If gas prices continue to rise, I think the demand will get higher for these.

My brother-in-law got a Chinese scooter a couple years ago and it turned out to be a real lemon. It's been in the shop a lot more than in his garage. The dealer has been really good with trying to fix it, charging nothing for repairs even after the warranty has run out.

I doubt most people will have this kind of trouble, it just seems like sometimes you get lemons and sometimes not.

 

I had a Chinese 4 wheeler for my oldest boy. It was a pain in the ass to start when cold (due to a real crappy auto choke and real lean jetting) plus the build quality sucked. he roade it some but quickly outgrew it. Now he has his Mom's 4 wheeler being she can't ride it.

 

DON'T DO IT. I sold my 1700 dollar Chinese made scooter, from a reputable dealer, who supplied great after the purchase service. The problem was, and IS, that NOBODY can get GOOD PARTS. I sold the POS for 750 bucks, and took a HUGE loss, if you factor in the aftermarket stuff I put on it.

Here's my list of parts that I HAD TO REPLACE between August '07 and March '08....

Carb + Autochoke
Stator
Rectifier x 2
Headlight Lamp
Turn Signal Lamps
Entire Exhaust
CVT belt
Numerous quick clips where the plastic fastens together.

I liked that little thing, but I wouldn't want to let someone from here buy one thinking it'll run right, ever. They are so hit and miss, it's not even funny. Rusty metal after one trip in the rain from watered down paint, and no clearcoat, loose crimp connectors on wiring everywhere, cheap plastic that cracks if you look at it funny, transmission belts that wear out in 4 months, the list goes on.

The Chinabikes suffer from really poor quality control. Badly. Scary stuff really. I really researched the **** outta my purchase, ended up with a better than average brand name from China, and STILL got a lemon! It took weeks to get parts, I've heard stories of people waiting MONTHS for vital parts.

I suggest that you try and find a stator for a Honda GY6 motor. that's the engine that is most commonly cloned by the Chinese, and see if you can find one, get it in less than 48 hours, and not have to pay a fortune for it. I am SO glad I bought my Suzuki. It's 26 years old, and I can still buy parts from a dealer. My dealer doesn't even sell those same scooters anymore, and I bought it less than a year ago.

Just my two cents. (plus a few extra for good measure)

loudest143

 

DON'T DO IT. I sold my 1700 dollar Chinese made scooter, from a reputable dealer, who supplied great after the purchase service. The problem was, and IS, that NOBODY can get GOOD PARTS. I sold the POS for 750 bucks, and took a HUGE loss, if you factor in the aftermarket stuff I put on it.

Well said. The main problem with Chinese stuff (and this is NOT limited to scooters and motorcycles) is that it is built merely to fill the description "scooter" or "blender" or "tap and die set." They are not built to perform well, only to be faithful to the description printed on the box. They are built to sell, not to work or be faithful to the consumer. Once they sell, they have performed the duty they were built for--bilking you out of your hard-earned.

I just bought a scooter and like it very much. I bought a Honda Aero 125 for $1100. It runs well and is a lot of fun. I would recommend spending an extra few hundred to buy something that actually works.

 

CB750F is talking about being the guy that buys the scooter for $750 . I can see what you're saying, though. I've heard great things from people riding them but terrible things from people that used to ride them.

 

CB750F is talking about being the guy that buys the scooter for $750 .

I was thinking more along the lines of $250 or less for one. That way I could paint it however i care to and beat the tar out of it.

 

My son is the I.T. guy for a chinese scoot and 4 wheeler wholesale distributor. He even said ya can't get parts for 'em.
But, Hey! Buy 3 of 'em and ride the best one and use the other 2 for parts bikes.

 

I have no trouble finding parts for either of my ATVs or GoKarts......I have a mixture of brands.....no problems with any of them. Usually snag my parts off eBay but there are plenty of sites out there that list parts. Either hes exaggerating or works for the most piss-poor company in existence.

 

So if the Chinese scooters are so bad i will buy a name brand one. but do you guys know if there's a place to compare prices?

 

Do you guys know if there's a place to compare prices?

You could try the manufacturer's web sites. Honda makes several models as do some others. I'm not sure if there is a site that lists them side by side.

 

thanks

OK thanks i will try that and maybe go to my local dealer too. they sell only Honda mopeds. do you guys know if Honda makes sport ones?

 

Do you guys know if Honda makes sport ones?

Honda makes several different models, all the way up to 500 CC I believe. They are a bit more pricey than the Chinese models though.

 

ok thanks

OK thanks alot for the help. i will research that.

 

so what about a quick cheap scoot. for until i save up enough for one like, kymco, Suzuki, Yamaha, say for about a year? maybe? by the way what do you think about the kymco super 8?

 

by the way what do you think about the kymco super 8?

As good as any and better than some. Remember, Kymco are Korean not Chinese.

