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Post by newbieps on Dec 31, 2011 14:02:29 GMT -5
We just purchased two Znen 250's. Picked them up at Scooter Depot in Chino, CA on Christmas Eve. We have a few concerns and issues:
1. Photos on the website don't look like our bike. The scoots we got are all one color (one black and one red). On the website, they show the black scoot with silver in the mid-section. Also, the website shows vents on each side that our scoots do not have. Seems that we have gotten newer models, which I think would be better - but I would like to verify.
2. What is the general opinion about the Znen250's? Are they reasonably reliable? Do they require a lot of maintenance and repairs? Are parts a problem? Would you be comfortable taking a long trip on one?
2. I searched the web for bikes that look like ours, and there are a number of dealers offering them for a price similar to what we paid. (They call the scooter a L-Roar, which I can't tell if we have the L-Roar or some other variation.) However, most of the ads mention an alarm with a remote start. If ours have the alarm, we haven't found it and the remote start button was not provided. Is this a standard feature for this model, or is it an option that may or may not be included?
3. The owner's manual we got is definitely for the older model. My dealer's comment is simply "That's what was shipped with the bikes", and they are not offering to get the correct manuals. Where do I get the correct manuals?
4. One scoot does not start up smoothly. You have to give it some gas and let it warm up for a couple of minutes. The other bike starts right up. The dealer wants us to bring the scoots in for service, but it will cost us $200 to rent a truck to haul them over there - and then another $200 to haul them back if they can't fix everything the same day. Is there a better way to take care of this problem?
5. The other scooter is dripping anti-freeze. Is there an easy way to figure out why and how to stop it?
6. We checked with two local mechanics and they refuse to work on these bikes. I think they're just being snobs. Does anyone know of mechanics in the Palm Springs, CA area that well-versed with these scooters?
Any advice you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 31, 2011 14:27:03 GMT -5
Most scooter dealers should be willing to work on the bikes. The local Aprilia dealer also sells Eatons and will work on any bike however their shop fee is $95 an hour. Puma is the retail distributor for Znen in the USA. chack out their dealer lisitng and see if any of them are close to you: www.pumacycles.com/dealerlocator.html |
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Post by kevinharrell on Dec 31, 2011 19:30:37 GMT -5
Take a deep breath . . . . . . O.K. now slowly exhale.
You did all right with your purchase. The Znen brand is considered a good brand for Chinese bikes, about a mid range in quality between the horror story Chinese bikes and the Japanese and Italian bikes.
As far as maintenance and repairs go, changing the oil goes a long way as it does with any vehicle. You will also need to be diligent with making sure all the fasteners and bolts are tight and do not come loose, and fixing small problems before they become big ones. A willingness and ability to do your own repairs and maintenance are a big plus due to the difficulty of finding a mechanic willing to work on these bikes. The repairs and maintenance are not difficult and if you run into problems there are many people on this and other forums willing to give out good accurate free advice. With the internet the parts are not hard to come by.
The remote starter and alarm are not necessary and often cause more problems than they are worth. There should be little if any difference with the owners manuals so don't worry about it.
The bike that does not run smoothly until it warms sounds as if it has some dirt in the carb. A full carb clean out could be in order, but first try some carb cleaner that gets mixed into the gasoline, this cleared up similar symptoms that I got from my bike. If all else fails try a new carb. The cost of a carb would be less than the $200.00 truck rental fee to get it to the dealer.
As far as the leak of antifreze goes, the only way to track that down is to remove panels and look for where the leak is.
Remember if you run into any problems you need help solving just post a good description of your problem and someone is bound to point you in the right direction.
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Post by newbieps on Dec 31, 2011 20:16:29 GMT -5
Thanks for the informative and encouraging info.
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Post by spandi on Jan 1, 2012 22:47:28 GMT -5
Oh my gosh!.... I live in Palm Springs and have a Znen 250 Titan Too!!! You must have talked to the same mechanic I did, he said "I wouldn't TOUCH one of those things (That made the feeling unanimous) I'm planning on introducing myself properly and going over the work (upgrades) I'm doing on the scoot later. As to your question of whether you got a "real" titan or not, the only real difference between the Lroar and Titan that I can see is the Titan has no alarm or remote start (stuff you don't want or need anyway.) and the name stuck on it. In regard to the leak check under the left side below the forward part of the "running board" It's the lowest part of the cooling system and is mostly metal tube but for a small rubber elbow that attaches to the radiator with two clamps at that point (i'm thinking they might be loose.) hope this helps!
