shanghai and Nanjing for a dual JH600 trail ride I am sure. I am off to the USA Monday and will be back in three weeks jsut as the JH600 is getting to Nanjing. Should be great sporting fun.

[euphonius]

We're very much in the same camp, Aggie. If all goes well, I should be riding mine on the Sichuan plain by Wednesday or Thursday.

As for Nanjing, I'll definitely be riding up your way in coming months. You know anything about a brewery there called Oktoberfest? There's a guy there who is trying to start a Chinese craft-brewing club, and claims he can get brewing supplies. This is straying off topic from Pfaelzer's new JH600, but I don't think too many MCM members will complain if the topic of home-brewed beer comes up. Perhaps you've ridden your CJ over to Oktoberfest? (See, that's on topic!)

Happy riding during your little Texas sabbatical.

[moilami]

It's just as well. When you buy a motorcycle in the U.S., you aren't just buying its technical capabilities or its fit or its style. You're buying into a culture and a brand's rep and status. Riding a Chinese motorcycle in the U.S. has zero status. Basically, you're telling everyone you're cheap.

Riding a Chinese bike in Finland is zero status also and one might even get a stamp "moron" on the forehead with it too. Haha, I am very lucky to be above that kind of social pressure. Also lucky me I don't have to buy a HD or Ducati in order to get "life style". However how unlucky me to not be able to buy a cruiser, road racing bike, heavy enduro, and light enduro. Hmm, and a medium enduro too xD That would give fine choise on what to ride.

The JH600 is a surprisingly good bike, but it costs too much. The JH600 sells for about 30,000 Yuan in China, or $4,000. To succeed here against dual sport faves like the Kawasaki KLR650, which costs $5,350, it would have to come down in price by at least half or seriously ramp up the refinement.

I would not think a second which I would by: a KLR650 for $5,350 or JH for $4000. Suzuki DR is about $5000 in USA too as far as I know. If 883 HD is around $7000, then how can JH ever sell sell their bikes in USA?

The styling is passable, but it won't win you any compliments. Then there's the name and the logo, which both look as cheap as the packaging on a toy from the 99-cent store. If I were in charge of the world, I'd change the make and model names to something more playful, bold and provocative. Anyone for the CJ Taskmaster?

This I have been thinking too, a marketing and branding issue. In the end I thought that quality and establishing parts sale for customers might be a bigger concern for now for Chinese bike manufacturers. I bet people laughed at Yamaha and Suzuki, yet can't hear them laugh anymore. If your china bike gives zero status it might not give more status with fancy names, and it might not affect sales well enough. If the name is not a total fail it should be good enough.

My biggest issue with the bike was its lack of power. It wasn't at all fun trying to keep up with the autobahn-loving Germans in my group, who all had 1200 cc BMWs. The JH600's maximum torque is just 12 pound-feet, and horsepower is only 40 at 6,500 rpm. Claimed top speed is about 100 mph, but I only got it up to 94 mph, which is faster than I should have been going anyway. In the province of Xinjiang where I was riding, you can break the speed limit by 50% but you'll say goodbye to your Chinese driver's license if you go any faster and get caught.

Uh, hello lady you better chose with whom you drive based on what bike you drive, and not blame the bike of your wrong choise in your review. Or of course if you know you will drive with highway speeders you should buy a road racing bike. It just doesn't make sense to write a review of street enduro and say it sucked in autobahn. Or maybe it does depending on the target group, if the target group have no idea of different bikes.

[moilami]

Kawasaki KLX250 - maybe a bit more (I just rode one of those in Indonesia).

Hey, could you bother to write your impressions on KLX250 vs XTR 250? I would be very interested to read them.

Also if someone reading this can confirm negative or positive has Galaxy sent bikes to Finland, I would appreciate big time to get either negative or positive confirm on that, PM is fine if it is too sensitive information. I know this sounds desperate but I could really use that information in order to begin to plan what bike to try to get next, and in order to do the actions needed in trying to get my money back. Pisses me a lot I was so damn big idiot in beginning to take risks with this bike, huh.

Edit: For those who don't know, my issues are with Finnish Galaxy importer, not with Galaxy Inc., but I still need to know are the Galaxies on the way to Finland or is the Finnish importer just fooling me, and that I can't know untill someone who is in close contact with Galaxy Inc. knows and tells.

[Pfaelzer]

Hi moilami,

you might look at the motorcycle thing from your side of this planet and not from where we are - China. Living in Finnland, I would most likely not buy a chinese motorcycle at all, since the choice of reasonably priced "real" bikes there is surely much bigger. Here in China, choice is limited.

To your questions:

Hey, could you bother to write your impressions on KLX250 vs XTR 250? I would be very interested to read them.

