Pardon me - at least I got the expensive bit right ;-)

Same confusion occurs with CRF L/X/R...

Easy to get confused, I got it wrong as well, I meant the WRF250R.:-)

It's 2k more expensive, but to get the CRF to the same power and suspension standard would cost more than the difference in cost.

The Chinese bike I referred to is a Zongshen 'Fly' (depending on the market) 200. They make the same bike with aircooled 200 and water cooled 150 cc models among others, and it's sold in different countries under various brand names.
They sell this series as a world bike, and it can be had with even better suspension and motor components. The designed and manufacturing quality is very different to anything I've seen in the US or even the majority of other Chinese bikes around here.

Mine came as a Motorstar MSX200-II, even more confusing because that exact model name was used by the importer in the past to label a bike from a totally different manufacturer, with a Yamaha-based motor rather than the Honda CBB one in mine...

It gets even more confusing as several Chinese manufacturers buy in Zongshen motors (which are regarded as higher quality) and then put the Zongshen name on an inferior product.

One of the things the Chinese need to sort out is the marketing, distribution and branding aspects. That is probably their biggest issue right now.
Some of the Chinese bikes are plain junk, some are adequate and some are quite decent, but without quite a lot of research you have no idea which is which.

However, once they get that sorted, they could be a big player in the market, as they have huge economies of scale, especially smaller bikes.

I look at mine compared to the locally produced Honda XR200, which is really an XRL dating to the 80s and 90s, and have no idea how they can sell it for half the cost.

The Honda makes no more power, the frame and welds are cheap and tend to rust, components such as footpeg mounts are cheap and flimsy. The suspension is worse, the only good things about the bike is the Japanese built motor which is very reliable if low tech (2-valve) and the design is so old school it is easy to weld up stuff for the steel tube frame and for bush mechanics to repair.

Hey Chris

Thanks for posting this. I'm taking by 250L around the world in 5 months time. Any advice is very much appreciated! Still trying to figure out how to fit my new kriega system!!

Steph's Diaries - Bikers Guide to the Galaxy

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Bubble wrap and parcel tape for the seat..cheap,makes it bearable on Tarmac stretches and you can just peel it off and toss it away when off road and you want to stand or move around the bike..