Royal Enfield The last real motorbike maker ? Plus that China syndrome

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TWO WHEEL RIDER

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 75

@glennrowe2961 Ай бұрын

I would call Moto Guzzi the last real motorcycle maker. Beautiful bikes made in Mandello del Lario for over 100 years.

@paulholmes9537 Ай бұрын

Hi Yes I mentioned guzzi in the video, it’s actually one of the makes I’ve thought about buying recently, plus they are very individual in style etc which I love . Very tempted by the. 85tt

@pkaramer Ай бұрын

No spares there too

@hectorshouse7348 20 күн бұрын

This is an expert analysis…he doesn’t deal with feelings and emotion.

@michaelhawke1245 Ай бұрын

A thoughtful and fair -minded piece. Well presented nicely filmed. Thanks.

@hectorshouse7348 20 күн бұрын

This is an expert analysis…he doesn’t deal with feelings and emotion.

@paulholmes9537 Ай бұрын

Hi all Thanks for those comments, I’m currently in India , running around on an RE classic/bullet. I’m so glad you guys could see what I was driving at here,?it’s not to bash Chinese bikes but to try and see what the future could be around the motorbikes in general. I’ve just heard another major dealer has gone down in Sussex . I fear greatly for the future of biking. So hold on to your home maintainable bikes like you biking life depends on it 😂

@yahoodlums Ай бұрын

Great piece. There’s so much hype around certain chinese bikes such as the CF Moto 450, Kove 450 etc. It is easy to get swept along, but the reality is, at some point in the future you will need parts and it will be a pain in the butt. Imagine needing parts during a touring holiday? Or simple, consumable items, sprockets, shifter linkage, fork seals etc… They are cheap for a reason, you could even argue they are not cheap enough.

@duncancleverley6366 Ай бұрын

I agree.. I think PCP deals have made bikes (and cars) a ‘throwaway’ product for many. Ironically this pushed prices up as people just saw the monthly payment, not the final payment/end price. This left a gap for cheap Chinese bikes to fill and as you say, servicing, repairs and longevity are an issue. Certainly residual values are shocking. I feel sympathy for local independent dealers who have been caught up in this and I’m sad to see Groombridges close.

@hectorshouse7348 20 күн бұрын

Sadly the U.K. is a low IQ country…just look how they swallow the ‘climate crisis’, and ‘NetZero’, from the very same people that want war after war!

@andreastomblin2137 Ай бұрын

Very interesting and very true. Thanks for posting.

@jezza1421 Ай бұрын

Something I have been considering too. Enfield parts are easily available anywhere, are cheap as chips, and the bikes are easy to work on. Come the apocalypse, if I got stuck, I could probably bin the ECU, stick a couple of carbs on it and cobble together an electronic ignition system. I could most likely do the same with my 2018 Harley. My Interceptor is a keeper, and as well as being a fantastic bike, no matter what the market does, I will most likely be able to keep it going for my lifetime. As for the Harley, I may keep it, or sell it on and get an older FXR instead. The Chinese are offering some very attractive bikes; I'm sorely tempted by the Morbidelli C1002V, but despite all the bells and whistles, and top notch branded components, I have to consider that if anything goes wrong with it, I could have an expensive doorstop, which is why the initial low price to buy is key; I have to weigh up how long I might be able to keep it going, and how much I will probably lose over its lifetime (which may only be a few years). We may be doing them a disservice though; the likes of Africa are awash with cheap Chinese bikes, that just seem to keep going and going. I guess time will tell; think I'll just buy one and see, but I think you may be right, Royal Enfield is probably the last real motorbike maker

@t.d.9011 Ай бұрын

Like somebody else said: some bikes nowadays are built for consumers, not for motorcyclists. And RE delivers on bikes for motorcyclists, personally happy about that 😊

@keepitreal1547 Ай бұрын

Fantastic video & food for thought for all to consider. Must say, the Voge bikes look great & are amazing value, but only time will tell if there will be spares available. I'd say we'll know in the next three years.

