Chinese Bike Residuals, CF Moto and the BMW that Frequently Covers Colossal Distances
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
- Welcome back to Tuesday at Dobbs'!
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Please do leave a comment and share your thoughts. If you've got a story, insight or pictures to share, you can also email hi@tuesdayatdobbs.com
Instagram: instagram.com/@tuesday_at_dobbs
My other TH-cam channel: @FreddieDobbs
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Timestamps:
0:00: Intro (Wheels and Waves on a Triumph Street Scrambler)
2:40: Cleaning Motorcycles
3:12: Chinese Motorcycle Issues (Herald Brat, Yamaha XSR125 and Yamaha XSR700)
7:02: Aprilia Motorcycle Parts Issues (Tuono V4 Factory, Aprilia Futura)
10:30: Euro Trips and the Crit Air
12:50: CFMoto (CFMoto 650NK)
15:32: Motorcycle Mechanic Labour Costs Around the World
17:47: Planned Obsolescence
20:26: The Next Motorcycle in California
24:57: Bike of the Week (BMW R1200RT) - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
After every ride! Come on guys, are we serious? Don't you have other, more important things to do? 😂
Came here to say exactly that. I'm wondering if this has to be only weekend riders. If you commute, daily, you'd have to be an utter loon or off the spectrum OCD to clean it twice a day. Or are people lying about the "every ride" thing.
@@DiscoFang No physical way I could wash the bike when I ride it to work daily.
Clean & polish every 7-10 days. Dust after every ride to maintain what you did.
This changes if you ride a lot of km.
I've got a Chinese Loncin engine in my BMW 850 GS, as well as a Shineray engine in my SWM 440 Gran Milano. Both engines are sweet and so far trouble free after many thousand kilometers. I have replaced many of the cheap (cost saving) steel bolts on the SWM with 316 stainless and gotts say that it's reliable and a hoot to ride. The BMW engine is like a tractor that just goes and goes and goes. BMW do quality control on the GS engines and SWM bikes are assembled in Italy using sourced parts from all over. I think that what is important is to know which company is doing quality control, since this seems to vary wildly and a bike made wholly in China seems to still be a risk. I am in my mid 70's and have seen Japanese goods in the 1950's and early 60's and Korean stuff in the 1980's treated like junk, and now both are highly regarded. It won't take China long to catch up I suspect...
Hi Freddie,
Last weekend we were at BikeFest Killarney in Southern Ireland 🇮🇪
A fantastic event we regularly go to. This year the guest Chief Marshal was the British comedian John Bishop on his GS1300. He is I think in his late 50's and only got his full licence last year. He is touring the wild Atlantic Way on his own while doing his one man shows along the way!! What a gent....
I'm from killarney. Was a good weeknd the weather made it
RE: Cleaning the bike. I'll do a quick hose-down once a week - on a Sunday evening - if the roads have been particularly dirty, or road salt has built up riding in the colder months (all year rider here), and I'll always give the chain and moving parts a quick clean and squirt of lube once a week - year round regardless, I actually enjoy the maintenance side of owning a bike, but in moderation. Other than that it's a waste of time; endlessly cleaning everything, you might as well plinth it and just look at it! The bike is there to be ridden and enjoyed, not polished into oblivion. But each to their own I quess.
Comment on the last weeks question about cleaning bikes. I rarely clean my bike. I absolutely hate it. But during the season I ride my bike everyday, there's no way I'm cleaning my bike everyday other than possibly the windshield.
A bike is made for weather, not for licking.
This is my feeling Kevin- agreed
I just resurrected a speed triple from sitting outside for 5 years, baking in the sun and bleeding in the snow. Cleaned it up looks like every other 12 year old speed triple I’ve seen. Needless to say, I’m not buying the clean it everyday vibe either 😊
I have been riding motorcycles for over 50 years ,when did this motorcycle season begin ?
Good lord, how often do you wash your clothes? I bet you wreak with heavily soiled clothes and smells. 🤔 Your car must be a disaster as well. Do you shave or cut your hair? Brush your teeth? What about the inside of your helmet? Surely you're not married or have a partner. How you keep your motorcycle could be a reflection on how you keep the rest of the things in your life. Oh dear I can't imagine. (sarcasm)
Got my bike in November, rode it all weathers for the last 7 months, not cleaned it once yet, if the weather is nice enough to clean it I’d rather be riding it, rain washes the mud off😅
I bought a Scomadi and just washed it after 9 years off ownership,
Because I am selling it
Went for a ride last weekend instead of enjoying the ride I was too busy avoiding potholes
especially on the back roads.
