Just looking through my latest ROAD RUNNER magazine

[solo1]

BMW has a new 650 adventure bike.  It's called the Sertao.  It uses the same engine as the G650 GS except the engine that was made by Rotax in Austria is now made by Loncin in China!

Evidently labor in China is not as cheap as I thought.  The bike retails for $8950.  That's considerably more than the KLR which is still made in Japan (I think).

Not meaning to hit on BMW but a BMW, with its high price, and a Chinese engine?  No further comment.

[wild6]

Remember, we used to consider Japanese products the same as we do Chinese products today.
Cheap labor and questionable quality are quickly becoming a thing of the past in China.

We need to be more worried that our edge in engineering and development is quickly being lost to other countries.

BTW: Rotax is a BRP company (Can-Am, Lear Jet, Skidoo, etc.).

 

[R J]

Those of you who think Chinese stuff is good, go buy a Chinese Scooter.   Do you remember the old BIC lighter, use till dead and toss it?   Well that is the theory behind the Chinese Scooter.    Ride it till it dies and then dump it.

My son's, father-in-laws brother can't drive a car, and couldn't afford a different Scooter bought one of these Chinese Scooters.  It went to Chinese Heaven yesterday with 1,278 miles on it.

He would bring it over to the son's shop when it died.    Since the old boy can only get around since the state won't allow him to drive a car is via this scooter.   My son has been popping for a majority of the cost of parts and swallows all the labor on it to try and keep it running.

Yesterday, son got a little Honda Step Thur that the ole boy can ride without a license, and the repair bill was higher than the bike was worth, he bought it for $50, titled it in the old boy's name and fixed it.     The Chinese junk went the way of the Welding torch, cut into pieces.

[solo1]

Cheap labor and questionable quality are quickly becoming a thing of the past in China    "quote"

Maybe so but a trend is developing by US company's to bring their product back to the states again.   Turn around costs in developing new products, quality control training, travel costs,  production issues, and other factors are reaching the point that it could become more profitable to resume making the product here. We sure as hell have the workers to do it.

I also do admit that I have a personal bias against the Mainland Chinese government.

[cookiedough]

If the wifey allows, I would've bought a Kymco, made in korea I think, scooter definitely over a chinese scoot.  Chinese scoots are somewhat popular around me for 1/4 of the cost of a Honda scoot.  Of the 4 chinese scoots that I know people have, only 1 was bad with electrical issues, the other 3 are just fine.  Parts for chinese scoots are becoming easier to find and repair shops are opening up to service them unlike say 3-5 years ago.  They are becoming more reliable as quality control has improved as well.  Are they as reliable as a Honda or Kymco scooter on average, heck no.  Are they worth it to some to buy, yes.  Personal opinion really.  Nothing against mother Honda, but the price of their scooters especially, are way overpriced for what you get.   Why would you spend 4 grand on a new Honda 250cc Reflex scooter when for the same price or cheaper you can get twice the cycle, say a used Honda shadow or magna, for below that?  Doesn't make sense to me.  I have been looking at used scoots, and even a used 150-250cc Honda is terribly overpriced still over 2-3 grand to buy used unless they have like 15-20,000 miles on them already.