Suzuki has had plants all over the world for a long time. There's a good chance that Suzukis built in Japan have Chinese or especially Korean content. http://www.suzukicycles.org/countries/index.html?overseas-factories.shtml~isoraami
I like it. I just hope it sells good enough in the states, so this is not a flop for Suzuki U.S. division in this hard time.
I don't own an iPhone, I have a $20 Kyrocera with service from Virgin Mobile. Yes the phone is Chinese Junk, but for $20 I don't care, I usually destroy a couple of them a year anyway. But I have also had experience with a Chinese motorcycle. It was an American Lifan LF200GY-6 dual sport. It was cheap and cheesy (but only cost $1400 delivered to my door) and it lasted over 7,000 miles, till the nut holding the centrifugal oil filter on came loose and destroyed the engine. I had a KLR made in Thailand, and I currently have 2 Yamaha scooters made in Taiwan. But an entire motorcycle made in China does not sound good to me. I have not written it off, I found out yesterday that a local dealer has one in stock, and I am going to go look at it sometime next week. I should be able to tell a lot about the quality just by looking at the overall fit and finish. I've dealt with enough Chinese scooters to know what to look for, and what I should not find. Suzuki is having some rough times in the U.S. right now, and giving up the automotive market. I blame the DOT and EPA 100% for that. I used to own an '88 Suzuki Samurai, it was one of the most fun vehicles I've ever owned. It had over 100,000 miles on it when I bought it, and I ran it up over 200,000 before the engine started going out. Sold it to a guy in a non emissions county who was going to stuff a V6 into it. I'm still hoping this turns out to be a decent motorcycle. It looks so much better than the Ninja and CBR. I like the TU250, but won't buy it simply because Suzuki didn't put a centerstand on it, or even make it an option. The GW does not need a centerstand because it has tubeless tires.
I don't see the connect here. What do tubeless tires have to do with the need for a centerstand? I think ALL bikes should have one. It makes chain maintenance and general overall maintenance WAY easier.
Apache on Clearview in East Mesa by Power and 60. I won't go anywhere near Ride Now, or as they are more commonly known, Ripoff Now or Ride Never. Centerstands have many purposes, but for me the main reason to have one on bikes with tube type tires is so you can fix a flat tire out on the road. Without a way to get the wheel off, which requires a stable way to hold the bike up, there is no way to fix a flat on a tube type tire. I put over 20,000 miles on a Rebel, and used up most of my carrying capacity for a jack, wrenches, tire irons, spare tubes, etc. With tubeless tires you stick a plug in it, air it up, and be on your way. BTW, wire spoked motorcycle wheels designed for tubeless tires have been around for decades, the first place I saw them was on the '86 Honda Rebel 450. BMW also uses them. Yamaha uses one on the rear of the Japanese (and European) version of the XT250. So the manufacturers have no excuse to continue using tube type tires on street bikes. They can have their spoke wheels and tubeless tires both.
Wire spoke wheels are much heavier than alloy wheels. Yes they are stronger (and a little more flexible) but when you are trying to cut down unsprung weight they are a disaster. I'd say that's the main reason they are not used much anymore. Also, wire spoke wheels that are suitable for tubeless tires are hideously expensive.
I'm not blown away by the looks, but we probably didn't need another CBF250/YBR250 clone (you probably don't get those overseas..). What's bothering me is.. these small bikes are constantly going up in price.. The Ninja 300 costs just a tiny bit less then what i paid for my Ninja 650 back in 2007. :huh
The bike is made by Haojue: http://www.haojue.com/ Which happens to be one of Suzuki's subsidiaries: http://www.globalsuzuki.com/corporate/productionbase/overseas/asia.html As good quality as any other Suzuki. I own a Haojue made scooter (AN125) and it has been every bit as good as I expected it to be. These are not generic Chinese bikes made by a 3rd Party, these are bikes made by Suzuki in one of their subsidiaries up to Suzuki's standards.
Ok, salesman screwed up, they do not have one in stock, and don't even have a price on it yet. Here is the website where I found it. I just bought a new Zuma 125 from them a couple months ago. http://www.apachemotorcycles.com/new_vehicle_list.asp?Manufacturer=4&Category=1&CatDesc=Motorcycles
And weight. 400lb for a 250cc bike is ridiculous. Why bother? Get 500cc with a soft power delivery and more torque for the same price and weight. I keep looking for a bike my GF can start out on. She doesn't want a sportbike or a dualsport. I don't want to put her on a barcalounger either. People around here want $2500 for a freakin' used Nighthawk 250 with drum brakes, if you can even find a decent one that isn't chopped, bobbed, cafe'd, or red. At least those are well under 350lb.
I've already seen it... Nope. Not that it is a bad bike, but the YBR250/CBF250 are better value. It's not meant to take on to CBR250/Ninja300, but instead to be a step above the entry level 250s. http://www.haojue.com/products/product_102_156_171_2531.htm According to Haojue it produces 18KW, or, 24hp... :huh I don't know what the heck they were thinking, but the CBF250 (Honda Twister CBX250) manages 24hp out of a DOHC thumper... And the weight, it's a porker. Seriously, it's the king of the porkers, 173kg!
Unfortunately the prices of bikes will probably continue to go up much faster than the rate of inflation and income. It is becoming something only wealthy people can afford. My answer has been used bikes. You just have to watch Craigslist for the right deal, and be ready to pounce on it. I just sold a nice '04 Rebel for $1000. Nighthawks are usually a bit more, because they are not nearly as common. The drum front brake works just fine. Most 250 Nighthawks were red or black. The Suzuki TU250 is a good beginners bike. It had a major price increase in 2013, but there are a lot of 2012 models at dealers. Very few used ones on the market, and there has to be a reason for that. But for a beginner, that fits on it, it is very hard to beat a used Rebel. I'm 6' 220, and rode mine on a 3000 mile round trip at freeway speeds, with no problems at all, other than it was pretty uncomfortable.
The CBF is rated at 22hp here in EU I believe.. But yeah.. that weight is a bit over the top.. but as other have said, it might be a "full size" bike.
If it comes in at under $4500, and the quality is there, I will probably get one. While it has a sporty look (without the ugly fairings) it appears to be more of a standard bike, like the Nighthawk 250 and TU250, only with liquid cooling and tubeless tires. The tubeless tires alone are worth a lot to me. No worries about flats. I'm not interested in lots of power, if it will keep up with the Nighthawk and TU it would be fine with me. I just want a small bike with tubeless tires that is fun to ride. Mostly on all day or 2 day trips. I hope it's weight also means it has a decent load capacity.
It is more or less GS500 / ER-5 sized, so it is a big bike... With a small engine. Thing is, for that money you can get a used Ninja 650, or a GS500/EX500, that weight about the same, have more power, better brakes and tubeless tires.
I like that...big enough to stretch out on, yet retaining a small motor. So many bike with small motors are also of small dimensions, which is a disadvantage.
That's great. It'll still probably be faster then the 1cyl CBF250/YBR250 considering it's 2-3hp up on them, and it's a considerably bigger bike.