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Post by newbieps on Jan 2, 2012 1:57:35 GMT -5
Oh my gosh!.... I live in Palm Springs and have a Znen 250 Titan Too!!! You must have talked to the same mechanic I did, he said "I would't TOUCH one of those things (That made the feeling unanimous) I'm planning on introducing myself properly and going over the work (upgrades) I'm doing on the scoot later. As to your question of whether you got a "real" titan or not, the only real difference between the Lroar and Titan that I can see is the Titan has no alarm or remote start (stuff you don't want or need anyway.) and the name stuck on it. In regard to the leak check under the left side below the forward part of the "running board" It's the lowest part of the cooling system and is mostly metal tube but for a small rubber elbow that attaches to the radiator with two clamps at that point (i'm thinking they might be loose.) hope this helps! Dang! Small world isn't it? Did you get yours from Scooter Depot (aka Sunny) in Chino? And have you had any major problems with service (besides the local mechanic)? We should get together and compare scooters and notes. |
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Post by imnts2 on Jan 2, 2012 10:06:19 GMT -5
First of all. It is not to late to do a good PDI. DO IT NOW. Read about doing a PDI on this forum. Perhaps print it out and DO IT.
Re the mechanic that does not want to work on you scoot. He almost certainly does not know what he is doing. Part of the problem is it takes about $40 and hour plus the cost of the mechanic to provide a shop for a mechanic to work in in a dealership. And it takes most of an hour or so to take the plastic stuff off so you can work on the scoot to do almost anything and another hour to or so to put the plastic back on. I always undress a scoot and leave it undressed until I am satisfied I am done fixing. But the undressing and dressing a strange scoot is expensive and time consuming. So maybe it is time to learn that while you bought a decent scoot, there is a lot to scooting besides sitting on the seat and twisting the throttle. You almost certainly will spend a lot to keep it running or you wil have to learn to do your own wrenching. And be prepared to be patient and persistent and learn a lot you maybe don't wnat to learn. We will try to help you but some of us don't know s--- either.
Welcome
lefty2
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Post by spandi on Jan 2, 2012 10:49:15 GMT -5
Dang! Small world isn't it? Did you get yours from Scooter Depot (aka Sunny) in Chino? And have you had any major problems with service (besides the local mechanic)? We should get together and compare scooters and notes.[/quote]
Hiya Bieps! To answer your question no, I did't go through scooter depot, however I did buy from a dealer (b&m) and had my baby shipped to my door. As far as servicing goes follow the advice of the old timers here and learn how to turn a wrench (it can be very satisfying and you'll know it was done right.) I can't recommend enough the PDI tutorial by the Big Guy (Rich?) that will save you from countless headaches in the future, you might also want to lookup what he has to say concerning the Navigator (a version of the Titian-Lroar) for upgrade ideas. BTW, taking off the body panels is a real pain due to the tabs having what amounts to a locking lip on the edge that makes them almost impossible to back out, plus what in my estimation is fastener overkill (I counted something like 39 screws and bolts under just one side of the floor panel!) but overall it's a beautiful machine, in fact after hearing so many horror stories about chinese bikes I was somewhat shocked to find out how nice it was (and if the truth be told) somewhat nicer than the Honda Elite scooter I had back in 1984. hope you enjoy yours every bit as much!
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Post by spandi on Jan 2, 2012 10:54:29 GMT -5
Sorry about my last posting. (I'm still trying to figure out how things work here.)
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Post by chaz12 on Jan 2, 2012 12:10:59 GMT -5
Can you place a pic of your scooter.. Znen made several 250cc scooters. I am not cartian which one you are talking about.. Sorry..
Ya, if you can, you are better off doing work yourself. I had a stroke and work on my 250cc scooter myself. I took tires off scoot and had a pro put on new tires, greases axle and bearing, clean air filters, adjust carb, changed waterpump, battery and starer motor, dusted clutch and inspected belt, change lightbults.... I am 48 this year but enjoy saving money, by having the scooter.
