Are chinese scooters actually worth buying?

[forde88]

So, i am very interested in the fact that chinese scoots are so popular on this forum.  On most scooter forums i frequent, people would say they were junk and to go get a real scooter like a piaggio/gilera or yamaha or honda etc.

I am interested to know if you guys think that they have been good to you in your ownership or not worth the money. 

Where i live a new "good" 50cc scoot costs a decent amount like an aerox is over 2k and a honda vision is 1800..

a new china 50cc can be had for 495.  the same as a well used and quite old aerox.  i was checking out one that looked like 2strokds kymco cobra but had a 4t engine in it.

more budget but still known to be good brands like sym, kymco etc cost in the middle of the range for a 50cc like 1200ish

so anyway, the china scoots price is very tempting but then i see things like 90gtverts new taotao with failing oil seals at 8 miles on the clock... are you wiser saving more or getting a second hand known brand?

dont get me wrong i am not trying to knock your bikes, i would be interested in trying one myself but just cant afford to "try" it for it to not work out!

discuss?

[moofus02]

I've seen China scoots abused and beat to hell that still did the job and I've seen brand new ones that caused the owner grief. Fit and finish is better on Honda yamaha kymco but I'm not sure if I would buy another new yamaha for the price difference. My 08 Zuma had been trouble free after I eliminated the throttle stop and added a pipe. My dad's 08 c3 just had a fuel pump go out. I've got an Eton beemer that was 4 years old with 100 miles on it. Had to go through the carb and fuel petcock to get the crud out of it. I've run that one lean and got it really hot before it was sorted out. That was 2500 miles ago. Finish wasn't as nice as my Zuma but a really nice bike. A friend of mine has a China 4t that's 5 years old I might buy has like 50 miles on it and he got discouraged with it. No pre delivery inspection and he isn't mechanical so he hates it but just a little tlc would make it a nice bike. Once they are sorted out they are all fun. You buy a big name brand from a dealer they do all the set up and it should be ready to go but you pay for the name and that service. Buy China in a box and the pdi is on you but you spend a lot less. I have a China dealer in Muskegon mi that will do all the setup warranty and service and that is an option if you don't want to do the work. He charges a little more but only sells the better China stuff. If you could find a dealer like that you would be all set. If a little work doesn't bother you read up here on the pdi find a scoot you like and go for it then use the money you save for gas lol. I still want another 2t scooter and am considering a kymco because they still make some and there is a dealer close otherwise I'd find a 2t China clone and have it shipped good luck and welcome. Feel free to ask any questions that's how we all learn

Sent from my SPH-L720 using proboards

[90GTVert]

Quality control is one of the biggest issues IMO. That's why you'll see one that's great and one that sucks. This is why I think a PDI is important. The big brands not only have better quality control at the factory, but their dealers should be going over the scoots before the consumer ever sees them. If you buy online, you get the scoot in the crate from the factory in most cases. If you want an inspection, you gotta do it or pay out for it. Even buying from dealers, a lot of them can't be bothered to do a PDI. Assemble it and stick it out front is about all that happens. On top of that, some dealers are a joke. One local dealer told a guy they couldn't find a belt for his scoot. It was a short case GY6 50... prob the most common. Another guy was told it would take about 30 days to get around to looking at his scoot because the mechanic is busy with lawnmowers they sell and they're first priority. Some offer no service period. Once you leave with it, they're done. Some are known to go out of business quickly.

This is not to say that if you do a PDI or have a good dealer that you have something as good as a Kymco or Yamaha. Parts quality is still different. That varies too. All but my TaoTao had roller weights from the factory that seemed to never die. The TaoTao's rollers seem like they'll be in need of replacement within the first 100-500 miles. Valve stems are known to fail (should be replaced in PDI). Carbs may be sealed. Intakes on some models are prone to cracking. Some of the light assemblies are junk and the bulbs will get loose in their sockets. Electrical bits aren't as reliable as the big brand stuff. Gauges are often inaccurate. There have been a lot of issues.

I think Chinese scoots can be good scoots, but they absolutely are not for anyone not willing to turn a wrench at some point unless you have a good mechanic that's fair with you. If you demand a reliable scoot that you hop on and ride and forget otherwise, I would suggest looking into those big names.

[forde88]

i wouldnt worry about general finish of plastics etc being of lesser quality and having to fiddle with the carb and do my own PDI etc but things like the issue you are having with seals atm would bother me.

did you replace valve stems on your tao tao as part of PDI? where do you get better ones than stock?

to be fair, 8 years ago when i was 17 and didnt know anything about bikes yet i bought a new hongdou GY125 motorcycle and tore around on it for just over a year and 5000 miles, it was faultless, well the plastics werent the worlds best and it blew headlight bulbs quite often but i ragged it day in day out mostly 2 up and it was my only form of transport that whole time. i did maintain the chain, changed the oil, kept it clean and lubed up etc though. never looked at valves or anything.

then i sold it to my mate and he melted the piston but he never checked or changed the oil and it got low on him.

but i dont know if that good experience i had was just luck? i would be tempted to think that QC has improved in the last 8 years even. i also have a faultless china clone mower. but obviously not as complex as a scooter and dont have as much money invested in that as you would in a scooter lol

[oldunclestevo]

Chinese scoots are hit or miss, some people have nothing but troubles, however i got the same tao tao as 90gtvert and im up to 6000 km now, only issues that werent my fault one way or another was the intake manifold rotted, the speedo cable broke, ( prolly dealers fault during assembly) and the rear brake drum was warped so squeaked real bad. So i feel i got one if the good ones, some not so lucky.

