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Since I know this forum has a lot of traffic, I figured I should post something about this, as the problem seems to be growing. Thanks go out to primalmu for bringing it up.
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/mcd/3201818942.html
That is an ad from a local dealer for a Jin Lun JL250P. They are a chinese manufacturer. I cannot speak for their quality, nor will I attempt to. What I CAN speak for is dealer practices.
The msrp on a JL250P is $1750. What many of the dealers of these bikes do is pile on taxes and added fees to push the price up to over $3k in some cases. I would guess because it's easy to take a first time buyers head off, and eating is a habit these dealers are rather fond of. This would be bad enough, but people are terrible and the gift keeps giving.
The trend that's emerging now is this: people that paid nearly 2x msrp want out from under these things and start looking up resale values. When the truth hits home, they get angry, they get desperate, they want you to share their pain. The methods vary, but the goal is always the same. "Get my money back." Over charging on resale is the most blatant and common. Lately I've seen quite a few rebadged. Kawasaki seems popular. Several turned up as CBRs when the 250s first came out and were unfamiliar. Having cloned Honda mechanicals didn't help.
If you are looking into 250cc bikes, for whatever reason, BE AWARE that this is happening. Get as familiar as you can with the actual product lines of the "big name" manufacturers. You wouldn't study counterfit bills to know what one looks like. You get real familiar with the real, and listen to that voice that says " there's something wrong with this." Don't get taken.
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/mcd/3201818942.html
That is an ad from a local dealer for a Jin Lun JL250P. They are a chinese manufacturer. I cannot speak for their quality, nor will I attempt to. What I CAN speak for is dealer practices.
The msrp on a JL250P is $1750. What many of the dealers of these bikes do is pile on taxes and added fees to push the price up to over $3k in some cases. I would guess because it's easy to take a first time buyers head off, and eating is a habit these dealers are rather fond of. This would be bad enough, but people are terrible and the gift keeps giving.
The trend that's emerging now is this: people that paid nearly 2x msrp want out from under these things and start looking up resale values. When the truth hits home, they get angry, they get desperate, they want you to share their pain. The methods vary, but the goal is always the same. "Get my money back." Over charging on resale is the most blatant and common. Lately I've seen quite a few rebadged. Kawasaki seems popular. Several turned up as CBRs when the 250s first came out and were unfamiliar. Having cloned Honda mechanicals didn't help.
If you are looking into 250cc bikes, for whatever reason, BE AWARE that this is happening. Get as familiar as you can with the actual product lines of the "big name" manufacturers. You wouldn't study counterfit bills to know what one looks like. You get real familiar with the real, and listen to that voice that says " there's something wrong with this." Don't get taken.