The KLX is a fully grown motorcycle, great suspension, water-cooled and fuel injected engine with reasonable power to play in the woods or do smaller trips. It is just not fair to compare the XTR with such a bike. The old-style Honda copy engine might be reliable (if assembling was done well, which is not a given) but it is no match to the modern Kawasaki engine. The XTR is over-all a much smaller bike, higher gear ratio, built initially for tracks. It feels solid however, and looking at the price tag and being able to ride it in China seems a fair deal to me. I might give you more info after putting some more miles on it.

...Also if someone reading this can confirm negative or positive has Galaxy sent bikes to Finland, I would appreciate big time to get either negative or positive confirm on that, PM is fine if it is too sensitive information. I know this sounds desperate but I could really use that information in order to begin to plan what bike to try to get next, and in order to do the actions needed in trying to get my money back. Pisses me a lot I was so damn big idiot in beginning to take risks with this bike, huh.

Edit: For those who don't know, my issues are with Finnish Galaxy importer, not with Galaxy Inc., but I still need to know are the Galaxies on the way to Finland or is the Finnish importer just fooling me, and that I can't know untill someone who is in close contact with Galaxy Inc. knows and tells.

Well, as to my impression so far, Galaxy has to learn a bit on customer service, which can also be read on some other threads about XTR250s. However, as I see it, they deliver - once the money has been received on their account. So, first thing, you might check if your importer has paid or not. There is a guy named John who speaks (and writes) english quite well. If you don't have his contact, please PM me.

Cheers and good luck,
AW.

[moilami]

Hi moilami,

you might look at the motorcycle thing from your side of this planet and not from where we are - China. Living in Finnland, I would most likely not buy a chinese motorcycle at all, since the choice of reasonably priced "real" bikes there is surely much bigger. Here in China, choice is limited.

AW.

Weeellll..... what is reasonable priced? It might be relative, and we don't have much choise here. Of KLX 250 I would have to pay 2.9 times the price I pay of Galaxy XTR No Honda XRs, no Suzuki DR-Zs, no KLRs imported, but KTMs, Husabergs, Ténérés, BMWs, and Husqvarnas we have. Of KTM 690 Enduro R I would have to pay 5,8 times of the the Galaxy. And so on. So to buy one KLX 250 or three Galaxies? Or one KTM or 6 Galaxies And I don't even want to begin to speak of second hand markets, pisses me too much lol. This is Finland, we have small markets, and driving a bike sucks because the summer is so short. Unless of course you are a freak who thinks driving a bike during the winter is darn big fun, like me. Well yeah, I agree on one KTM 690 rather than six Galaxies, and so on, Par Excellence design and quality costs, however that was not an option. I must go budget now. Maybe later, and then if I have Galaxy it will make a great winter and off-road bike, if it just starts up in winter.

Thanks of the opinions and of the hint.

[Franki]

We're very much in the same camp, Aggie. If all goes well, I should be riding mine on the Sichuan plain by Wednesday or Thursday.

Sichuan plain? Do you mean a flat piece of ground in Sichuan? Do report your findings when you see one.

[Pfaelzer]

Weeellll..... what is reasonable priced?

Weeeellll... my friend from Finnland. I don't know much about your country, just was riding through some parts (Kautokeino?) on my way back from the North Cape. Didn't know that good bikes are so rare there and expensive - well I should know after paying a fortune for a new rear tire in Norway...

After all you also say it all - you get what you pay for!

And it's true, better pay more for a decent bike - but on the other side is the funds available, which sometimes requires compromises. The XTR is not a bad compromise as far as I can see it. If you need my staff to ring up Galaxy, let me know...

Cheers,
AW.

[moilami]

Weeeellll... my friend from Finnland. I don't know much about your country, just was riding through some parts (Kautokeino?) on my way back from the North Cape. Didn't know that good bikes are so rare there and expensive - well I should know after paying a fortune for a new rear tire in Norway...

Yeah, they are because of taxes.

Norway is very expensive country even in Finnish standards. I have plans to go there this summer with XTR, or to Russia. Or to Western Europe. Or just explore everything in 100km radius where I live. A woman I like lives in Netherlands, and it would be interesting to see can I find dirt roads in Western Europe, but I like Norway big time too, not to speak of Finland. Also I have this thing called wanderlust, so Russia definetly is an option. Kola Peninsula, anyone? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_Peninsula

And it's true, better pay more for a decent bike - but on the other side is the funds available, which sometimes requires compromises. The XTR is not a bad compromise as far as I can see it. If you need my staff to ring up Galaxy, let me know...

Yeah, compromise, that's why the Asian wisdom about being content what you have hit me hard. And things have many sides. Without a need to do this compromise I would had never found this very good motorcycling forum.