Its no secret- Chinese dirt bikes Coolster, Apollo, SSR, Kayo, Tao, etc. are much more affordable than their Japanese and European counterparts. But despite the low price tag, they can nonetheless last 10+ years if you treat them right.
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The key to maximizing the lifespan of your Chinese dirt bike is to carry out routine maintenance. With that in mind, weve put together a brief guide on how to maintain Chinese dirt bikes properly.
With over 20 years of experience, weve put together 12 easy tips to maintain your Chinese dirt bike which will help you avoid mechanical failures and costly repairs, and keep your motorcycle in tip-top shape all year long.
Ready? Lets get started!
Before we get into it, bear in mind that these are meant to be general maintenance tips, as maintenance may vary between different manufacturers. Always consult your owners manual first and follow your manufacturers guidelines.
Ideally, you should try to buy your Chinese dirt bike pre-assembled by professionals. At ATV Wholesale Outlet, all of our dirt bikes are professionally assembled for you and undergo a rigorous 3-phase quality control inspection, giving you confidence that your new powersport is ready to ride as soon as you take it home.
If you decide to order your dirt bike online, be ready to take the time necessary to assemble it yourself and make sure you follow the assembly instructions to the letter. This can be a tricky process, as often times instructions are written very poorly and may be difficult to follow. Proper initial assembly will help ensure your dirt bike is safe to ride and minimize maintenance requirements later down the line.
Keeping your dirt bike clean is important. Letting dirt, oil, and debris build-up cause rust, mildew, and dry rot to your bike over time and can result in serious damage.
You should wash your bike after every single ride and before performing maintenance. Wed recommend just using a bucket of water and brushing it carefully to knock off the mud.
If you use a pressure washer, exercise caution and avoid forcing water and dirt into areas where it can damage the electrical components and engine. You might even want to seal off the carburetor with an airbox cover.
Once youve washed your bike, its equally important to dry it. If you leave it wet, the metal can rust and bolts, nuts, and bearings can become damaged. A leaf blower works well for this. After its dry, you should also re-lubricate cables, bearings, etc.
Its especially important to keep your dirt bikes drive chain clean, dry, and lubricated. This is another step you should take after every ride. If the chain gets very muddy, you might want to let it dry overnight first so you can brush the mud off more easily with a nylon brush. Once its clean, lubricate it with a good chain lube from a trusted brand.
One of the most common questions we get asked is: how often should you change dirt bike oil?
Youll get a different answer depending on who you ask, but a good rule of thumb is to change it at least once every 10 operating hours. We recommend the dipstick method- simply pull out your oil dipstick and check the color of the oil. If its dark and dirty, change the oil!
That said, some riders change the oil after every ride to extend their engine life as much as possible. As always, the best advice is to follow your manufacturers recommendations.
Aside from oil, you should also replace your brake fluid periodically as it absorbs moisture from the air over time, which raises its water content.
You dont need to change brake fluid as often as oil once every year or two should be enough. But again, defer to your manufacturers recommendations. Most manufacturers will recommend DOT-4 brake fluid for dirt bikes.
You should also check your coolant level regularly and fill it up as needed.
Your bike chain may become too loose over time, or too taut. There should be enough slack to compensate for suspension movement, but not enough for you to remove it from the rear sprocket.
The ideal amount of chain free-play is around ½ an inch when the swingarms parallel to the ground. Follow your manufacturers instructions on how to adjust the chain. But the process usually involves loosening the axle nuts on the back wheel, loosening the locking nuts, turning the adjuster bolts to adjust the tension, then retightening the nuts. Theres plenty of good YouTube videos which demonstrate how to properly service your chain.
Your dirt bikes bolts and screws can vibrate loose over time as you ride, which is why you should give your hardware a once-over every time before you ride, and tighten them up if necessary. The same holds true for your spokes. Its worth getting a good-quality spoke wrench for this.
Regularly inspect your bikes throttle and clutch cables. If theyre frayed or kinked, replace them. You should also test the throttle control to make sure it has the right amount of free play.
To do so, place your bike on a work stand, start it up, and let it idle. After that, turn the handlebars through the complete range of travel and if you hear an increase in the engine RPM, add free play to the throttle cable. You should also make sure the throttle is responsive and snaps back crisply when you twist it.
The air filter is what keeps your dirt bikes fuel system and engine clean. Its very important, so its worth cleaning it after every ride.
This will help to ensure you dont get any extra dust or dirt in your fuel system and improve performance. Wed recommend using a high-quality spray-on air filter cleaner but alternatively, you can just use a mix of general-purpose dishwashing soap and water.
It goes without saying that a flat tire is a surefire way to ruin a great day on the trails. Thats why you should always check your tire pressure before you ride, and make sure it has the proper pressure for the riding conditions.
Dry conditions usually require a higher PSI, but check your owners manual for recommendations. You should also always keep a few spare tire tubes on hand as a backup.