@roxyroxburgh9566 Ай бұрын

Thank you. Very thoughtful.

@megaady36 Ай бұрын

If you follow Itchy Boots she is just getting her "new" bike sorted for her next trip - it is a 30 plus year old refurbished and modded 600 Tenere. Her reasoning being it needs to be repairable anywhere and have minimal electronics so less things to fail. That's pretty much the point you are making I think and shows that older well made bikes are still supported - i doubt very few bikes bought new in 2024 will be viable in 30 years.

@theartisanrider472 Ай бұрын

hi yes ive followed her from the beginning and have huge respect. i thought it was funny that alot of commentators were hoping she was going to use the CFmoto450, my respect for her when she went for a custom tenere doubled , as you say perfect reasoning, by someone who has been there and done it. brilliant

@RobertJones-s9b Ай бұрын

This is so true -- I recently enquired with Reiju about the Aventura 500 (a Chinese bike) about spares availability and back up. They wouldn't even reply ---------------------

@Paul-pb3vq Ай бұрын

I agree with what you say I had a Chinese built bike dealership didn't what to take in part exchange due lack of parts. Ended up selling it to we buy any bike.

@darthdamn Ай бұрын

Very insightfull. Thanks.

@GapBahnDirk Ай бұрын

Very good arguments there! I am an R.E. fan.

@IIshadowriderII Ай бұрын

You make a very interesting argument... Even so, I will always be grateful to RE because they "made" the "big" companies realize that people want small-capacity, cheap bikes just to enjoy riding! Not, huge, expensive, over-the-top, status symbols! The Interceptor was an instant favorite the moment i first saw it!

@colinaston7332 Ай бұрын

Status symbol! You hit the nail on the head! I’ve ridden motorcycles since I was 18. I’m now 70 and just brought a Royal Enfield 650.. and love it! Motorcycles have become a Status Symbol

@mikerider58 Ай бұрын

Couldn't agree more and l have mentioned this problem on other channels. 40s 50s 60s 70s bikes were made to last and were serviceable. Modern bikes especially Electric bikes means hanging around the Dealership looking for parts that aren't available and paying huge service prices. Itchy Boots choose an old Yamaha for her new adventures because it serviceable at the side of the road. If something goes wrong with these new bikes today while your touring, you've had it. Digital bikes, crammed with technology are for World Super Bike Teams but not yer average Joe.

@matusknives Ай бұрын

The situation you have described with the Chinese bikes is valid way beyond. They want to make a load of producs, undercut competition prices (easy to do since government gives them money for that), penetrate the market and keep bringing loads and loads of new stuff. No continuity, no long term support. Only a very short sighted approach as they try to survive as a company and bring some money back to China (which economically is on a slowly accelerating downward spiral). That whole is really unfortunate because as you have said - their bikes (or EVs for that matter) get a really good customer feedback.

@leewhite4887 Ай бұрын

Good points, agreed

@scottastell9415 Ай бұрын

Just in Time parts supply is what they also use in the Manufacturing process in Japan and USA too. So, waiting for parts post Covid it is a norm for most car and motorcycle brands. Just the way it is. Love the screw and lock nut valve lash adjusters on my old 1000cc Kawasaki double overhead cam Concours Tourer (2002 model). Honda Deaville 700 V twin also had screw and lock nut adjusters on overhead cam motors. Most modern bikes don't. Just the way it is.