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Post by spandi on Jan 2, 2012 12:21:59 GMT -5
The Duro tires mine came with are only rated to 62 mph, so if you're going to do any long distance travel at higher speeds switch to Michelin or pirelli "P" rated tires (good for up to 94 mph.)
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Post by newbieps on Jan 2, 2012 18:22:15 GMT -5
Can you place a pic of your scooter.. Znen made several 250cc scooters. I am not cartian which one you are talking about.. Sorry.. Ya, if you can, you are better off doing work yourself. I had a stroke and work on my 250cc scooter myself. I took tires off scoot and had a pro put on new tires, greases axle and bearing, clean air filters, adjust carb, changed waterpump, battery and starer motor, dusted clutch and inspected belt, change lightbults.... I am 48 this year but enjoy saving money, by having the scooter. Here are a couple of pics. The labels that we have not installed yet say SSR Titan 250. Does this help you with the identity? We've successfully adjusted the idle on the black scoot, so we're making progress. Still need to track down the source of the anti-freeze leak in an area that is extremely difficult to access. And there is a bolt on the passenger grab handle that will not tighten. Will have to look for a slightly larger bolt. Attachments:
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Post by trailheadmike on Jan 2, 2012 18:58:40 GMT -5
That's a beautiful scooter! Let me just give you some words of encouragement - my only mechanical ability before my scooter was to change my own car battery. I bought my 250 just over a year ago, and thanks to the good people on this board I've done a pdi and solved every problem that crept up. after a few months of nailing everything down (I believe someone else has said "dialing it in") i've had nothing but thousands of trouble free miles. All of which is to say that if I can do a pdi, diagnose and fix fuel and electrical problems, and even do a valve adjustment, anyone can. Use this board, especially past posts using the google function since there are years of stored knowledge here. Good luck and happy riding!!
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Post by spandi on Jan 2, 2012 19:03:34 GMT -5
Beautiful Scoots! ....Just out of curiosity what part of the bike is the leak coming from? also access to the radiator filler cap is under that black curved piece of plastic directly below the windshield and attached by about three bolts or screws.
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Post by chaz12 on Jan 2, 2012 19:12:11 GMT -5
Ya, that is the newer Znen.. Cool.. Beautiful scoot.. I wish you all the luck with it.. Just Beautiful..
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Post by newbieps on Jan 2, 2012 20:09:33 GMT -5
Beautiful Scoots! ....Just out of curiosity what part of the bike is the leak coming from? also access to the radiator filler cap is under that black curved piece of plastic directly below the windshield and attached by about three bolts or screws. It's actually dripping out of a drain trough, left front underneath the bike. We took the windshield off today and saw the radiator cap, and also the coolant fill tube that is accessed through a panel on the dash. Tried to look to see where the dripping may be coming from, but looked like a lot more would have to come off to see that much. Rode the bikes some this afternoon, and the dripping appears to have stopped, or at least slowed down. Keeping our fingers crossed. |
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Post by spandi on Jan 2, 2012 22:37:19 GMT -5
Beautiful Scoots! ....Just out of curiosity what part of the bike is the leak coming from? also access to the radiator filler cap is under that black curved piece of plastic directly below the windshield and attached by about three bolts or screws. It's actually dripping out of a drain trough, left front underneath the bike. We took the windshield off today and saw the radiator cap, and also the coolant fill tube that is accessed through a panel on the dash. Tried to look to see where the dripping may be coming from, but looked like a lot more would have to come off to see that much. Rode the bikes some this afternoon, and the dripping appears to have stopped, or at least slowed down. Keeping our fingers crossed. I think it's either a leak in the elbow but more than likely one of the two clamps that hold it to the metal tube or end of the radiator are loose. if you have to take off the body panels start from the back and work your way forward (good luck, it ain't going to be fun.) |
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Post by bobbyb on Jan 3, 2012 11:32:03 GMT -5
newbieps
In the diesel world you have a classic case of "cold water leak". Leaks when cold and seals when it's warmed up. You have a loose hose clamp somewhere under the plastic. When you're inside the plastic, tighten all the clamps you can see. Don't over tighten the clamps, just snug.
Nice looking scooters. I really like that body style.
