Help a newbie (yet another, I Know)

[bikernuc]

Hello,

Like many others on this forum I am looking for low priced, but capable scooter to purchase. I "virtually" looked over several, and have settled on a 250. (I have some experience with motorcycles) The Expressway 250 available at www.scootertronics.com/ and scootersus.com/index.html looks very good. I am planning a trip north early this May and will be passing close to scootertronics and they seem willing to show me a bike. Does anyone have any inside dope on this bike? Advertised it looks very good the specs look strong…but I have read enough of this forum to know how that goes. Any factual input tossed my way would be appreciated.

Bikernuc

[scooterollie]

bikernuc;
Welcome to the "Dawg Pound"! Since this particular offering by Scootertronics is new, few will have experience with it. As you probably know, Scootertronics is considered one of the "Good Guys". I doubt very much they would take the trouble to source a scoot like this if it were not good. Most dealers and purchasers have benefited from last years experience with the 250s and learned much. Seems like they have addressed the major problems and put together a good version of the 250. The body style is sharp and the CFMoto drive train has proven reliable - even better now with the 13' rear wheel/tire.

[12string]

The Viva MP250RO (an Expressway clone) is made by the same manufacturer as the Expressway and appears to be the same scoot. The Scootertronics Expressway 250 has a 12month warranty where the Viva only has a 3 month warranty. If you read the threads on the Viva RO you will see that they have fuel pump problems and charging problems, neither seem to be a serious problem, just an annoyance. I would assume that the Expressway will have the same issues, however I believe that Scootertronics will have better tech service and help trouble shooting from what I read on the forum.
Oh yea, and Scootertronics offers a $100.00 discount to Scootdawg members!

[bikernuc]

Thank you both,

That was indeed useful input. (Especially the discount part)

With my Maxfine* TM200 dual sport bike I have some experience with "Off Brand" Chinese motor sports products. This time around I am looking for something for my wife and it has to be more fool proof, at least after the initial bugs are worked out. She rides the Buell Blast for fun and we are looking for something more commute friendly. She is a real trooper, but much less into road side repairs that I am. Like many we are on a sub New Honda budget, plus I like the less common for my two wheel transpo.

Now we just have to set up a time to go see one (a definite pre-purchase requirement for my bride). We are traveling up into new England soon for vacation so we may stop by scootertronics on the way or swing by Red Streaks retail store in Mass. ( both of which I was turned on to by this wonderful forum.)


Bikernuc

* ( Maxfine TM200 : also known as the "Qujos". A bike ¡§featured¡¨ in a Cycle World magazine bike for <$1K story almost 2 years ago, it is "Honda-esq" in design so I have become familiar with gleaning from 1980's Honda parts lists)

[scootermike]

Hello everyone,

Well if you are like the guys at scootertronics you all are ridding by now this year and have finally gotten rid of the cold weather.

Just want to clear a few things up so nobody gets confussed.

Scootertronics is the only authorized online dealer for the JMStar Expressway 250 plus the 50cc Meitian models Expresso Retro, Classic Euro Retro, Retro 16, Sport R, Metro Duo plus the Streaker 150 made by JMStar. We are also the only online dealer for JMStar the company. Our JMStar scooters say JMStar on them in big letters are the Terminator, Excalibur, Z-Bike, Classic 50. We get them from JMStar in the states who hold the paper work. Now there are other companies like the Primo/New Era Tans guys who sell JMStar scooters but they brand them Primo plus the Viva guys.

Now Roketa has made claims and puts JMStar vin plates on thier scooters but they were not JMStar and by now all should know Roketa is paying the price for misrep. the scooters they were selling as well as Viva is being sued for copyright infringement. So my opinion is stay away from them.

Also scootertronics started in 2003 and has grown into a full service company unlike any others on the net offering sales and service locally as well as prepped scooters delivered in the states. This service has taken off and has us very busy. We are still just myself plus a tech and salesperson at retail location with myself doing all the internet. I do have one assit. here in my office in Waldorf that does my parts shipping and that leaves me to answer phones which ring off the hook and we try to help everyone and do the best we can for all.

So if you try to contact us please bear with us it gets very busy in spring and summer.

Also please feel free to contact me at anytime for any reason.

Thanks Michael Milstead
scootertronics.com

[bikernuc]

All,

Many thanks for a great Forum. After looking and thinking allot, I have settled on the Strada SS300. The Expressway 250 had my interest and I even looked at one in the flesh at Red Streak in MA. ( It is a very nice scooter). I did much reading on this forum and info was priceless.

When Valley Scooters dropped his price on the SS 300 I decided to go with that bike. I am using a local dealer that buys from Valley. The full prepped price was very competitive and they are only 15 miles from my house. I ordered it Thursday and should have it late next week or so.

Oak Island Motor Sports in Oak Island NC ( www.oimandmore.com/ ) is the dealer (Jeff) and he said that he is going to get at least one other SS 300 to have on his floor. I know that he has been in business for a few years as I have stopped into his store several times over the past three years both asking about the Eton I used to have and my during search for a larger scooter. I have no other interest in the OIMS. I will submit updates on the whole purchase/ customer service/ registration/ insurance, experience as it goes along.