@Kevb69 Ай бұрын

Some interesting thoughts, thank you for sharing them. Having been able to enjoy bikes for 30+ years it’s only recently that I have been lucky enough to own 2 new bikes, both Enfields. Affordability a strong factor it makes sense to buy a new machine for the same price of a used ‘big four’ machine. Thinking back I wouldn’t have considered buying an Indian bike 15-20 years ago and I was berated by main dealers for buying a grey import. I agree that most everything in life is considered consumable now but in the end may all be immaterial with the move to electric bikes. Interesting times. Again thank you

@chrissyb5447 Ай бұрын

5k for a BSA goldstar 650. What a deal!.seriously considered getting one until I investigated further. Warranty issues, unavailable parts and dealers dropping the brand. Thought I'd wait a bit to see if things improve. Think I'll be waiting a very long time.

@markyharley 26 күн бұрын

Best colour Interceptor 💙

@nigeldalrymple4099 Ай бұрын

So true. My local re dealer in chichester were selling them like hot cakes but still ceased trading. Very sad

@notanotherbiker Ай бұрын

Spot on analysis. Plus Chinese manufacturers are often state subsidised in many cases which gives them unfair competitive advantage which starts to wipe out other country's manufacturers. It's the Chinese strategy. I listened to a radio 4 programme on this matter.

@theartisanrider472 Ай бұрын

hi yes, thats a good point, without doubt the EV cars are heavily subsidized, i had a comment from another viewer that said, he'd asked the MG dealer if he had a spare part for something that broke on his MG and was told to look at breakers yards. its all going to end in tears.

@rosswilliams531 Ай бұрын

I also hope R.E. keep away from lcd displays as my "bulletproof" Yamaha XSR700 display packed in 3 months outside its warranty leaving me with a £500 bill! I distrust anything lcd/digital now and got no time for these new bike/car reviews embracing digital screens which in my view maybe good for a few years till the display pops rendering the whole vehicle useless ( and worthless). My truck is 10 years old and runs great but looking at all the new ones with massive screens just leaves me cold..never mind operating them as you drive along at 70 mph....geez!

@hectorshouse7348 Ай бұрын

Can’t beat clocks and dials…I’ve got a tft…it’s crap

@RenatoPinheiro22 Ай бұрын

I own a Classic 350cc and I just love it .. because mainly the motor is made by RE ... they not outsource their power plant .. I loved the BSA GoldStar but I was very sad to see that those carry a Rotax engine in its belly ... So, it´s BSA a merely brand that put pieces together, as we´ve seen on the multiple electric cars now ?? it´s just the shell that changes .. underneath, batterries and engines are all the same ..... jesus

@wozza59 Ай бұрын

There is an on line store called Uncle Wang’s that deal with most modern Chinese machines such as CF Moto. I can readily order parts such as replacement plastics, oil filters, clutches, wheels etc for my CF Moto 450MT. Delivery times are pretty good as well.

@paulholmes9537 Ай бұрын

Hi Thanks for the comment, yes I’ve noted uncle wang mentioned before, I think the issue would remain with insurance companies though, as they would only look to main desalted for Uk repairs sadly. But for the rider willing to repair themselves it’s a good if only option. Which is a worry on its own. But I think it’s really good having this more grown up debate about it, which is encouraging. Ride safe 😊

@DickieMintCycles Ай бұрын

Great film… Very interesting and food for thought..Chinese are making some very very good bikes now..Owned a Benelli a couple of years back.. Nice bike ( Good engine) Sold it because of importer spares issues( blamed it on Covid)..Your film prompted me to go back to their spares list website relating to a few popular Chinese brands …The situation doesn’t seem to of changed..Crikey! Also worth a look at service intervals.. Voge 525DSX every 3K.. That motor is basically a Honda ..Honda have much longer service intervals.. They’re clawing back the money you initially save on purchase with service costs….. I reckon …..Maybe 😄👍ATB

@johnwood4448 Ай бұрын

Other than the political situation,the spares and dealer back up has been my major concern regarding Chinese bikes. The four big Japanese manufacturers,especially Honda have worked really hard in the past 60years to establish a dealer network second to none,I don't see that happening with The Chinese makers and they're not alone Triumph aren't very good either,Freddie Dobbs couldn't get head gasket for his 10year old Bonneville,KTM are a disgraceful company their after sales reputation is awful!! story:- I had Blackpool Honda main dealer service my 14 year old NT700 and fit new tyres,when the tech removed the rear wheel the bearings were rough,no problem sir we have those in stock,so they replaced them there and then,that's one reason why I like Japanese bikes.

