Check it out. The Top 10 Pit Bike Countdown 2009
Any comments are welcome
Thanks
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
How the Chinese Pit bike Manufactures desimated the low end Market slashing Japanese manufacturer revenue?
The Pit bike crazy has had a major impact on the motor bike market in the last 5-6 years with the Big 4 Japanese manufactures feeling the pitch the most. Gone are the high prices of models like the Yamaha pee wee 50, Honda 50, Kawasaki 70 in with the Chinese equivalent. It really is a buyers market now that raw materials are cheaper to import and the Chinese government offer favored tax breaks to start up factories exporting goods overseas.
Consumers just want a fair deal and with Chinese manufactures now importing engineers from
These leading Chinese manufactures are well backed financially and have the blessing of the Chinese government in incentives to encourage export and job creation as china becomes even bigger. With such infrastructure and backing they can afford experienced contract engineers from
The foot hole for Chinese Pit bikes in global market will always remain just the quality will get better and the price will increase over time.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Customize Your Pit bike by adding Your Own Flavour
Customize your pit bike by adding a little favour of your own. You don't want to look like your mates bike. You want your bike to look original to suit your own style so the chicks dig it and you get noticed out on the track. Here are my Top 10 recommendations both to improve looks and performance. Most to the mods are cheap. It will also add value to your bike if you want to resell it later you'll get more for it.
My Top 10 Recommendations
1. Trash Your factory sticker kits. Add a nice looking Monster kit , DC Shoes Kits.
2.. Pro Taper XR / CRF50 Kit includes 7" Rise chromoly Pro Taper Handlebar and Pad ,Throttle and Brake cables. Kill switch. Brake lever/Perch. Pro Taper half waffle grips. Throttle housing assembly
3. Billet Pegs, Billet Gear Selector, Billet Brake Lever, Billet, Rear Billet Sprocket 37Tooth
4. Clear Sprocket Side Cover
5. Inner Rotor Kit includes Hi Rev 15,000 rpm Computer Chip
6. After Market Uni Filter
7. Kenda / Millville Tyres
8. Engine Dress up Kit
9. Hi Flow After Market Exhaust System (Pro Circuit)
10. Billet Alloy Hubs
Monday, August 3, 2009
How they can make mini bikes so cheap !
If you don't know where 95% of mini bikes (AKA Pit bikes) come from let me set the record straight before we go on any further. Pit bikes come from 70% of the worlds products are from. You guessed it 'Made in China' . Anyone tell you any different they are B.S to you. I mean how else can they make them so cheap in the world and have the resources and man power. The Chinese philosophy is sell in Volume even if you only make $1 profit its $1 you more didn't have before.
With the 1.3billion people in China, labour is cheap and readily available. Each city in China has a speciality and predominately will produce similar types of product because the material or parts are easy to get. A bit like a hive and bees. The Hive is the town with its natural resources and the Bees feed off it and work with each other to produce same products. The Factories team up buy in bulk of other factories then split to materials to full fill there own orders. For example if they had a order for 300 bikes they would outsource and buy the tyre from a tyre factory at $1 each. But if they knew that their mate Tony's down the road who also has a dirt bike factory needs 500 tyres also they would combine and buy 800 tyres at .95 cents each. Now 5c saving doesn't sound like much but some of the mini bike factories export thousands of containers it all adds up. Lets say they do this for 50% of the parts and the other 50% are made in house. You taking 10's of thousands saved which make the Bosses of the factories richer.
The laws in China are less stringent than laws in the western world. They don't have unions to back them with wage disputes of health and safety issues. In fact its a joke there is no such animal called that. The head of capital is greater than the jobs available so workers are scared to dispute pays with factory bosses afraid of losing their jobs. This contributes to the low salaries thus western countries can buy the product at a cheap price.
Another cheap way factories can save a few dollars and I've seen it happen many times is when they produce a order they will substitute cheaper parts in a line. The end product will look the same with same finish. But the quality of the steel is lower grade making it weaker. For example years ago I bought a container of Mini Bikes and the frames all were exactly the same as the last order. Nothing wrong all perfect except when you jumped the bike the frame would bend. The factory had substitute Chrome Molly steel for mild steel frames without advising me. 85% of the frames bent. What a disaster. That was a major flaw in the bike however factories to save a buck will swap small parts for cheaper parts if you do not pay close attention to detail. This rubs off on the consumer and you ultimately pay the price.
