Thoughts on Scooter Dynasty?

[pinkyst]

I'm considering ordering a scooter from these folks as they are BBB accredited and seemed very nice and their info matched up with my research.

But I just want to be sure that I'm getting exactly what I expect.

I was looking at the Lance F4 150
www.scooterdynasty.com/150cclancef4intercept150.aspx

The woman I spoke to said that it would be a good fit for my needs, Height, weight, daily use as main mode of transport, etc.
This would be my first scooter and while I'd like to have a better scooter that's the top of my price range already.

I'm not expecting the warranty to be great or any kind of return should the scooter not meet my expectations, However they did say that during the warranty period they would send me any parts that needed to be replaced and that they could easily ship it to a service garage of my choice. Are they a good company to order from or should I look elsewhere?

[kevinharrell]

Take a look at the "150 Interceptor" on the Scooter Dynasty site, same bike from the same factory/maker for $100.00 less, and $50.00 less for shipping.

It does take some looking, reading, and reading some more, to figure out who makes each bike since many of the bikes out there are made at the same factories and then rebranded.

Read the section of this forum about dealers to help you figure out which dealers can be trusted.

Plan to do at least some work on the bike you end up getting if you are having it shipped to you in the box. You will need to do all the work a dealer usually does to a bike before delivery. You may also want to check out what is available locally, both craigslist and dealers, you never know when a good deal will pop up.

Take a look at this eBay advertisement. It looks to be a good bike for a reasonable price, possibly a Fly Scooter given its generic name. (Fly Scooter being an importer with a good reputation that went out of business)

cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/150cc-SCOOTER-MOPED-ZNEN-QUALITY-MATTERS-1099-00-/260727267534?pt=Scooters_Mopeds&hash=item3cb48e60ce#ht_13393wt_960

Good luck, and have fun finding the right bike.

[pinkyst]

Well I picked that one because I know it's a ZNEN, has disc brakes on the front, and rear wheels, and I know lance still sells parts for it. I know that scooters are sold like appliances, and it's all very similar looking with various tweaks made by whatever company is re-branding it.

Also I have a mechanic lined up, they are more then happy to work on Chinese scooters and are going to help me with the PDI. I just need to work out the shipping details with them.

And there's no way I'm ever buying anything on Ebay, I've had so much trouble with that site it's unreal.

[mymomwantsatrike]

they're a good outfit. a real shop, not just a drop shipper. i think they offer "full assembly," too. if that is in fact a full PDI, i would trust them to do it if a person needed it

so far as the Lance being a Znen, so is the one the other poster mentioned as it has the EXACT same model number (ZN150T-9) . however checking the site the price advantage has disappeared except for the $50 shipping difference, so its your call. one of the big differences i see is the Lance comes "85% assembled" while the other comes "fully assembled." you may want to take that into consideration

if after purchase support is the main reason you are buying from Dynasty, its a better choice then most. they are a real shop (i have been there), work on all kinds of scooters, have lots of parts, and are honest sellers. you most likely talked with Nela on the phone. she is good to deal with

they respond to customer phone calls and emails, even if it takes several hours to get back to you. they have a very skilled tech(s), and some guy posted in another forum about an issue with his scooter, and he needed help. he said Scooter Dynasty hadn't gotten back to him yet, so he thought he'd try a forum. several hours later he posted they had responded to him and gladly solved his issue. they are not a "put you on hold for an hour" company, but a real shop in downtown Los Angeles, and one of only 2 local shops which sell china scoots i would bother to deal with. i would say you can rest assured they do the best they possibly can for their customers so far as support, service, and supplying parts under warranty and otherwise

oh, and here is an interesting thread if you haven't seen it already. the guy bought one of these model scooters a couple years ago and posted a BUNCH of pics in his link there. check it out if you want a pretty detailed look at the scooter and its underpinnings before you receive shipment

scootdawg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=9897

and a direct link to the pics. as you can see it is a "Viva Zoom" scooter, but has the exact same Znen model designation as the Lance and other Interceptor model Scooter Dynasty offers

picasaweb.google.com/Anhoa76/VIVAZOOMMP150SCOOTER#

[pinkyst]

Awesome! thanks so much for the link, those photos are great =)
Being in Georgia myself it's difficult to find a place that has the ZNENs (couldn't tell you why), so I'm glad I can at least have one shipped to me, otherwise I'd be stuck with some no name scooter that I can't even track down parts for because I can't afford something better right now.

[tortoise]

Jan 26, 2011 15:02:49 GMT -5 pinkyst said:

Being in Georgia myself it's difficult to find a place that has the ZNENs

Valley Scooters

John Dikov forum posts.

[Carolina Fun Machines]

John sells ZNEN's and he is in the Atlanta area.

