Zongshen Norton 850 engine

It is difficult for me to get excited about this . The only thing maybe is that it was based on the Norton engine. But there are a lot of parallel twins out there now , good ones too . : KTM 790 , BMW 900 , Yamaha 700 , Aprilia 660 , Kawasaki 650 , Honda 500X . There may be some I am forgetting .
 
Given the Chinese Government's total disregard for the entire world's population, including their own, I've joined those who are boycotting items from China.
It is really tough to do, the stores are full of it. I guess we buyers like the low price, retailers like the high mark up.
No one likes the low quality but that tends to get ignored until later on.

Glen
 
India has a terrible history of poverty, which is still rife and an embarrassment today, Saudi Arabia's human rights record isn't one to be proud of..... So we gonna boycott them 'New' Nortons and that smelly petrol stuff??
 
EstuaryBoy said:
India has a terrible history of poverty, which is still rife and an embarrassment today, Saudi Arabia's human rights record isn't one to be proud of..... So we gonna boycott them 'New' Nortons and that smelly petrol stuff??
Click to expand...
Yes
 
Not a fan of a Chinese manufactured twin either, but a while back I thought SG could use a bored or stroked 650 twin to make a new Command line:

Factory Insight !!!

I was at my local Harley shop booking my Ultra in for its first mot and I got talking to the service manager about my Norton and he said "there is one of my mechanics who will be interested in your bike". A young lad came out to have a look and it turns out he was an Academy Student at Norton...
www.accessnorton.com www.accessnorton.com
 
EstuaryBoy said:
India has a terrible history of poverty, which is still rife and an embarrassment today, Saudi Arabia's human rights record isn't one to be proud of..... So we gonna boycott them 'New' Nortons and that smelly petrol stuff??
Click to expand...

India has problems for sure. But it is a democracy, and they are trying to resolve their issues.

China is not. And they are not.

VERY different.

I‘ve spent time in both countries and would have no hesitation returning to India or dealing with a Indian based businesses.

Can‘t say the same about the other...
 
worntorn said:
Given the Chinese Government's total disregard for the entire world's population, including their own, I've joined those who are boycotting items from China.
It is really tough to do, the stores are full of it. I guess we buyers like the low price, retailers like the high mark up.
No one likes the low quality but that tends to get ignored until later on.

Glen
Click to expand...
Can someone suggest where I can buy a garden strimmer not made in China.
Even motorcyclists have to do the garden.
 
I am extremely angry because the virus appears to have come out of poor workplace OHS&E in China. But that does not mean that every Chinese product is substandard. Would you like to pay the setting-up costs for the 961 motor so you could locally produce a motorcycle ? Buying a reasonably decent motor from China, even if it required rework - would enable you to move on to other things. Believing that China can be boycotted is unrealistic. So we need to learn to live with them and modify their control freak ways.
In the end China will be held to account for Covid 19, however there is still a long way to go. The Chinese and the rest of us all know where the truth lies, in spite of the posturing.
 
Whilst I'm wholesale agreed that those accountable should be held to account, it's not the Chinese Govt. that makes cheap garden strimmers et al any more than Harold Wilson's Labour Govt. made Norton Commandos.
Yes, China are way behind the curve for most of us, but they're only building empire as we all did, on the backs of cheap (exploited?) labour....
 
When Stuart Garner was making his Commandos and people were queing to buy them, where were the motors made ?
 
The only way countries such as Australia can compete globally is on the basis of quality, where the prices justify the overheads - expensive well-educated workforce. and strong OHS&E laws driven by industrial democracy - unions.
 
Some of the components for the 961 are sourced from China, Nationalist China, Taiwan.
It's OK with me, at least their government is democratic, and quality is good.

It's time for the world to decide which is more important, cheap stuff from Red China, or rebuilding their own manufacturing base.
I for one, don't want to be at the mercy of Mao's boys at the CCP for things like medicines, PPE, and things that protect us.

I'm sure the citizens in China know the truth about COVID 19. They also know the terrible ruthlessness of their communist leaders.
Don't expect the citizens to hold the leaders responsible.
The pressure has to come from outside of China.
 
acotrel said:
I am extremely angry because the virus appears to have come out of poor workplace OHS&E in China. But that does not mean that every Chinese product is substandard. Would you like to pay the setting-up costs for the 961 motor so you could locally produce a motorcycle ? Buying a reasonably decent motor from China, even if it required rework - would enable you to move on to other things. Believing that China can be boycotted is unrealistic. So we need to learn to live with them and modify their control freak ways.
In the end China will be held to account for Covid 19, however there is still a long way to go. The Chinese and the rest of us all know where the truth lies, in spite of the posturing.
Click to expand...
My problem with China made products.
1) communist country
2) poor quality.
3) poor treatment of workers and citizens.
4) stealing of other countries engineering and design
 
Whilst I appreciate the thoughts and support the premise that we should produce more in our own Countries most of us are typing these messages on a computer, tablet, phone designed and built in China
 
glb said:
Whilst I appreciate the thoughts and support the premise that we should produce more in our own Countries most of us are typing these messages on a computer, tablet, phone designed and built in China
Click to expand...

And whilst wearing Chinese clothes, standing in Chinese shoes, listening to a Chinese radio, making a cuppa in a Chinese kettle...

I could go on all day. But it is only further proof of the need to change this. There is no need to desire NOTHING is made in China. But currently the whole world is far too dependant on China IMHO.
 
Sadly we're not in an 'ideal' world and maybe never will be.. But, China didn't create the demand for cheap product (and I'm not talking dodgey counterfeit 'knock offs') They're supplying what we no longer can with our labour rates, but we like to have the choice. The whole world was happy to push it's trolley round the Asian supermarket, but now we've caught a bug off the handle it's only served to highlight our own inabilities....
 
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