Wait. EX300 and EX250L/M clones?! 2022 Zongshen GS250

CZroe · September 21st, 2022, 06:12 PM

My former roommate just asked me about this:

I didn’t see the title and gushed about the Ninja 300’s virtues as he paged through the photos… then I noticed dual-disc brakes, “250EFI” graphics, and a slightly different blinker design. This bike is a straight-up clone!

This explains why there are so many replica parts for the EX300A/B and EX250L/M on eBay and AliExpress. I see everything from headlights, mirrors, signals, fairings, seat cowls, rearsets, handlebars, gauge clusters, etc. I know the UniTrak swingarm is an off the shelf product but these guys even replicated the wheels and frame.

Is Kawasaki doing something similar to Honda’s authorized Jialing/Dongfeng clones? These are definitely in the US market and supposedly registrable/legal. A bit of Googling landed me on another brand:
X-PRO Roadster 250 Electronic Fuel Injection Street Motorcycle
No mention of “Zongshen” but it’s the same clone. I love how they attach a made-up value to a 3 month parts warranty and the title/registration documents.

I haven’t seen replica tanks but I have seen ABS “tank covers” so maybe they used one of those to adapt something more generic. I wonder if the front suspension parts are good enough for someone wanting to upgrade to dual-disc front brakes. I’m almost tempted to buy one and swap the whole swingarm (with wheel/brakes), triple (with wheel/brakes), frame caps, sprocket cover, and footrests onto an EX250F (‘88-‘07). If they bolt on, and they should, then that’s a lot of useful parts!

The Wikipedia page for the Zongshen GS250 doesn’t seem to have been updated to reflect any current models but it’s really closer to an EX250L/M clone.

Edit: The FB listing seems to get the model wrong. This is what Zongsheng calls their “GTX 250.”

DannoXYZ · September 22nd, 2022, 02:13 AM

wow, that's pretty darn amazing!!!

CZroe · September 22nd, 2022, 05:58 AM

It’s on eBay too:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/22517311758...mis&media=COPY

In Carrollton, TX.

Despite cloning the look of the EX250/EX300, it’s only 223cc, single-cylinder, and air-cooled. “65MPH+” puts it into the same territory as a zippy scooter.

Edit - On Amazon too:
X-PRO Roadster 250 EFI Fuel Injection 6 Speed 250cc Dirt Bike Motorcycle Bike Street Bike Motorcycle Assembled in Crate (White) https://a.co/d/fmAmdqq

One of the questions had a video showing the fuel door and it doesn’t seem to use the replica one. It’s clearly meant for a different bike.

It seems some of these have a Ninja 400 dash and a slightly different upper fairing design while others have the Ninja 300 dash. Some have projector headlights too, which I already saw being sold with replica headlight assemblies for the Ninja 300 and EX250L on AliExpress.

CZroe · September 22nd, 2022, 02:36 PM

Yeah, this one has the EX300/EX250L-style gauge cluster:

Link to original page on YouTube.

…but in a later video he says you can’t swap gauges with the 300 because this has a gear indicator:

Link to original page on YouTube.

This one has a EX400/EX250P-style gauge:

Link to original page on YouTube.

…but the dude is bizarrely claiming that $3k is a good deal versus buying a used EX250. No way! Not when you could get a EX250 with two and a half times the horsepower for less NEW and thus EVEN less today.

In August of 2008 I literally could’ve got a leftover 2007 EX250F BELOW the $3k MSRP from Hillbilly Cycle Sales the same day I was picking up my $3.5k MSRP 2008 EX250J… and that was just down the road from Swampfox Motorsports. Yeah, the Hillbilly Cycle Sales guy was legit cheesed that Kawi allowed a competing dealership so close to his established one, but the point is that this thing totally fails to come close to the older ones in value when they were new. It was no contest then and the value is even more in favor of the old Kawis now that the better bikes are old, used, and cheap.

How can it possibly compete with the used EX250 and EX300 bikes out there?! Since they are copying a 2013 EX250L/EX300 design they can’t even pretend that their styling is much newer than the EX250J (2008-2012) model. We can’t even compare it to the cost of a 2013 EX300 since it can’t even come close to the cheaper EX250L version of the same bike.

I actually asked why people thought $3k was a good deal when $3k was the new price of a genuine Ninja 250. Believe it or not, the guy told me it’s because he didn’t want to die from a poorly-maintained used bike failing on him… so his answer boils down to new vs. used reliability. Wow. Dude seriously thinks a cheap clone of dubious origin is more reliable just because it’s new.

That said, I was scared away from a new Hyosung/United Motors GT250R back in the day after hearing about someone with a snapped clutch cable… which actually happened to me early on with the new Kawasaki and ended up being no big deal. Still glad I went with the Ninja tho’

Anyway, I kept digging and found this weird version:

Link to original page on YouTube.

