If you'd like to make a donation to Magpas air ambulance, here's the link www.justgiving.com/page/bennetts-magpas-2024-1704812646441 Thanks VERY much, John

No, but I made a £18,000 mistake 😢 I bought a harley davidson pan america specia,l the most unreliable bke I've owed in 50+ years of riding. Avoid at any price it's utter garbage.😢❤

At last someone doing a long-term review Thanks guys

My mates Datsun handbook from 1968 “insert metal in hole. Rotate metal to commencement engine. If engine fails to commence, battery may be horizontal”. Nice to see that the chap who wrote this has found work in China

I don’t care where it’s made, after 52 years of riding,m the very LAST thing I want is an electronic gizmo on two wheels. Petrol caps that screw on and off work just fine, why bugger them up with electronics? And I neither want nor need a mini iPad sitting where my Speedo should be.

Moto Mag here in France has been running this Zontes for well over a year as a long termer. It’s done thousands of kms and travelled to multiple countries without missing a beat. Unbreakable and surprisingly capable.

Nathan the postman really put the Voge through its paces to the alps n back from new no service, no problem, enjoy yourself.

A friend of mine and her husband did the NC500 with us on her Zontes in 2022, it never skipped a beat, took a battering on some of gnarlier single track roads, out performed her husband's GS 300, I was on a S1000XR my mate on a GSA1200, apart from the Motorway it held it's own, looking forward to further episodes.

It'd be interesting to know depreciation and how much of that £4k you'll see again. That is where the true cost of Chinese bikes is IMHO...

New chinese vs used japanese? I’m always picking the japanese.

Lad at work has a little 125 rides it every day..in all weather down a crappy road to get there.. three years solud, I am absolutely amazed how it keeps going.

Thanks for the shout out John! Love that you're gonna test it out on this bike. I had a lexmoto 125 and was great to learn on. I had no issues with mine but have heard some horror storys. Will be very interesting to see how you get on with one and how they perform over time.

Very nice review, very interesting and informative. I was the first person to review the CFMoto 800MT from the UK or Ireland two years ago (the video is on my channel somewhere, I just happened to be in Rhodes just after it had come out on the continent, so I rented it myself - it was just luck that I happened to be the 'first' UK/Ireland based person to grab a phone and GoPro and do a video review on it, though it does have over 20k views!), but it opened my eyes big time to how Chinese motorcycles had progressed at that point, so I'm very curious to see how the other brands have progressed in the two years since. Will be definitely be following along with this one - Cheers!

Love the video NO BS nice coverage so im waiting for the next videos on this bike Thank you keep safe.

Good stuff. Much better than another new bike release video. Enjoy the trip.

EXCELLENT VID as usual, I’ll be keeping an eye on this series and keen to see how it fairs out.

I’m a CBT instructor and the company I’m working for have 3 125 Zentos scrambler we have had them for 2 years and what they are unbelievable what a nice bike, all the students say how nice the bikes are and yes I do ride them and if I was 17 again this is what I would buy

Every item you own and buy is made in China. I have a Zontes ZT 125 for a year now, I love it.

Great video, John. Have watched several others and have now happily subscribed. Looking forward to your upcoming trip through France and Spain. Thanks!

Learnt to ride on a Zontes G1. Loved it! No issues (did about 2500 miles). Was tempted by the GK but went with a Himmy in the end.

Late 2022 I had a Zontes 125 in prep for a bigger bike. I had nothing to compare it with but it was brilliant as a first bike. Having passed my test in November 2022 I bought the CF Moto 650MT. I did two tours of Scotland, two of Wales, various trips to the lakes and not a single issue occurred in over 7K miles. I now have Tracer 7GT and I can say the build quality of the CF was as good as the Yamaha. £5k new as opposed to £9k is something to consider.

I respect unbiased content creators like you. i have a 125cc chinese underbone that is 12 years old. still runs good. doesnt even rust because it got aluminum mags and handle bar and monoshock unlike the expensive big 4 125 cc underbone that has disposable rim and junk shop handle bars and cheap bulb. expect leading brand 125 cc underbone will be rusted after a year if it got cheap parts.

Great video, I am very curious about the next episodes

Great review John, looking forward to the next vids.

