Any cheap Chinese 250cc's ready for prime time?

[voodooaddict]

(I had this thread going in the 125-200cc forum...
scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=1156369611)

At the request of a friend I'm going to actually research the 250cc scoots before making my purchase. (Which otherwise would be the Strada RX200.) My "riding" friends are really pushing me to look at a 250cc as a minimum so that we can travel on the freeway a little more comfortably.

Am I wrong to think that the inexpensive Chinese 250ccs aren't ready for prime time?

I just don't think I've seen one review of a 250cc Chinese scooter (or Atuomatic Motorcycle with a 250cc Like the V3 or V5) that makes them sound like reliable bikes.

The cheepest non-touring style 250cc looks to be the Kymco People S 250... www.strmotorsports.com/showroom/scooters/peopleS250/index.html and at @ $4k that's well outside my starting range for a bike. Heck the Kawasaki Ninja 250 I was originally looking at before considering schooters is @ $3k new. I'm not financing a bike I'd want to buy it ouright. I'm also very hesitant to buy used for my first bike, I wouldn't want any unforseen problems that were caused by the prevous owner.

Are there any RELIABLE 250cc's under $2K? They all just sound like a crapshoot at this point... and if I'm going to go for a crapshoot ... I might as well do it on the cheap: I was so temped bid on this at ebay. A "Cobra" Brand 250 that doesn't look much larger then the RX200:
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330021561752
... I know buying a bike on ebay is asking for trouble, hense I didn't bid. I sent the seller a brief list of questions that weren't responded to... "I've never heard of the "Cobra" brand. Which of the Chinese manufactures did I come from? Will the bike arrive fully assembled?"

Had he answered "QJ" and given me any details about the state it would arive in... I would have jumped at it then everyone here would have gotten a review on the "Cobra" Brand 250cc.


My options at this point are:
- Stada RX200 --- Fits my personal needs ... My friends will have to deal or not ride with me till I upgrade to something larger down the road.
- Kawasaki Ninja 250 -- Not a scoot ... but used I can get them for under $2k and still a good small bike to start on.
- Wait till next season. Eat lots of Ramen saveup and Buy a Kymco or Honda 250.

[scooterollie]

voodooaddict;
Sounds like you have done some research. Congratulations! You have probably answered most of your questions through the research you did. As the owner of a Roketa Bali 250 for the past two months, I am not certain what I would say to someone interested in purchasing one. Depends on their mechanical ability and willingness to gamble. At 1,000 Kms, my scoot seems to be running well well but if you have read my thread here, you know there have been issues. All but the carb problem was corrected before it became a problem and disabled the scoot. The carb problem probably could have occurred on any scoot, regardless of price, quality, etc. Knowing that these scoots have been plagued by sensor, fan, wiring, etc. problems, you wonder when the next failure will occur. I do think they have the potential to be cheap, dependable scoots and maybe this is the year for the bugs to be ironed out. Only time will tell for all of us owning a 250 purchased this year.

As for getting a 250 for less than $2,000, most I have seen are listed between $2K - $2.5K. The one shown in the link you provided, if you can rely on the picture and specs, seems to have the Linhai/Yamaha engine/drive train. These scoots usually list for more than the ones having the Honda 250cc clone. If the one on ebay was legit and as described, it was a steal at $1,250! Of course S&H was to be added to that price. Even at $1,500, it would have been a great buy. As you stated, how can you trust a "dealer" who doesn't even respond to your inquiries?

[ddillon]

voodoo,

I think your assessment that the Chinese 250's are a crap shoot is somewhat accurate. We have Stan the man Jessup who has a Tank 250 and his seems to be running fine, although he is a scooter whiz and does a lot of "preventative maintenance" on his scoots right out of the box that the average person would probably not do. Then we have Dawg who received a Tank 250 to do a review on and it has not run since he received it about 2 months ago. You also have Mr. Scooterollie who has a Roketa Bali 250 and his seems to be running good. Also woodlark has a Wussi 250 but I am not sure what he thinks of it.

The main problem with these 250's seems to be overheating. Problems with the radiator fans, sensors and temp. guage are the most common complaints. You can get a 250 delivered for around $2K maybe even less if you go on ebay.

I think you have to ask yourself how important riding with your friends is going to be for you. They are all going to be on Harley's so a 250 would allow you to keep with them much better than a 150 would but is it worth the extra risk for you.

[voodooaddict]

I'm definitely still leaning toward the RX200. The friends live in the burbs and I'm unsure how often I'd ride with them. I figured I should post this incase I missed something and there are reliable 250's that people know about.

