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Post by steve077 on Jun 20, 2009 0:41:39 GMT -5
so i'm new to scooters, but i'm good with motorcycle mechanics, and a friend of mine needs some cheap transportation and wants a scooter. Many people complain that their not reliable. Is this true or are these people mechanically retarded? I understand that with motorcycles you must either A) own afew tools B) pay alot of money to the shop or C) drive a car instead, and their only as reliable as you make them. I hear alot of people complain about bolts rattling loose, but with some locktite that shouldn't be a problem.
what are the most common problems you encounter with scooters? Are Chinese scooters really crap, or do they get a bad reputation from people who abuse them and neglect maintenance/ students who let them sit all summer break and expect them to magically crank up in the fall?
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Post by erictheviking666 on Jun 20, 2009 2:24:59 GMT -5
No, there's nothing really that bad about Chinese Scooters. The biggest problem are people who buy a cheap Chinese Scooter, uncrate it, put fluids in it and ride it. If you do a proper PDI like you do in most motorcycle dealerships you shouldn't have any major problems. For instance I bought my Scooter back in November. At the time it was the cheapest Scooter I could find on the internet, only $588 for a 50cc. I had it delivered to the house and uncrated and did the PDI right there in the driveway. Most people will tell you too change all the hoses but I still have my original fuel & vacuum lines. I now have 3895 miles on it and ride it everyday weather permitting to work. I have had no major problems just the usual wear items like the belt, (which lasted 2,700miles) tires, (cheap Chinese tube tires) loose bolts, (Loctite) etc. Also I had never had a bike before this except a mini-bike when I was a kid. I've always been a car guy and had no real small engine experience, but years of building Hot Rods. So if you already have Motorcycle experience, it will be breeze for someone like you. So go for, you can't find a better deal than a Chinese Scoot thats for sure.
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Post by rapidjim on Jun 20, 2009 8:02:07 GMT -5
I have said it before in previous treads and will say it again, Chinese scoots are just as good as Japanese scoots. I have sold over 70 scooters and have yet to have any major problems, comebacks or pissed off customers. As Eric said the PDI is the most important thing you can do. In my opinion, most of the bad mouthing of these scoots is the fact that anyone can buy one off line, not true of Japanese scoots. They get it delivered, assemble what pieces are not on the scoot and go for a ride. Most of the them have very little to no knowledge of what needs to be done PDI wise and alot of them either just bad mouth the scooters or they come here and learn what they should have done in the first place. They expect to unbox and ride.
Parts availabiliy is another issue, it takes a lot of research to find what you want. Thank goodness there are forums like this one where people (like my self) have already done the research and have learned where to buy from and where to stay away from. I personally have over 35 bookmarks for Chinese parts and authorized dealer for 6 of them and still looking for more. That didn't just happen over night.
My advise is that if you don't have the knowledge to work on it yourself then buy from a B&M store like myself, if you do have the knowledge and want to take the time to do it yourself then by all means buy from one of the dealers on the net, but check out the section concerning dealers on this forumn and do your homework before you comit to buy.
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Post by harrywr2 on Jun 20, 2009 8:13:30 GMT -5
what are the most common problems you encounter with scooters? Are Chinese scooters really crap, or do they get a bad reputation from people who abuse them and neglect maintenance/ students who let them sit all summer break and expect them to magically crank up in the fall? They all need there valve gap adjusted after breakin. Of course if one doesn't know that and doesn't know how and isn't willing to pay a shop to do it they just keep turning up the idle speed screw to get a smooth idle. Of course if your idle is too high the clutch never disengages and then you get premature clutch and belt failure...not to mention the stress on the engine from sitting at a stop light with the clutch engaged. That's the biggest problem I see. After that comes things like vacuum leaks and cracked hoses.(High quality hose is $1.25 a foot...you can replace every hose on the bike with the highest quality hose made for less then $10) Then comes the occasional electrical problem...on some bikes the connectors aren't the greatest. But again...a box of lead bullet type connectors is like $5. |
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Post by felliott on Jun 20, 2009 14:04:55 GMT -5
As long as you do the Pre delivery inspection and regular service intervales they are very reliable. Keep god fuel in it and a cap full of carb cleaner in with the fuel. Winterize it before putting up for the winter.
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Post by Enviromoto on Jun 20, 2009 15:22:50 GMT -5
I havent had one in the shop I couldnt fix yet.
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Post by meitianman on Jun 20, 2009 15:48:04 GMT -5
the quality is not the best in the world, they cant be or they would not be cheap. but they are far from crap, once i worked out the few bugs i had mine has been reliable daily transportation in all kinds of weather. my scooot has paid for itself several times over in gas savings, it could puke its guts on the road at this point and i will have gotten my money's worth.
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Post by relenger on Jun 20, 2009 16:45:22 GMT -5
i have 2 of them. i would say you just need to look them over good. they run and drive GREAT. i have 1000miles on both scoots. but like said before, you need to look them all over.
