As this is my first reply/posting I thought I'd introduce myself to hopefuly give my opinions some value, and serve as a warning to prospective buyers.
I am a Qualified Motorcycle Technician with almost 20 years experience working on all makes and models of Japanese and European motorcycles, I have worked extensively in Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki dealerships, and am greatly anoyed, angered and frankly scared for the safety of Australian riders due to the Chinese invasion.
Come on people don't be so bloody ignorant, these Chinese bikes are cheap for many bad reasons: poor design, poor reliability, poor performance, poor durability, poor build guality, poor fit & finish, poor quality materials, poor manufacturing and machining processes, etc etc etc! They are light years away from the pinacle of Japanese design and engineering!!!! Yes they are cheap, but you must ask "why" not just buy blind. I'd sooner buy a 30 year old used Japanese Motorcycle than a brand new Chinese built model. These bikes come standared with more faults than a fleet of Jap bikes will see in a lifetime of neglect and abuse, and it is down right wrong that our government regulators which are so tough on the major manufactures, making them recal a bike for the most miniscule slight imperfection, continue to allow this new garbage on our public roads. I am certain lives will be lost along with the many millions of dollars wasted by unsuspecting buyers in the first place. A comparable Chinese model (by basic specification only!) at $2000 represents far less value than a Japanese motorcycle at 10 times that cost. They are not nearly cheap enough for what you actualy get! The dealers who sell these brands and the importers are just looking to make a quick buck from the good retail margin these bikes have, I know first hand how many times this margin is later donated back to the Chinese bike Gods thru un-warrantied repairs and re-engineering at the dealer just to make these bikes work sufficiently to be handed over to their new owners.
You will hear comments saying that the Japanese bikes were the same when they were first built 60 odd years ago, however the Japanese had a goal to built their bikes to the best of their ability at that time, and many examples of those bikes are still running well, where as the Chinese in my opinion are purely building bikes to a price, at the expense of quality.
You won't see a 10mm hole for an 8mm bolt, or a gear lever with 2" of slop from brand new on a Jap bike!
For it to be "Good Value" it must also be a "Good Product" otherwise you are just trading price for quality (reliability, performance, safety etc) and they are not nearly cheap enought to represent anything like "good value"!
Many Motorcycle shops won't consider used Chinese bikes as trade-ins nor will their workshops touch them "more trouble than they are worth" is the usual response, "probably can't get parts" is another. In my experience correct parts are only available while that model bike is being produced, once the model is changed, or reolacced the spare parts also vanish!
They have little-to-no after sales support eg; Spare parts manuals or parts supply, Service manuals or even and accurate wiring diagram, there is no national technical service department to call upon for help, or extensive experienced dealer network. Please consider all the many reasons why the established manufacturers ask more for their product and know this; the dealer will almost always make less proffit selling a quality brand over the Chinese bike, so don't accuse them of being greedy for asking a highrer price!
If you still choose to buy a Chinese Motorcycle hopefuly it is now an informed decision, and with realistic expectations.
Please appreciate the time I have taken to share my views, I have nothing to gain from this other than the comfort brought by being able to educate the public somewhat on the too often un-told story of Chinese motorcycles.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post.