It’s automatic and has a scooter drive on the left! Why even bother trying to make that loom like a sportbike?! My guess is that this has more to do with replica parts leading to fake bikes.

You see, to prevent automakers from forcing you to buy their parts and to create a free market for replacement parts, Western consumer protection laws generally allow replica parts with the exact same dimensions/styling… as long as there isn’t any fake branding. That’s when you get everything from fairings to mirrors to footrests to headlights and ignition cylinders. Eventually you have so many cheap replica parts available that you could almost build a whole bike… and someone did.

Without infringing on private property laws no one could stop you from building a bike with off the shelf parts… and what duty is there for a builder to make sure it doesn’t look like something else before selling it? If I put a Ducati fairing on my personal Ninja 250 like that one guy did, I can still sell it as long as I don’t misrepresent what it is: It’s a Ninja 250 with a Ducati fairing. If the fairing doesn’t even say Ducati and actually says something else, like these do: even better.

I remember when the EX250J/K replica headlights first showed up. It wasn’t long before some sellers started selling enhanced versions with bi-Xenon HID projectors installed. Indeed, the same seems to have happened here so many of these clones have projector headlights. Something similar happens with the replica fairings which is why some sellers pop up who aren’t afraid to sell them with infringing logos and such. Even if they get sued, they aren’t the ones with the factory. Their business was literally just paint and resell fairings so 10 more will pop up doing the same for every 1 they shut down.

I hope to get a cheap one some day to play around with part swapping but the cheapest I see new is $2.8k and that just a terrible deal for a pile of parts. I’m most curious about the frame and how well it fits a Kawasaki engine. If the frame is the same then the triple can be swapped, but I suspect their forks and front brakes are going to be very different since the design is likely borrowed from all their other dual-disc bikes which don’t look like the EX300/EX250L (probably just updated the rim style and matched the diameter of the triple clamps).

September 21st, 2022, 06:12 PM	#1
CZroe CPT Falcon Name: J.Emmett Turner Location: Newnan, GA Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.	Wait. EX300 and EX250L/M clones?! 2022 Zongshen GTX 250 My former roommate just asked me about this: I didn’t see the title and gushed about the Ninja 300’s virtues as he paged through the photos… then I noticed dual-disc brakes, “250EFI” graphics, and a slightly different blinker design. This bike is a straight-up clone! This explains why there are so many replica parts for the EX300A/B and EX250L/M on eBay and AliExpress. I see everything from headlights, mirrors, signals, fairings, seat cowls, rearsets, handlebars, gauge clusters, etc. I know the UniTrak swingarm is an off the shelf product but these guys even replicated the wheels and frame. Is Kawasaki doing something similar to Honda’s authorized Jialing/Dongfeng clones? These are definitely in the US market and supposedly registrable/legal. A bit of Googling landed me on another brand: X-PRO Roadster 250 Electronic Fuel Injection Street Motorcycle No mention of “Zongshen” but it’s the same clone. I love how they attach a made-up value to a 3 month parts warranty and the title/registration documents. I haven’t seen replica tanks but I have seen ABS “tank covers” so maybe they used one of those to adapt something more generic. I wonder if the front suspension parts are good enough for someone wanting to upgrade to dual-disc front brakes. I’m almost tempted to buy one and swap the whole swingarm (with wheel/brakes), triple (with wheel/brakes), frame caps, sprocket cover, and footrests onto an EX250F (‘88-‘07). If they bolt on, and they should, then that’s a lot of useful parts! The Wikipedia page for the Zongshen GS250 doesn’t seem to have been updated to reflect any current models but it’s really closer to an EX250L/M clone. Edit: The FB listing seems to get the model wrong. This is what Zongsheng calls their “GTX 250.” Last futzed with by CZroe; September 22nd, 2022 at 09:53 AM.

September 22nd, 2022, 02:13 AM	#2
DannoXYZ ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: AKA JacRyann Location: Mesa, AZ Join Date: Dec 2011 Motorcycle(s): CB125T CBR250R-MC19 CBR250RR-MC22 NSR350R-MC21 VF500F CBR600RR SFV650 VFR750F R1M ST1300PA Valkyrie-F6C Posts: A lot. MOTY - 2018, MOTM - Nov '17	wow, that's pretty darn amazing!!!
	1 out of 1 members found this post helpful.

