I have just finished gruberlj's Guide on Ownership of Chinese Motorcycles and Scooters and found it to be very accurate and helpful. This guide is only intended to further supplement my personal ownership experience.  I have been living and flying here in China for over 6 months now and currently own my 3rd 'Chinese Harley'.  I use that term as a nickname only because I sold my 99 FXDX in America just before my deployment here.  Understanding how anyone could possibly own 3 bikes in 6 months is helpful in understanding the Chinese psyche and manufacturing protocols regarding quality control measures.  Also, going from a Stage 2 Harley Super Glide Sport to a 48cc Chinese Motorcycle is one heckuva change of  riding style.  Fortunately it is more important for me to have 2 wheels underneath me and the wind in my face than it is to have a brand name for others to look at...

Please re-read gruberlj's article for an in-depth understanding of the manufacturing process. What I want to emphasize here is that in China the saying on the street goes 'If you want quality you must pay for it...'.  It is not uncommon to find 3 assembly lines in China.  1 line for America, 1 line for the European Union (EU Bikes), and 1 line for the local Chinese/Asian Market.  The QC for the Chinese bikes is the lowest of the bunch.  I have seen the Chinese bikes in America and the QC is better, more stringent, and less problematic out of the box per se. Also, if you want better quality buy a larger motorcycle.  Easier said than done in China.

Living in China means that as an ExPat I am prohibited from owning any bike larger than 48cc. The Qingdao Harley Dealership I visited will sell me an '08 FXDL Dyna Low Rider for $34,000(100% Import Tariff) but without a Chinese Drivers License I would not be able to register the bike for the mandatory tag.  48cc bikes do not require a tag or a license so I choose to ride legally vs. the few that do otherwise. China is the only country in the world that is a non-participant in the IDL Treaty.  My IDL and USA Driver's License with Motorcycle endorsement mean nothing over here. IDL is International Drivers License.

My point is that 100% of my Chinese Harley ownership experience is based on the 48cc bikes.  My 1st bike was a Chinese Huayin, Chinese 'Eagle', and it was a total P.O.S. It took the Service Department over an hour to get the bike ready for the road. Creosote blended grease in the Engine/Xmsn sumps, flat tires, loose engine mounts, improperly adjusted chain, etc..  The  Manual 4 speed transmission failed at 15km but not before 10 break downs for fuel starvation issues that were never figured out. Returned to the Service Department, repaired overnight, and 2km later the Transmission failed again, this time catastrophically.  Why?  No one really seemed concerned about it because even with my limited language skills the mechanics would just laugh and say 'Chinese Scooter....' and shrug their shoulders.

Fortunately I was immediately given a 2nd 48cc Huayin identical replacement in the spirit of Good Will and Detente and had better luck with #2.  Over the first 100km's I only broke down 22 times for everything from fuel starvation/engine cutoff to refusal of the transmission to shift.  Since I documented everything and the Service Department could not fix the problems I sold the bike to a local Chinese Security Worker who admired the way I would wash the bike (no one else does here), adjust the carburetor myself, and care for the bike.  I only lost $125 on the deal but felt relieved to get out of the bike.  Like gruberlj says in his reviews...Regular Maintenance is critical for optimum performance and reliablity.  I saw the bike yesterday during a ride to the beach and the chrome is now completely rusted and it looks bad but is still running.

My 3rd Chinese Harley, a counterfeit Yamaha 48cc Scooter, with the semi-automatic 4 speed transmission, has been a huge success in terms of quality improvements and zero breakdowns to date.  What I learned in the first two bikes was critical in my shopping for a 3rd bike.  The 1st Dealership refused to let me test drive the bikes.  The 2nd Dealership knew they would not have a sale without my 1st test driving the bikes. Even though I knew the bike was a counterfeit Yamaha made in China by Jialing Motorcycle Manufacturing Company the quality control measures and materials on the bike were superior in everyway to the Huayin bike lineup.  It was like comparing a Honda Accord to a Yugo GV for the same price.  It took a lot of humping on foot to find this counterfeit Yamaha scooter but I am grateful I did.

I just completed my first 300km oil change and learned a lesson.  Never use a 20w50 4 stroke engine oil for your 48cc engine.  Ever. The counterfeit Yamaha Mechanic did just that.  The transmission depends on that engine oil for lubrication and cooling and the difference between the 10w40 and 20w50 is night and day.  This morning I will go back to the little Service Department and politely inform the helpful mechanic that his recommendation for 20w50 results in a very poor and stubborn semi-automatic transmission.  The Owner's Manual probably tells me this in Chinese but I don't read Chinese so some things require a leap of faith in trusting your local counterfeit Yamaha Service Department.  Another Chinese Enging Oil Change article I read called for 15w40 so I'll go with either one.  Sub-freezing temps are here 4 months out of the year and I have no problem with the 10w40 oil weight.

