Chinese bikes

RickHolt · Traffic Copper Joined: 17 Mar 2004 Karma :

I know what most of you are going to say already I think but...

Do any of you actually ride any of the chinese cheap bikes? The one I'm looking at as a possiblity is a GY125/GY200. At 500 quid they're much cheaper than anything else I can find, that includes looking for older bikes which is what most people recommend instead.

Before posting saying "Just get an old XX125 instead for 300 quid" please have a quick look and actually find one for sale for that price.

The GY125 looks ok in the pictures, and I'm not after gods gift to bikers for 500 quid, just wondering if it'll do for a bit of off roading/commuting mainly to keep my NCB going until I can afford to be buying and running a bigger bike again.

judderman3000 · Nova Slayer Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Karma :

Iv just bought one great little bike but its not very fast, starts first time on the button and you cant complain for 500quid with 3 years MOT and the build quality is good, not got it on the road yet but goood off road fun. For 500 quid if you keep it for 6 months and only get 300 back its worth it to be honest.
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goatblower · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Karma :

I was thinking the same and received the same advice that you have.

In the end we bought an Aprilia RX125 'field bike' for £370 on ebay. Cost me £50 in fuel to collect it and to date we've spent another £300 on a barrel and piston, chain and sprockets, and other second hand bits and bobs. To get it road legal we still need a new tyre and replacement fork bushings and seals

so it stands us at £720 plus my (free) labour!! It's a crackin lightweight bike with good suspension and 30 bhp Rotax engine, and we should be able to resell it for at least £700 but it's been a bu**er finding parts for it.

They are eye-wateringly expensive from Aprilia dealers - would you believe 140 quid for a brake disc!!

I wonder if we would have been better to have gone for a Chinese Honda copy - would have been a lot less hassle

Fatgreek · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 27 Jul 2005 Karma :

A couple of our younger riders have tried the chinese copies and found that the plastics smash when you drop em and the overall build quality isn't up to much. no idea about the GY though but for the sake of 500 it has to be worth a look for a just for fun machine.
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Mik_RX125 · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Karma :

I had an Aprilia RX125 and I loved it. It was a great bike, shame I never had chance to ride it off road. I would recommend anyone to buy one. Only thing is that they are very temperamental, and require a strict maintainance schedule. In the end I bought my bike for £1200, spent 2 weeks sorting out the carbing on it. But after that it ran like a dream. It had done 15,000km before it needed it's first piston change, and this was with it being riden like a loony, for at least 10 months by me.

I think I spent about £600 in total just keeping everything running, which was all done by me. Sold it a few months ago, after I passed my test, for £950. But unfortunately the new owner knows nothing about looking after a bike, so he has let it rot away in his garden, as it hardly runs anymore, and has bought a XR125L to use instead.

Mik
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goatblower · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Karma :

does he want to sell it? we're still short of few parts!! In fact I wouln't mind restoring another one now I've gathered a few contacts ,and bits
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Aikman666 · World Chat Champion Joined: 20 Dec 2004 Karma :

Prime example of a cheap bike -

Have you seen long way round? The Cameraman (Claudio)'s bike failed. Unable to fix it without sending it home (which they didnt have time for) they bought a brand new bike for a couple of quid. It was your standard 80's design kind of bike, nicknamed "Red Devil" after it coped with the terrain and conditions way better than Charlie and Ewans several thousand pound BMW GS's. I think eventually it broke down, but they were helped by a few passers by who managed to fix it by the side of the road (well....track).

Also Mik, the RX is Italian made, so were you talking about it being an offroad styled bike. I have an Rx50 and its the best thing scince the invention of the wheel, sliced bread, and the combustion engine!
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Mik_RX125 · Nitrous Nuisance Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Karma :

Brava210 · Crazy Courier Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Karma :

i have a gy125 and it is very good for the money Wink

https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/brava210/camerapictures028.jpg
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Scotty · Scooter Boi Joined: 31 Jul 2002 Karma :

A friend of mine actually has one.
An his dad has the 200cc version to get to work and back on (While his RVF sits warm in the garage) Which makes alot of sense to be honest.

I have road both and found although you can feel there cheap and bits where the costs have been cut down all in all you can't really moan at the price they are brand new.

Like others have said even if you have it 6 months and the thing blows up its not like its money pissed away. Parts arn't even that hard to come by.

For a cheap hack i'd probably say ideal. Value for money look what else you can get for £500... Not much generally.
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G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Try www.adtrader.co.uk for cheap bikes.

carlnicholson... · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Karma :

How would you get on for parts?

The 200cc looks like it could well be the ideal candidate for some green lane abuse. Especially seen as I won't be losing too much hard earned if it does get wrecked beyond economical repair.

Are the wheel sizes standard to make getting off road tyres cheap and easy?

MMM, Thinking

https://www.europainternational.co.uk/images/200-max-red-side3.gif

My 17 y/o brother in law has a cheap chinese 125 off road thingie, and it is falling apart. This one above is made by a more widely known company, but I'm still dubious about it's quality.
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carlnicholson... · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Karma :

Oh yeah, just noticed theres a £100 charge if you pick the bike up in person aswell!!

Cheeky........... Twisted Evil

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cyberglass · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Karma :

I have one of these chinese bikes now.
The older models were poorlly made had bad welds and fell apart. But the newer models (05 - 06) are well built and welds a good ive gone over mine and locktited every screw and checked them to see if the quality is ok and they all seem fine.
The only thing that i did not like is the standard sprocket its near half the size of the wheel and needs changing as soon as you get the bike. Smile

I had a dt a while back but it was stolen and was planing on getting another till i seen my gy125 in the honda shop in ormskirk. Asked the guy how hard it was to get parts and he said there honda xl copys and all honda parts are interchangable.

And the horns F**kin loud to Smile

never had a working horn for more than a week they always seem to pack in.