Discriminating Quality: Can Chinese Motorcycle Parts Compete With Foreign Brands?
Not too long ago, news came out that China is studying and understanding the engineering technology of foreign motorcycle manufacturers to improve the quality of motorcycles produced in the country. The country’s auto industry invited experts from Europe to speak and share the latest technology used in manufacturing top quality motorbikes. For the longest time, it seemed like Chinese companies were very hostile to the ways of the west — and even the technology from neighbouring countries like Japan and Korea, which have both strongly carved a niche in the auto industry. But perhaps, after all the negative reviews of Chinese motorcyles, industry authorities in China deemed it timely and necessary to make improvements with the parts since design has never been a problem. This move suggests that Chinese manufacturing companies are truly gearing up to conquer the global auto market.
The question now is, are Chinese motorcycle parts already up to the standards of those from more recognisable brands? Motoring experts claim that if the buyers’ focus is on economy, these parts are perhaps the best options out there. Everybody knows how businesses from the country tend to focus more on providing affordable products to the masses which is pretty much the lure of China-made items. However, many claim that as far as quality goes, many of these items are just completely substandard – it’s the classic case of low price equating to low quality. For the last couple of decades, that was basically the case with China-made motorcycle parts; they work — no doubt about it — but as far as durability is concerned, motorcycle statistics reveal that many of them just cannot stand the test of time for instead of the standard materials used by more renowned brands in the auto market, Chinese manufacturers use cheaper substitutes to target the lower budget many of today’s buyers have. In many cases, they only last a quarter to half the span of functional service provided by similar motorcycle parts from Europe, Japan, Korea and the US.
But all of this is bound to change as motorcycle companies in China are no longer just “copying” models from foreign brands; rather, they are taking inspiration from the competitors and striving to make things better while still keeping costs low. In addition to this, they intend to make maintenance so much easier for potential buyers by making their parts easily available. With some of the designs being created by Chinese motorcycle companies, the global auto market is definitely looking forward to the next five years when Chinese brands will be comparable to Japanese and other foreign brands. As for the price, everybody’s just hoping that advanced engineering will be able to keep retail prices low.
For now, economy is really what drives people to buy China-made parts, but over time, a significant difference in quality can be expected by consumers and they would no longer think twice about making them their first choice.
About the author: Dav Wayman is an automotive and motorcycle enthusiast. He is also a content creator who writes articles about motorcycle and car engines, car and motorcycle reviews, car models and prices and even car and motorcycle designs. In order to know more about motorcycles, he visits Aroundchina.org.
