paltoh
New Puppy Dawg
Posts: 3
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Post by paltoh on Nov 7, 2007 16:03:54 GMT -5
chinese scooters are so much cheaper than name brand ones, but are they really worth it?
from what i've been reading it seems like they require a lot of maintanence and know how to use.
i like the price and the pics, and i dont mind getting my hands dirty.
but i just dont want to waste $2000 on a machine that will give me a world of headaches.
any opinions? suggestions about where to buy from? reliable model
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Post by newc77 on Nov 7, 2007 17:38:34 GMT -5
Well Twist from what I have learned you gotta do a lot of homework. There are good choice and poor choices and I guess sometimes you live and learn. For us Lance (Znen) was a decent experience. Lance has a good rep and so do the Znen models in general (including Fly and Bandit). I know other Dawgs here will recommend other makes as well, depending on their personal experience. For us two scoots for the price of one mainline scooter was economically suitable, as we are into scooting fresh and just for fun. Our experience has been good (although short) so far. I would personally recommend ScootersFactory although they have had some bad posts. Mostly good though. Again, everyone has their own story.
Tom
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Post by YellowScooter on Nov 7, 2007 18:53:07 GMT -5
Names like Tank or Vento or Viva are generally meaningless. It really boils down to who does the prepwork and how well they go over the scooter prior to you getting on it. Jim at Bandit really does his homework on his scooters and if he comes across a lemon in his batch, he will not knowingly sell it to you. Scootertronics is another good one to check out. Ebay and other drop/shippers are a 50/50 tossup. Outside of the chinaman that crated it up, noone sees the scoot outside the box until it gets dropped at your door.
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Post by scooterollie on Nov 7, 2007 18:55:00 GMT -5
Paltoh;
Welcome to the Dawg Pound!
If you haven't already done so, spend a good bit of time searching through the forum and reading posts. This issue has been addressed many times here, from many different angles. A few quick responses by folks here won't properly address your question. The debate over this question is on-going. Some buyers are totally satisfied and some are totally disgusted with their choice of a Chinese made scoot. I believe there is enough information on this forum to help you make an informed choice.
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Post by Gary on Nov 8, 2007 1:25:56 GMT -5
Paltoh -
I bought a super-cheap china scoot off the internet and am very happy with my purchase. I have nearly 5,000 miles on the scoot now and it is serving me well as my day-in, day-out daily commuter.
But the scoot has had its share of problems ...
Right out of the box the scoot was fine. So I doubt if 'dealer prep' would have been an advantage. After a time though and extending for several months lots of things broke - switches, cooling system parts, body parts, valve stems, etc. All of this was pretty easy to fix - even for a novice like me. My internet dealer (Allnewsports.com) replaced most of the parts under warranty. (The parts are generally pretty cheap anyway - $5 or $10 - so replacement is not a big deal). Over the last several months I've had few issues (well one brake switch did just go out). But the major components - engine, drive train, and brakes - have all functioned great from day one.
So, if you have the ability and the inclination to fix 'little problems' that are sure to come up, a cheap china scoot can be a real bargain. On the other hand, if you don't have the ability or desire to do at least some 'wrenching,' better stick with a name brand scoot and a local dealer.
Gary
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Post by monty57 on Nov 8, 2007 10:55:12 GMT -5
I have a pretty positive experience with my Chinese 250. I purchased it from EVO sales under the name of Roadrunner. I had none of the issues that I read about on this many other forums. It was fun and got me to want more so I upgraded to a Yamaha Majesty and sold it. The new owners seem happy too.
That being said, I have to agree with scooterollie. I think we tend to hear more about problems than the positive side simply because the people with good scoots are not looking for help on forums like these so they are mostly loaded with threads and posts about problems. It will be helpful for you to explore as many of these as possible before your purchase and carefully select your dealer. As with anything else, more service and more protection costs money so you may not want to look for the cheapest price on a given model but rather the best overall value. This may mean spending little extra to get the post purchase help and support you may need.
There are several dealers who are regulars here and they would be a good place to start your search for information. The guys that pre-inspect their items prior to shipping are trying to get you the best product possible but once again they have to make a reasonable return for their time. Good luck and good hunting and welcome to the wonderful world of scooters!
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Post by rerun2 on Nov 8, 2007 20:16:04 GMT -5
I have gotten my money's worth from my Chinese scooter. If it blew up tomorrow, certainly I would not be happy, but considering the total amount of money I have in the scooter and equipment (helmet, riding cloths, windshield, etc.) is equal to about 2 or 3 monthly payments on the cars I buy, it is probably the most bang for any transportation buck I have ever spent. Add to that it is about the most fun activity I get to do every day, I am super pleased. I did a lot of research on scooters and even more on dealers. It is my opinion that your dealer is the single biggest factor in the whole scheme. I had my scooter seriously modified at the dealership before I ever got it, they tested it after each modification, and tested at each step for maximum compatibility with previous mods. I got a super bike, and have had NO problems at all. I ride it every day, just for kicks and to see how the new windscreen I added worked, I took off this morning in 28*F air, had a 30 minute ride, and it was great, guess I am gonna leave that poor Lexus in the garage all winter unless we get a monsoon or something! All I can suggest is that you read a lot of stuff here, you will know far more than most folks about what you are or not getting into! Good fortunes to you!  BTW, I purchased from Scootertronics.com, good place to call even if you just want information, Michael will be totally honest with you, be it good or bad. |
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Post by T W I S T E R on Nov 9, 2007 8:54:20 GMT -5
Well Twist from what I have learned you gotta do a lot of homework. There are good choice and poor choices and I guess sometimes you live and learn. For us Lance (Znen) was a decent experience. Lance has a good rep and so do the Znen models in general (including Fly and Bandit). I know other Dawgs here will recommend other makes as well, depending on their personal experience. For us two scoots for the price of one mainline scooter was economically suitable, as we are into scooting fresh and just for fun. Our experience has been good (although short) so far. I would personally recommend ScootersFactory although they have had some bad posts. Mostly good though. Again, everyone has their own story. Tom Dawg had the United Motors Matrix rated at the high end of the mid range scoots so I bought one. ;D |
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Post by flhtri on Nov 9, 2007 9:44:06 GMT -5
Have to agree, my matrix was a pretty decent scoot.
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Post by T W I S T E R on Nov 9, 2007 19:20:55 GMT -5
Have to agree, my matrix was a pretty decent scoot. threw mine off a bridge. |
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Post by scooterollie on Nov 9, 2007 19:40:36 GMT -5
The video?
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Post by scooterollie on Nov 9, 2007 21:56:12 GMT -5
My dealer friend had a customer that ran off the road on his Roketa Sicily 50 at the edge of a bridge, dropped 15 feet straight down into a waist-deep stream. Scoot landed upright with him still on it. He wasn't hurt but the scoot inhaled a good bit of water! Mechanic pulled the scoot apart, dried out everything and got it running again! Would like to have seen a vid of that.
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