The truth of it is that the Chinese bikes have come a very long way from where they were just a few short decades ago, and some of the new contenders are pretty much exactly at the level were the Japanese bikes were those same few decades ago. Meanwhile, the relentless march of globalization means that most of the “Japanese” bikes are not, in fact, actually made in Japan anymore. Manufacturing has been outsourced to areas with cheaper labor, and that includes both production of the OEM parts as well as final assembly. My KLR650, for instance, was assembled in Thailand.

The other truth of the matter is that buying a bike from a dealership saddles you with all the bullshit the dealership model brings, which is definitely higher cost and upsells. But it’s also a guaranteed place to take the bike back to if you have problems or need service done. Now, whether or not the dealership will try to weasel out of any and all warranty work or nickel and dime you for everything at the service counter is another question, one which I can’t answer for your particular dealership. But for most drop shipped bikes, you don’t even have that luxury – any work you’ll need done on it you’ll have to do yourself, and few mechanics or shops will touch Chinese bikes due to a combination of inexperience, ignorance, and prejudice. The only exceptions I know of are Lifan, to a limited extent – they do have a service network in the US although it is very small – CFMoto, and CSC. The warranty support you get from your importer or manufacturer is going to be parts only at best.