Another sneaky way factories save money (some do pass the cost saving onto they're clients) is to outsource the whole order. Allot of small factories do this but don't tell there clients. They put dollar figures and profit in front of reputation and quality. They get Tony's factory down the road to make it then they stamp it with they're factory logo and box it with they're factory packaging. This is a common practice in China if you do not visit your supplier on a routine basis.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Are Mini Bikes Toys for kids ?
Every kid grows up and sooner or later either has a bicycle or dirt bike depending on what the parents could afford. Back in the old days when your choices where limited to the Big 4 manufacturers like Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki only the well off could afford hefty price tags of a few thousand to ride the beginner model pee wee 50 or 90. Back then some 10 years ago it was just too expensive for the beginner to get into motocross. The introduction of the Chinese Mini Bikes (Monkey Bike, copy of the Honda) it opened up a can of worms for the Big Japanese manufactures who had it sweet all this time with little or no competition in the bottom end range 50cc-100cc. The Chinese bikes flooded the market some six years ago in Australia and couple years earlier in the States. This basically cut out the low end market for the Japanese bikes and allowed newbie motocross riders to get into the sport at a entry level.
No real distribution channels were correctly setup because the Chinese would sell and anyone. Mom and Pop backyard operations sprung up like the plague all across America, Europe, Canada and Australia.
The Chinese pumped these out like hot cakes and thousands of containers of Mini bikes entered the shores. The Bikes were mostly made of reinforced mild steel for the frames, and recycled alloy hubs which were weak at he spokes. The finish was not great to begin and attention to detail took a back seat to pure volume.
Being that said the bikes were so cheap to get and the average kid could start on a 50cc or 110cc pit bike with all the protection and armor for under $1000. The bikes wouldn't last and basically became a throw away item. It was cheaper to replace the whole bike then it was to pay a mechanic to fix it. If the engine blew up you would rebuild it just throw away the old one and slam in a new one.
Kids and teenagers took to these bikes abused and destroyed them. They were not a machine to be serviced and maintained as they should but because they were so cheap they treated them like toys. Disposable toys like when DVD & MP3 players.
No real distribution channels were correctly setup because the Chinese would sell and anyone. Mom and Pop backyard operations sprung up like the plague all across America, Europe, Canada and Australia.
The Chinese pumped these out like hot cakes and thousands of containers of Mini bikes entered the shores. The Bikes were mostly made of reinforced mild steel for the frames, and recycled alloy hubs which were weak at he spokes. The finish was not great to begin and attention to detail took a back seat to pure volume.
Being that said the bikes were so cheap to get and the average kid could start on a 50cc or 110cc pit bike with all the protection and armor for under $1000. The bikes wouldn't last and basically became a throw away item. It was cheaper to replace the whole bike then it was to pay a mechanic to fix it. If the engine blew up you would rebuild it just throw away the old one and slam in a new one.
Kids and teenagers took to these bikes abused and destroyed them. They were not a machine to be serviced and maintained as they should but because they were so cheap they treated them like toys. Disposable toys like when DVD & MP3 players.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Why Pit Bikes Became so Cheap to buy ?
The Pit bike craze some 4-5 years ago when they were first released in the market took the traditional Japanese bikes by shock. In fact most Dealerships that carried Yamaha, Honda or Kawasaki didn't think they would stick but when everyone started buying them it sporned a epidemic literally overnight. A whole new market was born.
Here's where it went all wrong. See 99% of Pit bikes are made in China. Yes, that's the truth. They are made in china where 70% of the worlds goods are made. There was no real distributor channels setup because the Chinese in there infinate wisdom will do anything to make a buck so they sell to anyone who will "show them the Money". So basically you could source Pit bikes from China or steal your competitors supplier and start bringing them in yourself and sell them at a lower price. Cut your competitors throats and many flyby backyard operations killed the market big time. Now any Joe Blow can get the sames bikes work out of home and sell them dirt cheap. Back in the hay days I know several importers in Australia (who will remain nameless) that brought them in and sluted the market to make a quick buck.