Sensors to tell you what's gone wrong - only for you to find it's the sensor itself. Electronic seat and petrol cap openers.... what could possibly go wrong!? I wouldn't dream of buying something like this.

Well done, it’s certainly going to be interesting to see how you get on. 👍

(I do all the minor repairs and maintenance on my Son’s Suzuki collection) but he also kept his original Learner bike from 2016 which is a Chinese Keeway Superlight chopper/cruiser. I can honestly say it’s the most reliable and comfortable all day commuter/cruiser I’ve ever ridden! £2500 new on the road..

Great content. New subscriber from the States. The bike looks real nice. Looking forward for more updates. Ride safe. Cheers

I had a Zontes zt125g1 which was the best bike I'd ever owned for reliability, comfort and economy. It sat outside all year round,on the coast subject to sea spray and high winds. It took me from Shetland to Somerset and back via Cumbria and Wales without a hitch. Topped out at 75mph but cruised happily at 65 mph. I got nearly 400 miles without needing to refuel and could have gone much further. Only drawback was obviously lack of power in high winds and steep hills, hence the move to a 500 honda, and I really regret part exchanging my Zontes. Having both bikes would have been great. If I had the money I would have kept the Zontes and had a 750x honda too. By the way I'm in my 60s , 190lbs and 6ft. That's just as reference for riding a 125cc bike and touring on it. Great video as usual

Sound like a adventure, the air ambulance service is a must support

the hard part is finding a garage that will work on Chinese bike most of them wont touch them I found that out when I owned a lexmoto about 5 years ago

Looking forward to seeing more on this. Will be interesting to hear about your experiences. 😃👍

Can't wait for your next episode. I own a 350 T2 for one year. So far very reliable ;-)

👍Looking forward to this outcome John, take care as always 👍

I'm seriously thinking about buying a zontes this year, and I know someone who works for zontes, so I'll be following this with interest!

Saw the heading Chinese bike was not sure but having watched it I am looking forward to more vids.i do like the Bennett coverage plus I am insured with them so I should not have doubted their channel and rate them as very good and easy to deal with .

I like it. These bikes have been on my radar for a few years now so I'll be interested to see how you get on with it. Interesting point about cst tyres. I currently use cst on my 300L for trail riding and I think they work well on road and the trails for a reasonable price.

This is an excellent preview of what to do when purchasing a [near-] new bike. I've lived in Cambodia for 32 years and, in that time, have owned over 40 bikes, from Taiwanese, Korean, Indian, Chinese and Italian - the remainder being Japanese. I'd say, overall, there's little to fear from a non-Japanese buy - btw, there's a Zontes dealership 400 meters from my home and they have the 350T on sale for US$4249 - again, the price differential is only obvious for reasons of ASEAN import tax deductions and proximity to the source of production. I look forward to all your travails and trust everything works out; you certainly have done your homework

Chinglish owners manual, 3000 mile service intervals, check engine light on already, all major red flags already. I’m sick to death of watching other KZfaqrs singing the praises of these crap Chinese bikes. I’ve watched several of your previous videos but this one has earned a subscription. I can’t wait to see how this story unfolds. 2500 mile trip on this, you’re braver than me ! I’ll stick with my Honda, I’d rather don a rucksack and stick out my thumb than undertake such a trip on that bike ! Thank you and good luck !

Looking forward to seeing how you get on with it.

For me,there is so much stuff made in China these days that it's probably not the gamble it used to be.Really looking forward to seeing how your purchase pans out...liked and thanks as always..

Thanks for the video. I have just bought a compressor and saw you used this to apply XCP to the bike. Any chance of a future video showing this so I can consider it in the future?

No surprise someone beat me to it. Should be a good watch. Thinking about doing this with my Benellis

Greetings from Greece. After 5,5 years and 32300km my zontes X310 still commutes me around Athens with the original chain on. I asked the mechanic if i had to change this or the back gear and he said "no, its ok" Afew minor issues in guarantee and in some really cold weather a check engine sign. I think it is the efi. Never checked the error code. Also sometimes if i stalled it could not keep the revs and died.The solution to this is to turn off the bike, lock it wait a few seconds unlock and problem solved. (Again i think its the efi).