 

I have a Tomos A35 49cc ....
didn't have any power when I got it.
So I gave it the most thorough enema of it's life,
and after a full can of oven cleaner and half a bottle of
Simple Green I was on the road zipping along.
Best $50 I ever spent. The nice thing is that it's worth
$400 or so out here...
a good chunk towards the 250.
It's not necessarily nice, but it's highly functional.

 

look on craigslist for one

 

i bought my yamaha zuma new for about $2k otd. i've seen them for as low as $750 used on craigslist. and yuh i heard the chinese stuff is trash too. used vespas are kinda expensive so if money is issue ... good luck with your search. p.s. there are lots of after market mods for yamaha vinos and zumas. oh yah vino is the sister to the zuma and would be a decent scooter also.

 

get a tomos

 

dont get a dirt cheap scooter, or you'll be paying out the butt down the road for repairs

if you want speed, performance, dependability,and Motorcycle like look, get a used aprilia sr50


if you wanna off-road a little, buy a Honda Ruckus

 

I'd kinda like to find a Puch from the late 70's or early 80's. I'm sure I could find one pretty cheap. For me it would be a fun little reminder of the pea green one I had when I was young (Loads of fun once you pedal for a half hour to get it started.)

 

I had a lance gsr150 chinese scooter didn't have any problems with it. only had it for about 1500 miles though

 

I was just in China last week. I saw the police riding scooters. Lights sirens, the works. I had to take a picture.

 

Mate, check out the pedals! This is a REAL mo-ped!!

 

Lance scooters (from Znen) are a cut above

Lance scooters from China (made by the Znen Industry Group, distributor is in Ontario Canada) used to be available from online dealers, but they have increased their quality control, now use better parts in their scooters, and are now only available from dealers. I bought a Lance Phoenix 150 cc last summer from a local dealer, have put 2000 miles on it, and love it. It really got me into biking, so now I also have a Suzuki Marauder VZ800 and my wife rides the scooter. Many of the initial problems with Chinese scooters involve inferior chinese parts, but if you take the initial effort to replace these parts, your potential problems are much fewer. I replaced the motor and gear oil that the bike was shipped with, put in a better iridium spark plug, replaced the fuel filter and all the rubber hoses (vacuum and fuel lines), and put better hose clamps on. The only problem I have had is a burnt out signal light. I had to replace a few body parts (wife laid it down) and there was no trouble at all in getting spare parts... it took about 10 days though... but parts were available). Having a local dealer who will support and maintain your scooter is really important to me, even though I can do a lot of routine maintenance myself.

There is an entire forum devoted to the joys of owning a chinese scooter... I recommend you check it out (www.scootdawg.com). They give good instructions about getting your scooter initially set up (predelivery inspection) to reduce the likelihood of problems later on.
Neuro

 

There are a few chinese scooters that are worth just as much to there riders as any other scooter, you just need to know what to look for and where to find parts. (partsforscooters.com and orderscooterparts.com)

Italian scooters are the best, followed by Honda. I have a chinese Jonway, its an exact clone of the CN250 honda engine used on the Reflex.I swapped out the piston rings for honda components without issue.

here is a chinese scooter forum, if you need specific help:
orderscooterparts.com/scooter-forum

 

Italian scooters are the best, followed by Honda.

Yeah? Well, my Italian scooter (Piaggio X9) just cr4pped out. I was just leaving work, had gone about 3km (2 mi) when the immobiliser light came on. Bike was still going, though. Kept riding, and 1km further down the road the whole thing shut down. Only thing still working was the underseat luggage compartment light, which is not a lot of use. I'll put up with a lot of things in a bike, but I won't put up with unreliability.

Waiting for the Kymco 700 Xciting to come onstream........

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=489656

 

+1 for a 70's or 80's puch. I've had one that has been great. 4000 miles and no problems.


I also have a peugeot 103. She was cranky girl, but replacing the carb with an italian del'orto fixed that! She's now a 50 MPH runner

 

I'd love to get hold of a Puch I had in my teens. The VZ50, but i think i would be so disappointed with it these days, sometimes memories are best left that way !

 

TNG brand is really not too bad. The parts are a bit hard to find but they do have drop shipping, and the engines are troopers.

 

Chinese 3 Wheeler

I have an XY150ZK Chinese 3 wheel scooter (150cc)-
I have had it a little over a year.
I installed a new Japanese carb and switched out the
"cheap chinese" rubber lines, it has been running great since-

 

It sounds like Marelli is still the electric company of choice for the Italian motor industry. :thumbsdown::thumbsdown:

Jon

 

Yeah, looks like it. My dealer says that thing's got more fuses than a truck. It's got fuses to protect its fuses! He described to me where the offending one was. I'm gonna get back into working on my own bikes again. I'll have to make the time. I'm gonna disembowel my scoot this weekend and find the location of the offending fuse so I can hopefully fix it myself next time. Unfortunately, they weren't able to discover what caused it to blow, which doesn't give me confidence for the future........