They sold them on eBay by the hundreds of thousands. The number of eBay sellers who sold Mini Bikes quadrupled on both US and AU eBay. So all of a sudden everyone is flogging off these little puppies and making $25-$50 profit just so they could screw they're rivals. The some ebay sellers in Australia would sell 300-1000 bikes per month. Now if you check ebay under Dirt bikes>other , you'll see alot are listing them at Buy it Now or Starting at there lowest profit margin for example $599.
In the end everyone lost except the consumers. It was and still is a consumers paradise. They go so cheap that the supply out weighed the demand because every man and his dog had in sitting in the shed.
The demand is still and will always be there because a certain target market predominately blue color working class society needs entry level bikes to learn how to ride.
Gone are the days where importers would make 200-300% profit on a item, now its more like 30%- 50% after expenses. There are some small variables that influence the price over time like exchange rate , availability and seasons but most definitely it is Supply vs Demand.
Here's where it went all wrong. See 99% of Pit bikes are made in China. Yes, that's the truth. They are made in china where 70% of the worlds goods are made. There was no real distributor channels setup because the Chinese in there infinate wisdom will do anything to make a buck so they sell to anyone who will "show them the Money". So basically you could source Pit bikes from China or steal your competitors supplier and start bringing them in yourself and sell them at a lower price. Cut your competitors throats and many flyby backyard operations killed the market big time. Now any Joe Blow can get the sames bikes work out of home and sell them dirt cheap. Back in the hay days I know several importers in Australia (who will remain nameless) that brought them in and sluted the market to make a quick buck.
They sold them on eBay by the hundreds of thousands. The number of eBay sellers who sold Mini Bikes quadrupled on both US and AU eBay. So all of a sudden everyone is flogging off these little puppies and making $25-$50 profit just so they could screw they're rivals. The some ebay sellers in Australia would sell 300-1000 bikes per month. Now if you check ebay under Dirt bikes>other , you'll see alot are listing them at Buy it Now or Starting at there lowest profit margin for example $599.
In the end everyone lost except the consumers. It was and still is a consumers paradise. They go so cheap that the supply out weighed the demand because every man and his dog had in sitting in the shed.
The demand is still and will always be there because a certain target market predominately blue color working class society needs entry level bikes to learn how to ride.
Gone are the days where importers would make 200-300% profit on a item, now its more like 30%- 50% after expenses. There are some small variables that influence the price over time like exchange rate , availability and seasons but most definitely it is Supply vs Demand.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
BRAAAP MINI BIKES - High Class Mini Bikes or just over price chinese crap
Most of you who are in the Mini Bike scene have either seen or heard of Braaap,
if you haven't go to braap dot com dot au .
Basically they are a High end Mini bike. Their competitors are Terra moto (Formly Thumpstar), Motovert and Puzey to name a few.Seriously I think the name sounds a little gay but that's only my opinion.
The Braaap Mini Bike Company is based in Tasmania, Australia. They basically have 2 models of pit bike The 'braaapster maestro' and The braaapster Pro.
The braaapster Pro uses the older design A-frame swing arm but obviously with new frame, front and rear suspension etc. I think the old A-frame design is still the strongest although most riders buy the single swing arm setup because it looks way more cooler.
I want to talk more about the 'braaapster maestro' designed in Australia. First off the bike looks sic it needs to because of the price but readon. The frame is Aluminium and stands out like dogs ball on a mouse.:) They done a good job on the frame. Its CNC billet and tig welded. CNC meaning the frame is not poured into a cast its cut by a machine from a solid block of Aluminium then heat treated thats why it cost so much more. You pay for quality its that simple peoples.
Pic of frame click here
Pic of Swing arm click here
Pic of engine click here
The Maestros has plenty of other goodies on it to justify the price tag such as CNC Dress up kit, CNC kick starter, CNC triple trees, CNC Billet hubs, CNC foot brake etc. The Front forks are quality and fully adjustable. I like that so when I hit jumps hard you know my fat arse won't break the bike. It comes with a optional 140cc or 150cc engine upgrade. You don't have to buy the 125cc regulation run of the mill cornflake packet variety that every Tom, Dick and Harry already has. The 140 or 150 braaap© engine I suspect is a YX engine. Seriously are they going to invest thousands of dollars in a The braaap© engine especially made for them or easier to get a ready proven engine and put a braaap side cover on it. I tend to believe the later.