It was a relief to get on the dual carriageway unfortunately I don’t live near to dual carriageway.
One of the biggest FREE Bike events in England is Calne Bike Meet in Calne, Wiltshire. It’s on Saturday 27th July. 4000+ bikes descend in this small town in Wiltshire for the day. There are food and merch stalls plus live music all day.
Loads of bike clubs and owners clubs are represented.
Some lovely Wiltshire roads lead to it too. A great, free event.
Freddie, another view on the CF Moto. I rode the Honda transalp and ended up buying the 800MT, the dealer has sold 6 x 800MT that week. The transalp isn’t as good a bike and is £9600 with absolutely nothing, not even a quick shifter. 800MT is £9200 with absolutely everything, including cruise control, heated grips, heated seat, up and down quick shifter, fog lights, 3 piece lugggage included which is worth around £1300 etc etc list goes on. 4 year warranty too. I have a fireblade aswell so I am generally a Honda fan but the CF Moto 800MT just made so much more sense that the transalp, and it looks better. The transalp front light just kills it with it being from a smaller bike. There’s a full Facebook group for UK 800MT owners and it’s getting bigger every week.
People will always call Chinese things but literally everything is either made in china or is made up of parts made in china.
I'd do the valve clearances early and make sure they check the camshaft - it will be under warranty but your bike will be gone for months while they do it! They're insane value.
i've been thinking about a 650GT. I cant find the T's&C's of their warranty anywhere online. Presumably servicing has to be done by a main dealer of which there are still not enough (my nearest is 1hr 40 min ride away). Can servicing be done by independents and still keep a valid warranty ?
Dearest Mr Dobbs. I charge £20 per hour in my garage and still feel like I'm charging too much!..... But I'm semi retired and work at my own pace
The residues on a CFMoto is always confused, people talk about losing 50% after a year of riding, well on that £4500 bike and you get £2000 for it when you sell it thats only a loss of £2500. You buy a £10k Japanese bike you'll be lucky to get £7k for it losing £3000, thats a bigger loss. Its not as simple as just thinking in %.
Freddie have you ever visited the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum at Bashley in the New Forest? I live within walking distance so don't need to fire up my BMW. 2 days ago (Sunday) over 300 owner of Japanese motor cycles came to the museum for a rid in. It was truly amazing. Have a look at the calendar for this year. Loving the videos. Gary
I’ve never been- I must go!
I call utter BS on the majority of people claiming to clean after every ride. And for the maybe 5% who do: Do you iron your socks and underwear too?
Those are the people that only ride to Starbucks for coffee!!!!!
Great weather report. See you next Tuesday.
This is why I always own bikes I can service myself, and I know everything has been done properly.
Same here ! I’m in Portugal. You can’t trust them to do things properly!
Your videos make me appreciate the 1080p screen on my laptop and 4k on my desktop in ways few other TH-camrs match. Thank you for using good/great camera.
I bought and still owned, a rebadge chinese motorcycle here in Indonesia, a QJ 250 cc twin cylinder (copy of Honda Rebel 250) slapped the "Benelli" (Italian brand owned by the QJ Motor) brand in it, and voila a Benelli Patagonian Eagle 250 EFI.
Reliability issues that still ongoing was the MAP sensor already on the 3rd replacement, the first two causing me and missus leaving the bike on the petrol station so the dealership can pick it up into the towing truck.
First 500 km the main fuse was blown out, replaced it with the spare fuse, light rust in both of wheel spokes, build quality was not up to par with the Japanese brand.
But I still like it, the exhaust note was unique, it's a head turner when I bring it on the B-road, roaming around "kampoeng" kids like it, they asked me to rev the bike when they see me. 😊
Killarney bikefest ireland just finished this weekend is good fun in a nice location with wonderful scenic ride-outs.
ABR festival without a doubt, I go with my son and we love it! my son has talked 4 of his friends to go as well this year and they are all looking forward to it. people think it's just for adv bikes but it is not, adventure is about travel and there is talks etc from people that have travelled the world on road bikes.....really inspiring
Just watched the chap and his wife going for a ride on your bike. It now runs and sounds amazing. Congratulations 🎉
Thanks Robert, it genuinely feels like a brand new bike… and sounds better than I thought possible 🎶🎶
Hi Freddy! Awesome that you dropped off that beautiful tool roll for Zane 🤟Gonna join him in France soon on his tour. Denmark has a large biking event Rømø Motor Festival. Than there is the Stella Alpina Rally in Italy. Wheels and waves is an absolute delight and the Pyrenees are just in the background!!
