Churchill Customs - We're Open! Custom motorcycles in China

[ZMC888]

All bikes are insured and registered like any other bike bought from a dealer in China. No worries!

If you are selling bikes with legal plates and insurance...that's cool. I just don't understand how?
Everything I've ever read about Chinese traffic law says you can only buy a bike from a CCC certified factory with a VIN plate and engine number that match. Then you take it to the police and they take photos and give you the plates and blue book. After that nothing about the bike can be changed or it will fail inspections and become illegal. So how the hell are you guys managing it?

[matt999tye]

If you are selling bikes with legal plates and insurance...that's cool. I just don't understand how?
Everything I've ever read about Chinese traffic law says you can only buy a bike from a CCC certified factory with a VIN plate and engine number that match. Then you take it to the police and they take photos and give you the plates and blue book. After that nothing about the bike can be changed or it will fail inspections and become illegal. So how the hell are you guys managing it?

Bike is registered with frame and original engine. Engine is ordered with engine number. Original engine is destroyed or dismantled. Bike is rebuilt, brought back to inspection, picture is taken, stats are updated. Bam. Legal modified bike.

[ZMC888]

So you buy a Suzuki EN125 or something and register it, then you claim the engine broke and take it back to the cop shop with a maybe Qingqi 250cc single in it that slots right in. Because an engine change is legal new photos are taken at the cop shop after the work has been done and you're all sweet? If that's how it works, kudos!

Where I am, and I suspect most places in China they'd say that the bike must look the same as before and have the same displacement engine as before, but hey if that's a legal loophole in your area, then sweet, exploit it while you can! I hope you can sell loads and can make yourself into a factory. How about some models based around the CFMOTO 650cc twin?

[MJH]

I like what your doing, but selling in the USA is costly and you cannot simply send over custom bikes, they have to meet all the regulations. There are lots of procedural regulations as well as environmental regulations.

If you could get a deal with an established distributor and maybe get them to take responsibility for your bikes, but that’s allot to ask.

Technically modifications are illegal, so is selling parts that alter emissions, they often do and eventually get caught and it is not pretty when that happens and those that distribute here hold all the liability.

A standard bike might sell better then a custom bike, people like to do modifications themselves. If you do offer modifications it could be possible to offer build parts that actually move a bike to what could be an already approved version with the EPA. That be like selling a 125cc version stock and cheap and then offering a 223cc engine that is also approved and with all that is needed to make it just like an already approved 223cc version. That is the same as what the major brands do with performance parts, they are not defeating as in beating the EPA as the results are still within regulations.

There is only CCW that offers a similar type bikes, their misfit and ace. They sell them already custom and with a 229cc OHV engine, and sell performance parts that likely take the bike outside EPA regulations. It be better to sell a base 125cc for cheap and then sell all that you do with kits in full or in various parts. Like Ryca does…they sell kits for bikes already in the market, so if you can import a base bike then sell the kits to make the bikes. You have to have a legal entity in the USA and maintaining that and so much cost it is economically limiting.

[MJH]

The basic bike could be sold as is….for small margins and getting them sold online for cheap through all the online dealers.


Then offer kits that can be added to make it one of these…

You can centralize that aspect and it can all be done online and through mail order. That’s a matter of having the ability to build data tables and a thoughtful eCommerce site that is well maintained and linked to a well managed warehouse. You will never get any volume unless you can get the volume that the online retailers have. All that you need is them to understand and that would be challenging since they seem like creepy egocentric morons. Just getting them to embrace the concept…would be challenging. All they would need to do is sell them and with your name on them….one warehouse to sell all the parts to support the base and offer parts to customize them.

[MJH]

http://www.supermotorcompany.com/news/

[MJH]

That's the XL185 frame, they are called a Dragon frame?

[bigdamo]

I like what your doing, but selling in the USA is costly and you cannot simply send over custom bikes, they have to meet all the regulations. There are lots of procedural regulations as well as environmental regulations.

If you could get a deal with an established distributor and maybe get them to take responsibility for your bikes, but that’s allot to ask.

Technically modifications are illegal, so is selling parts that alter emissions, they often do and eventually get caught and it is not pretty when that happens and those that distribute here hold all the liability.

A standard bike might sell better then a custom bike, people like to do modifications themselves. If you do offer modifications it could be possible to offer build parts that actually move a bike to what could be an already approved version with the EPA. That be like selling a 125cc version stock and cheap and then offering a 223cc engine that is also approved and with all that is needed to make it just like an already approved 223cc version. That is the same as what the major brands do with performance parts, they are not defeating as in beating the EPA as the results are still within regulations.

There is only CCW that offers a similar type bikes, their misfit and ace. They sell them already custom and with a 229cc OHV engine, and sell performance parts that likely take the bike outside EPA regulations. It be better to sell a base 125cc for cheap and then sell all that you do with kits in full or in various parts. Like Ryca does…they sell kits for bikes already in the market, so if you can import a base bike then sell the kits to make the bikes. You have to have a legal entity in the USA and maintaining that and so much cost it is economically limiting.

Someone has beat them to it http://deuscustoms.com/ but hey these guys started from a very small little shop in Camperdown,Sydney many years ago. I remember when they started with just one model and people came to their shop to have a coffee and look at that bike.

[MJH]

I see that they rebuilt the CB200 to 300cc and even added a CDI, that is not a simple modifications, its the other end, a high end market.


I like to see a base CG125 sold online and delivered for @ or around $1,800.00. Then a website that had all the schematics, linked to data tables and in that linked to after market parts. Then the over zealous could order as much a $2,000.00 in parts and end up at $3800.00 all in or some level under that….


I have a CB200 and a CL350.…I have no where near that invested in both. I am not a huge fan of the café’ d bikes I actually prefer customizations that are closer to stock. I could have easily spent way more on modifications then I would ever be able to get back, labors of love are just allot of labor and often just an exercise in futility.


Project are fun, but you can go too far…something to satisfy the desire and that is not so over the top, is what could come out of china.

[Hingkongjohn]

Cool, are you going to show at the Canton Fair?