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Post by Aerostudent on Aug 19, 2007 22:51:49 GMT -5
As some may know, I recently purchased a Lance GS-R 150 through scootersfactory.com, but I picked it up at their 'store' in Rancho Cucamonga (sp?), CA (near Ontario, CA). Overall I am very satisfied with the scooter itself, but this review is not about that, if interested in the scooter see: www.scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=1185348064Overall I am very impressed with their service both before and after sales. I had one issue with the scoot, as it didn't have the stated alarm. I contacted SF about it and within about 3 days I had my new alarm unit, just have to install it now. before sales they were very helpful as expected of even most of the low life scum that sell scoots on ebay, but their after sales help with the alarm and a few other miscellaneous questions I had was excellent. I had responses to my emails within an hour or so (during business hours), and overall they seem to be pretty knowledgeable about their scooters (still don't know everything, but they are also honest about that). One other thing is, if anyone sees the dash of the scooter (on GS-R, at least) there is a small window on the right hand side of it that really has no purpose at all, I asked them about this window and what it was there for, and their response was that they didn't really know, and as it is made in China, them Chinese people do thing in their factories that really don't make sense. I never expected that response from the dealer. But in my eyes that means they are pretty honest as it comes. One other thing I should note is that, while I have not confirmed this, I have heard that the muffler is not aluminum as advertised, but again I have not confirmed this. Just my 2 cents, feel free to add any of your experiences with ScootersFactory. Aero
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Post by earlwb on Aug 20, 2007 5:46:18 GMT -5
Congrats and good luck on your scooter. Looks like you got a good one. If the alarm wasn't already on your scoot, I'd suggest leaving it off. The alarms run the battery down fast and usually irritate you a lot more than they actually prove useful.
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Post by newc77 on Aug 22, 2007 19:51:04 GMT -5
Great before and during the sale. Really hard to get a reponse from anyone but in sales since delivery. Still going on two weeks waiting for warranty response on a trunk with some cosmetic problems.
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Post by Aerostudent on Aug 22, 2007 23:33:49 GMT -5
Just to let you know, the trunk is really cheap, mine also has some minor cosmetic stuff, but I don't really care about it that much (better than a milk crate). As for your claim, have you just emailed them, or did you fill out a claim on their website? I emailed them a bunch about the problems I was having and then filled out a warantee claim on their site. If you haven't already, try what I did...or something...or not... Hope you get your problem taken care of.
Aero
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Post by newc77 on Aug 23, 2007 13:30:13 GMT -5
Well Aero, I sent the online claim twice, emailed several times, and have called. I get voicemail or a sales rep who always says they can't help me. So far my calls and emails have not been returned. My damage is minor as well and they are cheap trunks (my wife got a Lance Gsr 150 and her trunk is much nicer). Just thought that was what the warranty was for though, you know?
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Post by Aerostudent on Aug 24, 2007 21:53:00 GMT -5
Don't know what to say other than "keep trying." I want to get a good quality trunk sometime in the future. The way I look at it is, some scooters don't come with trunks, so even an ok one is better than having to run out and buy one right away. Just sorry that they wouldn't honor their warranty for you, as stated before, all was fine for me.
Aero
EDIT: One more thing I can think of is that they might be giving you the cold shoulder while waiting for stock to come in (from China). Or you might just be getting people that don't know what is going on when you call (implying that there are at least a few who do know/care what is going on). END EDIT
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Post by newc77 on Aug 24, 2007 23:08:09 GMT -5
Yup, trunks on the web or JC Whitney can be pricey. At least I have one. Will keep trying with SF. Hope they do better when I need parts badly.
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Post by 76bluehen on Sept 5, 2007 10:12:09 GMT -5
are you still satisfied with your Lance scooter? Has anyone got experiece ordering from them using the net and shipping to your home?
