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Post by ty on May 7, 2008 15:50:36 GMT -5
Hi. I'm Ty and I'm brand new here. I've been looking to get a scoot for a while and have finally settled on a 150. After searching a lot on various sites (can't seem to find too many scoot shops and i live just outside Philadelphia, so if you know of any...) Anyway, my question is, after looking at a lot if sites these three bikes (at least) all struck me as being the same, are they? Is the only real difference price?
They are:
Eagle Rugged 150
Roketa Mc-60-150
Warrior 150 (Roketa?? Malaguti?)
Also think I saw a Tank that looked a lot like these.
IF THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED SORRY FOR DOING SO AGAIN AND PLEASE JUST DIRECT ME TO ORIGINAL POST. READ THROUGH ABOUT 12 PAGES OF 150 SCOOT SECTION AND DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING.
Also, are Chinese bikes as bad as a lot of people make them seem to be (I am moderately mechanically inclined and would like like to consider myself both fairly intelligent and patient) or is that just Chinabashing? Hear a lot of "just go get a used Ruckus" Easier said than done!
Lastly, does anyone know the insurance separation point from scooter to motorcycle in PA? Some say 50cc others say 150cc.
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Post by earlwb on May 7, 2008 16:03:58 GMT -5
The scooters are not as bad as everyone tends to make them. But if you are not mechanically inclined and don't want to work on them, they can easily become expensive door stops or conversation pieces in the back yard.
The Chinese pretty much settled on a few different models and then let them become generic. All the importers get their own models and brand names and bacically import the same thing with different decals slapped on. sometimes someone gets fancy and has molded in names on the side panels.
Quality differences, if all the scooters of a particular type may be sold under 20-30 different brands or names. The differentiation comes from what parts they spec out at the factory. Extra low cost or cheap generally means that they used lower quality parts. A more expensive brand should be using better quality parts than a cheaper identical version.
If the dealer is a drop shipper, you typically get little to no after sales support. Warranties tend to still be a joke. But the better dealers are good for after sales support. There are a number of third party parts stores online so getting parts isn't really a problem nowadays. So even if you got a new scooter and had a parts problem, you can buy the parts to fix it with.
Now it can be something of a crap shoot as to shipping by truck to your home. Some of the trucking companies are terrible about taking care of them and they can be damaged. So buying from a more reputable dealer gives you a avenue for getting parts to replace the damaged parts. It may be wise to refuse the shipment if it is damaged. But that depends on the damage of course. Refunds from a less reputable dealer is probably not going to happen easily.
The engines in the scooters tend to be pretty good, we rarely read or hear about someone having a major problem with a engine. but all the rest of the parts is up for grabs though. If you read the warranties that some of the online dealers have, the only thing covered is the engine.
Once you figure out which scooter you get. Acquiring a extra intake manifold (if it is rubber), a ignition coil, and a CDI is a good idea. along with a couple of extra spark plugs. it sure makes troubleshooting a lot faster and less of a guess hit and miss kind of a thing.
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dyzan
Junior Dawg
Posts: 5
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Post by dyzan on May 7, 2008 16:31:04 GMT -5
Hi, I live outside Philadelphia also. As you can see I'm brand new also. 50cc is the cutoff, everything above that seems to be motorcycle, and require the motorcycle license. I would assume the insurance people follow the same break point. Also here in PA, scooter is defined as having no saddle, I guess that means you stand. *shrugs* I ordered a Lance Vintage 150, can't tell you anything yet, as it's not here.  Dyzan |
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Post by ty on May 7, 2008 18:37:49 GMT -5
hey guys thanks for the quick info. earlwb, i didn't mean to imply that i didn't want to work on them, just figured with my limited knowledge it might take a bit more patience, but i think i can understand what you mean by becoming an expensive doorstop. thanks also for all the info about initial steps needed. dyzan, thanks for the info, let me know how you like the Lance, that's nice looking bike too. I am still not settled on what i want to get... so many to choose from! If anyone has any of the bikes mentioned or any thoughts about them I'd be glad to hear them. Thanks again guys.
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Post by voodoosix on May 7, 2008 19:52:34 GMT -5
btw... the F18 Warrior 150 by Malaguti isnt Chinese. it's Italian. it can be hard to tell in this day and age!
