Post by scooterphil on Jul 8, 2007 17:13:26 GMT -5
Roketa MC-54 Ranger has arrived!!
My Roketa MC-54 Ranger has arrived. It arrived Thursday afternoon, exactly one week after my order was placed with John at Valley Scooters. I wanted to take pics of it coming off the delivery truck, but it just wasn't possible because I couldn't find my digital camera. When the bike came off the truck, I observed two or three scratches and one spot where about one square inch of paint had been scraped off the bike. There was no major damage, and the few cosmetic blemishes are easily fixable with touch-up paint. Visually a very pretty machine. Frankly, after noticing the way this bike was crated, I'm rather grateful and surprised there wasn't more damage. I now understand why so many of these bikes arrive in very damaged condition, and turn into a big hassle as a result. Basically, the bike is wrapped with a thin layer of Saran wrap type material, then tied off with a dozen or so metal wires onto a cubical of about 8 to 10 long L shaped steel bars that are 1/2" wide and bolted together, end to end. This metal cubicle was then covered with standard grade corrugated cardboard. There was no padding at all. At any rate, it seemed that the packaging was probably the same packaging that the bike was in when it was sent from China, since the cardboard had oriental lettering all over the side. I'm not certain about this, it's just the way it seemed. It's a shame they can't simply wrap the steel bars in Styrofoam or something to help protect the bike. This simple step would be a minimal added expense compared to the expense of having to replace damaged parts and ruined bikes, and would prevent most bikes from having any damage, major or minor. Here's a link to another scootdawg post where a person displays the crating for his recently delivered MC-54. scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=200cc&action=display&thread=1183690388 My crating was basically the same. For anyone considering purchasing a Chinese scooter such as a Roketa, Tank, etc, I strongly recommend finding a vendor that will custom crate your bike. Vendors will usually charge about three-hundred extra for this service, but it is well worth the money, as it will greatly increase your odds of receiving an undamaged bike. When ordering this service, verify with the vendor that they do provide additional padding and cushioning around the metal crate with this additional service. I think John at Valley offers this, but I'm not sure. If I had known how poorly the Chinese crate these things, I would have requested custom crating, and shelled out the dough for it. Frankly, it is amazing to me that my bike was not seriously damaged when I saw the crating. I would guess there is about a 50/50 chance of some major damage with this kind of crating. I feel lucky.
As I mentioned on another post, I sat on a Roketa Bali about two weeks ago. I'm 6'4" tall, and I chose the MC-54 because of its longer wheel base (64" vs 57" for the Bali). Even so, I'm not sure there is much if any more legroom on the MC-54. They seem about the same. One reason is because of the wider handlebars. The handlebars on the Bali are quite a bit shorter, thus take less legroom space. The handlebars on the MC-54, because of their length, hit my knees just barely before reaching their maximum turning radius if my feet are positioned on the part of the platform that is level (parallel) with the ground. Not so with the Bali, because of its short handlebar width. With the MC-54, if I position my feet on the part of the platform that angles 45 degrees upward, this brings my knees lower, and I no longer have the handlebar issue. I sat on an Aprilia 500cc scooter a while back. It was a large scoot, with large handlebars attach to a large front section that included the headlight. This entire section turned with the handlebars, making the bike unworkable for a person of my height, as the entire section would make contact with my knees well before reaching its max turn radius. There is a point here for tall people, which is, LOOK AT THE HANDLEBARS!! Wide handlebars, or handlebars that have portions of the body attached and turning with them can take up significant legroom. Small Handlebars with a short width are less likely to interfere with leg-space. Basically, if your tall, look at both the wheelbase length as well as the handlebar assembly to help determine if the bike will have enough legroom.
Anyway, my bike was drop shipped at my mechanic's shop, who is going to do the initial prep. The overall appearance and condition of the bike is excellent, aside from the few small blemishes already mentioned. The bike is still sitting in his shop, and has yet to be fired up. In the meanwhile, I'm going nuts waiting for the paperwork so I can register this thing. Also, I take my motorcycle safety course next week, and will get my license the following Monday. Providing the prep and everything goes smoothly, that's when the serious riding will begin.