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Post by christyw on Sept 5, 2007 13:32:11 GMT -5
aerostudent, I'm surprised at your level of satisfaction with scootersfactory. I also bought my scooter from them. I ordered my scooter and continued researching the Roketa mc-11 (bermuda) and found out that the stats they had listed for it were ALL WRONG! I had already paid for the scooter and their customer service did nothing to compensate me for the fact that I thought I was buying one thing and was actually buying something else. I was pissed and I hadn't even received the scooter yet. When it arrived, the trunk was not included and it was supposed to be included. I contacted them over and over again and they didn't know where my trunk was. Finally it arrived. 3 MONTHS after the scooter. The trunk doesn't fit, btw. I cannot even force it to fit. It's pretty crappy anyway, so it doesn't matter much, but still!! I'm very unsatisfied with the service I received from them. I will never do business with them again and will never refer them to anyone. I'm glad your situation was better, but beware...they may turn on you.
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Post by Aerostudent on Sept 8, 2007 0:25:51 GMT -5
Sorry to hear that Christy...as I said earlier I got a Lance. I talked to one of the sales reps when I went there and he gave the impression that they take a lot more pride in the Lance brand than anything else they sell (reffered to Roketa about the way a Vespa rider would and said that Lance, while still a Chinese scooter and not the greatest, was a big step above Roketa, not to bash you or anything), and it seems like they are actually moving to be only a Lance seller (no Roketa). Can't say for sure but they are down from a couple different scooters (Lance, plus a Tank and 2? Roketa) to just Lance and 1 Roketa. They replaced the Tank 250 with a Lance duke touring 250. As for 76bluehen, yes I am still very satisfied with the Lance GS-R. I have a little over 600 miles on it and not a problem in sight save a broken muffler baffle (just makes it a little louder). I am looking to upgrade a few parts here and there, but nothing major, I will now begin saving up for a bigger bike (prob. not a scooter, I like shifting too much) though, just 'cause I need to go freeway and I like power (I'm a guy, and 19 so you should know what I mean, I'm not stupid-crazey though like some of the kids around here are. No 120mph in shorts, flipflops, and a wife-beater for me; I'll keep my skin thank you). But overall, the Lance is, IMO, a better scooter than most, and I will still keep it unless I really need money or it turns to crap in a year or two. If you are considering them, I would give them a strong look, they are definately a step about most Chinese scooters. They (Lance) are made by Zhongneng (or ZNEN) which is one of the best Chinese scooter manufacturers, but still a under Kymco and other higher end scooters. Just my humble oppinion. Aero
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Post by tcxjwagoneer on Sept 9, 2007 11:59:22 GMT -5
I purchased my Lance INterceptor second hand, but the previous owner ordered it from Scooterfactory. They still answered all of my questions and worked with me on some small issues. I thought that they were great for doing that and I didn't even purchase from them.
Tommy
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Post by guyruss on Sept 10, 2007 1:00:50 GMT -5
I now that I said this before, but I purchased a Lance Vintage 150 from Scootersfactory, and the service was great. The delivery was very fast, and they shiped it on a pallet, and crate. The scooter was in nice good condition. I have almost three hundred miles on it, and it is running great. I only changed the oils, and spark plug. I want to upgrade to kevlar belt in near future. Don't feel that I need to upgrade rollers, or variator, since it runs so nice with 55mph purring,gps. I am 187lbs. I probably am going to purchase the Lance Duke 250 in a few months (however) I must admit I am also considering the strada 300.
Russ
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Post by avoidingwork on Oct 9, 2007 11:57:34 GMT -5
I have just purchased a Lance Milan 150. I purchased over the Internet from ScootersFactory and it was shipped to my home. Everything went just fine. We also looked at the Piaggio Fly 150. The Fly costs about twice as much, but the fit and finish on the Fly is much nicer. But, the Milan 150 is plenty nice for me. If you compare it to bicycles, it would be similar to the difference in a bike you get at Toys-R-Us and a bike you get at a bike shop.
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Post by scooterdan on Oct 10, 2007 11:30:29 GMT -5
Hey Guys, I just received a new Lance GS-150cc from the Scooters Factory. After uncovering the scooter in the steel cage it came in, I noticed that there were a couple nicks in the paint and the trunk had a small gouge in it. Looks pretty nice so far. Considering this scooter came half way around the world I kind of expexted a few scratches and dings. I will let you guys know how the start up goes tomorrow!