[stepthrutuner]

I'm lazy. I now prefer the better quality brands from Japan and Europe but my first scoot was a Chinese Tuohe 50 4t. This was in early 2003 and parts and info here in the states was slim-to-none. I had to order roller weights from Beedspeed in the UK and wait about three weeks to get them. I freed up the intake and exhaust, did some tranny tweaks and had it turning well into the 10,000 range and topping close to 45 mph (73 kph). At one point I had it running very strong but worried I was lean and enlarged the main jet and lost the sweetness and was never quite able to recover it. Finally I over-speeded it at 11,700 going down a hill and broke a ring. It would still barely run but I sold it and got a low mileage Derbi Atlantis 2t a year later and thrashed it mightily with the throttle pinned for miles and miles going to and from painting jobs with just a mediocre pipe and got 70 mpg. I've since just had fun modding it and trying different setups, doing some light touring and camping a bit to primitive sites.

[aeroxbud]

Hello Forde
I think the build quality is better than it was a few years ago.
If you buy one you want to know that you would have some parts back up from the dealer.
I think kymco do some really good scooters for the money. They are very under rated, and half the price of a Japanese scooter.
These might be worth a look. They are a new dealer but are a massive franchise. Have been going for years with good backup. They make the Quadzilla Quads www.wkbikes.com/50cc_scooters_125cc_scooters.htm
They have a two stroke's too

[90GTVert]

Jun 23, 2013 23:19:42 GMT -5 forde88 said:

did you replace valve stems on your tao tao as part of PDI? where do you get better ones than stock?

I did. Got my valve stems from eBay. Local tire shops should have some.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlI5CgfVKOE&list=PLm3-Rt5jsolvEQcIl1CMZGW5Yj_kP4Wjc&index=3

[creeper]

I would say yes....they will req more wrench time then say a honda....but that goes back to quality control.
I think the engines are solid its just lil stuff that are not the best qua;ity like seals,fuel line, etc that if you replace to start or as needed for the seals, that you should be fine.That being said I think alot tend to go toward a big bore kit for extra power.

If you are aware that this really is a small engine which means its intervals on routine maintenance are more frequent you will be ok.

[jmkjr72]

If you can't do all your own wrenching then do not get a china scoot

Lets look at kymco for a bit
I was helping set up two kymcos last year
Between the two you could tell a diffrence and tbat domething wasnt right with one of them
Turns out the one that had a lot of issues was not made in tiwian but in china
Tracking down the issues added about an hour to the set up

If you cant wrench your self think about it as a throw away scoiter many shops wont work on them
I do but im also picky on what i work on and if i see someyhing that should be adressed and you wo t let me do it then i will never touch your scoot again
Not than im after the money but if i work on your ele system and nextvweek you are bitching about the fuel system all most people say is oh he doesnt fix things right

[forde88]

Thanks guys for the replies

I am a fairly confident amateur mechanic and do all my own work on mopeds scooter big bikes and cars, I wouldn't worry about making adjustments and fixing normal issues with a China scoot but what I'm worried about is how likely I will have a major issue that I can't fix. Like something out of spec in the engine causing it to lunch itself, or the issue 90gtvert is having with the seals atm, you wonder will that ever be sorted out. Like I said I had a gy and had good luck with it but I dunno if that was a typical experience or just luck lol.

Parts availability is also a worry. There are no china scoot dealers in tjis country that I know of. You just order the scoots off the net but I dunno where to order parts from

[90GTVert]

I really have no idea what the actual likelihood of a major issue is. IMO you must know it's a possibility when you choose to buy a cheap Chinese scooter. It's a gamble. I will say that the odds you'll spend more than you expect on a Chinese scooter are very high.

[forde88]

Jun 24, 2013 20:45:19 GMT -5 90GTVert said:

I really have no idea what the actual likelihood of a major issue is. IMO you must know it's a possibility when you choose to buy a cheap Chinese scooter. It's a gamble. I will say that the odds you'll spend more than you expect on a Chinese scooter are very high.

Definitely that's why I started this thread to try and see how many people on here have had major issues, and how many have just had the 'expected' minor issues.

Maybe a poll is in order

As I said I had a gy 125 which is a Honda xr clone which I put 5k on over 14 months and had no issues at all just changed the oil. Never tpuched the carb or valves or anything. And my China clone mower has been perfect for 2.5 years too lol never touched it at all not even serviced it yet it still has delivery oil in it.

Just thought it would be interesting to see how many on here have had major issues.

[forde88]

Have any of you guys ever had any kind of warranty against major problems when you bought a new China scoot.

[erictheviking666]

I rode my 50cc China Scoot for 5 years and put about 19,000 miles on it before I put a 2nd engine in it and sold it. I now have a 2013 Tao Tao Powermax 150 that now has 3200kms on it and has no major issues yet. However I do have a noise coming from the back braks or a wheel bearing. The key to riding any Chinese scoot is MAINTENANCE! If you want to ride it all the time and not work on it then spend the money on a Japanese or (overpriced) Italian Scoot. But a Chinese Scoot is fine if you keep up on the maintenance regularly. Basically any city in Asia is virtually teeming with Chinese Scooters that are driven daily as their only transportation, and most of those look like nobody does any maintenance on them. The Chinese produce more Scooters in one day than all the Japanese & Italian's make in a week, so they can't all be bad. I agree with Brent the main problem (like most Chinese products) is Quality Control. Some are great and others are a POS from day one.