Lucy (the motorcycle I bought) has been stored for its winter hibernation. So now it is the perfect time to talk about my first five months have been with a Chinese motorcycle (tl;dr: they have been good).
There are stories all over the Internet about poor reliability and spares availability for Chinese motorcycles. But I haven’t had neither of these problems. My motorcycle is a Lexmoto and I have found it very easy to find parts, either from Amazon, eBay, or Chinese Motorcycles Parts Online. The motorcycle has also been very reliable for me. It has only had one problem since I bought it. That was the fuel gauge not working. This problem was caused by me when I stuck the gas nozzle too far in the petrol tank and damaged the sensing unit.
Another reason why I had very few problems with my motorcycle is that I am a very careful driver. If I was driving a motorcycle when I was 17, there would have surely been more problems at this stage, regardless if it was a Chinese motorcycle or not.
So far, I have driven Lucy in the sun (a lot), rain (not a lot, thankfully) and windy weather. I finally understand why people enjoy riding motorcycles so much. It is fun. A lot of fun. The ride is overall very comfortable. I barely feel anything when I go over speed humps. I have found the brakes good and reliable, thankfully. The running costs so far have been next to nothing. I also really enjoyed having a gear indicator on a motorcycle, since I usually forget what gear I am in.
I have also learned quite a lot about motorcycle maintenance from Lucy. Since the Lexmoto quite cheap, I was not afraid to get my hands dirty and try and fix problems by myself. Even if you do not like Chinese motorcycles, I would recommend one if you are new to biking. You will learn how to maintain and fix parts on a motorcycle and since they are cheaper than Japanese motorcycles, you will be much more willing to fix a problem by yourself.
Another great thing about Lucy is that it looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. It is a cruiser bike and most people when they see it for the first time think it is a Harley-Davidson. I also get quite a lot of people staring at my motorcycle like it is a expensive motorcycle. This is certainly a plus in my books for the Lexmoto Michigan. Chinese motorcycles might not have as much power as Japanese motorcycles, but they certainly have better looks.
Overall, Lucy has been comfortable to ride, easy to maintain (don’t know about oil change as I do not have the right tools to do that job yet), and a joy to have. Would I recommend a Chinese motorcycle? Yes.
My goal for next year is to learn all the motorcycle maneuvers I would have to do on the practical test and then take the Direct Access Scheme (UK specific) so that I can get my full license. Then you will be seeing me cruising around Europe, hopefully not on a 125cc motorcycle (sorry Lucy).