Bikernuc

[scooterollie]

bikernuc;
Great choice! Please keep us informed when you get your scoot.

[lewtwo]

bikernuc said:

All,

Many thanks for a great Forum. After looking and thinking allot, I have settled on the Strada SS300.

Looking forward to hearing how you do with this bike. When you get please let us know the seat height. All the sites (that i found) list 35 inches . They must have had a broken yard stick when they measured it.

[bikernuc]

Hi all,

I have nothing useful to report on my Strada SS300 as of yet. It has not shown up at the dealer yet. I believe that he was somewhat optimistic on the delivery date (a week ago) but I am starting to get concerned with the delay. I have asked him to call me as soon as it gets in as I wish to see it as it is uncrated.

Bikernuc

[bikernuc]

All,

My SS300 is at the dealer but I am working this entire week end. I will go by Monday (6/18) to get the paper work and begin the registration process. While I am there I will try to get an accurate reading on the much sought after seat height.

Jeff at OIM also got a red SS300 to have on his sales floor. I will compare it’s looks (very subjective) to the Blue one I am getting.

Oops I keep saying "my" , “me” and “I” but I really mean ...”My wife is getting” .
I will try real hard to give a useful review of the Strada SS300 once I have it in my grubby little hands.

bikernuc

[aristide1]

C'mon Bikernuc, 10 days have past and still no follow up.

[bikernuc]

All,

I still nothing useful to report about the bike it self, but here is a update.

We do not have the bike at home yet. The MSO came in but was not notarized (Requirement in NC). Once that was taken care of and my wife went to register it there were issues with the bill of sale and she needed an odometer statement. Resolving those issues has delayed registration of the bike several days. Now after reviewing the break in recommendations in the owner’s manual, we have decided not to ride the bike home. We are attempting to make other arrangements to get the bike to my house and start the break in process. I will report more then.

Bikernuc

[aristide1]

Thanks, can't wait.

[Gary]

Many people ignore the break-in instructions in the manual and sucessfully use the "hard break-in method" described on the oregonvintage site.

Basically, the method can be summed up as: Ride it like you stole it.

[bikernuc]

All,

We got the Strada SS300 ( Linhai Mainstreet on the MSO) to the house last night. Jeff from Oak Island Motor Sports bought it to our house on a trailer (he was making another delivery nearby).

For review the bike was purchased form Oak Island Motor sports, www.oimandmore.com/ , He got it from scooterus.

We had some other errands to run so I only had a few minutes to go over the bike and here is what I have so far.

First comparing the bike as advertised on scootersus.com/index.html to the actual bike:

As advertised/Actual Bike:
Piston Displacement: 300cc / Emissions cert sticker says: 275cc
Max Power: 22hp@7500rpm / from owners manual: ~18 HP @ 6500 rpm
Fuel Capacity: 3.22 gallons / from owners manual: 12 liters ,~3.22gal

Other observations:

The MSO specifically states 300CC as engine size but this appears to be incorrect. The owner’s manual and more importantly the emissions certification sticker say 275cc.

The bike looks very nice with good fit and finish.
The engine and finial drive oil level checks are easily accessible.
The right hand glove box hinges are rather weak.
The mirrors are likely to be replaced with something better from the aftermarket.
Seat height: 29-1/2” measured with the bike vertical, on the ground, un-laden.
(Interesting enough it is ~32” on the center stand so I do not know were the 35” came from.)
There is no trip ODO but there is a fuel gage.
There is a beeping when the turn indicators are used.
The seat can be adjusted for and aft

We will be breaking it in gently so reports of top speed and such will come later. I do not agree with the “Hard break in method” even from manufactures with the most modern machine tools, let alone from a less known source, but to each their own.

I am very preventive maintenance orientated so I hope to report on ease of other service procedures such as spark plug replacement, oil changes, valve adjustments, etc.


Bikernuc

[aristide1]

Piston Displacement: 300cc / Emissions cert sticker says: 275cc

Scootertronics lists that correct, points for honesty.

Max Power: 22hp@7500rpm / from owners manual: ~18 HP @ 6500 rpm

Makes me wonder what the "250cc 17.5HP" of other engines actually is.

Fuel Capacity: 3.22 gallons / from owners manual: 12 liters ,~3.22gal

They got one right, nobody's perfect. :-)

The seat can be adjusted for and aft

That would seem like a major plus and yet I've never seen it mentioned before.

I do not agree with the “Hard break in method”

Seems to be more of an issue with air cooled engines, but if I drove it like I stole it the thing would be spending half its life above redline.

It doesn't have an oil filter, does it?
What color did you get?

[90GTVert]

The displacement is always rounded, which is just an advertising and sales gimick. 50cc engines are actually 49, the CFMoto 250 is really 244, and the Linhai engines (250, 260 or 300 advertised several ways) are 257 or 275cc.