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Post by Aerostudent on Oct 13, 2007 16:55:38 GMT -5
Allright, it seems that more and more people are getting Lance scooters from ScootersFactory. Mine has proven itself to me at 1700 miles and nothing from it to indicate that it has trouble of any kind. I took off the CVT cover the other day to see what condition the belt was in and I am happy to say it looks new! Minimal dust in the case that I cleaned out fairly good, and the belt is a Gates Powerlink which is good from what I know. The plug is still stock, but I plan on switching to Iridium or double platinum when I get the chance. Also I will start some minor mods to it soon, such as roller weights (prob 12g), exhaust, HP air filter with "custom" air intake, and jetting it. I'll have a thread about it once I get it started, and I will write a follow up review on my GS-R soon.
Aero
PS. Welcome to the pound, Avoidingwork and Scooterdan! Hope you find it a worthy place! Anything we can do to help we will try our best to help you with! Welcome!
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Post by Aerostudent on Oct 20, 2007 0:56:04 GMT -5
Another update!!! Well, I knew that something would wo wrong with the scooter eventually and then I would see what ScootersFactory (henceforth called SF) was really made of, lol. I have been leaking oil from under the scooter (as opposed to over the scooter ;D ) but there is none in my driveway, and it appears to be blowing out under high perssure, so I assumed a bad head gasket. I talked to a mechanic at SF and also a guy I know that is really into bike and they both think the same thing. I contacted SF about this and after consulting with their mechanic who thought the same thing, they are sending me a new head gasket. They said they are out of them right now, but they already orded some and said I should have it soon. We'll see, as so far they have been great to me. I'll keep everyone posted! Aero Also thought I should note that I ride this thing HARD, and I do mean HARD!!! I have 2000 miles in 2 and a half months and most of it is WIDE OPEN THROTTLE!!!
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Post by guyruss on Oct 20, 2007 23:14:01 GMT -5
Tuff break Aero I hope everything goes well, and man you are making me feel wimpy with the miles you allready got on your scoot. I am at near 1000, and o problems yet, just waiting for something to happen but never does. I will inspect the belt in about 4-5hundred mls. Watching real close to see how it goes with your service from sf. How long did you have to wait for your dmv plates to come in the mail? Scoota-Rollin-Friend, Russ
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Post by swampsniper on Oct 20, 2007 23:39:57 GMT -5
Another update!!! Well, I knew that something would wo wrong with the scooter eventually and then I would see what ScootersFactory (henceforth called SF) was really made of, lol. I have been leaking oil from under the scooter (as opposed to over the scooter ;D ) but there is none in my driveway, and it appears to be blowing out under high perssure, so I assumed a bad head gasket. I talked to a mechanic at SF and also a guy I know that is really into bike and they both think the same thing. I contacted SF about this and after consulting with their mechanic who thought the same thing, they are sending me a new head gasket. They said they are out of them right now, but they already orded some and said I should have it soon. We'll see, as so far they have been great to me. I'll keep everyone posted! Aero Also thought I should note that I ride this thing HARD, and I do mean HARD!!! I have 2000 miles in 2 and a half months and most of it is WIDE OPEN THROTTLE!!! Did you take a look at the valve cover gasket?
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Post by Aerostudent on Oct 21, 2007 18:09:27 GMT -5
Was thinking about the valve cover gasket just yesterday, but haven't looked at it yet. How do I tell if a gasket is bad by looking at it? Do I just check for leaking oil around the cover? I am thinking that there would be some adverse affects if the head gasket was bad, but there are none, the scooter still runs great, it just leaks some oil and need to be topped off after about 700 miles (changing every 1k after breakin at 50~200~500~1000...) but still only uses one liter every change including the top off.
While we're on this subject, I changed the gear and engine oil yesterday and found that while it runs a lot smoother, I have lost a few mph top-end. I am using 10W40 engine and 80W90 gear oil. These seemed like good ones to me, but I am going back to 10W30 next change I think. Comments, suggestions, funny stories?
