Quality Question

Coolhand

Hello,

I am at present bike shopping. well taking a look online at this stage. I have found keeway and they seem to be really good value. Just a bit suprised about how cheap they are. Are they good for a first bike does anyone know. they look nice. any info would be great.

gabgab

Hey coolhand,

I am shopping and training at the moment too, I would guess that there is a catch and were probably better off with a established brand. You just need to look at the price of a 250 hornet to see just how well some stuff holds its value against some other stuff......

Just my two cents,

Coolhand

Can anyone else offer any advice. I just want to make sure I dont get the wrong bike here. Any more help would be great.

Oryx

Keeway are chinese, but not imported by a fly by night operator. The quality seems ok, and they do have full Irish parts and warranty backup. They have some quirky specs, like remote keyfobs.

Jap bikes have a good track record for reliablity though and are a known quantity when it comes to trading up.

lukester

If it were me, for resale ability I'd look for a better known brand, unless you're getting a serious bargain or intend to run the bike into the ground.

colm_c

They're cheap for a reason.

pirate reject

As said earlier Keeway are a Chinese brand who have recently begun to export on a (reasonably) large scale to the UK and Ireland.

Most of the models made by Chinese manufacturers tend to be copies of Japanese brands and models and therefore the styling is always quite reasonable. However from what I can gather there is always an underlying cheap feeling to the Chinese brands and key areas such as brakes etc tend to be of poorer quality. Additionally while it may not seem like a big point the standard issue tyres on these bikes are also often from a cheaper manufacturer and also of a poorer quality. These are not areas you would want to cut corners on when it comes to a bike you are going to be learning on.Finally when it comes to handling these copies never tend to come out trumps against the Japanese and other manufacturers. Again I would be looking for the most comfortable and forgiving handling on any bike I was considering as a learner bike.

The other issue you need to consider is spare parts. While obtaining spares for the established manufacturers may be a little more expensive, you are sure of being able to source the spares from a number of potential dealers, and many well known generic parts manufacturers produce generic parts for the established brands. When it comes to Chinese bikes you may find it difficult to source any spares at all, lead times may be longer when you can get them, and because they are likely to all come via the same supplier, you may find yourself paying more in the long term.

My advice is to buy yourself a few MCN or bike buyers / what bike guide type mags and see what secondhand 125 models sell well and hold their value. The chances are that the most popular sellers are the best learner bikes. Most bike selling mags will also give you an indication as to performance etc of each bike.

Hope this helps

freebird23

i have bought one of these and so far so good, lots of crome and as long as you keep them polished they are ok, i had a yamaha virago and the are almost the same only the keeway are nicer as in the weels aare alloy blades as apposed to spokes.

Hotblack Desiato

freebird23 wrote: »

i have bought one of these and so far so good, lots of crome and as long as you keep them polished they are ok, i had a yamaha virago and the are almost the same only the keeway are nicer as in the weels aare alloy blades as apposed to spokes.

Get back to us in a couple of years time, especially if you're trying to sell it...

Perssonally I would stick to one of the japanese brands. You can't go wrong with Honda or Yamaha, but beware of Suzuki. I had a Suzuki marauder when I was starting out, a pile of sh*te that started falling apart two weeks after I bought it(I bought it new btw).

If I'm correct Suzuki Marauder is designed and manufactured by Kwak.

samih

samih wrote: »

If I'm correct Suzuki Marauder is designed and manufactured by Kwak.

Didn't know that. Crap bike though. I was so glad to be rid of it.:D

opti76

i had a marauder for 2 years and it ran like a dream.. no power in it but a solid bike .. maybe you got a bad one ...
i even hit a fox on mine ..... had to go through 2 fields to get him.

GaaTec

I would definitely stay with the japanese brands myself. Have had a Suzuki Intruder 800 1996 for the last 4 years, and have had no problems at all.


spam deleted

Wossack

ninja900 wrote: »

Get back to us in a couple of years time, especially if you're trying to sell it...

yea... that sounds so similar to the lad with the hyosung that posted on the forum a good while ago

thread here