Fantastic Video
Hi Mr Dobbs. I enjoy watching your channel whenever I get the chance, it reminds me of back home (I left England 24 years ago, now living in Alabama, USA). In regards to your labour costs, I was doing a charity ride today that was leaving out from the Harley Davidson dealership.
While I was waiting for KSU, I asked the service department what they charge to add heated grips to my 2019 Street Glide, the quoted price was pretty mind boggling, $1,000.00 to install a set of handlebar grips..!!!!.
Keep up the good work..
Freddie, get yourself on a CFmoto (MT800 or NK800) and tell us your thoughts on Chinese made bikes..😊
Best bike event I've ever attended, Moto Clube Faro in Algarve in July. The whole of Faro is flooded with bikes from all over Europe.
Long time follower, couldn’t agree more with bmw r1200rt as your bike of the week. I have a 2017 with 60,000 km. I use it for twisties, long rides, and commuting to work. Very happy with this choice. I’m an average rider, but it will please fast and aggressive riders as well and you will be able to do it in comfort and day after day.
I have the cfmoto 800mt 6 months old and it had its 9,500 mile service today just one point on the person who said it was 20 kg heavier than the Honda Trans App it comes with a centre stand crash bars belly pan heated seat and heated grips etc etc these are extra on the Honda trans app not many ride with there side panniers on!! I do have 2 Honda,s too just for the record!!
I enjoy the ABR festival. It’s a great weekend and I am going for the third time this June.
I thought Herald was a British brand that badged up chinese bikes, then with sales success started gradually increasing the British input-both design and manufacture.
In my collection is a Bullit Hunt 250S, same as the Herald classic, bought new in 2017. I rebuilt the wheels with stainless rims to take narrower tyres rather than the over fat things better suited to a 1000cc; other than that it has been totally trouble free 14000miles...
Don’t worry, he’s new to motorcycles. Herald had no history of fabrication of motorcycles before establishing as china-crap reseller in 2010, just look up their page.
Thanks for sharing this, Paul. Really good to hear another owner’s experience
There's Chinese and there's Chinese. I know loads who have CFMoto's and Benelli's who have had zero issues. Like it or not the Chinese are coming and they're nearly here. To dismiss them is a folly. They're doing a Japanese on the British, on the Japanese.
CFMoto seems to be one of the good ones, which you would expect being in MotoGP and having links to Yamaha and KTM. The possible Chinese take over isn't quite the same as the Japanese, because they took advantage of the lack of build quality and low tech of British machines, so the only advantage for them will be the price. But seeing that companies like Yamaha are doing joint ventures, maybe they won't let that happen.
Recently replaced my k1300r. It had 140k (miles) on it and was getting to that point.. Went for the rt and what an engine! The handling really is superb 👌
Hi Freddie I thought I'd leave a comment about the hearld brat 125. I've owned mine for nearly a year now and I've had zero issues with mine (so far) and I absolutely love it to the point i might keep it for alot longer than i originally planned. mine is the newer model in all fairness (digital dash, liquid cooled, and a slightly different swing arm) so that might be why I've haven't had any problems or I just got lucky. Either way I thought I'd share my experience with you about my hearld. Also keep up the great TH-cam content you're one of the few TH-cam creator's I'm excited to watch much love and enjoy your weekend.
Hi Freddie, regarding unmissable biking events, for me it’s got to be the ABR festival. this year will be my 4th attendance and I won’t be missing future events. This is the one event not to be missed!
Chinese bikes, I’ve been riding bikes for 45 years and worked in the industry for 10 years, I never imagined I’d ever consider owning a Chinese bike however I now have an MT 800 to replace my aging Yamaha FZS1000 and I’m very satisfied, I’ve now covered 750 miles, I’ll be going to the Picos de Europa in October so we’ll see how we get on. With the camshaft issue, KTM claim to have rectified this fault for later production engines. KTM replaced the 790/890 cylinder head with a new part number in 2024, so time will tell, but as you mentioned there is a 4 year warranty so time will tell. Ben
Hi Freddie, every Friday 13th rain,shine, or snow Port Dover, Ontario, Canada…the town closes down to car traffic and lots of bikes…classics, choppers, and tourers
Bless you Freddie for finding a Triumph for someone after all your experience in getting parts, Triumph should give you an appology 😂Strangely I rode into Paris in January when I was looking for a petol station, I was told I didn't need a sticker by a biker I met, he said no one checks it. I know my bike is a 2019 and probably was Ok. I didn't have any issues.