Also just got Iridium plug to install and will keep y'all posted on if/how it affects anything. Anyone have torque specs on the plug? Thanks! Also I will write a review on owning the GS-R when I get a chance [ie after this next set of tests in school (calc3 and EM physics)].
Aero
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Post by scooterollie on Oct 21, 2007 20:32:57 GMT -5
Aero; Interesting! I really wouldn't expect any difference in top end between the two oil viscosities you have used. Some report slight differences between Dino oil and synthetics.
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Post by bob on Oct 21, 2007 21:35:25 GMT -5
Aero, Spray brake cleaner wherever the oil is on your engine. It will remove the oil and leave a clean surface. Run the scoot a short time and inspect for the leaks again. This should help you pinpoint where the oil is coming from. You could be just blowing it out the filter. How much oil do you put in it when you change the oil?
Bob
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smk8er
Junior Dawg
Occifer are ur i's glazed?
Posts: 14
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Post by smk8er on Oct 22, 2007 8:49:22 GMT -5
Hello all my first post and love the site and new to scooters. So i am looking at the 150cc Lance Venice model for commuting to work and back and the occasional ride around town. Anyone have this model and any thoughts on it, and possibly real world pics of one i know the web site pics make it look nice but i was curious to see it in real world setting. The price is nice and in my ball park. Thanks all!!!!!!
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Post by rerun2 on Oct 22, 2007 14:23:01 GMT -5
Welcome to the dawgpound there smoke-eater... I am sure you will get responses from those that have the scoot model you are looking into. Feel free to ask as you will, this is a friendly place and extremely helpful.
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Post by Aerostudent on Oct 22, 2007 16:20:17 GMT -5
I usually put in about .7 Liters. I fill it to the middle of the cross section on the dipstick.
As for Smk8er, I have seen the venice and it seems nice. I have no pics, but the ones on the S/F website look pretty much the same as in real life. They have good quality constuction and very few/slight flaws. Also made by a factory called Zhongneng, which is one of China's best.
Aero
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smk8er
Junior Dawg
Occifer are ur i's glazed?
Posts: 14
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Post by smk8er on Oct 22, 2007 17:22:12 GMT -5
Aero sorry for highjacking your thread. And everyone thanks for the welcome. Aero thanks for the words on the scoot i am looking to get. I will have to check up on the company you said builds them. The only thing i worry about is parts when things go wrong. I know now you can get them from SF but if they decided to sell something different and can no longer get the parts that would be an issue.
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Post by bob on Oct 22, 2007 17:38:59 GMT -5
smk8er, Zhongneng also makes Fly scooters and Bandit scooters.
Bob
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smk8er
Junior Dawg
Occifer are ur i's glazed?
Posts: 14
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Post by smk8er on Oct 22, 2007 18:16:08 GMT -5
Thanks bob for the info. I will have to check them out also. I don;t think i will order the scooter until late winter. I am up here in North Eastern Pennsylvania and it gets damn cold. But we shall see.
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Post by rootbrewskies on Oct 22, 2007 21:56:18 GMT -5
Another update!!! Well, I knew that something would wo wrong with the scooter eventually and then I would see what ScootersFactory (henceforth called SF) was really made of, lol. I have been leaking oil from under the scooter (as opposed to over the scooter ;D ) but there is none in my driveway, and it appears to be blowing out under high perssure, so I assumed a bad head gasket. I talked to a mechanic at SF and also a guy I know that is really into bike and they both think the same thing. I contacted SF about this and after consulting with their mechanic who thought the same thing, they are sending me a new head gasket. They said they are out of them right now, but they already orded some and said I should have it soon. We'll see, as so far they have been great to me. I'll keep everyone posted! Aero Also thought I should note that I ride this thing HARD, and I do mean HARD!!! I have 2000 miles in 2 and a half months and most of it is WIDE OPEN THROTTLE!!! Hey Aero, I'm not sure if you've received your gasket yet but was it covered under the warranty? On their website it says that gaskets are not included in the warranty coverage. rootbrewskies.
