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Post by cruseman on Dec 27, 2006 0:44:05 GMT -5
Jim thanks for the response and to ScootDawg for the proposal for others here too. I have narrowed down my choices between the Bandit UC-250z and Qlink Pegasus. I’m a big guy, 250 pounds and feel that the 250 might be a better choice for me due to the hills and small mountains where I live. The only thing that’s holding me back is paying off Christmas.
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Post by Leader on Dec 27, 2006 12:18:45 GMT -5
Looks like Bandit is a good operationl. I especially like this piece in the FAQ's:
Should I really consider purchasing a scooter online?
There are many factors to consider - lower price, lower levels of support, and not being able to test ride. There can be advantages to buying online, but there are drawbacks as well. But the main thing to consider is, If you do not have a basic mechanical ability, and are not comfortable with basic servicing of the scooter on your own, you may want to consider buying from a local dealer. Do your research and feel comfortable with your seller and the brands they are selling.
I noticed one weird thing in the description of the UC 250 "Brakes: Hydraulic Front ABS Disc / Rear Drum ". It looks like front and rear disks in the photos. This is a nice feature that you would think that they would want to describe correctly on their site.
Welcome to the pound. Bandito.
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Post by jspencer on Dec 27, 2006 14:10:53 GMT -5
Leader --
Yeah, that's a typo -- I have the UC-150z and it has disks front and back. They just revised the website and I've found a few other typos that I've called to Jim's attention.
But it's a good point -- people often scan sites quickly and something like that could turn away a potential customer if they don't bother to check whether it makes sense. I'll email Jim just in case he doesn't check the Dawg forum today so it gets fixed quickly.
Jon
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Post by banditms on Dec 28, 2006 0:18:16 GMT -5
Leader,
Thanks for the feedback on the UC-250 page. I got alot more wrong info on there than just the rear brake drum... wheels, tires, mpg, etc. That's the cost of copying other scooter pages to make a new one. ( - ; I feel very silly now...
Thanks!
3 karma points in 13 posts! Is this good? Thats a lot pressure to not screw somethin up now guys... ( - ;
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scott
New Puppy Dawg
Posts: 3
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Post by scott on Dec 30, 2006 23:36:06 GMT -5
I've had an UC-250Z for around 9 months now and 8500 miles. I am now having spark problems. I just bought a new spark plug and we’ll see if it works now. It has generally been a dependable machine. It stalled and refused to start once. Took five, it started and I was on my way again. Use good dependable motor oil. I use Shell Rotella-T.
Here are some positives:
1. Awesome gas mileage!
2. Price. Most scooters near its class run around 8k. Getting it for 2K+/- is a bargain.
3. Instrument panel is well laid out and simple.
4. Easy to learn to ride. Automatic. No shifting of gears and learning how to use a clutch handle.
5. Turns and maneuvers well.
6. Power is good. Not incredible, but adequate even for freeway operation.
7. Overall body construction is frugal, but adequate. All body panels are painted plastic. The panels need occasional repositioning to keep them on straight. Some minor rattling. I’m toying with the idea of running a thin foam tape/skyflex around some of the panels to stop/limit rattle. I guess it hasn’t irritated me enough to cause action.
8. With a topcase, storage is very good. I’ve got saddle bags as well, and I can do a lot with it.
9. Turn signal/running lights and fuse are common and can be found in any store.
10. Riding in occasional rain is wonderful as the cockpit affords much more protection than a regular motorcycle. People are often shocked when I walk in from a heavy rain, fairly dry.
11. Overall bike design seems simple and can be maintained by someone with simple mechanical ability.
12. Small footprint. You can really fit through some tiny openings…. Just go slow. ;-)
13. Anti-lock front brake and static rear brake combination are wonderful/lifesaver. Good job to designer.
14. Ride is generally, pretty smooth.
Drawbacks…
1. Windshield fasteners are not reliable. You may need to find a different way to secure them. It’s not hard, just be careful not to over-tighten, as Plexiglas will crack with too much torque. The windshield needs these fasteners to maintain an arch so that it won’t be as apt to fold at higher speeds. I was passing someone and had it up fairly fast. It will keep up with 75 mile an hour traffic on relatively flat terrain… The windshield may began to fold. I did come up with some creative get-arounds, but I still want to find out how a properly torque’d windshield stands up to wind.
2. At roughly 1/8 inch thick, windshield plastic needs to be slightly heavier. I took the stock gold trim off of the windshield, because it wasn’t very secure. If rain water collects in the cover it bends. Cats were playing on top of cloth motorcycle cover on a cool day and they snapped the windshield in half, horizontally.