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Post by greezygiger on Jun 20, 2009 21:53:30 GMT -5
i jst bought one nd the only thing i have noticed is on long rides or a long up hill. it seems to me its gettin too hott. nd power loss occurs
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Post by cruiser66 on Jun 20, 2009 22:27:42 GMT -5
i jst bought one nd the only thing i have noticed is on long rides or a long up hill. it seems to me its gettin too hott. nd power loss occurs They usually come jetted lean from the factory as a form of restriction. Also make sure that the air intake system is tight and is not cracked. Check the intake manifold, airbox and tube from carb to airbox. Make sure all the bolts are tight holding the airbox together. Some people cut or drill holes to derestrict the airbox which can cause your problem. If there are any holes other than stock ones make sure they are plugged. If there are no air leaks, then increasing the main jet size should help out. You will have to pull the float bowl to check the size of the main jet but not all main jets have the size printed on them (mine). 66 |
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Post by greezygiger on Jun 21, 2009 14:38:59 GMT -5
ok i checkd the intake system its all good nd tight. also when it gets slusish the gas seems to deplete much faster aslo
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Post by cartmen on Jun 21, 2009 21:52:10 GMT -5
I have a 06 wildfire 50cc and I bought it from my friend who bought it new so whe I got it it has 6 miles on it. It was one of those situation where he tried to buy it and then explain to the wife why it was economical. I bought it a year later after it had sat in his climate controlled basement. changed the battery and it started right up. I did the enviro mods 1 and 2 and it is by far the best investment ever. I am 270 lbs and it carries me 45mph (gps clocked) I have 1600 miles and nothing hits that engine that isnt high grade but the motor is so small fluids and parts are dirt cheap
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Post by greezygiger on Jun 22, 2009 15:08:58 GMT -5
wat are eviro mods 1 md 2?  ? |
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Post by Enviromoto on Jun 22, 2009 15:40:37 GMT -5
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Post by greezygiger on Jun 23, 2009 0:07:11 GMT -5
shure would of been nice to of found this b4 i i orderd a bunch of stuff from scootertronics
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Post by 90GTVert on Jun 23, 2009 7:19:11 GMT -5
A friend of mine bought a Roketa scoot a couple of years ago. I helped him assemble it and told him about doing a PDI, but it never happened. All he did right away was switch to good engine and gear oil. In 2500 miles it's had loose header nuts (fixed by thread locker and double nuts) and needed a valve adjustment. It's had some starting issues from time to time, but that's his fault. He'll let it sit for months without draining the fuel or adding Stab-bil etc...
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Post by darden on Jun 28, 2009 12:13:26 GMT -5
shure would of been nice to of found this b4 i i orderd a bunch of stuff from scootertronics Im sorry to hear this, they can be overpriced. But have no fear, they know their stuff. |
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Post by coalbear on Jun 28, 2009 22:41:31 GMT -5
Ok guys, I am totally now at this. Where can I get a PDI check list? A neighbor stopped and GAVE me a 2007 Meitian GT50QT-16. It boggs down on hills pretty bad but I do weigh 260#. I'll be on here alot. Thanks
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Post by Blayne Mathieu on Jun 28, 2009 22:52:36 GMT -5
coalbear, here you go: LINK
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Post by coalbear on Jun 29, 2009 22:14:30 GMT -5
Thanks bamathieu for the Link, but I think its a dead one. The company has changed and the site must be down. I get the first page and then that's it. Of course I am no computer and probably doing something wrong. I really apprecitate it though.
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Post by Blayne Mathieu on Jun 30, 2009 14:06:20 GMT -5
Yes it certainly does. I even tried to look at google's cached version and it too shows only the first page...
That's very unfortunate, as it is a how-to that no scooterist should be without.
I might have a printed copy somewhere...
