The ups and downs of chinese bike ownership - Herald 250cc classic custom

[dubber68]

Having recently purchased a Herald 250 classic which I pick up on Monday 12/1 I thought that I would start and update a topic outlining the experiences of owning and running a Chinese bike.

Before buying the bike I did quite a bit of reading on various sites and the majority of advice was to stay well clear, the vast majority of which seemed to come from people who hadn't owned one. What follows will be a warts and all insight into owning one of these divisive machines.

To start off with insuring this particular model has been a bit of a chore as the model is quite new and not listed on the insurance companies vehicle list, but with some perseverance a competitive quote was found. Although this is not limited to Chinese bikes it seems that anything away from the mainstream models can result in this. Having said that we still sometimes have a problem with this on the missuses Vanvan when renewal time comes around and that can realistically be called mainstream in my opinion.

On the flipside getting a bike in exactly the style I want with alterations done to my spec for the price of £3600 is definitely a plus in my opinion. At the moment though accessories are quite rare in the UK but speaking to the importer an accessories catalogue is due March with the shipment leaving imminently.

More to follow when I pick up the bike.

[Brenhden]

Cool, there are plenty of us who will watch with genuine interest

[Gedge]

Having recently purchased a Herald 250 classic which I pick up on Monday 12/1 I thought that I would start and update a topic outlining the experiences of owning and running a Chinese bike.

Before buying the bike I did quite a bit of reading on various sites and the majority of advice was to stay well clear, the vast majority of which seemed to come from people who hadn't owned one. What follows will be a warts and all insight into owning one of these divisive machines.

To start off with insuring this particular model has been a bit of a chore as the model is quite new and not listed on the insurance companies vehicle list, but with some perseverance a competitive quote was found. Although this is not limited to Chinese bikes it seems that anything away from the mainstream models can result in this. Having said that we still sometimes have a problem with this on the missuses Vanvan when renewal time comes around and that can realistically be called mainstream in my opinion.

On the flipside getting a bike in exactly the style I want with alterations done to my spec for the price of £3600 is definitely a plus in my opinion. At the moment though accessories are quite rare in the UK but speaking to the importer an accessories catalogue is due March with the shipment leaving imminently.

More to follow when I pick up the bike.

My mates bike shop has just gotone of these in stock in an Army green colour..Looked like a mini Bonneville..Looked quite well put together, and he seems very happy with the quality of the bikes.. be interested in how it holds up..

[Richard Simpson]

I think 'Herald' is just an English language badge on a Chinese 'Zingbikes' bike...aren't they essentially HMCs?

You may find the bike is actually an HMC or Lifan...and easier to insure as such.

[dubber68]

I think 'Herald' is just an English language badge on a Chinese 'Zingbikes' bike...aren't they essentially HMCs?

You may find the bike is actually an HMC or Lifan...and easier to insure as such.

You are correct they were formerly HMC who is in fact zingbikes and the factory they are made in is Lifans. They are sold all over Europe with other names most notably Mash motorcycles in France and seem to be pretty well received by their owners. can't wait to get her and do the obligatory check over as recommended by other Chinese bike owners.

[XF650]

Wishing you all the best with the new beast, matey, it does look nice! (thumbs)

Good to meet you the other day. Like me, you need a bigger garage lol! :whistle:

[Richard Simpson]

A 125 version gets a reasonable write-up in Ride this month, and they say positive things about the 250, which they will feature next month.

The worst Chinese features (oil, chains, brake pads, tyres) are changed for better ones when the bikes are PDI'd in the UK.

It looks like a 1980s bike at a 1980s price...and that's not actually a bad thing.

[dubber68]

Wishing you all the best with the new beast, matey, it does look nice! (thumbs)

Good to meet you the other day. Like me, you need a bigger garage lol! :whistle:

Yeah a bigger garage and the funds to fill it would be great. Also a pleasure to meet you and hopefully it won't be the last time.

[-Ralph-]

They are not just a Chinese bike with a different badge on.

Herald bikes come in from China and are basically rebuilt by a small team of guys in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, who upgrade many of the components, before selling them on. Anything that they are not happy with the quality of they reject and send back. The only problems they've had so far was the finish of some of the forks, which were removed from the bikes and replaced with UK sourced items before the bikes were sold and the bad forks returned back to China.

The company is owned by a millionaire who just loves bikes and wanted to build retro bikes, runs it as a bit of a hobby, so getting it right is more important to him than profit, he doesn't need the money.

They also do custom builds using the chinese bike as a base, they are about twice the price, but they do look good.

[Selous]

Have a look at F2 Motorcycles Ltd
They have a number of Chinease bikes modls ans specs also sidcars