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Post by rootbrewskies on Oct 22, 2007 22:16:22 GMT -5
Hello all my first post and love the site and new to scooters. So i am looking at the 150cc Lance Venice model for commuting to work and back and the occasional ride around town. Anyone have this model and any thoughts on it, and possibly real world pics of one i know the web site pics make it look nice but i was curious to see it in real world setting. The price is nice and in my ball park. Thanks all!!!!!! hey smk8er, there are several threads about the lance products. use the search function and enter Lance. Based off of what i've found, the lance models are all the same - based on engine size, the only difference is cosmetics. the scooters based on the reviews seem to be doing well thus far. scootersfactory.com i believe used to sell a number of brands but has recently switched to selling only Lance, which is just a chinese manufactured scooter that they label under the name of lance, from what ive heard its from the same manufacturer as Roketa, but you cant quote me on that. i asked scootersfactory.com who their manufacturer was and they said they dont disclose who it is. anyway, the scooters havent been around too long, seems like the 2000 miles is the highest ive heard of on this board, but the manufacturer told me he knew people who had them with 5k miles and no problems (granted thats coming from scootersfactory and not a outside party). one surprising thing i havent heard anyone say about the scooters is hte need to replace anything immediately upon getting the scooter. Most people claim you need to immediately swap out parts when you get a chinese scooter but i havent heard of people doing that with the lance scooters. as far as warranty support goes, most people havent said they have had many problems. other people have stated that they havent had any real problems with getting parts. when i spoke with scootersfactory they told me they had 90% of parts in stock, meaning not a long wait to get parts if you have a problem (granted this is coming from the scootersfactory again). one concern that i think is legitimate is that scootersfactory is the sole distributor of Lance scooters. i think a few other websites have them, but they all come from scootersfactory.com, it is their own brand and they are trying to grow based on them. What does this mean? Who knows, but it could be bad news if down the road scootersfactory closes shop or they decide to get their scooters from a different manufacturer or just start labeling the scooters under a different name and stop honoring the Lance warranty and make parts impossible to find. I did speak with scootersfactory who told me that they are fully committed to the Lance line, which i dont doubt. They apparently recently moved from a 15,000 ft facility to a new 50,000 ft facility and i was told this is all because of the Lance line. I'm sure it was a huge investment to move to a new facility and start to label and market their own brand of scooters so they likely are committed and my impression is that they will be around for a while. the only question left to be answer is how willl the scooters hold up in the long haul. it seems like they are doing well so far, and i guess for the low price its hard to complain if it doesnt last as long as a japanese or italian scoot but nobody wants to see their investment die. if anyone out there does own a lance and can give some info on how long they've had it and number of miles they are rockin that would be awesome. Specifically people that have had the scoots for a reasonably lengthy amount of time or have put on a hardy amount of miles. My general impression of scootersfactory and the lance scooters has been pretty good. i am in the market too and am definately considering them as an option. but i'm ridiculous when it comes to research and am horrible at making decisions so i'm sure i'll be doing alot more research.......or maybe i'll just get drunk and call them up with a credit card number. hope i helped a little. rootbrewskies.
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Post by Aerostudent on Oct 23, 2007 0:33:31 GMT -5
This thread is an open discussion of Lance/ScootersFactory, there is no such thing as thread jacking if you are still on that topic . I Emailed S/F again to see about getting a valve cover gasket and they said they would be sending both either today (mon) or tomorrow. They DID cover them under warrantee. They also asked me to let them know wich it ens up being so they can send word back to their manufacturer, that seems good to me. I'll keep updating info on my scooter as I put on pretty good mile (~175 per week), so I might have a few thousand more by January or so, and hopefully it doesn't die on me, I need it for transportation. But I can get a ride if I need it. The scooter has almost paid for itself allready! I am saving $80/month on insurance and a LOT in gas($50/6days to $50/month). I can confirm (allmost 100% sure) that Roketa is NOT made by the same factory as Lance. I think they are made by that 'Astronautical Bashan' place, while Lance is Zhongneng. Either way, they are not the same level of quality as Roketas can start giving problems from the get go and die after a few hundred miles, this is the first problem I have had with my Lance at 2000 miles, and most cases are similar. Aero
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