[Mils]

I've gotten some good feedback about possibly getting a cheap dirt bike to practice shifting and try to become more coordinated before taking the MSF course and getting on a street bike. I recently saw dirt bikes from companies like Tao and Apollo that offer really cheap dirt bikes that basically come in a box. You can pay extra for assembly. One Amazon reviewer said that they require a lot of maintenance. I know they also offer 125cc street bikes for under $1000.

Does anybody have experience with these types of road or dirt bikes?

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I guess this is my time to shine!

I have purchased and sold a few Chinese bikes and scooters since getting my license. YES, they absolutely do require a lot more attention than a Japanese equivalent. Some of them even need tweaking and adjustment to work correctly right out of the box. However, in my experience these Chinese machines are silly simple to work on and have cheap parts readily available on eBay and Amazon. Need a new carburetor? That's only like $20. I still want to get a TaoTao Hellcat, but that's because I know these machines like the back of my hand and simply cannot justify $3k on a Grom.

I'd say, unless you are trying to teach yourself how to wrench on a bike or you already know and love working on them, a Chinese bike is best as a throwaway machine (depreciation is massive on these things).

But if you want something that's going to run and ride right out of the box without tweaking, stay away.

 

[Mils]

Good to know. I don’t trust myself buying a used dirt bike because I know nothing about them and I’d probably get ripped off. I thought one of these might be a reasonable alternative Even if i only spend $1000, I don’t want to be stuck with something that never runs and i’m not a mechanic by any stretch. I wouldn’t mind learning to work on a bike but it’s probably bot worth the aggravation for one of these.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Provided you can get it assembled by someone who knows how to set up a Chinese bike, they can be fine for your use and you may not even experience problems.

But I'm not too confident in that answer because the quality is really hit and miss. You can have a perfectly reliable bike, or one that just keeps breaking. Plus, you'll never get back the $1000 you'll spend on it. On the plus side, most of these things do have a parts warranty so you won't be out any parts money if it breaks during that time.

 

[hogcowboy]

Most reputable dealers will put you on the right bike. Sometimes. especially this time of year, you can find one on consignment too. That's a little more risky but they generally look them over well first and can then tell you the things they see right or wrong about the bike. People upgrade or change dirt bikes often so you can find good used ones fairly easy. Since you don't really know how to wrench on one, get to know a dealer. You can tell rather quickly if you can trust what they say. Just say, please don't put me on a piece of dung just to get you in for maintenance. You may be back for a street bike if you treat me fair and square. They do want repeat customers so give it a whirl.

 

[Thamp2288]

Does anyone know where I can get 2.5 by 14 and 1.85 street tires for a 110cc Tao too dirtbike?

 

[hogcowboy]

Does anyone know where I can get 2.5 by 14 and 1.85 street tires for a 110cc Tao too dirtbike?

It would sure be nice and appreciated, if you would introduce yourself to the community in the New Member Introduction forum. Folks tend to open up more if they believe they know someone just a little bit. 👍

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