3. Body parts are somewhat on the cheap side. However, they look good and are inexpensive to replace… A few days after I bought mine, I let a couple of seminary students ride around the block/parking lot and the last one ran it into a well designed, parked Volvo at about 5 mph. The Volvo won, and being an aircraft mechanic, I got a chance to see what the bike was like on the inside… All was not lost.
4. Headlight blew immediately. Motorcycle shops generally do not carry this type of bulb. You have special to order these metric bulbs (not bad at 5$ a piece). I have not figured out how to replace the bulb easily. The bulb is held in place by a spring clip that is “interesting.” I bet there is an easy way to get it in, I just don’t know how to yet. My hands are medium in size. Maybe, people with smaller hands have it easier. The problem is, there’s not easy maneuvering space inside the front fender to get the bulb and the spring clip back in. I’ve got mine adjusted to the proper angle and then packed in with tinfoil.
5. Turn signal indicator in dash isn’t bright enough in daylight, and it is easy to leave them on inadvertently while riding.
6. Oil dipstick was ground roughly and the o-ring does not completely seal the well. I have to check and replace oil levels often.
7. No real instruction/maintenance manual.
8. Not enough protection for engine compartment from back tire water spray. Limit riding in rain.
9. I feel front wheel axle bolt needs to be cotter pinned. It does have a nylock nut, but still…
10. At roughly 8100 miles it started hesitating and backfiring. Now, there is no spark. I am beginning to do the toubleshooting.
11. Jim w/Bandit does not always respond as quickly to questions via email or phone-calls, but is always very courteous and knowledgeable once contact is made. Getting parts hasn’t been as easy up to this point. I’ve even tried to call around to different suppliers, but have experience no/limited success. Jim seems to have the market cornered. From previous email, it sounds as though Jim is working hard to resolve logistics problems. I think he's got the personality to do it. I'll wait to see what happens. Otherwise, I am happy with the service from this company.
12. Front wheel speedo squeeled badly at first. After trying various lubricants, I packed the front hub area/speedo mount w/bearing grease and squeel stopped.
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Post by ddillon on Dec 30, 2006 23:54:18 GMT -5
Scott,
I hope you get that spark issue worked out. One thing you said is not quite accurate. You mentioned that most scooters near it's (UC-250Z) class run about $8K. That is incorrect. 250cc scoots from Honda run about $5400-$5500. You can get a Burgman 400 which is in a larger class (400cc) for just under $6K. Daelim and Kymco also offer 250cc class machines in the low-to-high $4K range. For $8K you are talking a Burgman 650 or Honda SilverWing and those two machines are on a completely different level.
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Post by jspencer on Dec 31, 2006 13:54:29 GMT -5
Scott --
Nice thorough review. I have the UC-150z with many fewer miles on it, but a lot of the body is the same so I expect I may see some of the same pluses and minuses. I don't have to worry about seminary students (now *that* had to be a lesson - for them - in humility...) but do have to worry about myself, being a newbie to scooters. I also expect to have fewer problems with the windshield since I will not be going anywhere near 75 mph with a 150.
I agree with your assessment of Bandit -- Jim is sometimes hard to get hold of quickly but he always replies and is responsive when he does. He does seem to be trying to solve the parts problem, and I too have confidence that he will solve them, which is good because he seems to be the only sure source of parts. I have heard that the Bandit scooters are very similar to some of the Barons, so some Baron parts might work but it would be something of a (possibly expensive) crap-shoot to try without some information from Bandit.
Jon
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scott
New Puppy Dawg
Posts: 3
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Post by scott on Jan 1, 2007 9:46:46 GMT -5
9 months ago out the door, shipping, taxes, tags and license I think I was pretty close to 8k. My favorite was the Burgman, but would have been equally as happy with the Silverwing and/or the Majesty.
I just retired from the Navy and am a full time student. My venerable '92 Nissan Maxima is running great, but has close to 250k and I wanted something dependable to get me to and from my part time job and school. Jim said that the major difference between his bike and the competition is that theirs comes with a maintenance plan. I was an aircraft mechanic in the Navy, so working on the bike seemed interesting and didn't scare me in the least. After a couple of months of looking, and several failed bids on used bikes on E-Bay, I decided to take a chance on the UC250. For me, all factors (including safety) I think the bike has nearly paid for itself in tangible and intangible benefits. Up to this point the UC250 has been a real blessing.
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Post by ddillon on Jan 1, 2007 12:18:11 GMT -5
Scott,
Happy new Year! Which scooter are you talking about for close to $8K out-the-door? The Burgman, S-Wing and Majesty are all AWESOME scoots but they are all 400+cc so they are in a different class altogether. For the money the UC-250Z looks like a great deal. I personally like the maxi-scooters because I do a lot of highway riding and the UC-250Z looks like one of the more comfortable maxi-style Chinese scoots. What color is your's? How about posting some pics? Again, I hope you get that spark issue fixed so you are back up on 2-wheels ASAP.