It could have come with some Kenda tyres and Pro Taper bars as standard but you can't have everything boys and girls.
The braaap is a proven bike it has sucessfully won titles in Victoria and Nationals under Motard and Super Motocross class respectively.
The easy payment payment plan from $24 bucks a week or out right $3599 for a 125cc, $3899 for the 140cc and $3999 for the race kitted 150cc. I think that's a funny sales pitch as see on Tv they should throw in some free steak knives too lol. The customer either buys or gets insulted, I like it.
If you think I'm a bit hard on the bike I'm only giving you the hard facts how it is no sugar coating my friends. But in saying everything above if your just starting out pit bike riding don't buy a braaap.
If you getting into Mini bike racing and want something with a bit more quality that won't break in a hurry then definitely buy a braaap. If you a big kid like me that should be riding bigger jap bikes like a 450cc but won't let go of your youth then go buy a braaap.
So are braaap mini bikes High Class Mini Bikes or just over price Chinese crap in my opinion they are worth every dollar. Maybe the guys at braaap could make it a little more affordable dropping the price say $250-$400 they would sell alot more. But out of the high end bikes the braaapster maestro is my choice. Thumps up guys keep up the good work. :)
if you haven't go to braap dot com dot au .
Basically they are a High end Mini bike. Their competitors are Terra moto (Formly Thumpstar), Motovert and Puzey to name a few.Seriously I think the name sounds a little gay but that's only my opinion.
The Braaap Mini Bike Company is based in Tasmania, Australia. They basically have 2 models of pit bike The 'braaapster maestro' and The braaapster Pro.
The braaapster Pro uses the older design A-frame swing arm but obviously with new frame, front and rear suspension etc. I think the old A-frame design is still the strongest although most riders buy the single swing arm setup because it looks way more cooler.
I want to talk more about the 'braaapster maestro' designed in Australia. First off the bike looks sic it needs to because of the price but readon. The frame is Aluminium and stands out like dogs ball on a mouse.:) They done a good job on the frame. Its CNC billet and tig welded. CNC meaning the frame is not poured into a cast its cut by a machine from a solid block of Aluminium then heat treated thats why it cost so much more. You pay for quality its that simple peoples.
Pic of frame click here
Pic of Swing arm click here
Pic of engine click here
The Maestros has plenty of other goodies on it to justify the price tag such as CNC Dress up kit, CNC kick starter, CNC triple trees, CNC Billet hubs, CNC foot brake etc. The Front forks are quality and fully adjustable. I like that so when I hit jumps hard you know my fat arse won't break the bike. It comes with a optional 140cc or 150cc engine upgrade. You don't have to buy the 125cc regulation run of the mill cornflake packet variety that every Tom, Dick and Harry already has. The 140 or 150 braaap© engine I suspect is a YX engine. Seriously are they going to invest thousands of dollars in a The braaap© engine especially made for them or easier to get a ready proven engine and put a braaap side cover on it. I tend to believe the later.
It could have come with some Kenda tyres and Pro Taper bars as standard but you can't have everything boys and girls.
The braaap is a proven bike it has sucessfully won titles in Victoria and Nationals under Motard and Super Motocross class respectively.
The easy payment payment plan from $24 bucks a week or out right $3599 for a 125cc, $3899 for the 140cc and $3999 for the race kitted 150cc. I think that's a funny sales pitch as see on Tv they should throw in some free steak knives too lol. The customer either buys or gets insulted, I like it.
If you think I'm a bit hard on the bike I'm only giving you the hard facts how it is no sugar coating my friends. But in saying everything above if your just starting out pit bike riding don't buy a braaap.
If you getting into Mini bike racing and want something with a bit more quality that won't break in a hurry then definitely buy a braaap. If you a big kid like me that should be riding bigger jap bikes like a 450cc but won't let go of your youth then go buy a braaap.
So are braaap mini bikes High Class Mini Bikes or just over price Chinese crap in my opinion they are worth every dollar. Maybe the guys at braaap could make it a little more affordable dropping the price say $250-$400 they would sell alot more. But out of the high end bikes the braaapster maestro is my choice. Thumps up guys keep up the good work. :)
braaap.com.au
terra-moto.com
motovert.com.au
puzey.com.au
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