I bought a brand new Zontes ZT125-U in 2020 and I had to have the oxygen sensor replaced under warranty within a month of having it and then the side-stand sensor literally a week before the warranty ran our done. Apart from that, it ran flawlessly and I put 4,000 miles on it and used it as a winter commuter and everything. It really did alright and I sold it at the end of 2023 for a fair price. I can't say much bad about Zontes at all.

I’ve owned a CF150 2014 model and just sold 4 months and never had any trouble and serviced 6 monthly and tyres replaced every 2 years and front brake pads twice.still going with new owner

Half way through the video and it seems everything will be covered in future. So leaving the video now (1st time watcing your video)

It is always Parts Availability through a Parts and Dealer Network that makes or kills any imported motorcycle.. no matter how well made. In the US Bridgestone, Lilac/Marusho, Tohatsu, Royal Enfield and Matchless ( in 60's) and SAS, all failed because the parts stream and service were simply rare or not there. If you buy a machine from a guy who also sells Lawn Mowers, and cordless vibrators... you bike is just as good as your time untill something fails. Then you have a lawn ornament.

nice video and will follow this quest i really dont think the quality gaps between motorcycle that big now but we'll see

OH WOW!! You're ticking all the boxed with this one 😎 ✅ Oxford Lights ✅ AIO-5 Lite ✅ Xontes Bike Can't wait to see the upcoming videos. Thanks!

The thing to remember with these Chinese bikes is where they are cheaper, they'll be cheaper for a reason, we really need to remind ourselves these aren't Japanese brand products just sold at a lower margin. The key is understanding where the costs have been cut and then deciding whether we're happy with that.

I have 2 Harleys but my go to for everything except highway is my Zontes 310v. No problems in 3 years.

Nice initiative👍🏻👍🏻

Spain and back!!! You sir have big knackers

Great idea! Well done!

I've got a Chinese Pioneer 125 2006 I got 3 years ago for the grand price of 650 euro, with new tyres, brake refurb etc. it's been reliable minor electrical problems, it starts on the button a bit under powered Honda CG clone cruises quite happily at 60 to 70 kph. The frame might be made from gas tubing but it's solid.

I had a Zontes G-1, cracking little bike

Great idea John and possibly brave too !

Had a. Trx502 for a couple of years, 8k miles, very reliable and very happy with it❤

I had a ZT125. Super reliable, nice features on it (ABS, wireless ignition, electronic seat and fuel cap). Only issue I had was the battery going flat in the fob for the wireless ignition system.

It's a bit of a weird one but my Suzuki Inazuma is a chinese made bike and has been as reliable as my made in Japan FZ1 both have roughly 20k miles i put on them. I suspect they've learned a thing or two with their collaborations and the quality is becoming very similar.....

I have the Zontes Zt310-T2. This bike is absolutely amazing. I use it for my work as I travel a lot. I've added around almost 9000km within about 3 months. I did a few long distance trips, mud, gravel and hard rain. This bike has been truly amazing. Not a day of issues so far. I'm keen to see what it's going to bring in the coming months

This is my own experience with a Zontes 310m scooter. I'm over 50 and have been driving Japanese motorcycles all my life. Currently owning a cbr1000rr and this Chinese machine. This is my take on it after 17k km's of commuting. A daily mix of city, 90km/h and 120km/h roads. Positives: it has been mechanically flawless, good practical class leading performance, faster then i expected, no ctv issues. Consumption around 3.2L/100km. Excellent fueling by the Bosch injection. Good build and paint quality. Nothing came loose, thick plastics, no creaking sounds. Good wind and rain protection with little buffeting. Short wheel base, light weight and 14 inch front wheel make it maneuverable while it remains stable and confident at 130km/h Things to consider: i find the rear suspension dampening to be rather firm. It is personal thing if you like that or not. I like a sportier driving style instead of a wobblier but more comfortable one. Changing the oil viscosity in the damper is always a low cost solution. Things that could be better: main light beam is weak, high beam is ok. Standard tires are not that good in rainy conditions. Remote key works perfectly, until your fob battery dies. Keep a spare in your wallet. The bad: Chinese bikes have a bad reputation as can clearly be seen in the comments. Even if quality has improved significantly the last 5 years. This has a important influence on resale value. Keep that in mind. Conclusion: would I buy this again? Absolutely yes. It's more fun to drive than the other maxi scooters I have tried, X-max, T-max, Forza, BMW 400 (also a Chinese scooter made by Voge). It's more narrow and it's steering characteristics make it very good at filtering. It makes economical sense. Low consumption and low maintenance costs. A CVT belt only costs 22 euro shipped by example.