@newlife155 Ай бұрын

New subscriber here, Great comments and well thought out, PS Your sitting in my happy place, if I could find it!

@davidcrook6924 Ай бұрын

Very wise analysis of the Indian verse China design ethos, plus you can communicate far easier directly with a royal enfield parts supplier in India if UK bits are not available.

@malcolmpatton9314 Ай бұрын

Totally agree i was considering a cf moto 450 mt as a replacement for my cb500x but to be honest I know it would be smarter to buy the nx500 I can easily buy service parts only rely on the main dealer for the more complex jobs like valve adjustment. Just a note the music on the video comes clear through both ear pods but when you are talking it’s only the left ear pod and my left ear unfortunately is bugged tinnitus suspect caused by covid vaccine who knows.i always have the Bluetooth speaker to fall back on if your commentary is mono only.

@77archibald Ай бұрын

Well said. Buy it, ride it, enjoy it. Stop listening to the KZbin doom and gloom merchants

@funkygrib1 Ай бұрын

Retired this year. Bought my forever Puppy (Ahhhh) and my forever Bike a RE Scram, I am hoping all 3 of us last 10 to 15 summers 🙃 I don't blame the manufactures for a throw away society, its the consumers at fault. Got a rear puncture at 417 miles, trip to Halfords for a repair outfit "Sorry Sir". I called my dealer "Sorry Sir we don't advise repairing a tube" ok I will take a new tube "Sorry Sir we dont have 1" Granted they had 1 delivered later the next day. Its a throw away society. Peeps just don't keep there vehicles 5 plus years like they used to. P.S. kept the old wife ! safe move !

@keepitreal1547 Ай бұрын

Oh, get yourself a cycle repair outfit, it does the job well.

@funkygrib1 Ай бұрын

@@keepitreal1547 Got "TWO" of fleebay MADE IN CHINA 😄😁 worked just great. Always worked on the assumption that you got a new innertube when there wasnt room to get another patch in 😄

@Simulera Ай бұрын

Different approach, but Moto Guzzi is still “real”. But your point is real too.

@hectorshouse7348 Ай бұрын

You should do a piece on Completely Motorcycles going bust…it’s a big deal

@ogasi1798 Ай бұрын

parts are easily obtained on the web - the forks in the cf450 for example are 41mm kyb and use a very very common seal due to the fork not being unique, simply give the reference to any seal supplier or bike shop - it doesn't need to be cfmoto450 fork seal ok on the 525 you may struggle on certain parts from a shop but there are online chinese suppliers who are renowned, uncle wang for example - worth bearing in mind that many bikes we think of as new models already exist in eastern markets under a different name ;-) i have ridden ktm for 10 years - went for sprockets, chain and spring washer recently - had to wait as no stock it isn;t just china bikes not saying your worries are not justified, just think you may be over threading it a tad

@ccooper8785 Ай бұрын

Also, unlike the MZs, CZ/Jawas of 40 years ago, these Chinese bike models will change every few years. The old Commie bikes and cars stayed the same for decades. I needed a rear lamp lens for my ETZ250 and the dealer just took it off of one of the showroom bikes rather than have me wait for a few days for it to arrive. He knew I needed my bike for shift work and wanted to provide the best service. You mentioned the bike shop closing down. This is the 3rd RE dealer closure that I have heard about in the past couple of weeks. If you want an Enfield in Scotland there are now only 2 dealers left !

