The trouble is the Chinese in the main have poor quality control. The only really decent stuff to come out of China is generally controlled by a western company.
The Japanese didn't copy in the same way the Chinese have done, and the Japs were quite innovative. The Chinese just copy lock, stock and barrel. The reason the Chinese are successful is purely down to cheap labour and nothing more. They also hard workers of course.

Yes, later on they innovated and trounced us.
I was thinking further back, when party cracker contents came from Japan rather than China and

Japan in the 30s-50s, copying (Zundap and Harley especially) and getting tooling and tech know-how from US, German, Swiss and Brit companies that were after their cheap labour costs and productivity.

Don't want to hijack the thread but some good stuff here http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/38579-Early-Japanese-Motorcycles

That was a very interesting post Bluebottle. Thank you for that.... I've bookmarked the page so I can easily return and read more later...

I think the stage you were talking about, where the pupil overtook the teacher, is the next phase for china. They already have done in some areas.

Same cycle has happened for thousands of years, it just happens to be there turn again.

although the chinese machines have improved a lot over the last couple of years, and are making some good scoots I dont think this is recognised by the brit biking industry , because used scoot values plumet on chinese scoots compared to the jap scoots, and re-sale value is an important factor when buying a new scoot.

My Honda has depreciated in the style of a brick in freefall.
Paid £2270 in October 2010, current trade in value £500ish.

Depreciates like a Thai scoot rather than a Jap scoot? That is to be expected really

Barely lost anything on my last Honda

The problem is that I have actually ridden it.
Apparently 18,000 miles is 10,000 more than the book says it should have.

That is very nice looking

gn2 wrote:The problem is that I have actually ridden it.
Apparently 18,000 miles is 10,000 more than the book says it should have.

Ridden it!!!!! What the hell were you thinking of !!!!! You aren't supposed to RIDE THEM!!