This is the closest thing I found to a "somewhat" reliable 250 ... because they will assemble and test it before shipping for an additional $200.
www.twincitiesscooter.com/ProductAd.ASP?ItemCode=bn250-7
@ 3500 assembled and shipped though. It's around double what the RX200 would cost me. And I'm not even 100% sure if Baron is more or less reliable then "QJ"-made Stradas.

Thanks, sticking to the original plan.

1) Taking the Scooter and "M" License Class from www.motorcyclelearning.com @ $200
2) Buying safety gear.
- Full-Face Flip up Helmet for @ $150
- Gloves @ $50
- Riding Jacket for @ $250
3) Strada RX200 @ $1600
4) Licensing fees @ $160 ($10 - "M" Classification, $65 - Title, $40 - Plates, $45 - City Sticker)

Finally on 2 wheels for under 2.5k. Well ... I'll believe it when I'm finally riding.

[mike65072]

Go for it...no such thing as a perfect scooter (or anything else). You've asked all the right questions and got the right answers, now buy it and enjoy!

[scooterollie]

Spoke with "Dave" in parts at CFMoto today about the CFMoto water cooled 250 engine in many of our scoots. He said that in their experience, it was not failure of the engine, but of other parts - ones we have already identified and listed. He also indicated that the internal parts of their engines are of Japanese and American origin for better quality and durability. Don't know how true this is but most all the comments about the 250s do seem to relate to problems caused by parts external to the engine - sensors, fans and, inaccurate temp guages. He stressed the need to use 15W40 oil in the engine in all but the most extreme climates and, to replace the coolant with one of known origin and composition. For what it is worth, I thought his comments were interesting.

[voodooaddict]

scooterollie said:

Spoke with "Dave" in parts at CFMoto today about the CFMoto water cooled 250 engine in many of our scoots. He said that in their experience, it was not failure of the engine, but of other parts - ones we have already identified and listed. He also indicated that the internal parts of their engines are of Japanese and American origin for better quality and durability. Don't know how true this is but most all the comments about the 250s do seem to relate to problems caused by parts external to the engine - sensors, fans and, inaccurate temp guages. He stressed the need to use 15W40 oil in the engine in all but the most extreme climates and, to replace the coolant with one of known origin and composition. For what it is worth, I thought his comments were interesting.

While it's nice to know that the engine isn't the issue on the 250cc's. The fact that it's well known they have other issues is quite worry some when considering the whole bike.

I think if I were still living out in the suburbs with my folks where I had the option of keeping two vehicals and a fair amount of room to work on the bike, I'd go for one of the cheap 250's. As I'm living downtown now I would only have the room for doing simple and quick things like changing the oil. I wouldn't be able to pull apart the bike to hunt down unknown troubles.

I apreciate all the input. I'm glad my thinking wasn't so off base that I needed to drasticly change my plan.

Now to just settle on where to buy the Strada RX200 and if I should spring for a rear trunk at the time of purchase.

[airnerd]

voodooaddict said:

I'm definitely still leaning toward the RX200. The friends live in the burbs and I'm unsure how often I'd ride with them. I figured I should post this incase I missed something and there are reliable 250's that people know about.

This is the closest thing I found to a "somewhat" reliable 250 ... because they will assemble and test it before shipping for an additional $200.
www.twincitiesscooter.com/ProductAd.ASP?ItemCode=bn250-7
@ 3500 assembled and shipped though. It's around double what the RX200 would cost me. And I'm not even 100% sure if Baron is more or less reliable then "QJ"-made Stradas.

Thanks, sticking to the original plan.

1) Taking the Scooter and "M" License Class from www.motorcyclelearning.com @ $200
2) Buying safety gear.
- Full-Face Flip up Helmet for @ $150
- Gloves @ $50
- Riding Jacket for @ $250
3) Strada RX200 @ $1600
4) Licensing fees @ $160 ($10 - "M" Classification, $65 - Title, $40 - Plates, $45 - City Sticker)

Finally on 2 wheels for under 2.5k. Well ... I'll believe it when I'm finally riding.

I found a website that did rateings on scoots (not sure where anymore), and I saw that Baron brand scoots never got the full 5 star rating that Strada and some of the others did, If I remember corectly they had the lowest # of stars out of all the scoots.

[airnerd]

BTW I don't have a scoot yet (see my threads) but I too am thinking of getting the Strada RX200HP now.

[T W I S T E R]

United Motors is claiming to be ready in Feb-07 with a new 250 scoot. Using a different mfg than they do now.

[BILL]

after 3000 miles, no problem with the CFMoto Fashion

[T W I S T E R]

saw an 07 United Motors 300 today. still under wraps but the rep had them on a display trailer. Very Very good looking machine with 3 year warranty. Around $ 3200.00 they say. Will be for sale in march 07.