Advice for buying a pit bike

[demonx]

Hi, I am a Pit bike enthusiast and importer.In the last 3 years I have sold over 10000 bikes through Ebay and have 100% feedback .I spend most of my time testing bikes,engines and components from Asia, Europe and America and I would like to offer some advice based on my experience on what to look for in a Chinese pit bike -

Frames -

The best frames being made in China at this time are known as Chro-molly cradle frames.The steel used in these frames is much stronger and lighter than normal steel and the engine is supported underneath by a bracket as well as the two mounting points at the top,this makes the engine very secure and reduces the possibility of the engine breaking from it's mounting points especially when the bike is being jumped.These frames usually come with a Chro-molly foot peg brackets too which reduces the chance of it breaking or bending.There are bikes available that use this type of frame and although they may be a little more expensive they are well worth it.
There are many Alloy frames available from China at the moment but some of these frames are made from cast alloy sections which are then welded together,the problem with casting alloy is that the structural integrity of the metal is lost during the heating process making it much weaker.
If you are going to go for an Alloy frame then my advice would be to go for the BBR replica perimeter style
frame as this uses alloy tubing instead of cast alloy and also has the "cradle" feature.

Engines -

In my experience the best engines to go for are Jailing , Lifan or GPX, these factories have the best reputation in China for engineering and quality control.They produce many different engine capacities and provide the option of any gear start up on most of their models,any gear start up allows you to start the bike without having to select neutral first which is important especially if you want to race your bike.Some bikes include this option of any gear start up and if you can afford one it is well worth paying a little extra for it.
Regarding the gear change set up I would always go for a manual clutch with either 1N234 or N1234, never buy a bike with a rotary gear box where 1st gear comes immediately after 4th!!
There are also some engines being produced now in China by a company called Yinxiang who are known for manufacturing very high quality bikes .They have designed a 140cc race engine with a race crank ,ported and polished head,keihin carb and inner rotor kit producing 12 hp.I will be testing a new bike fitted with this engine at the end of January.

Wheels -

The best wheels available now are known as SDG wheels and come with a 1.8 wheel rim which are the most suitable for fitting the Sava race tyres for supermoto.SDG wheels also have a polished alloy hub and heavy duty spokes making them very strong.If the bike you are looking at is not fitted with SDG wheels (the advert will definately mention this because they are an expensive option at the factory) then make sure the wheels have alloy hubs and heavy duty spokes,other wise you will find that the wheels will collapse under even minor use.Regarding wheel size the most tyre options for racing on the track come in the 10 inch size but most people prefer 12 inch wheels for off road use.

Carbs -
The best carbs in my opinion are Mikuni or Keihin,they come in a variety of sizes dependant on engine capacity and set up.It is important that the carb being used is not too big for the engine as this will lead to the bike bogging down at low revs because there is too much air passing into the engine.

Forks -

Do not automatically think that a bike fitted with Upside Down Front forks will be better than a bike fitted with traditional forks,although there are many high end bikes fitted with USD forks there are plenty of rubbish USD forks being produced and fitted to bikes in China that do not perform half as well as the traditional style forks.Zhenlong produce good USD forks at a reasonable price and some of the more expensive bikes are fitted with Adjustable forks by Fast Ace,One Shot or even Marzzochi which are about as good as it gets.It is important that if your budget for a bike is less than £350 do not make USD forks a priority because the chances are the forks will not be very good and you could be compromising on more impotant features.

Rear Shocks -

The best rear shocks will be fully adjustable and have a pre load re bound feature that allow the rider to set the shock for the riders weight and riding conditions.Fast Ace make a very good rear shock that is not too expensive and higher end bikes will have "i shock" or "ohlins" suspension fitted.If the bike you are looking at has an unbranded rear shock then make sure it is adjustable or you may find the setting unsuitable

Other Vital components -

Make sure the bike you are looking at has a Nylon chain guard protecting the swing arm.A lot of bikes from China come with a rubber or plastic chain guard which will last only a few hours before the chain starts chewing into your swing arm.Once this happens it will be costly to repair.

Make sure the bike has bearings where the swing arm pivots on the frame,I have seen some bikes that have plastic bushes where the swing arm pivots which is obviously going to shorten the life of your bike dramatically.

I would always advise buying a bike from someone who knows what they are talking about.If a seller doesn't have a website this may mean that he has imported a container of bikes with no spares and has no plans to be around when they have all sold.

NEVER buy a bike from a dealer who doesn't have the bike in stock for immediate delivery...WHY? simple because the process of ordering bikes from factories in China can be complex with many unknown variables for example the containers of bikes are often delayed, lost, stolen,damaged ,empty!!!
If you do want to risk pre ordering only do this by paying with a credit card, that way if your bike does not turn up you are completley protected by the credit card company because by law they are responsible for your credit purchases and are obligated to refund your money if the bike does not turn up.If the company you are buying from will not accept credit card payments this may mean that they have been refused a merchant number by their bank and you don't need to be a genius to figure out why that might happen.
Buying with a credit card will also protect you if the bike turns out not fit for the purpose it was designed for or the seller has mislead you in his advertising.

I hope this information has been usefull