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Post by ljubomir on May 23, 2012 10:24:37 GMT -5
People... Who told you that chinese scooters are good? Or same quality like japanese? All they are crap. You canot compare anything chinese to anything else. In my country (Macedonia) they are sold a lot and the services did a lot of money because after one year of riding you will have many many problems. Why to make a PDI on a brand new bike? because you are not sure of the quality? Yes that's why.... The monthly income of a chinese worker in a scooter factory is less than 50$/month, so he didnt pay atention on the quality, skrews, leaks... he doesn't care, because people like you can make the PDI, fit skrews on brand new scooter, checking and finding factory mistakes, making his job. I am using a Kinetic Honda 100cc Scooter, its allmost 20 years old and i never changed any part of the engine. The only things i changed were: tyres, filters, and bulbs. I know a lot of people who have chinese scooters and all they have everyday some problems, mostly engine problems. You canot ride a chinese scooter more than 2-3 years
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Post by uffdlguy on May 23, 2012 10:49:47 GMT -5
People... Who told you that chinese scooters are good? Or same quality like japanese? All they are crap. You canot compare anything chinese to anything else. In my country (Macedonia) they are sold a lot and the services did a lot of money because after one year of riding you will have many many problems. Why to make a PDI on a brand new bike? because you are not sure of the quality? Yes that's why.... The monthly income of a chinese worker in a scooter factory is less than 50$/month, so he didnt pay atention on the quality, skrews, leaks... he doesn't care, because people like you can make the PDI, fit skrews on brand new scooter, checking and finding factory mistakes, making his job. I am using a Kinetic Honda 100cc Scooter, its allmost 20 years old and i never changed any part of the engine. The only things i changed were: tyres, filters, and bulbs. I know a lot of people who have chinese scooters and all they have everyday some problems, mostly engine problems. You canot ride a chinese scooter more than 2-3 years What you say is over the top. In any industry you get what you pay for. If you pay $400 for a scooter, no matter where it's from, the quality won't be great. If you pay $1500 it should be better... $3000 even better than that... no matter what the country. To say that no Chinese scooter can be ridden for more than 2-3 years is absurd. I've had one for six years now and it's running like a champ. Every country has good workers and every country has bad workers. Yes China has had more than their share of bad workers and factories, but that doesn't mean that all are that way. There are plenty of great Chinese factories just like there are TONS of terrible USA workers. While they may not get paid a lot, the majority of factories workers in China actually have pride in their work... something that most Americans don't have. |
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Post by spandi on May 23, 2012 11:48:54 GMT -5
Are you kidding I wouldn't go NEER one! ALL the parts are CHEEP! They BRAKE DOWN all the time! (you wont evein get out of your ohne driveway!) McDonald's wont evein let you in the drive threw b/c yoor leaking Koolent and oil. if you call Goodwill to get rid of it they won't evein TAKE IT! So take my advise and buy a hunda or Vespah (cause u can never spend to much money) Thats why I drive a Znen Titan 250, A GREAT scoot made in ...... OH WAIT!.... NEVER MIND!!!!!
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Post by jsizzle22 on May 23, 2012 12:13:48 GMT -5
Are you kidding I wouldn't go NEER one! ALL the parts are CHEEP! They BRAKE DOWN all the time! (you wont evein get out of your ohne driveway!) McDonald's wont evein let you in the drive threw b/c yoor leaking Koolent and oil. if you call Goodwill to get rid of it they won't evein TAKE IT! So take my advise and buy a hunda or Vespah (cause u can never spend to much money) thats why I drive a Znen Titan 250, A GREAT scoot made in ...... OH WAIT!.... NEVER MIND!!!!! Haha, for those who didn't pick up on that, that is called sarcasm. Its well known there are a lot of poorly made, CHEAP scooters. Those scooters give the good ones a bad name. If you pay 400 dollars for a scooter and expect it to run like a 4000 dollar Vespa, you clearly are disconnected from reality. A lot of companies offer great quality affordable scooters. Znen probably makes the best chinese scooter. To answer OP's question, its a mix of people giving them a bad rep, abusing them, neglecting them, and expecting too much from a scooter that some places sell with no warranty  |
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Post by spandi on May 23, 2012 12:26:02 GMT -5
Thanks jsizzle22. I was merely "aping" some of the rhetoric and "logic" of our more vitriolic detractors, while using the same level of grammar, spelling, and hieroglyphic syntax.
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Post by jsizzle22 on May 23, 2012 12:30:22 GMT -5
Your wit was not wasted on me Spandi!
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Post by ljubomir on May 23, 2012 17:01:07 GMT -5
i'd rather give 400$ for a used yamaha, honda or peugeot than give 400$ for a brand new chinese scooter. Last month a saw a chinese brand named Yamasaki, OMFG its not Yamaha or Kawasaki its YAMASAKI. The name is a combination of two of the worlds best brands, omg i allmost died from laughing. One of my friends have a yuyung or whatever, brand new, and after one year it brakes the rod. My scooter is very old and fast like a rocket. 20 years of good service, engine never opened and compresion ratio is still ok. Kinetic Honda was a joint venture between Kinetic Engineering Limited, India and Honda Motor Company, Japan. It holds 3 world records, so the quality is prooven. I will never sell it and never change it for any other. Sometimes a old thing is bether than new  |
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Post by spandi on May 23, 2012 19:32:25 GMT -5
i'd rather give 400$ for a used yamaha, honda or peugeot than give 400$ for a brand new chinese scooter. Last month a saw a chinese brand named Yamasaki, OMFG its not Yamaha or Kawasaki its YAMASAKI. The name is a combination of two of the worlds best brands, omg i allmost died from laughing. One of my friends have a yuyung or whatever, brand new, and after one year it brakes the rod. My scooter is very old and fast like a rocket. 20 years of good service, engine never opened and compresion ratio is still ok. Kinetic Honda was a joint venture between Kinetic Engineering Limited, India and Honda Motor Company, Japan. It holds 3 world records, so the quality is prooven. I will never sell it and never change it for any other. Sometimes a old thing is bether than new And just who sells these mythical $400 Honda scooters? |
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Post by litninrod on May 23, 2012 23:05:12 GMT -5
Yeah sign me up for all the $400 Hondas you can get! While you're at it, give me the link to where I can get brand new Chinese Scoots for $400.
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