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Post by spandi on Jan 7, 2012 21:36:59 GMT -5
Hiya newbieps, I was just wondering how things went with the coolant leak? Sorry, but I forgot to mention removing the black plastic protective plate underneath (if I remember it's held on by about four bolts.) to get to the "plumbing" inside.
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Post by newbieps on Jan 8, 2012 11:38:07 GMT -5
Hiya newbieps, I was just wondering how things went with the coolant leak? Sorry, but I forgot to mention removing the black plastic protective plate underneath (if I remember it's held on by about four bolts.) to get to the "plumbing" inside. We found a loose hose clamp to the right of the gas tank. Had to remove all of the body panels to get to it and of course put them back on later. At least we learned a lot about the bike, which we'll need to know later. Doubt that we can afford to pay a mechanic to remove and reinstall the panels, even if we find one who is willing to work on these bikes. We also removed the front turn signal arms. These scoots have perfectly good turn signals inside the headlight casing that just needed hooking up. Does anyone know why they put on the turn signal arms? I googled up the requirements and determined that the front turn signals must be at least 16 inches apart (center-to-center) and at least 5 inches from the headlights. The built-in turn signals are exactly those distances apart. So I don't see how a cop could take issue with it. |
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Post by spandi on Jan 8, 2012 21:22:44 GMT -5
newbieps, if memory serves, the Znen website said something about having dual sets of turn signals so if one light or another on either side blew out you would still have a working signal (of corse this means BOTH sets would have to be connected!) BTW, did you find taking off the body panels as much fun as I did? (wink)
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Post by newbieps on Jan 8, 2012 22:43:36 GMT -5
newbieps, if memory serves, the Znen website said something about having dual sets of turn signals so if one light or another on either side blew out you would still have a working signal (of corse this means BOTH sets would have to be connected!) BTW, did you find taking off the body panels as much fun as I did? (wink) Most fun we've had since we gave up S&M. ;D Yes, I wondered why they didn't hook up both sets of lights too. Thought about hooking them up that way, but did not really care to do it that way. It was really simple to pull out the extra connector that they had installed to route the wiring to the external lights. Bought a couple of skull emblems at Autozone to cover up the holes that were left by the turn signal arms. Looks really great. Do you have any idea where I can get the Znen logo (shaped like a shield) that I see on the front of the scooters in most of the pictures? The dealer just says that it did not ship with the bikes and they don't have them. |
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Post by spandi on Jan 8, 2012 23:05:44 GMT -5
newbieps, no, I don't know where one could find the logo (I'll poke around the net and see if there is anything to be found) I don't have one on my bike either. BTW on Amazon UK you CAN find a Znen only parking sign (I got the big model to adorn the wall.)
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Post by TERRA NUVO on Jan 9, 2012 7:31:52 GMT -5
Scooter depot is toxic and a symbol of how low consumer rights have sunk in America and over bearing tyrannical corporate rights have gone out of hand.
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Post by spandi on Jan 11, 2012 22:42:10 GMT -5
newbieps, if you go to the Puma cycles website and look up the Apollo 250 (their name for the Znen) and scroll down the parts listing, about 4/5 of the way down is a sticker set with what appears to be the Znen badge or logo.
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Post by spandi on Jan 11, 2012 22:46:40 GMT -5
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Post by spandi on Jun 5, 2012 0:49:29 GMT -5
Hiya newbieps, I was just wondering how things went with the coolant leak? Sorry, but I forgot to mention removing the black plastic protective plate underneath (if I remember it's held on by about four bolts.) to get to the "plumbing" inside. We found a loose hose clamp to the right of the gas tank. Had to remove all of the body panels to get to it and of course put them back on later. At least we learned a lot about the bike, which we'll need to know later. Doubt that we can afford to pay a mechanic to remove and reinstall the panels, even if we find one who is willing to work on these bikes. We also removed the front turn signal arms. These scoots have perfectly good turn signals inside the headlight casing that just needed hooking up. Does anyone know why they put on the turn signal arms? I googled up the requirements and determined that the front turn signals must be at least 16 inches apart (center-to-center) and at least 5 inches from the headlights. The built-in turn signals are exactly those distances apart. So I don't see how a cop could take issue with it. I believe the turn signal arms were put on to conform to new DOT regulations. |
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