Hey all,
As I comb through the ads here locally in Cusco, Peru, I can't help but be tempted by some of the Roncos or Ssendas. I know they're inferior parts, but how bad? I'll talk to the locals and they say they're good, yet I hear mixed things from westerners.
I'm not looking to drive around the entire continent, just little 2-3 day adventures here and there-mostly just use it for getting around here though.
Anyone with experience, let me know!

I should also add that I'm used to doing all of my own maintenance, so I don't mind a bike that takes a little extra love

"Good" is relative, as with all things. We get lots of reports on the Chinese bikes in SA, and generally they're reasonably favourable. Assuming you understand they are NOT Japanese bikes with their level of reliability, and plan to work on them a bit, fiddle as needed, and if it breaks remember what you paid for it - and then they're fine.

If you expect to beat it to death AND have real reliability, you will be sorely disappointed, but it doesn't sound like you do, so I suspect you'll be happy.

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I am not familiar with the models you mention but my experience of Chinese made bikes is that they range from the truely appalling through to perfectly good, my XR125 Honda is made in China and is the usualy high Honda quality so they can do it. If I was in South America I would look for a Brazilian made Honda but I presume they are more expensive.

Assuming you can get the spare parts? five years from now those manufactures would have closed shop & moved on.

I would recommend buying a used Japanese bike, it will outlast ANY Chinese rubbish you will find.

Mezo.

The thing is, I can only find Japanese bikes that have 50k+ KMs around here... so I kind of feel like they will both die at the same time.

Spare parts for Chinese bikes are found at basically every corner... vs genuine japanese bike parts where you have to go to a big city to score

Agree with what has been said above.

But dont forget the Chinese bikes that are sold here in SA are not designed well, if designed at all ..... so this makes the handling of the bike, especially off road, really bad.

I would suggest, as Mark said, a Japanese brand made in Brazil. Yes they are a lot more expensive, but compare to a Chinese bike worth every dollar. And a Honda will keep its value, while a new Chinese bike has no more value after five or six years.

Just my 2 cents from Bolivia

mika

When I lived in Mexico I owned a bike called a Loncin Cyclone. It was essentially a Chinese-made knock-off of an XR200 with sportbike bodywork bolted on top. Because the local shops offered service and support, I was not reluctant to ride this bike, and I enjoyed riding for about a year before I sold it to move back to Canada. It was very reliable and was my daily driver while there.

So how good are service and support for this bike? If you drive a couple of hundred miles across the country and have a major mechanical issue, will you be able to find a shop that will repair it? What do locals say about that particular bike? Is it a popular model with local riders?

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Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250

I own the old Yamaha Tenere (1988) it still rides like new, i have rebuilt another one & its still going around outback Australia like a new bike, you can buy a Brazilian Tenere which are just as good as the Japanese bike as Japan sold all the tooling to the Brazilians & they continued building them, they are bullet proof bikes.

I also own a Chinese scooter,,,its crap.

Mezo,

I bought a Ronco Demolition 250 brand new in Cusco and rode it all around every country in South America, clocking up over 80,000kms, over 8 years. I had my fair share of problems, but so do many other non-Chinese brands. You get an incredible amount of bike and fun for the money in these Chinese bikes, but you do have do due maintenance and keep an eye on them. I once replaced an entire Ronco 250 engine with a new one for only $650 including labour, and I know I was overcharged! I would imagine their quality and reliability have improved in the years since I bought mine. I would say for your kind of short-hop use a Ronco or Senda (both use the Shineray engine) they would be very cost-effective. video here shows why I chose a Ronco - good bit starts at the 58 minute mark https://youtu.be/Gdd38WU0CBw?t=3486

I have a Peruvian plated Cross Triton that lives in the Andes. I go down about once a year to take a rip around the mountains. Once on a trip, I had to have the rear brake adjusted. Finding a mechanic was no problem and the price was very reasonable. Why? Because that is what the locals ride.

From what I hear, Chinese bikes were really bad but have gotten better. My little 250cc Chinese bike has done well by me. That said, I would have a skilled mechanic go over any bike purchased second-hand. Before turning your bike over to a mechanic, check out the shop. I have seen a crazy disorganized shop in Bolivia. Piles of nuts, bolts, and miscellaneous parts pretty much swept into piles on the floor. If you want a recommendation, private message me.

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

Ignore the country of manufacture.

Look at the price.

If you can buy a BRAND new motorcycle for £3000-£4000 what do you think it is made of. Where in that cost can they squeeze in quality, testing and reliability ?

They are assembled from the cheapest parts available. Which have also been made from the cheapest parts available from the lowest grade materials.

You just CAN NOT buy quality at a budget.

You look at a Chinese motorcycle the same way you look at anything which is half the price of something decent. It's throw away. It may look good and appear that it works well when it's new out of the box. Then it breaks. And it's hard or impossible to fix. You will have no support, no manuals, no spares that fit.

I work in bike shops. I deal with a lot of these Chinese, Korean and Indian bikes. It's an incredibly rare event that you see one over five years old which is running well or even running at all.

Even when just a few months old they have problems. The engines are probably the best part about them because they're direct copies of older Japanese engines like the GN125 or CG125s etc. Then they're wrapped up in cheap and nasty parts which randomly and often fail. Such as the ignition switches, fuel pumps, starter motors, throttle sensors etc. All these things maybe very cheap to replace but first they need diagnosing and sourcing. Which is a nightmare even when you're in a UK Main dealer. Let alone a small village in Peru etc.

A well built Japanese motorcycle from twenty years ago will still outlast and out perform a brand new third world bike. And cost less.

I've got quite a few friends who jumped on the R.E Himalayan band wagon. Their bikes are 2-3 years old, well maintained and they look like they were dragged out of a canal already and they break down all the time with stupid little things.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

When it comes to chinese bikes and stuff I totally agree with what Ted writes above here. 99 % of these is pure junk. A very few exeptions can be found though.
Indian bikes are much better though, not in the leauge of japanese bikes but waaay better than chinese stuff. In India they have used and made and manufactured bikes for a long time and that clearly shows even though they are made cheap so that they are affordable to the masses. Royal Enfields, Pulsars, Hero etc are much better bikes than chinese stuff.

And its not only about what parts costs, its about labour cost amongst other factors too. Most japanese and quite many european bikes are assembled in Thailand nowadays after all….

The very worst bike I have ever owned was a japanese brand, assembled in Spain btw…

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

I agree Indian bikes are better than Chinese, generally.

Taiwanese brand Kymco isn't too bad now either. Their current models are better than most of the other budget bikes around.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57815491

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsudJ23WBGY

True story of a Chinese man who is reported to have travelled 500,000km, on 10 motorcycles looking for his kidnapped son. Bearing in mind all the questions it is still a great outcome for the man and his son as it is reported from multiple sources that they have been re-united.