Chinese Discount Motorcycles that are Designed to Embarrass the Driver
March 27, 2008 by admin
Filed under Feature, Motorcycles
It’s no secret that I hate cruisers, but things can get even worse. What you think about Chinese discount motorcycles? That is cruisers with the power of a scooter and useless chrome stuff everywhere.
Let’s take a look at three hideous examples of Chinese motorcycle technology.
Lifan 250-4 Rebel Cruiser
An attempt at cloning the Yamaha Virago. Good is the price (just above $2,000) and the fuel economy (up to 90 mpg), bad is everything else including the absolute lack of power (V2 engine with 16 hp – the original Yamaha Virago have 62 hp).
Geely 250 Storm Prince
A traditional V2 engine is far too much for a Chinese discount cruiser, so the Geely 250 Storm Prince has just one single cylinder and a displacement of 234 ccm. It might sound acceptable, but with only 12 hp topspeed is limited to 95 km/h (59 mph).
Jincheng JC 100-7 Knight
The Lifan and the Geely might have scared you away from Chinese discount motorcycles, but it can get even worse. What do you think about a cruiser with 1 cylinder and just 6 hp (that’s around 10% of the power of the smallest Harley-Davidson cruiser).
At least the Jincheng JC 100-7 Knight only weights 105 kg, so it can still go 90 km/h (56 mph).
All in all three hideous examples of Chinese discount motorcycle technology, but you have to respect the names they have chosen: Rebel Cruiser, Storm Prince and Knight….
I absolutely agree, they all look terrible. I live in Vietnam, so I have to look at these bikes everyday. To play devils advocate, Chinese and Vietnamese buy them, because they can afford them. A 100 dollar a month income won’t buy you a Harley or anything for that matter, but it will buy you a Lifan.
At least three assumptions here.
Firstly, you’re assuming that whoever buys a Cruiser wants power over design;
Secondly, you’re assuming this “motorcycle technology”, designed so roughly by the “Chinese”, is “discount”; you’re not considering that if the product is intended as a “weaker” version of a Harley (for whatever reason that may be, eg. younger people unable to drive bikes over 125cc) it is an original product in its own right;
Last but not least, the third point is you’re assuming anyone buying one of these cannot afford a Harley. What if people can but are simply not interested?
err.. WHICH virago had 62hp? not 250, thats for sure
most Yamaha squized out of 249ccm is 12.4 kw – JL 250-5 managed 12kw out of 234ccm
same for your 3rd example – yes, it is 1cylinder, and dont go over 100 km/h – but it is a 100ccm engine, what speed would you expect out of it?
wont go here in design or riding style preferences – for each his own, or in reasons why china is limited to 250 ccm, but
really, if you compare try to match similar bikes, like lets say Yamaha YBR 125 custom vs some Chinese clone – and with same specs and 50% of the price i would not be embaraced at all