600cc Inline 4's from China???

[bigdamo]

Maybe we should email the companies involved and tell them how impressed we are by the bikes and tell them we are keen to see/acquire one in real life.

Each time I see a Chinese new model come out I see something in the design stages that I would like better.But I have to keep on waiting.

My wife said I can have the Jialing. Unfortunately she knows that it will probably take them a few years before they hit the roads.

[CrazyCarl]

BigD,

That would be a good idea but they may very well not listen or, if they do, they may give it next to nothing in terms of weight. From what I can reckon, the amount of bureaucracy inside the organizations is extremely high and introducing any idea which was not in their road map 2 or three years ago is quite difficult. Also, I'm not quite sure who to contact at these companies... if anyone has info on who to send comments to, it would be greatly appreciated!

That said, at least there are some images of something we haven't seen before and doesn't look like a totally "borrowed" Japanese bike design.

CC

[ZMC888]

There is a certain inspiration Jialing may have taken from the 2009 Honda Hornet 600F however...........

[gpPeej]

I saw these a while back and thought...the really encouraging news here is that they WANT to move forward, grow, and produce better bikes. They have no chance at becoming industry leaders if they are content to copy designs and ignore investments in racing. 'Cuz what wins on Sunday - sells on Monday. (what's up with Maxtra?)

Also, since three top Chinese companies are working together on this project, the expense and risk is spread out in a cooperative way. Suzuki and Kawasaki have been sharing designs for years. I think Zongshen is privately owned, I don't know about the others. But if they are also private then this co-op project would be an excellent way to differentiate themselves from state owned producers. If it's a mix of ownerships, then both will still benefit from the others strengths.

PJ

[iamcanjim]

Living in China, before such a bike becomes common, China needs to build a recreational motorcycle culture. With large cities banning bikes, bikes not allowed on tollways and similar, it makes little sense for the average middle class Chinese person to aquire a bike.

I talk to my students, what are all middle to upper class shanghaiese. "But Mr, you are a rich loawai, why don't you buy a Mercedes?" I tell them i am not rich and i like my bike. They laugh. They think I am trying to be a peasant.

Until this attitude changes in China, there will be no bikes like this.

I would bet that the CEO of Loncin, Jialing and Qinqi don't even know how to ride a bike.

[forchetto]

Very true iamcanjim, the success of the Japanese couldn't have happened without the massive internal market they had in the 50-60's. This enabled them to go on and conquer the world.

I have this feeling that the Chinese are not really serious about making two-wheelers in the long term...

[iamcanjim]

It's like the Koreans. We know Korea can make great products, but Hyosung has been falling over. They don't ride recreationally (like the Chinese, 'bikes are for peasants' and so have no idea what the consumer is looking for. So you get something like the Hyosung GV650 cruiser, a bike that is a good bike no one would want.

If their GT650 wasn't a copy of a SV650, who knows what they would make.

The market is wide open for niche bikes and they can't see to see it.

The Chinese should be going after the open niches.

The Kawasaki KLR650 is a perennially top seller, but it's outmoded and heavy. It would be easy to make a competitor to steal the market.

The same goes for the Suzuki Vstrom, the big BMW boxers, the supermoto crowd, the trials crowd, etc. Hit em where they ain't" said Patton. Instead, it seems the Chinese are thinking about taking on the Japanese head to head.

The Japanese didn't become the dominant carmakers by going head to head with the BIG3, but by going around them.

[CrazyCarl]

True enough, you have to produce what's in demand. I think you can see the effect Chinese bikes are having on the world moto market by looking at the 250cc motards available by Honda, Yamaha and Kawi. To my memory, they haven't been around that long and generally only existed in the bigger displacement engines. I'm guessing they may be following the Chinese on this as motards and dirt bikes seem to sell relatively well for the Chinese on a world-wide scale. Supermotards are great for cities with poor roads and countries which are not as restrictive to motorcyclists.

I think the Chinese manufacturers are doing the best they know how to do considering their past and present situations. The issue of riding culture is a great one and no doubt a major issue. I suppose it's possible if the government changes some of their policies and attitudes about motorcycle and other two wheeled transporation but who knows if that will happen. It would be difficult, but anything can happen.

CC