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Post by ty on May 7, 2008 21:13:14 GMT -5
apparently some sites have taken to calling the mc-60 or mc-d60 the "warrior" still can't tell is it's actually malaguti or the roketa calling it warrior, but thanks for the heads up
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Post by ty on May 7, 2008 21:22:29 GMT -5
just got done a little more research and the malaguti f18 doesn't even look like the other one calling itself warrior. i am almost positive (emphasis on almost) that it's a roketa. did they just rip the name or what?
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Post by scooterjim on May 7, 2008 21:44:35 GMT -5
I also live in the Philly burbs and YES, anything over 50cc is considered a motorcycle in PA. You need to get it registered, get insurance, and scoot on down to the DMV to get your motocycle license. Brick and motor scooter shops are few and far between. There is one or two in Philly and a few in the surruonding counties. It's best to do a Google search on "scooter sales PA". I just purchased parts from www.blacktopmotorsport.com/ which is based in Philly. I got my Strada 150ce from Coventry Motors in Pottstown. They are an authorized dealer of Power Sports Factory (located in New Jersey). I bought it there because PSF offered a great warrenty. Unfortunately, the one I bought was a lemon. I think it's a crap shoot if you get a good scooter, or not. Some folks have no problems for thousands of miles and other have trouble right out of the box. Mine had an electrical problem. Since it was under warrenty I didn't do any of the maintainence myself. I had to take it back to Coventry Motors 4 times. After the 4th time they refused to work on it any longer and shipped it back to PSF to let them fix it. PSF kept it for 5 months!!!! They sent it back with a dead battery, but it looks like they may have fixed the problem (Time will tell). Coventry Motors and PSF ate the cost, but I don't think they like me anymore  However, as earlwb mentioned, you will need to do some of your own wrench work. I gave up on taking the scoot back to the dealer for repairs. With the help of this site I'm able to fix the remaining problems myself. Once you get the covers off and do a little research it's really not that dificult. If you've ever worked on a lawn tractor, or serviced a home appliance, you should not have much trouble servicing a scooter as long as you do your required reading on this site. I'm not familiar with the scooters you mentioned. They look different than most. But, if they all have a GY6 engine you should get plenty of support here. Good luck! |
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Post by isawhim on May 7, 2008 22:35:10 GMT -5
The greatest variations will be in the body assembly, body materials, frame, and wiring units. There is only a hand-full of legal and well trusted engines, that they have to choose from. Same with breaks, and most shocks. (US DOT approved parts.)
You can have real good plastic, or metal body parts. (Brand names tend to use more metal, and more rugged plastic.)
You can have ghetto, "It works", consoles... or you can have real consoles and gages. (Brand names tend to use more accurate gages.)
You can have custom wiring, or a generic, one-size-fits-all harness. (Brand names tend to have custom wiring.)
You can have a "Frame", or you can have a "Structure Frame". (Brand names tend to have a more structural frame. Others tend to use the body as part of the structure!)
You can have speed, or power, or be in the middle. (Brand names usually don't have speed, and focus more on power. Chinese scoots, can go either way, depends what engine parts they threw together. Look at the max-speeds, and body weights.)
In the end, it comes down to ability and knowledge. We can provide knowledge here, ability is up to you. With any scooter, if you don't have the money to have someone fix it, you have to fix it yourself. All scooters eventually run into problems. Brand name scooters just cost more to fix, but usually have less problems. (In my opinion, the additional cost does not out-weigh the delayed part failures. I mod a lot, and Chinese scoots allow me to do that cheap.)
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Post by slacker on May 13, 2008 15:08:38 GMT -5
where are you finding the Eagle Rugged 150? I was looking to get this bike, but now all the sites that sell it don't have it listed anymore. The page still exists on RightWay ATVs, but it's not listed on their scooters page. My guess is that they aren't importing this model anymore, which is a shame because it looks really unique.
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Post by ty on May 13, 2008 15:15:00 GMT -5
slacker - guess they must have just removed, which is a shame b/c I was still looking at it this past weekend. Okay, guess I'm getting the Lance Vintage (it was a toss up between the two, couldn't decide which style I liked more). Let me know if you happen to see it anywhere else. The Roketa mc-60 (?) is a VERY similar bike, but it only has kickstart.
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