Your haggling skills are amazing, on a £4000 bike you get a tenner worth of fuel. I got to try this one 😁

Ive got a WK 125 Trail,2015,bought it second hand for £600 around 6 years ago from a friend..the start button is broken,but it kicks up easily each time.Even after the winter,i heard they are a direct copy of a Honda engine.Its great fun for cheap riding.

I wholeheartedly agree about avoiding the Chunnel. It's a loooong time since I took that route, but I remember feeling frazzled every time I did because there's really no pause in your journey. You don't even save anything on the cost, and you arrive a good 100km further north than any of the other crossings. My personal preference is for the Newhaven-Dieppe route. It's a slightly shorter crossing (approx. 5 hours) which means that you get into Dieppe at between 5 and 6 am. For me, that is simply perfect as it means that you get past the heavy traffic around the major cities (Rouen, Paris etc.) before rush hour, but you don't arrive so early that there are no manned fuel stations. I would also like to add that DFDS, the ferry operator, has some of the best after sales service of any company I have ever had to deal with, they really are that good.

I know someone who bought a Zontes. It was the sport touring version with the 300cc engine in it. He traveled for thousands of km without any problems. The only thing he didn't like was the vibration coming from the engine.

Can’t wait for the follow up videos

The music with the chinglish really got me rolling on the floor

I have had a Zontes R310 for about 2 years. I have done almost 10000km without any real problems. My Zontes has the same dash and keyless ignition system as yours. One of the controls has stopped working even though the battery is ok. I press my run button and the green light on the remote flashes twice but nothing else happens. I am using my spare remote now and the green light only flashes once while the bike recognises the remote.

Loved seeing Todd's cameo 😂

Like the Chinese theme intro tune. Nice touch 👌

As I said elsewhere, from 2019 onwards quality is rarely an issue. Where the problem lies is that the factories are poor at distributior selection, just selling to a buyer. This means that parts supply can be terrible, amplifying small problems into big ones.

Loving the Project Farm reference 😂

Great video, i have the GK350. It's my first bike and so far, its has 10000km and i have no complaints. Even use the sliders as leg rests from time to time. I actually had the same problem with the sensor(or at least it looks like the same problem), though they weren't able to figure out at the time what was wrong, this was 6 months ago though. Need to show them your video.

My Herald 250 Maverick has done almost 10.000 miles in the year I've owned it, and most of that has been on green lanes, and riding the tarmac between them, sometimes a 300 mile round trip. It hasn't bent or broken yet and I've stuffed it plenty of times. When it does go wrong there isn't a single spare part available so it will be a case of finding parts from other bikes that are the same fit. If it ever needed new valves or a rebore, then the bike would be a scrapper. It's loads of fun and half the price of a proper bike, but very disposable.

With regards to maintenance and new riders. Many years ago, when I completed my CBT. My instructor gave a 10 minute talk using his own bike, with regards to maintenance. I went on to a full bike licence. And I have to say, that lesson sunk in. Maybe I was lucky with my choice of motorcycle school.

A friend had the g155 for two years in thw rain and dust with no rust or problems of any sort.....but it was maintained as a bike should

I had a Zontes G1 Scrambler as a 125cc alongside a Honda CB125R. I much preferred the Zontes, though I passed my tests so didn’t have it long enough to really comment on longevity or reliability. What I did experience though was very positive. One point though, for new riders. If you get a Chinese 125cc, once you pass you test and want to move it on, most dealers won’t touch it. The one I bought it from did however.

A red running light on the back of your helmet is much better than one fitted next to bike's rear lamp. Your head is much higher and is visible from way many angles and distances as it's not obscured by cars as often as the lamps at the usual bike level.

