Quote Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post

So if I lived in a western country I wouldn't get a Shineray unless it was half the price of the Honda.
This seems to sum up the Chinese bike market in the US (Canada has across the board taxes that have an across the board higher than US prices for all brands of motorcycles).

This is what will be interesting--higher quality bikes from China priced in the correct range.

I might be simplifying the US market a bit, but if a bike doesn't fall in the $1k range, such as what we have been used to with all the dirt and dual-sport bikes from China, then if one is to spend more, there are plenty of used bikes available from Japan. (The guy I bought my Ascot from had bought a Honda Shadow 750 for $3000 US--near perfect condition bike).

If the price is in the $2k US range, and one does not have the cash, such as the Qlinks, then one has to finance. The dilemma then becomes--why not finance a $4000 bike (Suzuki DR200s or Yamaha TW200) than a $3000 bike (Qlink 200 motard), considering the known quality and parts/repair facilities availability for the Japanese brands?

Realisitically, then, Shineray will have to sort out their prices and where they fit into the market they want to enter. I, personally, like the 250 dual-sport they have, but won't pay over $2k for it. Just my opinion, but from the few years of reading about the Chinese bikes from many US residents, this kind of sums up our collective reasoning. Other countries (such as our neighbor, who I mentioned, Canada) have slightly different dynamics, and residents will pay $2500-$3000 for a new Chinese bike, but it's not necessarily the companies who pocket the difference in cash, and that price compares with a $6000+ equivalent Japanese bike.