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Post by medman1952 on Jan 1, 2007 14:23:25 GMT -5
I think that replacement parts are a short coming for both types of 250cc scooters coming out of China at this point. I do expect the parts to become more easy to find for the Honda clone scooters sooner than the Linhai -Yamaha mostly because there are just more of them out there being sold.
Tims UC150 being a GY6 scooter, should be no trouble at all finding parts for. If he does not have it you can find parts from a lot of other dealers, except for the possible electronic part that might be unique to the UC150.
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Post by voodooaddict on Jan 15, 2007 12:40:18 GMT -5
Scott -- Nice thorough review. I have the UC-150z with many fewer miles on it, Still enjoying the UC-150? I'm going back and forth on the UC-150 and UC-250. |
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Post by jspencer on Jan 15, 2007 15:17:55 GMT -5
I'm not enjoying any scootering lately -- it's cold and wet here and is forecast to get even colder in the next few days, with some possibility of snow. Prior to that I was riding it a little but I've been devoting what little nice weather we have on getting my wife up and comfortable on her scooter (the RC-150).
Deciding between the 150 and the 250, however, is really a function of what kind of driving you are going to do. The 150 is great in the city, on country roads, and maybe on some of the parkways around the city. If I was planning to ride on any road where the speed of traffic exceeded 50-55 mph, I would definitely go for the 250.
Jon
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Post by voodooaddict on Jan 16, 2007 10:02:26 GMT -5
I'm not enjoying any scootering lately -- it's cold and wet here and is forecast to get even colder in the next few days, with some possibility of snow. Prior to that I was riding it a little but I've been devoting what little nice weather we have on getting my wife up and comfortable on her scooter (the RC-150). Deciding between the 150 and the 250, however, is really a function of what kind of driving you are going to do. The 150 is great in the city, on country roads, and maybe on some of the parkways around the city. If I was planning to ride on any road where the speed of traffic exceeded 50-55 mph, I would definitely go for the 250. Jon Well It's more then just the type of roads. I've determined that I should be able to get by with either the 150 or 250 for a first ride. The 250 from things said here seems like a good bike an update to the original Chinese 250s that fixes some of the key problems those bikes had. The 150 has a price that might let me get the bike a little sooner. |
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Post by jackthefuzz on Jan 16, 2007 12:52:28 GMT -5
voodoo, man I miss the navy pier and all the jazz and blues clubs, but I dont miss the winters! I think you are on the right track as long as you dont plan on getting on the dan ryan a 150cc probably will work fine for you. Knowing the conditions of chicagos streets you will probably want to opt to change the stock rear shocks for something adjustable and softer than the typical shocks and springs that come standard
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Post by banditms on Jan 18, 2007 17:10:37 GMT -5
To all forum readers,
I just wanted to add a note about our Complete Assy and Custom Crating service... sorry, but we already went back to the old method of providing it as an option. Unfortunately, what happened when I made the option a free service and showed it on the website as a $149 value, I had several customers ask if they could get a scooter in the factory crate for $149 less. 100% of the customers I dealt with didn't want the service... or rather, wanted to save money. I think having it as an option allows for every customer to decide whats in best for them... not to say it wasn't a good idea from Dawg as we had thought about making the change ourselves for some time...
Anyways, just thought I'd update everyone so there would be less confusion as to what I'm doin over on my website...
Thanks, Jim J...
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Post by cruseman on Jan 18, 2007 23:24:19 GMT -5
I see you sold that UC-250 on ebay, the blue one I wanted. I placed a bid but did not win  |
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Post by voodooaddict on Jan 19, 2007 9:41:54 GMT -5
To all forum readers, I just wanted to add a note about our Complete Assy and Custom Crating service... sorry, but we already went back to the old method of providing it as an option. Unfortunately, what happened when I made the option a free service and showed it on the website as a $149 value, I had several customers ask if they could get a scooter in the factory crate for $149 less. 100% of the customers I dealt with didn't want the service... or rather, wanted to save money. I think having it as an option allows for every customer to decide whats in best for them... not to say it wasn't a good idea from Dawg as we had thought about making the change ourselves for some time... Anyways, just thought I'd update everyone so there would be less confusion as to what I'm doin over on my website... Thanks, Jim J... Maybe you shouldn't have listed it as a $149 value .... maybe instead you could have pointed out how ridiculous it is that other sites sometimes charge well over $200 for a low cost service that service you think should be included in all scooter sales. I think it would have been good for the future of the Chinese scooter. |
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Post by banditms on Jan 19, 2007 15:17:18 GMT -5
Well... maybe I didn't give it a long enough evaluation. Sometimes its hard to second guess the intricacies of the market and what it will bare. And I probably did do the wrong thing by putting a value to the free service... I should have just promoted the service for it's uniqueness and allow the customer to decide the real value to themselves...