Had my Zontes for a year and 6000 all-weather miles. No corrosion to speak of when I traded it in. Only negative for me was the stock chain which wore pretty quickly requiring regular adjustment.

My Giant road bike cost more than that!. So i think for a new rider or a returning rider it doesn't seem bad value even if you have a few issues. Keep up the good work John.

This is proper good consumer advice. Now, there are a million reasons I’d buy something else but I’ve got the cash for it. However, when the boy starts saving his pennies for a bike, would I rather him buy this or a comparable used Japanese A2? Very good question which I am happy you will go some way to answer for me. Best of luck!

Thnx for god video! What did you use to coat the bike? Didnt catch it. 😊

In some third world countries Suzuki shares it's dealership network with some chinese brands like Zontes and Haojue and both seem very good, people like them a lot. Plus, Haojue made a lot of the lower cc bikes for Suzuki since the 90s and those were very barebones but super reliable

I own the GK version of this bike for over a year, using it in all weathers and it's been brilliant. The only issue is the TPM (tyre pressure monitor) warning that always showing on the screen. Ali express will be your best friend if you want to add any extra accessories.

A friend of mine sold his Diesel Enfield on which he traveled many times from Germany to Russia and as far as Vladivostok and bought the exact same model…. I did sent him the link to this video and maybe he shows up and will comment on his experience.

I got a mgb atx 125 with 700 miles on clock got from new I’ve now been waiting nearly 4 weeks for a new ignition switch to be fitted under warranty

Great video. I am rather curious to know how legal it is to sell a potentially leathal piece of machinery with set of instructions that don't make sense?

I dropped into that particular dealer to look at a zontes scooter. Unfortunately they didn’t have the model I was looking for, but they were very helpful. Apparently they don’t do test rides.

I've got the javelin modell throttle cables snapping all the time so I bought a old honda it's never gone wrong

I’ve got a 10ten 140, and a slam 250, both most reliable and best bikes I’ve been on,I was same until I got that, they’re reliable and probably best bikes about today, I got 3 brand new bikes for the same as some second hand and new

Chinabike rider here. If you stick with the higher-end Chinabikes (i.e., CFMoto, Kove, GPX, Kayo), then they are equivalent to their Japanese counterparts. Cheaper Chinese stuff can be ok after you work out all of the “bugs”. I have a Hawk 250 with 15,000 miles on it and after working out all of the quirks for the first 1000 miles, it’s been as reliable as any Japanese bike I’ve owned.

Gonna be following this! Really interesting times, for sure.

Keep it for summer 2024 as it is. New project for winter 24?

I ran a Zontes ZT310T 2 for a year (spoked wheel version) and was impressed by the build quality in general and the performance. I installed a pair of small Denali spots powered from the connectors fitted for that purpose at the front left below the tank. (The spots cost about 10% the price of the bike 🤣). My only real niggles were that the seat tended to push me forward and that the "rear ABS warning" light would occasionally come on on the dash, but would go away again. The phone connection to get navigation didn't work on European models at that time, so I also installed a Zumo XT. Overall a nice bike, BUT when I wanted to sell it to buy an RE Classic 350 I found that absolutely nobody wanted to buy it, even at 50% of the new price for a year old low-mileage bike. I ended up practically giving it away to the dealer in part-ex. Never again.

Had a Zontes G1 as my first 125 covered 6.5k in a year and it never missed a beat until it got nicked from the hospital car park.

The Sunnis Hoodlum is also a great looking daily commuter cruiser bike for under 3k new..

I had a leeway rkf 125. It turned heads, styling like a KTM. It sat on bigger wheels than those thin things you usually see on a 125. The issue came from local garages who wouldn't touch it!!

I bought a set of Oxford Rear running lights as my rack slightly overhangs the rear light. They are bright and certainly give more visibility. However, as the lights do not incorporate a brake light I was concerned that other road users would focus on those lights and not necessarily notice the main light when I was braking. I ended up wiring the lights in with the rear break so they act as additional brake lights. One could argue if the running lights were mounted next to the main light then the break light would be visible, but if you're mounting them because the rear light is slightly obscured then adding the running lights in the same place seems a bit pointless For £50 (I got a set of new ones off ebay for £35) the lights would be better value if they included the brake light component too.