Moral of the story here is Caveat Emptor....May the Buyer Beware.  I agree with gruberlj insofar as getting what you pay for.  Every year the Chinese Manufacturers up their quality control measures to ISO9001 standards in an attempt to compete with the global market.  Do I have a Chinese Motorcycle sitting in my garage in America right now?  Nope.  A 1988 CBR1000F Hurricane, 30,000 miles, is parked next to the 2003 Honda Rancher 4 wheeler which is parked next to the '03 Honda Civic 2dr with 92,000 miles.  I prefer Honda's in my garage.  They work great, last a long time, and are built to the highest quality control standards in the world today.

Having said that would I buy a smaller Chinese Scooter for running around town during my semi annual visits home knowing what I now know about them and what is involved in the ownership experience?   Absolutely.  Everything is copied from either a Honda, Suzuki, or Yamaha so no problem. I do most of my own maintenance but am somewhat restricted here in China with what I can and can't do.  The key is to follow the recommendations right out of the box and get the right engine oil into the crankcase the first time and every time.  None of the 3 bikes I have owned had any engine oil in them while sitting on the showroom floor.  The first two had that creosote/heavy oil mix in the bottom of the cases.  Unheard of in America....I would also make darn sure every nut and bolt was properly tightened or torqued, no loose wires, all adjustments properly made, and put a coat of wax on everything you can reach once a year to protect the finish.  Do not allow rust to start anywhere on the bike and I have found simple bi-montly washings are very helpful for my heavily polluted living environment.

I paid $400 for my counterfeit Yamaha 48cc bike and have no regrets or any other operating expenses like insurance, registration, etc....  It hauls me and my girlfriend up and down the rugged hills around our Air Base without any problems and has a basket up front for groceries and a luggage rack for whatever. Our combined weight is 330lbs and the fuel tank holds 5 liters of 93 octane gas. Our fuel economy has been right at 60mpg (about 100km for every 3.7 liters) with almost all two up riding in winds.  We have never been pulled over or in an accident allthough car/bike accidents are very common over here.  No one on the Planet Earth rides or drives like the Chinese so I don't bat an eye when I see an accident.  Almost all accidents are due to carelessness, not looking where they are turning, failure to yield, and lots of alcohol...very heavy drinkers and we have found that almost everyone drinks and drives or rides here.  I always know that cars and trucks have the right of way 100% of the time in China.

I wish anyone considering buying a Chinese Motorcycle or Scooter the best of luck in their investment.  If you take the time to make the bike right and take care of it regularly it should last you a long time because I see some very, very, very old bikes over here....90cc, 100cc, 110cc, and a few 125cc bikes and scooters.  Knowledge is power so choose accordingly.... JP 

1st NOTE: 13 April 2009  Scooter broke down 2 days ago for the very first time and about 2 hours after submitting this article. After the Shop performed the 300km service I took the bike for a test drive since the handlebars had worn loose and a few other nuts and bolts needed tightening.  During a normal shift, NO CLUTCH LEVER, from 2nd to 3rd at about 25mph the transmission seized up and the rear end came around on me.  No sweat.  Been riding for a while and the bike came to a stop real fast. After a very helpful two day ordeal I have a lousy taste in my mouth for this particular Dealership and counterfiet Yamaha. The mechanic gave me all the original transmission gears of which two are missing teeth now. Perfect shearing of the gear teeth from the gear rim indicating classic inferior metallurgy work. Both the Owner and the Mechanic claim it is my fault for riding the bike too hard. Therefore they refused to honor a warranty claim for more than 50% of the cost of a new tire and new transmission.  I reluctantly agreed and paid $26 for my part of the $52 claim.  They were happy and my girlfriend and I picked up the scooter today minus 3 liters of fuel and an additional 14kms on the clock and rode off for a long test drive.  No problems so far but we will probably sell the bike since we are not interested in dealing with any more Chinese made motorcycles underneath a Chinese brand and quality control system.  Honda...yes.  Suzuki...yes.  Authentic Yamaha....yes.  Nothing else over here.  Unfortunately that means getting a Chinese license now....ughhhhhhhhh....