September 22nd, 2022, 05:58 AM	#3
CZroe CPT Falcon Name: J.Emmett Turner Location: Newnan, GA Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.	It’s on eBay too: https://www.ebay.com/itm/22517311758...mis&media=COPY In Carrollton, TX. Despite cloning the look of the EX250/EX300, it’s only 223cc, single-cylinder, and air-cooled. “65MPH+” puts it into the same territory as a zippy scooter. Edit - On Amazon too: X-PRO Roadster 250 EFI Fuel Injection 6 Speed 250cc Dirt Bike Motorcycle Bike Street Bike Motorcycle Assembled in Crate (White) https://a.co/d/fmAmdqq One of the questions had a video showing the fuel door and it doesn’t seem to use the replica one. It’s clearly meant for a different bike. It seems some of these have a Ninja 400 dash and a slightly different upper fairing design while others have the Ninja 300 dash. Some have projector headlights too, which I already saw being sold with replica headlight assemblies for the Ninja 300 and EX250L on AliExpress. Last futzed with by CZroe; September 22nd, 2022 at 10:42 AM.

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September 22nd, 2022, 02:36 PM	#4
CZroe CPT Falcon Name: J.Emmett Turner Location: Newnan, GA Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.	Yeah, this one has the EX300/EX250L-style gauge cluster: Link to original page on YouTube. …but in a later video he says you can’t swap gauges with the 300 because this has a gear indicator: Link to original page on YouTube. This one has a EX400/EX250P-style gauge: Link to original page on YouTube. …but the dude is bizarrely claiming that $3k is a good deal versus buying a used EX250. No way! Not when you could get a EX250 with two and a half times the horsepower for less NEW and thus EVEN less today. In August of 2008 I literally could’ve got a leftover 2007 EX250F BELOW the $3k MSRP from Hillbilly Cycle Sales the same day I was picking up my $3.5k MSRP 2008 EX250J… and that was just down the road from Swampfox Motorsports. Yeah, the Hillbilly Cycle Sales guy was legit cheesed that Kawi allowed a competing dealership so close to his established one, but the point is that this thing totally fails to come close to the older ones in value when they were new. It was no contest then and the value is even more in favor of the old Kawis now that the better bikes are old, used, and cheap. How can it possibly compete with the used EX250 and EX300 bikes out there?! Since they are copying a 2013 EX250L/EX300 design they can’t even pretend that their styling is much newer than the EX250J (2008-2012) model. We can’t even compare it to the cost of a 2013 EX300 since it can’t even come close to the cheaper EX250L version of the same bike. I actually asked why people thought $3k was a good deal when $3k was the new price of a genuine Ninja 250. Believe it or not, the guy told me it’s because he didn’t want to die from a poorly-maintained used bike failing on him… so his answer boils down to new vs. used reliability. Wow. Dude seriously thinks a cheap clone of dubious origin is more reliable just because it’s new. That said, I was scared away from a new Hyosung/United Motors GT250R back in the day after hearing about someone with a snapped clutch cable… which actually happened to me early on with the new Kawasaki and ended up being no big deal. Still glad I went with the Ninja tho’ Anyway, I kept digging and found this weird version: Link to original page on YouTube. It’s automatic and has a scooter drive on the left! Why even bother trying to make that loom like a sportbike?! My guess is that this has more to do with replica parts leading to fake bikes. You see, to prevent automakers from forcing you to buy their parts and to create a free market for replacement parts, Western consumer protection laws generally allow replica parts with the exact same dimensions/styling… as long as there isn’t any fake branding. That’s when you get everything from fairings to mirrors to footrests to headlights and ignition cylinders. Eventually you have so many cheap replica parts available that you could almost build a whole bike… and someone did. Without infringing on private property laws no one could stop you from building a bike with off the shelf parts… and what duty is there for a builder to make sure it doesn’t look like something else before selling it? If I put a Ducati fairing on my personal Ninja 250 like that one guy did, I can still sell it as long as I don’t misrepresent what it is: It’s a Ninja 250 with a Ducati fairing. If the fairing doesn’t even say Ducati and actually says something else, like these do: even better. I remember when the EX250J/K replica headlights first showed up. It wasn’t long before some sellers started selling enhanced versions with bi-Xenon HID projectors installed. Indeed, the same seems to have happened here so many of these clones have projector headlights. Something similar happens with the replica fairings which is why some sellers pop up who aren’t afraid to sell them with infringing logos and such. Even if they get sued, they aren’t the ones with the factory. Their business was literally just paint and resell fairings so 10 more will pop up doing the same for every 1 they shut down. I hope to get a cheap one some day to play around with part swapping but the cheapest I see new is $2.8k and that just a terrible deal for a pile of parts. I’m most curious about the frame and how well it fits a Kawasaki engine. If the frame is the same then the triple can be swapped, but I suspect their forks and front brakes are going to be very different since the design is likely borrowed from all their other dual-disc bikes which don’t look like the EX300/EX250L (probably just updated the rim style and matched the diameter of the triple clamps).