Knock Offs or Not?

[no1uknow]

Well I'm getting ready to purchase a Roketa Bali 250 as posted earlier...

Now that I'm ready to buy I've had a number of buyer bewares, oh boy...

1) I'm told the Roketa Bali 250 is a knock off of the Tank 250 Deluxe.
I drove the Roketa and loved it... so confused...

2) Next I'm told that the places I planned on purchasing from are snakes...
gsmotorworks.com
scooterdemand.com

I read the FAQ on both and it looks like the same company using a virtual pbx phone system for the Kansas location. Appears both are really operating out of Frisco, TX... Not sure just looks that way, even their hours of operation are the same... hmmm

I live in the DFW area, so the idea of a one day delivery for a great price is hard to pass up... (coming from the Grapevine/Dallas warehouse)

Then I found evosales.com, checked them with the BBB and they have a very good reputation, but about $200-300 higher, with a better warranty....

I've also been told evosales.com will get me the correct paper work (title, etc) to register the scooter in Texas, where all others will only give a bill of sale...

So I've confused myself and I think drove my wife up the wall... <grin>

But I like the crazy Blue Roketa Bali 250 with the following features:
Front chrome bar over the fender
Back rest with and without the trunk.

And I did find a very cool local dealer, but he wants 1000.00 higher. the full suggested retail... whoa...

Can anyone set my mind to ease?
I'm afraid of getting ripped off, or getting the wrong product, or getting a crappy warranty... warranty is the least of my concerns, I can fix anything....

thanks....

[monty57]

I purchased a Roadrunner 250 TLX from Evosales and found them to be responsive to question, very upfront and honest and they did what they said. My scoot came with not damage and started right up and assembly was minor.

There will be the need for some tweaking to get it perfect and that is where your skills come in. You need to be able to minor modifications and have knowledge of motors and mechanics and some basic hand tools. I have found these forum to be full of knowledgeable people who can work you through almost any problem, but you need to have to basic knowledge and mechanical ability to know what they are talking about. If you are not mechanically inclined then it may be wise to pay the higher price to have the local support. Even at full price you are paying less than half the price of comparable Japanese scoot and thus you can't expect the same quality control. Don't set your expectation too high and you won't be disappointed.

[jspencer]

GSMotorworks gets very poor marks for support after sale. They talk a good game on their website but there are just too many stories on the forums about poor (or no) support from them to be optimistic about it.

I'm less sure about scooterdemand but I seem to recall that someone said they are NDMotorsports under a different name. I am suspicious of companies that appear under different names -- I always find myself asking why....

Jon

[scooterollie]

The Roketa is not a knock-off of the Tank. All in this body style are knock-offs of the original and I can't remember which that is at this time. Yes, the dealer youmentioned is one of the shady dealers. They are not really dealers as such as they are only in it to move product, offering little or no support or parts backup. I purchased from NDPowersports, another shady one but the scoot was OK. No damage on shipping and nothing since that I can't handle myself. Would I recommend them to a stranger? No, you really must have your eyes open and be prepared to have problems. As Stan Jessup and others have said, most of these scoots are OK, once you trouble-shoot them and get the bugs out.You have a couple of other choices, Call John Dokov at Valley Scooters (203-500-0960) or Michael at Scootertronics (800-743-8702). Both are great guys and will give you honest answers. They are true dealers and will stand behind their product. I would insist on one of the '07 versions that has the new CVT drive on it that will accommodate a 12" or 13" rear tire/wheel.

[no1uknow]

WOW yeah this is all good info....

thanks guys....

I'm going to do my homework, a couple of more days before I buy...

On one hand I can't wait, on the other hand wow....

How do you tell the difference in the 2007 and 2006 Bali?
Almost impossible from looking at these web sites....

[scooterollie]

The Federal ID plate on the scoot will state the month and year of manufacture (mine does). I believe I have heard that the change-over date for Chinese scoots is July but I could be wrong about that. Most important thing is to make certain it is one that came in this Spring and has the 12" or 13" rear wheels.