Hi All,
I'm wondering what experience people have of Chinese engines, both in motorbikes and as static engines in industrial, plant or agricultural machinery.
There seems to be quite a few Chinese engines out there, such as Lifan, Kinlon, Shineray, Zongshen, but there seems to be hundreds of other names too.
Then there are the copies / clones of Honda by companies like Loncin amongst others. They all seem very cheap to buy in comparison to 'the real thing', whether on a bike or bolted to a wacker plate.
Are they up to the same or similar standards of reliability or refinement of engines from the known European or Japanese manufacturers?
Would you replace a Honda engine on your cement mixer or rotivator with a Chinese clone when the 'real thing' costs more than twice the price of the clone?
Would you consider a motorbike with a Chinese engine?
I suppose this will be more of a decision when the Chinese actively export their own cars over here.
Simon
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I wonder what the Chinese thought when they got the `K` series as part of the Rover package?
conveyor belt engine in their head gasket factories perhaps? ;)
regards
Edited by oilrag on 28/02/2008 at 21:08
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Actually I think they just fixed the design fault that causes the HGs to go as often as they do! A pity that Rover didn't do likewise about 12 years ago!
Edited by Pugugly on 28/02/2008 at 22:52
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Good friend of mine works for a major importer of Chinese motorbikes; mainly 125 "learner legal" stuff.
His view is buy them, run them for two years and throw them away; assuming they haven't expired in the meantime. Build quality is appalling, proof if ever you needed it of the old adage that you get what you pay for.
Having said that I own a 2.8 KV portable generator with a Chinese engine; haven't had to run it for more than a couple of hours at a time but I've owned it for three years,probably used it half a dozen times and it's always started and worked when I've needed it to.
To sum it up, most of them are cheap and nasty, but a few are getting better; bit like the tools they make.
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Just the same comments on quality were being made in the early 1960s about Japanese bikes...
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Good friend of mine works for a major importer of Chinese motorbikes; mainly 125 "learner legal" stuff.
SNIPQUOTE!
In reply to Harleyman
..........and how good were Rover cars who were being built in England and costing as much as similar Fords, Vauxhalls etc.. HGF was a common fault with their cars and they couldn't even fix that for years.
Being cheap doesn't mean being rubbish, as someone else mentioned earlier that's what people made up of Japanese cars when the started appearing on British roads in 60s and then the Koreans recently.
I've lived in Hong Kong for well over 8 years and believe me China is full of quality manufacturers but at the sametime its full of not so good products so its a case of finding the right manufacturer and the product.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 29/02/2008 at 09:49
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Basically that's what I'm saying. The comparison with Japanese machinery of the 60's does not hold water though; they were reliable from day one, something which as you say the British never got a grip on, and it was the main factor behind the demise of the British motorcycle industry.
The Chinese are making and marketing motorcycles based on 20 year old Japanese designs of proven reliability. Problem is that all too often they are using sub-standard materials with cosequent reliability problems.
If the Japanese had done that in the 1950's and 1960's using 20-year-old proven BRITISH designs, they'd never have got off the ground! My 1966 Honda CB72 was light years ahead of British standards because the Japanese invested their money in research and development. That has always been the Japanese ethos, to take something good and make it better instead of the Britsh one of churning out the same old stuff till it's obsolete.
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I don't think Japanese bikes were that reliable when they first appeared (remembers seized gearbox on first Honda) - it's just that they were a lot more reliable than the stuff the moribund British motorcycle industry was producing at the time.
I must say that the fact that the new Jazz is coming from China is probably enough to put me off my growing intention to grow old gracefully and buy one. Nothing against China but I find it hard to believe it will be up to the usual Honda standard - yet.
In the past I've tried to buy Japanese Hondas - not easy now - and the one American-built Accord I've owned has had more niggles and problems than all the others put together.
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Have run a chinese Furzou engine in my boat for the past three years with no problems It is a 1600 twin diesel imported in the early 90s together with many more It has now done 2500 hrs Have come across 3 others with this engine installed at about the same time as mine but done alot more hours [ one was 7000] Itis very basic in design but is big and solidand puts out 26hp
Been used for 15yrs now so cant be too bad
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