Talking of servicing. Yamaha dealer wants £200 to carry out a first service on my Tracer 9 GT plus. Oil and filter cost me £49:99, so £150 quid labour! I know they hook it to the diagnostics computer and may adjust and check the chain, possibly lube a few other things but that is a complete rip off.
I have always done my own servicing and follow the periodic macitence chart, so you really cannot go wrong, but you need to be confident in your own ability to do the work., which will save you a shed load of cash in the long run. I even change my own tyres and balance the wheels too. Just need a bit of time and patience. Bikes are expensive enough without have to pay through the nose for jobs we should all be able to do ourselves. Just to many lazy people out there who for some strange reason believe that the technician will do everything they are supposed to do on a service and to a very high standard. Not always the case. Of course there are jobs I can’t tackle and I have to pay to have those done. But that’s just part of owning any vehicle.
One that I won't miss is Rocketdays. Glemseck 101 and Club Newchurch (formerly Tridays) are wonderful too.
Stella Alpina, cracking event in Bardoneccia, Italy. Check that out! Staffordshire Classic Bike Show, the auction is something else..
I was a honda mechanic , am here in Japan and have a fair bit of dealings with Honda ( hrc and the main? office ) here in saitama Japan to many old people at the top and the rest of them are unremarkable unless there is a shake up the future of Honda is the same as the British industry IMHO
About cleaning your bike, it depends a lot on the type of bike and type of riding. For me it doesn’t make sense to clean if there is not a good amount of dirt accumulated on the bike. Especially if the bikes is stored in a garage and ridden only in good weather I would not clean so often. On the other hand, if every ride is a muddy Forrest adv ride, then yes, I would clean after each ride. I used to have a bike that I would commute on, and on Sundays we would go for adv rides. That bike I cleaned every Sunday after the ride to have it clean for the coming week of commuting. Other than that I’ve never had a schedule on how often to clean a bike, depends on when it gets dirty enough to bother me.
Totally agree with that, only thing I’ll add is that if like me you do use your bike off road and therefore clean it more often is that you need to re grease the bearings etc a lot more often then if you just had a road bike and cleaned it once a month. 👍
Dobbo!!! Let’s go!
I hope you enjoyed it!:)
There's definitely no need to clean the bike after every ride. I'd say every two weeks is fine, or if you get it completely caked in mud. There are products you can use after washing and drying your bike that protect it from moisture and from dust and other particulates sticking to it, plus your bike has had ceramic coating painstakingly applied. One every two to three weeks and you're good to go!
Hi Freddie, just some reliable feedback from a CFmoto dealer I am close to in Ringwood Vic Australia. They were telling me the warranty return are very low and said that they find the same with Royal Enfield too. They are also a dealer for Honda and get more warranty claims on Honda’s. Very interesting was my thinking. Here’s another tip bit apparently Royal Enfield spent some time in oz doing some research and talking to dealers about market demands looks like a larger capacity Royal Enfield is in the works as they see this as one of the key directions to expand.
I live in France and still haven’t been to wheels and waves, 🤬😭 will definitely pull out all the stop next year, managed to do the Faro rally a few years back which was an experience, 😊 roll on next year. …. Pete
Thunder in the glenn, Aviemore, August bank holiday
Good question about U.K. biking events - just arrived in U.K. after a month riding off road in Southern Africa - now picking up my Himalayan and pondering what mischief to get up to. I wish I could have turned up to the Adventure Bike event in my battle hardened 1190 Adv R…. But will go on my shiny clean Himalayan. Got my eye on Aprilia 660 Tuareg for long tour of Americas.
Assen TT and the Isle of Man are both fantastic,
Dobbs, enjoyed your video visit to Harley Davidson Guildford (in the pouring rain!) You mentioned renting a Street Glide on a trip to Las Vegas. If it's bike events you want, you really need to figure out a way to attend the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota some time. Packed with Harleys of every size, model and color, and the Black Hills scenery has to be ridden through to be believed. Put it on your bucket list.
