Let's not forget, folks, TIC.

Hands down, a Chinese bike is going to be a WAY more intelligent decision inside China, regardless of reliability or build quality.

Yeah, the X5 is not the equivalent of a BMW F800/R1200, etc., or a Ducatti MTS, or a KTM orange-thingie, or whatever ... but I'd sure as hell prefer to have an X5 out in backwater noodle-ville when something goes wrong (and it will, regardless of which brand you own, domestic or foreign).

One of my favourite ADV stories comes from Fahni, whose JH150's top end disintegrated out in the middle of nowhere - and the local mechanic at the next tiny village HAD all of the necessary replacement parts sitting in a long-forgotten box. The mechanic rebuilt the top end while Fahni had lunch, and the total cost, including parts, was around 200 rmb. Another JH150 owner's story had an engine disintegrate in another noodle-ville, and the rider had no problem getting a replacement engine installed.

An X5's initial purchase price is also a tiny fraction of an imported bike.

AFTER the big overseas companies have established an extensive service facility network throughout China, one MIGHT intelligently consider an import (if prices come down). But until that happens, it is domestic for me (except for one large city bike I use for Starbucks trips in my pirate costume).

Think about this - what is probably one of the top 3 complaints about Chinese bikes in foreign lands? Unavailable parts & servicing - there isn't an established sales/service network. People overseas would happily buy the much-lower-priced Chinese bikes if, in every town, there was a shop that could get them going again.

How many BMW dealers are there in China? Ducatti? HD? Victory? KTM? etc. Do you really want to be in SW China with a blown clutch on an F800?

It is a no-brainer, IMHO, about the domestic/import decision while living inside China. Imported bikes = status ... a very Chinese thing ... however, When in Rome ...

Finally, apples & oranges to compare the X5 with imports. Domestics only, to be fair. Not much around 400cc. Move up a bit, and I heartily recommend the JH600 (still only around 32K, new, which is a bargain). Move down a bit, and the choices become wider - that soon-to-be-released Zongshen RX3 looks very interesting.

Yeah, the X5 has problems - but I'd buy it before an F800GS (how much are those things now? >200K?). Alas, my JH suits my needs perfectly, inside China.