More posts to come.
Phil
My Roketa MC-54 Ranger has arrived. It arrived Thursday afternoon, exactly one week after my order was placed with John at Valley Scooters. I wanted to take pics of it coming off the delivery truck, but it just wasn't possible because I couldn't find my digital camera. When the bike came off the truck, I observed two or three scratches and one spot where about one square inch of paint had been scraped off the bike. There was no major damage, and the few cosmetic blemishes are easily fixable with touch-up paint. Visually a very pretty machine. Frankly, after noticing the way this bike was crated, I'm rather grateful and surprised there wasn't more damage. I now understand why so many of these bikes arrive in very damaged condition, and turn into a big hassle as a result. Basically, the bike is wrapped with a thin layer of Saran wrap type material, then tied off with a dozen or so metal wires onto a cubical of about 8 to 10 long L shaped steel bars that are 1/2" wide and bolted together, end to end. This metal cubicle was then covered with standard grade corrugated cardboard. There was no padding at all. At any rate, it seemed that the packaging was probably the same packaging that the bike was in when it was sent from China, since the cardboard had oriental lettering all over the side. I'm not certain about this, it's just the way it seemed. It's a shame they can't simply wrap the steel bars in Styrofoam or something to help protect the bike. This simple step would be a minimal added expense compared to the expense of having to replace damaged parts and ruined bikes, and would prevent most bikes from having any damage, major or minor. Here's a link to another scootdawg post where a person displays the crating for his recently delivered MC-54. scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.cgi?board=200cc&action=display&thread=1183690388 My crating was basically the same. For anyone considering purchasing a Chinese scooter such as a Roketa, Tank, etc, I strongly recommend finding a vendor that will custom crate your bike. Vendors will usually charge about three-hundred extra for this service, but it is well worth the money, as it will greatly increase your odds of receiving an undamaged bike. When ordering this service, verify with the vendor that they do provide additional padding and cushioning around the metal crate with this additional service. I think John at Valley offers this, but I'm not sure. If I had known how poorly the Chinese crate these things, I would have requested custom crating, and shelled out the dough for it. Frankly, it is amazing to me that my bike was not seriously damaged when I saw the crating. I would guess there is about a 50/50 chance of some major damage with this kind of crating. I feel lucky.
As I mentioned on another post, I sat on a Roketa Bali about two weeks ago. I'm 6'4" tall, and I chose the MC-54 because of its longer wheel base (64" vs 57" for the Bali). Even so, I'm not sure there is much if any more legroom on the MC-54. They seem about the same. One reason is because of the wider handlebars. The handlebars on the Bali are quite a bit shorter, thus take less legroom space. The handlebars on the MC-54, because of their length, hit my knees just barely before reaching their maximum turning radius if my feet are positioned on the part of the platform that is level (parallel) with the ground. Not so with the Bali, because of its short handlebar width. With the MC-54, if I position my feet on the part of the platform that angles 45 degrees upward, this brings my knees lower, and I no longer have the handlebar issue. I sat on an Aprilia 500cc scooter a while back. It was a large scoot, with large handlebars attach to a large front section that included the headlight. This entire section turned with the handlebars, making the bike unworkable for a person of my height, as the entire section would make contact with my knees well before reaching its max turn radius. There is a point here for tall people, which is, LOOK AT THE HANDLEBARS!! Wide handlebars, or handlebars that have portions of the body attached and turning with them can take up significant legroom. Small Handlebars with a short width are less likely to interfere with leg-space. Basically, if your tall, look at both the wheelbase length as well as the handlebar assembly to help determine if the bike will have enough legroom.
Anyway, my bike was drop shipped at my mechanic's shop, who is going to do the initial prep. The overall appearance and condition of the bike is excellent, aside from the few small blemishes already mentioned. The bike is still sitting in his shop, and has yet to be fired up. In the meanwhile, I'm going nuts waiting for the paperwork so I can register this thing. Also, I take my motorcycle safety course next week, and will get my license the following Monday. Providing the prep and everything goes smoothly, that's when the serious riding will begin.
More posts to come.
Phil