It’s added to the list!😀🇺🇸
Oh Lord. Sturgis!
@@johnharris7353 It's a Circus, but a fun one. I go about every five years, but mostly for the spectacular scenery.
NW 200 is an event every biker should attend. Done TT and other meetings, but NW stands out for us
Hi, though based in the UK I attend various vintage events both in the US and Europe and can thoroughly recommend Coupes Moto Legende, Dijon (just been) Mostra Scrambio Imola in September and Mannheim in October. In the US, The Barber Festival, Birmingham Alabama (October). The Mid Ohio Swapmeet, Mansfield Ohio (June), Chief Blackhawk, Davenport Iowa (September) , Oley Swapmeet, Oley PA in April and the Vegas Auctions in January. Look up Los Penguinos, based in Valladolid Spain and of course the Elephant and Dragon Rallies.
Kevin! I have a T1200, it is so amazing and importantly, it has a 6th gear! Freddie, Thank you for agreeing with me!! BTW, you can get cruise control if it isn’t already on the bike for like $400. Both my wife and I ride the T120. . . .I am pretty sure this is the last bike I will ever ride.
Nice to hear from you, Dobb´s how highly you do recommend the T120 .... I have owned some bikes of different styles, starting with a HD883 Sportster, beautiful to see and hear, but nasty breaks and suspension .... it´s simply horrible to ride and it simply could not lean on a curve .... following that, I jumped to a GS800 ( Rotax 2 Cilinders ) and it was great, the only penalty was that once breaking hard, the long front suspension would make it dive in a scarry way .. I decided to stick to the BMW brand and moved to a GS1200 and its absolutely magic paralever suspension and boxer engine .... I loved the bike once in a road but it was a way too big for city use .... I then sold it many years after and stayed away from biking for 2 decades .... I recently decided, at my 50´s years old anniversary, to get back to a bike saddle and weighting all my needs, I got a T120 Black .. It has enough power for my (now) relaxed biking needs, it´s engine roar is awsome and the bike is lean and moves quite well, brakes and suspension pretty good .. I could not be happier !! That´s a bike I will keep for a decade, at least .. Cheers from BR ....
Biking events - Isle of Man - whether it’s the TT or the August Manx GP / Classic TT whatever they call it now. The latter event is less manic with a lot more older bikes around if that’s your thing, it’s also a bit easier to book although for both you really need to plan 12 months in advance. For value for money (£10) the Vintage MCC Founders Day event at Stanford Hall near Lutterworth is hard to beat. I think it’s Sunday 21st July this year 🇬🇧
For those of you that clean your bike after every ride - I presume you don't ride every day?
I do ride every day, thus the bike gets cleaned once a week (at most).
Probably the easiest bike to service at home and so no professional mechanic costs is the Royal Enfield Classic 500 (post 2010). They have hydraulic tappets which means that every service is just an oil/filer change, air filter and spark plug check and an easy routine lubrication.
And what is it on every other bike. To include chain of course. My vfr did 60k did not need valve adj
I own a Herald 125cc bike and sure you buy cheap you get cheap. As a first bike i didn't want to drop an expensive machine, but a cheap one is different. My only 2 issues are a flat tyre and at some point we all have to expect one of those and corroded points in the key/ ignition barrel. The points were dead easy to sort out - less then 30 min. If you ride or drive a machine you really should have some ability to repair it. Also get to know a good dealer that service chinese bikes ( i have had amazing guidence from them and mine hasn't failed yet). Oh and no I don't was my bike after every ride, or week or month. I live down a dirt track so it gets washed when the weather man says we will have a nice long dry spell 😊
35€/hr sounds reasonable! I just had a quote to repair a crashed (stolen by a joyrider) Peugeot 125 scooter. Six hours labour @49€ an hour, plus 21% v.a.t. Official rates (Tarragona).
