Market Flood/ Better units? By 89newbie (Read 478 times)

[89newbie]

China is a world economy. They have been excellent at making these bikes cheaper by using lower dollar materials and utilizing their labor rates. This has allowed them to capture market share thus gaining a foothold in the world economy. After viewing videos on some home sites these manufacturers have invested heavy bucks in R&D, to build these units.Next step will be to improve the product, go bigger and better, at increased selling prices. I remember back in the 60's when a 500 Suzuki, then a fledgling was 1/3 the cost of a 450 Honda. I see the cheap moped situation as a move to capture market share, just as others have done to get a spot in the game. This has been done by other industries and works well. Am I nuts or do I have the trend correct?

[wolfhound]

The Chinese and the Japanese have differing business philosophies. If you want cheap
the chinese will give you cheap. They have improved their quality some what but still
have a ways to go to equal the Japanese and Taiwanese quality. You want cheap, you buy
cheap, you get cheap. The Chinese already build the majority of scoots/MCs on the world
market today and have for some time now. Can the Chinese build a bike as good as the others do? Of course they can but you can expect to see the pricing go up too.
The emerging world economic and manufacturing giants are China and India. The next few
years are going to be interesting to watch.

[kz1000st]

Can the Chinese build a bike as good as the others do? Of course they can but you can expect to see the pricing go up too.

They already do. The Kymco Super 8, the SYM Fiddle II, the Piaggio Fly 150, the Kymco Agility 125 and 50. Even the engine for the BMW 650 single.
Zugzug just bought a nice 200 bike and so far it's performing well for about 1/3 the price of an equal Japanese counterpart. My Bashan Cub clones are doing just fine for 50cc bikes and I'd put them up against anything for the size. Why the Chinese build such fine bikes and flawed scooters is a mystery to me. Maybe because they're cloning real Japanese engines in the bikes and the GY6 is an original Chinese design.
The "cheap buys you cheap" thing seems to fall apart in 250 scooters since they too have clones of real Japanese engines. For less than $2000 you can buy a real road going machine seemingly capable of high mileage, certain SYM owners be damned.

Not the SYM owners here on this forum by the way.