Chinese scooters

[Outdoorguy57]

I'm seeing a trend in the replies and they're all true. The Chinese are a year and a day behind the Japanese for technology, reliability and quality control.

I purchased a Yamati and could not keep it running. It sounded like it was starving for gas and/or air. So, I took off the intestine looking plastic tube that held the round (automotive looking) air filter and replaced it with a K&N single stack air filter. Also, the gas/fuel line felt like it was made out of neoprene and I replaced it with a glass fuel filter and hard rubber fuel line from a TSC store. After these changes the scooter would actually "scoot".

It was a 155cc, so not too much could be expected, but it would reach 62 m.p.h. and rather quickly.

After my experiences with a Chinese scooter, I highly recommend staying with a name brand like Honda, Yamaha, etc.

Originally Posted by cjren

look on craigslist for one

I suggest saving a bunch of search time and use (craiglook.com) , as there's a search tool/menu (on the left side) that uses a mile radius from your zip code, a price range and a pictures only option.

Good riding, Outdoorguy57

[railriderstv]

I have a E ton beamer matrix 2 and wouldn't get ridd of it for nothin!....very dependable.....

[Landarchstud]

Recently got a job at a scooter shop and I quickly learned that these are absolute ****.

They rarely make it past 3000 miles...

[railriderstv]

Originally Posted by Landarchstud

Recently got a job at a scooter shop and I quickly learned that these are absolute ****.

They rarely make it past 3000 miles...

My e ton is turning over 8800mi since second week last may....
It had 630mi on it when I got it and it's an '06 model....it never dies....

[Landarchstud]

I will admit, E-tons are a rarity and they actually are pretty reliable.

[railriderstv]

Oops! Told ya's wrong.....

9000mi. on it now....

[bcdinh]

dont waste your money on chinese scooter!!! those scam ba$tard. i never trust their products.

[railriderstv]

Originally Posted by twistedkeys

i got a 50 china scoot a few years ago... been riding the f**k out of it ever since... great bike! you just got to know how to fix em by your self.. or else its pointless to buy one...

What make/manuf. is it??.......

[Landarchstud]

Originally Posted by Outdoorguy57

After my experiences with a Chinese scooter, I highly recommend staying with a name brand like Honda, Yamaha, etc.

Kymco & Genuine make great scooters too! Both have a 2 year warranty and Genuine has an additional 2 year roadside assistance with theirs.

Chinese scooters can either be really good or really bad. Since multiple factories make the same model often without much attention given to quality control, some factories will get great materials to build bikes with and others won't or just don't want to pay for it.

I feel like with a lot of the chinese bikes you just need to put a lot more care into them and even then its a gamble. Why would you buy a bike that looks like crap and then need to do even more work to keep it alive over just buying a Taiwanese or Japanese scooter that will start everyday and won't bug you for maintenance? I could see one being a fun toy to learn how engines work and beat the **** out of, but that's a pretty expensive toy.

Besides, they don't even sell scooters like these in China!!! That's how bad they are. lol

[joekool4]

so i found this guy on youtube, lives in a taiwan and rides a ninja 650r http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j9r9...feature=relmfu pretty interesting.

[Landarchstud]

Originally Posted by joekool4

so i found this guy on youtube, lives in a taiwan and rides a ninja 650r http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j9r9...feature=relmfu pretty interesting.

I love watching vids by that guy! =D Makes me wanna go ride around in Taiwan really bad lol

[joekool4]

Makes me want to watch Top Gear UK's Vietnam special.

[Thomas77753]

When climbing hills on a 150cc scooter with a CVT clutch, should you climb slower or faster than level road speed?

[joekool4]

go the speed limit.

[chimper]

I just got a tomos nitro ... love it. I heard so many bad thinks about the chinese non-brand scoots that I didn't want to take a chance. sometimes you get a good one, though - as long as there was a good PDI on it

[chimper]

Ive also heard great things about e-tons. parts are easy to get. also, kymco I believe is actually made by honda. yamaha zumas are pricier but also great, and i believe they have Minarelli motors

[Steve Young]

Originally Posted by Thomas77753

When climbing hills on a 150cc scooter with a CVT clutch, should you climb slower or faster than level road speed?

Thomas - a CVT is a kind of transmission, not a clutch. Your clutch is a dry centrifugal clutch. It engages at anything above a few hundred rpm above idle. It doesn't matter if you are going uphill or down.

Your transmission is a CVT i.e. a Continuously Variable Transmission. When going up a hill you just wind the throttle open. Engine speed will sound like it's increasing - which it is, because whenever you wind the throttle open the CVT will try to find the optimum engine speed for the road speed and throttle opening you select. Go onto howstuffworks.com and search for <CVT transmission> and it will show you the rest.

And don't forget the regular maintenance! Variator rollers and drive belts have to be replaced periodically!

[railriderstv]

Originally Posted by Thomas77753

When climbing hills on a 150cc scooter with a CVT clutch, should you climb slower or faster than level road speed?

What diff. would it make anyway......
The cvt will "auto" adj. itself if its working right......

[railriderstv]

Hi everyone......
Thought would let ya's know,I just rebuilt topend on my beamer matrix 2
at 10303mi. I discovered that the cyl. hd. was installed sideways against air flow from flywheel.....lol....I used a tadd bit to much SEAFOAM and top ring decided to leave the groove and relocate itself in piston dome......GOT LUCKY and broke between the cyl. ports.....WHEW!!.......runs better than ever now.....38mph......