Horsepower is rated at the crankshaft and not reliable in any form of advertising. Roughly speaking, these engines will be between 16-21 BHP (choose the number you like). Stan

bikernuc said:

All,

We got the Strada SS300 ( Linhai Mainstreet on the MSO) to the house last night. Jeff from Oak Island Motor Sports bought it to our house on a trailer (he was making another delivery nearby).

For review the bike was purchased form Oak Island Motor sports, www.oimandmore.com/ , He got it from scooterus.

We had some other errands to run so I only had a few minutes to go over the bike and here is what I have so far.

First comparing the bike as advertised on scootersus.com/index.html to the actual bike:

As advertised/Actual Bike:
Piston Displacement: 300cc / Emissions cert sticker says: 275cc
Max Power: 22hp@7500rpm / from owners manual: ~18 HP @ 6500 rpm
Fuel Capacity: 3.22 gallons / from owners manual: 12 liters ,~3.22gal

Other observations:

The MSO specifically states 300CC as engine size but this appears to be incorrect. The owner’s manual and more importantly the emissions certification sticker say 275cc.

The bike looks very nice with good fit and finish.
The engine and finial drive oil level checks are easily accessible.
The right hand glove box hinges are rather weak.
The mirrors are likely to be replaced with something better from the aftermarket.
Seat height: 29-1/2” measured with the bike vertical, on the ground, un-laden.
(Interesting enough it is ~32” on the center stand so I do not know were the 35” came from.)
There is no trip ODO but there is a fuel gage.
There is a beeping when the turn indicators are used.
The seat can be adjusted for and aft

We will be breaking it in gently so reports of top speed and such will come later. I do not agree with the “Hard break in method” even from manufactures with the most modern machine tools, let alone from a less known source, but to each their own.

I am very preventive maintenance orientated so I hope to report on ease of other service procedures such as spark plug replacement, oil changes, valve adjustments, etc.


Bikernuc

[aristide1]

Bikernuc, when you're all settled in and broken in I would love to know what your top speed is.

[bikernuc]

Will do, break in may take awhile as I have some other projects that I am working on.

I am compileing a list of more pros and cons and will post some time.

[aristide1]

What's your first impression of power, mileage, ride?

Remember there's like 15,000 readers waiting here for this info.

[bikernuc]

All,

Yes, and I will get to it as I can.

Right now I only have like 60 miles on the scoot and have just changed the oil and rear lube for the first time to get tyhe OEM stuff out. Top speed and mpg will wait untill after the 500 mile mark. I have ordered the tall windscreen and will try to give a comparo between the two.

At low speeds the scooter is quite plush and stable. After the intial oil change I will now bring it up to 45mph and see how it cruises. It seems sluggish off the line but after 5mph it picks up steam quite quikly.

Issues so far are that the mirors are sort of crappy and the seat/ trunk do not seal up very well ( maybe an adjustment?) .


Sorry for the slowness of this whole thing but there is allot of other things going on in this thing I call my life.

Bikernuc

[scooterollie]

Bikernuc;
Supposedly, my SS300 is on the way. Have not been able to get a tracking # or had a call from the shipper about delivery. John at Valley Scooters/Scootersus says I should be hearing any day now.

Visited a big sports machine dealer in our area today. Every type of land sports craft as well as some water craft. Had the Reflex, Bergman, Morphus, Majesty and Silverwing all in a row. An impressive lineup! Special sale price on the '07 Bergman 400 for $4,999 - did not include freight. Still double what I will pay for the SS300. The Honda reflex was stickered at more than the Bergman 400! Everywhere you looked on all of the scooters in that lineup, you saw quality of materials and construction.

[bikernuc]

All,

Sorry, but I still have not put many miles on the SS300 yet, but here is what I have.

I Checked the speedomter againest a Garman Forerunner 101 gps. The speedo was much better than I expected, reading within 2mph or less of the read out on the gps( speeds up to 45mph still for now). The scooter speedo reads high. This is better than my car and truck speedometers.

Bikernuc

[bikernuc]

I have finally been able to put some miles on the SS300. I had ~ 200 miles on it and felt comfortable holding 55 mph and occasionally going faster. I will keep that up until 500 miles or so. While on a short stretch of hi-way with a slight up-grade, I opened it up. I hit a max speed of 75.3 mph on my gps. I did not hold that speed for very long as I wish to continue a reasonable break it routine. The break in schedule in the owner’s manual is unreasonable, so I decided on my own based on what I have seen on other bikes I have had from second tier manufactures. I changed the oil and rear lube at 60, and 200 miles so far, I plan to change it at 500, and then 1000 miles. I will then consider going to synthetic lubricants and go to a 1000 mile change interval.

With about 325 miles so far, I have had no problems with the SS300. I have checked the mpg on only one tank as of yet and got a disappointing 55 mpg. Maybe it will improve some with more break-in miles on it. The bike is comfortable to ride for the most part but a little choppy on small sharp bumps. I will try softening up the rear shock adjustment and see what that does.