I have several customers who notice the optional service of Complete Assy and Custom Crating, but only 1 in 5 actually opt for it. Most customers will ask whats involved in the assembly, and when it doens't seem like much, they just stick with the factory crated version.
Most customers enjoy the fact that we actually start and test run every bike that we ship... factory crated or otherwise. I guess that service could also be a hinderence to selling the Custom Crating option - if the customer already has a good feeling about the working condition of the scooter when it ships.
I dunno at this time... we're gonna do alot more head scratchin before season starts. I want to do one thing and stick to it... not be bouncin around in my selling strategy. And also, not failing to sell in mid-season... ( - ;
Thanks, Jim J...
Cruseman - yup, you shoulda bid on it... ( - ;
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Post by cruseman on Jan 21, 2007 18:34:34 GMT -5
Hey Jim J, how much would you charge for shipping to Birmingham, AL ?
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Post by Admin on Jan 25, 2007 18:23:02 GMT -5
Welp, Jim J, it seemed like a good idea to me at the time but I'm not selling scooters. I guess you gotta go where the market is.
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Post by fredgold52 on Feb 3, 2007 19:01:23 GMT -5
I'm having a problem deciding between the UC250 and the LX250. Both have good power plants and drives, so that's not a question. I know the LX has lots of 'leg room' for a big guy (6 ft. 260 lbs., with real long arms) because I have test sat a Helix. What would help me would be some sort of comparison between the models relative to comfort, riding position and room to move around when riding. Can anyone comment on this for me?
Thanks,
Fred
PS. I ride a kitted Stella and I'm used to being able to move around on the flat seat. Also, there is a bit of room on the floor to move my feet around. So the Stella is what I'm relating all this to.
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Post by jspencer on Feb 3, 2007 22:02:46 GMT -5
I'm not sure about the leg room, but in terms of specs, the LX-250 has a 10" rear wheel and a drum brake on the rear, while the UC-250 has 12" wheels both front and back and disks both front and back. I believe that the different size rear wheels means that they have different engines, but I'm not sure of the implications of that. The LX-250 specs say it has a CFMoto engine. No similar info on the UC-250.
Jon
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Post by fredgold52 on Feb 4, 2007 7:48:28 GMT -5
You are correct Jon. The LX has a CF Moto drive train while the UC has a Linhai drive train. Both are very good so that's not an issue for me.
I'm really injterested in how the scooter fits. Example: I sat on a Bet and Win and found it to be very constraining for me. No room to move on that one at all. The Kymco Grand Vista and the Honda Helix seemed to have plenty of room. So I'm curious to have some idea about how the UC-250z might fit.
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Post by jspencer on Feb 4, 2007 18:05:51 GMT -5
Where are you located, Fred? Maybe we can find people near you with these scooters. I believe the UC-150 and UC-250 have the same body, so if you are near someone with a UC-150 that might help.
Jon
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Post by Aaron on Feb 4, 2007 21:02:14 GMT -5
There is a Lifan internet dealer in Portland that sells on E-bay. They sell the Lifan Lion. It is the same body style as the UC-150 The ad has a pic of a 6'1" 210 pound guy on it and it seems to fit good. Go to Ebay motors/Scooters Look for Lifan Lion. I do not at this point reccomend this dealer as I know little about them. I only offer this as a visual to you for fit on the Bandit. Get the Bandit, Jim seems to have proven to be doing it right and is honest about it when he can't and why.
Aaron
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Post by fredgold52 on Feb 5, 2007 12:27:25 GMT -5
My location is rural Illinois - Macomb. Home of Western Illinois University. There's precious few scooters around here even with the students. So chances of seeing a UC-250z up close and personal are remote.
The pictures on the Ebay site are helpful. That guy may be a bit taller than me. It doesn't look too bad.
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Post by cloudaz on Feb 7, 2007 21:19:53 GMT -5
My UC250Z, Hi all, I have a Bandit UC250Z( got it in June) and I ride on the I-10 and loop 202 here in Phoenix and I keep up just fine,(75mph) the only complaint I have is the Speedo is off by about 10 MPH at higher speeds, Jim may remember me(I had to get my windshield replaced because of a thrown rock). I just wish I could've gotten the 07 model with alarm and remote start  Wendell |
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