@peteduch2151 Ай бұрын

The commie bikes stayed the same because they knew people had no other choice

@Sankara561 Ай бұрын

The Chinese domestic motorbike market is actually good for the industry and consumers. Effectively it cuts out dealerships altogether and bikes are sold to end customers by neighbourhood mechanics. They leave the factory with probably fluids and nuts tightened and get final assembly done by the mechanic that the end customer chooses, and brings the bike for servicing and repairs and eventually replacement. So the customer has the relationship with their own bike guy who supplied the bike, and not a separate dealer with showroom and marketing and all those overheads.

@Sm-iw2vh Ай бұрын

I bought a Chinese MG, went against all advice because genuinely just could/did not believe about the parts issues. Car developed a fault, got told by MG UK I should “look for parts in a scrap yard”. Lessons learnt.

@theartisanrider472 Ай бұрын

good grief, says it all really, its a sad state of affairs really, but its what seems to be the way of things.

@Lee-70ish Ай бұрын

Soul has been lost in 99% of modern techno bikes. Enfield still has a soul and character in spades

@Brettmotorcycles Ай бұрын

Just bought a Triumph X 400 and dropped it …took me 3 days to get the part I needed in and I’m in America.

@jeffhildreth9244 Ай бұрын

Throw some quality into the Enfield and raise the price to compensate and I'll be there. PS add another from brake disc.

@IndigoJo Ай бұрын

Enfield here are massively exposed to the risks posed by the Chinese bikes because their distribution and dealership network also sells the Chinese bikes. One of the big dealers (Groombridge) went bust a week or so ago and another moved to much smaller premises.

@Free_Ranger_CT110 Ай бұрын

Next year my tiny Honda CT 110 celebrates it's 40th birthday, as you said longevity such as that is likely to be a thing of the past for many reasons including engineered obsolescence. What's your thoughts on the BSA Goldstar, will it be around in 5 years? Hope I'm wrong but I've a bad feeling that owners will be left high & dry...

@paulholmes9537 Ай бұрын

Hi free ranger Yes, I fear for the BSA owners, I mentioned that point in my episode on the triumph speed 400 . I just can’t see how a bike that was sold only in the uk can sustain the cost of manufacturing. Even though it’s built in India , I believe it’s a bit of a vanity project by the Indian owner. Having said that, if it does fall over the Atleast the bikes that remain might become a rare collectible . I think they will be fairly easy to maintain. Ride safe. Two wheel rider

@Free_Ranger_CT110 Ай бұрын

@@paulholmes9537 the concept BSA scrambler looked good, I think they're missing a trick in not releasing it. BSA not available here in Oz so I've never seen one in the flesh. All the best.

@Alex-io6ky Ай бұрын

took 5 months to fix my interceptor under warranty at my local enfield dealer in australia ..reason was it takes ages as parts shipped via containers from india ..😂

@garyhull5617 Ай бұрын

You mention "It's a great dealership." What dealership takes on a new brand..........without a proper parts inventory?(Asking for a possible future customer)

@theartisanrider472 Ай бұрын

good point Gary, i think the issue with any dealer taking on these chinese brands will be in the same situation. i think dealers that are having financial issues have looked to these brands for a quick sales return but ignore the longer picture. this dealer in particular did give an excellent service but got caught out by at some point being swallowed up by a major bike retailer and lost that ability to adapt quickly like small independents are normally able to. it seems so much has happened even since i made that episode that im going to follow it up after some more research. as they say, its all kicking off.

@geraldscott4302 Ай бұрын

Sadly, with only a couple of exceptions and partial exceptions, Royal Enfield now makes the same flat black computers on flat black wheels that everybody else makes.

@GerryPowell-r6s Ай бұрын

Its not that Chinese bikes are cheap,its the fact that their competitors are expensive as for parts back in the sixties and seventies people were then having the same argument with Japanese bikes.

@laurentcoudert3734 Ай бұрын

Well, when you know that cars in China have a 15-year life by law, then they go to the crusher,as for bike it's 13 years I guess. So yes, you're totally right.