Here at Springheadbikes we’ve sold hundreds and still selling them, so I’d say were well qualified and have seen most of the niggles, issues and annoyances of the Chinese 125 bikes on the market.
To start the conversation we have to face the elephant in the room most people that buy them are on a budget and it’s a price driven purchase rather than a desire. Is this to say it’s a bad purchase absolutely not. We’ve had many Mutts, Lexmotos, Hanways, AJS’, Heralds, Blurocs and everything in between that have provided no issues.
The start of the journey is how they have been pdi’d at point of first sale, if the dealer has cut corners not greased the connectors, pins, bearings and torque checked the fixings your more likely to come across problems.
How to start preventative maintenance if you have just bought one. To start with we strip the brakes clean the pistons, sliders and brake pad pins, clean and lube the chains and check all the nuts and bolts are tight and free from corrosion which could be a problem in the long run. Then cover them in a wax product or a silicone based product on all the metalworks.
Most Chinese bikes use a copy of a Suzuki GN125 engine which has been modernised and fuel injection has been added. Keep this in mind they were built to use E5 fuel not the modern problematic E10 fuel. The fuel injection system is quite robust but the common issues that come to mind are the engine temperature sensor, O2 sensor and idle control valve other than that the rest of the sensors are quite good.
They generally ride quite well although basic and little bit stiff, most could benefit from better tyres, brake pads and a heavier duty chain but none of this is a necessity. The parts are quite easy to get now especially Lexmoto which keep most in stock and are a really good price.
So should you buy one? If you like the style, buy from a reputable dealer and keep it clean and on top the general maintenance it’s a cheap way to get into biking with £26 a year and upto 150mpg it’s more a question of why you shouldn’t buy one?