ps ....royal enfield Bullet valvle adjustment 15 min MAX oil change , filter change , spark plug change points adjust Hell, even throw in a carb clean 1 hour about Sorry you can keep ya hi tech
after my comment on last weeks video, and now a week of riding, I realised, that I only cleaned it once. just a general clean, microfibre cloth and a bit of polish. I do it mainly to keep it clean, and not let grime build up. But I understand why people say clean it often, definitely a smart choice, but I think everyone's miscontruiing our definition of 'clean'. Do we mean, full calibre chain clean, hose down, brush between the spokes, and a proper chrome/grit polish? Probabaly not, I think most people just want to ensure there's no muck hiding away, dust building up in crevices, water sitting idly from rain, or anything possibly impacting mechanical issues. I myself, am going to try do that, give my bike a lookover before and after a ride, see if there's any points of concern. Then give her a simple wipe down, bit of polish and a whole lot of love :)
Although I would add, Monika is still right, extra care should be had with your Bonneville. Given the second life its been generously bestowed. Dont let the comments of a few people who don't clean theirs for months sway you :D
Freddie, you've got to visit tbe biggest and best festival of all. The IOM TT. Also the North West 200 . Ill report back on the ABR. Im making my first visit to it this year.
A big factor for my next bike is buying something simple enough that I can service myself. It also must be close enough to end of manufacturers warranty, or without one completely, that I dont need to use a main dealer. Main dealers are pricing themselves out of the future market.
Yamaha Honda Suzuki & other well known motorcycle companies , have 125 cc motorcycles manufactured in China . This Herald firm must be sourcing their bikes from the lower end Chinese factories in the hopes of a bigger mark up .
Cleaning a bike after every ride seems absolutely ridiculous. I can see weekly or monthly but not every single day (if your commuting on your bike)
Just Buy a C-F Moto with The Kawasaki Engine not the KTM Motor
Keep it Run Forever & Don't worry
About the Residuals.
I clean my bike almost every time I use it. Living in Wales it rains a lot so no choice. I did a video on it on my channel. There are some terrible videos on bike cleaning on TH-cam. Go for a non contact wash like the car detailers do.
I also have a Guzzi V7 850. Just come back from a 1000 mile trip to France. Does everything well and it’s beautiful.
I live on the other side of the world........Australia. I've owned a CFMoto 650 MT since 2017. I paid $6500 with panniers which is equivalent to at the time to 3.250 pounds. Insurance was cheap (it is over here) and insurance is voluntary here. I was aware of the residual value when I bought it but I didn't care. At that price why would I. I still own it, I've done over 65,000 ks and it's been faultless. In 2017, I took a gamble with this company as they weren't at all popular. The gamble paid off. Fast forward 7 years and I still love riding it. Yes it's Chinese but tbh, it's been more reliable than my Italian Vespa that's for sure.
Really enjoyed this. Bought my CB125R as my first bike during Covid. After one year and my full license, the price increased from 4400 to 4500. It's now worth 2900. It's taught me so much. 110.9 mpg. It fulfills my needs without excitement. I now need some excitement. Ideas for frugal excitement? Thanks. John.
It's not a bike festival. But just a little reminder that The Dave Myers ride out takes place on Saturday 8th June departing the Ace Cafe at 7am and finishing at Dave's home town Barrow In Furness. Judging by the chatter its going to be a mega event. Funds are being raised for The Institute of Cancer Research and Childline. Please give it a plug Freddie.
Bike events to try Freddie.
Barton bike night up near the Humber bridge. Thousands of bikes take over the town for the afternoon and evening. Streets are full of bikes. Stafford classic bike show is another which is worth spending a day walking around. Motogp at Silverstone is an experience, especially when you see 10s of thousands of bikes all parked up together. A lesser event, but a good night out is going to watch the speedway racing. Ipswich or kings lynn would be your local team possibly.
The big ones, in the US, of course Daytona, Beach Florida and Sturgis, South Dakota…others are Laconia, New Hampshire, Laughlin River Run aka Las Vegas BikeFest. However, my favorite is actually, Leesburg, Florida. Much smaller and the town is better suited for a biker event as it’s not spread out all over the city. Everything in one place with great restaurants as opposed to “Biker Food” you normally see at the other events.
Faro rally, Portugal, 3rd weekend of July
People who clean their bikes after every ride are fetishists. I doubt they ride all year, probably "butterflies" who ride June, July, August. Last Sunday (first weekend in June) Ponderosa (bike meet, Llangollen, North Wales), was absolutely full of gleaming Harleys and Royal Enfields which I never see in colder months. Where the hell are they outside of summer?
Wash the bike once a week and keep it dry when you put it away (under a cover if you haven't got a garage) and make sure the servicing is up-to-date. That'll do.
Had an Aprilia Falco twenty years ago, great bike, powerful and 100 per cent reliable, terrible side stand, had to park it up against a wall or a tree. Kept pace with a Brabus Mercedes down to Brighton at 160 mph: different times!