Its important to store your dirt bike safely in a covered indoor area to protect it from the elements. Leaving it outside allows rain, UV rays, moisture, snow, etc. to damage the body and mechanical/moving parts. Ideally, you should store it vertically on a stand.
If youre storing it over the winter, youll need to winterize it. Follow your manufacturers guidelines for advice on how to go about this, but itll usually involve removing the battery and connecting it to a maintenance charger while not in use, as well as cleaning your bike and doing some basic maintenance like cleaning, lubricating, etc.
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Brakes are probably the most important part of your bike. You need to be able to stop safely to ride. Keep your brake and brake shoes clean to extend their lifespan and replace the shoes if you notice you have to pull your brakes harder to stop.
You May Find Helpful: How To Maintain Your Chinese ATV
Aside from routine maintenance, the best way to make sure your Chinese dirt bike lasts as long as possible is to buy from a reputable dealership.
ATV Wholesale Outlet is the leading supplier of dirt bikes in Northern California in Sacramento. We offer unbeatable prices and all our units come pre-assembled, with a bumper-to-bumper warranty. Plus, were a full-support dealer and have our own in-house repair shop thats always stocked with replacement parts for our vehicles. You can see our selection of units online here or visit us in-store to explore your options.
Chinese dirt bikes have become much more popular over the last few years, largely due to their affordable price tags. But despite the increasingly widespread availability of these budget-friendly made-in-China models, many people still have reservations.
So, in this post, were going to be addressing the elephant in the room and answering the question we all want to know: Are Chinese dirt bikes any good?
Well be exploring their merits and drawbacks, discussing how they compare to their Japanese and European counterparts, and ultimately, letting you know our take on whether or not Chinese dirt bikes are worth the money.
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Made in China has long been associated with cheap and low-quality products, which is why Chinese dirt bikes have had to battle against a bit of a bad reputation. Theyre widely thought to be cheaply-made, less-reliable clones of Japanese and Euro modelsbut that isnt necessarily the case.
While these preconceptions may have been true a decade ago, the truth is that the quality of Chinese manufacturing has come a long way in the last few years.
And heres a secret for you: a lot of the parts that big-name brands like Suzuki and Yamaha use in their dirt bikes are already made in Chinaand they have been for a very long time.
Thats rightthe gear you already use for most of your rides has probably come from China. Your jersey, kickstand, handlebar grips, tank you name it.
But while China has supplied the parts for dirt bikes for a long time, its motorcycling industry hasnt been quite up to scratch when it comes to the research and development side of things. That is, until recently.
Now, China has realized that it can cut out the middleman and build dirt bikes itself, and offer them for a fraction of the price of its competitors. These new Chinese-made off-road vehicles still arent quite as good as European and Japanese models, but theyre getting there.
These days, the biggest problem isnt build qualityits parts availability. Chinese dirt bike brands just dont have a solid dealer infrastructure in the US yet, which means if you run into problems and need replacement parts, it can be a hassle to find them.
Fortunately, theres an easy solution to this issue. You just have to make sure you buy from a responsible, full-support dealer like ATV Wholesale Outlet.
We provide a bumper-to-bumper warranty on all our dirt bikes, and our service shop is always fully stocked with replacement parts. Our on-site technicians also know Chinese dirt bikes like the back of their hands, so you can rest assured that if you ever need service repairs or replacement parts, weve got your back.
All that aside, the main draw of Chinese dirt bikes is still the price. We all know theyre cheap but just how much cheaper are they?
Well, the short answer is a lot.
Take, for example, the Honda CRF250R. At its peak, it was retailing for around $8,000. Compare that to the SSR SR250S, a Chinese model that looks a lot like the Honda CRF250R, and retails for just $3,899. Thats left than half the price.
In fact, you can get your hands on a great 250cc Chinese dirt bike from our dealership for as little as $2,499. Just check out the Apollo DB-36.
And there are even cheaper models available. Our best-value dirt bikethe Burromax TT350Rstarts at just $799. These low-cost models represent incredible value and are perfect for kids. After all, young riders tend to outgrow dirt bikes in a couple of years, so it makes sense to pay less at first and use the money you save to upgrade to a better model later.
As you can see, were big fans of Chinese dirt bikesbut theyre not perfect. Heres an overview of some of their biggest pros and cons to help you figure out if theyre the right choice for you.
If you want to buy a Chinese dirt bike, here are the best brands to go with:
We stock many of these brands here at ATV Wholesale Outlet. Drop in today to explore your options.
So, lets recap. Are Chinese dirt bikes any good?
The bottom line is that Chinese dirt bikes can be a great option if youre on a tight budget. They dont quite match up to European and Japanese brands in performance and reliability, but they dont fall far short. The biggest problem is parts availability, but if you buy from a reliable dealer like ATV Wholesale Outlet in Sacramento that stocks parts, this is a non-issue.
We hope you found this helpful. Good luck!
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