[pinkyst]

Well he's not in Atlanta, he's about 4+ hours south of me, but I did give him a call, and he was very helpful, and even gave me some other options to consider that would fit my needs =)

So I'm off to research again, I don't know what I'd do without the internet lol

[mymomwantsatrike]

Jan 26, 2011 15:02:49 GMT -5 pinkyst said:

Awesome! thanks so much for the link, those photos are great =)
Being in Georgia myself it's difficult to find a place that has the ZNENs (couldn't tell you why), so I'm glad I can at least have one shipped to me, otherwise I'd be stuck with some no name scooter that I can't even track down parts for because I can't afford something better right now.

no problem

and hey look, since Valley Scooters was mentioned and they are in your home state, they have an excellent reputation and the owner (John) is well regarded around these and other forums. if buying a chinese scooter you cannot go wrong with them

plus they have the same scooter you want for $1299 DELIVERED. the Znen built BMS distributed model is called the Saber Tooth Tiger and can be found here. if you don't like the graphic decals just use some Goo Gone or similar to take them off, or ask if they have some scoots without the graphics. if not, peel them away if you like

www.scootersus.com/bmssabertooth.html

if $1299 is the price after tax and all else, this seller can be trusted and counted on for after purchase support. and being in your home state means if you need a part you will most likely get it quicker and maybe even cheaper. can't go wrong with that deal, really

[pinkyst]

Well, I ended up ordering the Motorino Cassini a little while ago from John at Valley Scooters, So I'll see how this goes.

Thanks for the recommendation guys!

[mymomwantsatrike]

good choice. you see now i am green with envy because i have wanted a big wheeled scooter myself and was actually considering that one and the Interceptor before i got my Agility. i still want a big wheeled scooter, but it will have to pack more then 150cc now that i have a 125

i believe that is another solid Znen offering. the fact it has disc brakes on the rear is an indication of a company trying to compete on some level, as most scooters in its class even from major players use drum brakes in the back

you will find the larger wheels and tires give you more stability at speeds around 60mph, and also offer a nicer ride over bumps and more stability over potholes. this scoot also sold as the Fly Scooter Cadenza and Lance Phoenix

here is a vid so you can get excited early! he is selling it. paid $2500 for it in 2008 during the gas price hikes. sucker....



and here is how to change your oil. so simple, even a girl can do it! which you are so thats good lol

[pinkyst]

I'm happy with my choice, and really feel it's a better fit then the F4, the only thing is I wish it came with a cloth seat like the BMS version instead of what looks to be vinyl, but it's no big thing considering what I'm getting it for.

I thought it was really awesome that John got back to me well AFTER store hours. Even though I missed the call I think that says a lot, and I hope the rest of the buying/shipping process goes well =)

Also found those vids in my research, both were very helpful.

[mymomwantsatrike]

hey pink don't forget to post back up and tell us how the scooter is!

congrats

[pinkyst]

Well the scooter showed up at my mechanics before the tracking number showed up in my in-box, now that's fast shipping XD

They are setting it up for me today so I should be able to go pick it up Thursday some time, I'll be making a new thread once I've had a chance to ride a bit and get a feel for everything =)

[trailheadmike]

Can't wait to see some pics. John is great - he spent about a half hour on the phone with me just helping me think about what scoot would fit my needs.

[pinkyst]

Well I made a post w/pics in the Purchase Experience thread, and will make a scooter review thread once it stops raining long enough for me to start riding.

[mymomwantsatrike]

argh!

pink, i read your review in the purchase thread and am sorry you had such problems! especially after steering you toward Valley and having such high hopes for you and your new scooter

unfortunately the problems you faced are not untypical of chinese scooters "out of the box," however. just disappointing considering the owner of Valley Scooters (John) claims his Motorino scooters are of somewhat better quality out of the box, fully inspected, etc, etc. this however did not seem the case with your Cassini

it sounds as if you have a good mechanic on your side however, and it got a proper pdi. so i hope its all worked out and running well for you. is it?

i certainly hope so, and that you are enjoying riding it if you have gotten a chance. i know you weren't expecting top quality, but you deserve to get what you paid for. and imo that would be a scooter that runs reliably and safely and which everything works on. and if not, is made to do so with the help of the seller.

so, how is it going with it?

[pinkyst]

It happens, I'm just going to move on, no need to dwell on it right? In any case I have some pretty great mechanics to help me out so at least I'm not stuck on my own with this.

On the bright side I am having a lot of fun riding it around, hoping to take it out on the road in a few days,since I still need to get used to driving with the crazies in my complex first lol

[supermel74]

I was going to buy from Valley this Spring too based on their so called quality. Seems like it's still just a crap shoot with them too. Looks like I'll be looking elsewhere for a scoot.