Go to the Farmyard party in Yorkshire. Top weekend.
T.R.K. 502 compared to a 1200 G.S. who gives a flying toss to the residual value 6K new B.M.W. 12K plus and massive massive servicing costs to boot ITS A NO BRAINER IT REALLY REALLY IS I now ride a 502 and love it less power but who the hell cares I have saved thousand and still have just as much fun who wants massive power its like driving /riding an auto matic and who wants that on a bike I like to ride not just sit there !!!!!!!!! My 502 to date has been ultra reliable !!!!!!!!
Best bike event .. TT races. Second best event is the Classic TT later in September
Hi Freddy, Suzuki main dealership in Murcia Capital, Spain labour €37 per hour just had first service on my Voge 900DSX, (They are also Vogue main dealers) the Voge is Chinese, and has broke the Market here, Why? Because Loncin make all the parallel twin BMW engines, their brand is Voge. 6 million engines a year, 4 million bikes. The DSX is the sister to the BMW F900GS. Same motor , chassis for €8888 . CF Moto owning 51% of KTM is not in my opinion a good thing, the CF Moto 800 explore at €12,500 is crazy compared to the Vogue 900 DSX. But that's the storm from the East. If you buy the Voge for €9k and in 2 years it's worth €4.5 k ( Won't happen) how much will your BMW F900GSA lose in 2 years 🤔
CF Moto residuals are an unfortunate issue. When I was learning and had a 125 I opted for a 2nd hand Honda despite it being almost the price of a brand new CF Moto. Sold it 9 months later for virtually what I paid for it.
Hi Freddie, re CFMoto worth keeping an eye on 'The Bingley Wheeler' on TH-cam, and his recent purchase of an MT800. Will be interesting to see how he gets on with his long term ownership journey.
Loving your content, thank you.
My local bike shop is £66.00 per hour +VAT. With fantastic service.
My friend runs a machinery shop repairing mowers, strimmer etc. charges £70 per hour and this time of year doing 7 days a week abs rammed with jobs. Cant believe it as small machines fairly easy to repair lots of how to on this media
From hearing pearls of wisdom about Chinese bikes there appears to be 2 facts.
They need a thorough pdi, as often torques are wrong, and service cannot be neglected
As for cleaning , I'm 80 years , never ever cleaned , or heard of , anyone doing this. Can only be posers which I've come across in France too. I now ride my wonderful PCX and just hose it down infrequently. 😄
The Herald Brat issues are all around its very poor and very cheap wiring. My Friend had issues with his, took the tank off and all of the electrical connections were corroded and falling apart. Once these were changed it was all fine again.
Regarding the Chinese market. I own a CFmoto 850mt touring, it's an excellent bike, full stop. In Australia, these bikes offer excellent value for money, never had any major problems and the two warranty issues and recalls, were painless.
Buy from the big Chinese manufacturers and you won't go wrong. If Ktm and Yamaha are choosing to build engines and bikes in the CFmoto factory, it tells you all you need to know if doubting reliability. Other brands build in Asia or use asian components, even the German brands. The difference in CFmoto's case in this example is that it's their own factory that produce the euro and Japanese quality. Not a European factory utilising asian workers and low costs.
You need to try one, I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Regards
Adelino.
Currently labour charges at all of our Ducati dealers is $200.00 CDN per hour, plus 12% taxes...A valve check by itself is over $1000 on a V2 Panigale...
Hope they close
Sold my Moto guzzi v85tt a couple of years ago. Was parked up for 4 months when it was waiting for sensors to come in. Once it was repaired the throttle grip had an issue which stopped cruise control working. Had enough after it needed something every year, flogged it after that and got an old California again, not an issue in 2 years.
The labour prices for garages are a rip off, the mechanic is probably on 15- 20.
My first bike after I did CBT was a Honda CB125F, bought for £2200 and just 50 miles on it. I kept it for 6 months and sold it for £2200. That's why you buy a Honda (made in China!). They keep their value much better. That gave me £2200 to put towards my Street Twin which I still have. I really liked the look of Heralds etc but the poor residual value really put me off.
Always be careful applying for a Crit Air in France.
There are so many pirate websites who rip you off.
Happened to me last year !
In Denmark we have no issues with parts for Aprilia... Btw. I have had no electric issues with my Aprilia pegaso strada..