Complete topend kit w/cyl......129.95....

[Mindfulpassages]

Curious---what's the break down rate on these 50CC scooters for approximately $700 shipped. Someone told me they ride well for about 2-3 months and then the engine needs attentiion. Is this true.?

[railriderstv]

Originally Posted by Mindfulpassages

Curious---what's the break down rate on these 50CC scooters for approximately $700 shipped. Someone told me they ride well for about 2-3 months and then the engine needs attentiion. Is this true.?

Well,.....
1100mi. later after topend rebuild the crankshaft brgs. wore enough to eat up a seal.....she got like as if the muffler was clogging up......
50.00$ for parts plus agravation to put in.....should have back running 1st wk of august.....You MUST keep p.m. maint. done on these mach. in order to get long life......the airbox on this one is enginneered poorly.....allows dust/dirt to come around intake tube AND were the control cables go into the top of carb. will "waller out" from vib. and suck in dirt around the slide.....will have to remedy when install crank brgs. next month...my KZ is keeping me busy for now.....I put over 11000 mi. in 1 yr. ....had 630mi. when got it yr. ago may...

[Team Elkhorn]

The other thing to consider is resale value. I realize a lot of scooter buyers are on a budget, but if you can come up with a little extra money, a used Japanese scooter, Honda, Suzuki, whatever, will hold their value better than a Chinese model. And if you take care off it and don't beat the snot out of it you'll get most, if not all your money back in a few years. Just another thing to consider.

[Krusty]

Long story short, my GF got a scooter (Honda Helix). I rode it to work a few times and decided I wanted a scooter for myself, primarily for my six mile commute. I looked at a lot of sites, and determined that old and Japanese is a better proposition than newer and Chinese. The deals are out there, just keep looking. Laura's '00 Helix was $900 (running), and I found a '86 Honda Elite 250 for $500, and it only needed a fresh battery and rear tire, and I've been riding it nearly every day since I got it in April.
Kymco and Genuine (Buddy) are Taiwanese, and generally review well. Chinese scooters are a crapshoot. They remind me of stories I used to hear about British motorcycles from the late 60's. How new owners had to do machine work on their new engines before they would be reliable. New Chinese scooter owners should be ready to do some immediate upgrades, particularly the electrics.

[joncallihan]

AMF Harleys fall in the same general category as the CCS.

Less than 1000 for a Helix of any age is a genuine buy. Good for her.

Jon

[momule]

Chinese manufacturers are only as good as they have to be. They make crappy scoots and better ones too. They also build parts for Japanese companies such as Honda and Yamaha but do so per Honda and Yamaha specs and material quality. I have an 08 Flyscooter Chinese scoot (150CC/16" tires) and after replacing fuel and vacumn lines as well as the carb for a good Japanese one it is dependable, fun, goes 60MPH quickly. It is cold natured but every bike has its own quirks. I also have a Burgman 650 and there is no comparison of course...you get what you pay for.

[momule]

I returned to two wheels after a long absence and bought a Chinese scoot to begin with. Glad I did because it made me focus on maintenance and repair, which I enjoy even though I'm not all that mechanically inclined. Now I'm no stranger to taking a carb apart and things like that and it makes me a better owner of the Burgman 650 that I now ride. Anyone in the market for a 150 Flyscooter (Lance) that runs great right now? Perfect cosmetic condition, nubs still on 16" tires, Japanese carb, and well maintained: $500.00

[burningmoney]

If they make one with a side car for my dog then im sold.

Were both gunna wear football helmets for the lulz.

[Captonzap]

Just bought a 2004 UCS (Universal Chinese Scooter), made by Shanghai Meitian MC, with 885 miles on it, for $100. Had to buy a battery and clean the carb, (a Minkuni BS 24 CV), and it runs great. Oh, and air up the tires.
Now obviously, it hasn't run for a long time, but that seems to be because the PO didn't have the mechanical knowledge to keep it going. That is the crucial point with Chinese scooters, I think. YOU have to be smarter than the scooter, and willing to figure out what is causing it to mal-function.
Those without a basic undrstanding of mechanics and auto motive electrical might be better served by a "name brand" scooter. But if you enjoy the thrill of the puzzle solving and pride of repair, a UCS is fairly simple, and not that difficult to keep running. Parts can be had from the Internet, or scooter stores in larger cities. The electrical components seem to be ubiquitous in the UCS world.
CZ

[joncallihan]

This sounds a whole lot like the justification of owning an AMF Harley, anything with Lucas or Marelli electrics, anything with East Bloc metallurgy , etc.

It allowed a whole country to hone their mechanical skills all thru the Cold War. I, for one, enjoyed the learning processes, but now I am just too old to want to "ride it no farther in the morning than you want to push it in the afternoon".



Jon

[Captonzap]

Originally Posted by joncallihan

. I, for one, enjoyed the learning processes, but now I am just too old to want to "ride it no farther in the morning than you want to push it in the afternoon".



Jon

Sorry to hear that Jon. I'm 71, and I still enjoy taking an abused piece of machinary and making it work again. Made a 5000 mile trip last summer on a 30 year old motorcycle.
Oh well, enjoy your rides, and if you get a chance, pass on those problem solving skills, that you still remember, to some younger person, before you forget how to do it.
CZ, waiting for Denver weather to get warm again.