The Aprilia Pegaso Strada is a great bike, and I do miss mine. Unfortunately Aprilia have discontinued a lot of parts for this bike.
I haven't tuned in for some time and I hear "cleaning a bike after every ride"? Are you mad?! I really think I do care a lot about my Bonneville, but I've never felt the need to clean it after every ride. Why should I? Depending on the weather and on how many flies are in the air, the bike is almost clean after riding.
I do think taking care of a bike is important, but I feel that cleaning after every ride is taking too much care and will do more harm than good.
It almost always seems to me, when I really clean my bike it will rain buckets in the next few days, usually when I'm riding. 💦
I have to smile at your bike engineering advice for obvious reasons. High mileage BMWs hassle free? I don’t think so. You will see just as many high mileage Japanese bikes without final drive failures very common with BMWs. A rider of 50 yrs and I wont buy a BMWor a Triumph based purely on witnessing peers problems. I so desire a Triumph but not on your Nelly. If you look at CF MOTO and see they sell bikes in the millions world wide, they will be a force to be reckoned with if they establish dealerships as RE did. Check out the vlog on here where John Mcguiness thrashed a 100k mile vfr around a track at 10000rpm in every gear. He was amazed and the bike flawless
Freddie, nothing, but nothing (festival wise,) can compare with the Isle of Man TT. £144 per hour for labour?? As the old saying goes, at least Dick Turpin wore a mask!
I live near Plymouth so appreciate the heads up !
25 years ago I owned an Aprilia 650 super scooter that went like stink but hardly stopped. Parts back then, in US, were a months long wait & though it looked all pretty & Italian in the garage, I swore off the brand....
I have a Chinese Bike, its a Zontes ZT350T. ive had no problems with it. i swapped my Honda CFB 600 for it
Sorry , I have to say this warning. I bought a Kawasaki ER6 new here in France . After 7000 kilometers it burned the wiring harness , it was 7 years old serviced by me ( retired engineer ) . I received a very rude letter from Kawasaki France saying the bike was old , hadn't been serviced by them and they had no sympathy- they had the cheek to send the latest workshop service sheet which recommended cleaning the point on the regulator every few thousand klms. The burning harness destroyed the regulator . I had to wait a week in a hotel for the part to arrive from Italy. The harness patched up I limped home.some 3000 euros poorer. Unwisely I kept the bike. I discovered all over the world riders had the same problem - in the US because of strong consumer laws - Kawasaki were forced to compensate. This burning harness happened again twice more. ! Before I got rid of it. Also I had purchased a mini mud guard to protect the regulator under the seat. A retired engineering friend and expert repaired it each time ( new regulator , s/h wiring harness eBay.) but it was not the regulator , it was , my friend said inferior wiring could not cope at times. Kawasaki knew this all alone ! I did a TH-cam video on it and invited Kwak to sue me - needless to say they never did. If they'd owned up and apologised and given me something in recompense I would have minded so much. Never , ever again Kawasaki.
7;years and 7 000 kilometers is an 'old' bike according to Kawasaki. So according to that , if you buy one remember Kwak only expects them to last a few years
P.s. oh , and I'm now 80 riding a PCX . First bike 1968 a BSA , never , ever , had this rude response from any manufacturer . But then never had this experience and I wasn't dealing with the French ! 😄
If people are washing their bikes after every ride then I don't think they are riding everyday
And besides that if it's not affecting the functionality of the bike then you are just wasting water and other resources
Parts supply problems on fairly new bikes? Is that due to the anti consumer practices of making obscure and common parts a one manufacturer or model only, which keeps parts supply in house and prices high..
I've had a Mutt 125 for the last 9 months, its honestly such a lovely looking bike, it really is stunning. But... it is one of the most unreliable things I've ever seen. It is practically allergic to rain and hates the idea of consistent power, sometimes its nippy then others its a snail. It really is a cautionary tale, still never getting rid of it as its my first bike! but. Going straight to a Honda for my A2.
Try the TT . Its the best and i have been to plenty of bike events
The major problem with Chinese bikes is the lack of dealer network
That's where the Japanese won out in the first place as they knew they needed to have back up for their bikes and support their warranty as much as possible because it built up a good reputation.
A good dealer network also means people will return to them for future purposes and thus you can control residuals much much more
Chinese bikes are also completely unoriginal - all they do is copy everyone else...which means they don't stand out
And when you don't stand out there's no USP to help keep those residuals up
Chinese cars are the same