Newbie from Illinois! Thoughts on Chinese Scooters/Parts?

[pomracing]

Hey, all. I'm interested in learning to repair and customize scooters. My goal is to be able to eventually repair broken down scooters and turn them into custom paint job masterpieces. I have a lot of graphic design, custom vinyl and air brushing experience. I'd LOVE to be able to see my work on a scooter. 

My wallet is reminding me I'll probably have to buy something broken down and fix it up myself, so here's my question:

Is there a type of scooter that would be easier to learn engine repair/maintenance on? I'm mechanically inclined but I lack experience. I want to avoid scooters that are notorious money pits or that are harder to work on/get parts for.

Just from the price stand point it looks like Chinese models, or at least Chinese PARTS are the way to go. It looks like folks have success with them but I know 'you get what you pay for.' What about non-Chinese brand scooters that can benefit from lower cost Chinese parts? Has anyone here had any success/struggles working on Chinese brand scooters or with Chinese parts in general? 

Any advice is greatly appreciated. If anyone has any stories/pictures of scooters that are either Chinese brand or running on Chinese parts please share! If you have horror stories about Chinese scooters/parts I'd like to read those as well. 

Thanks!

[90GTVert]

Usually the best bet is to spend some time browsing your favorite classifieds sites and apps, looking for a quality scooter in good shape with a reasonable price. That saves a lot of headaches. Chinese stuff is indeed cheap, but it's not always cheap in the long run because they aren't the same quality and don't have the same quality control. With Chinese parts, sometimes you get stuck trying to measure this or that and you often have to be careful when ordering because not all parts for X engine will work properly. If you buy a well known name brand (Yamaha, Honda, etc...), then you can just go to a dealer or a brand parts site and put in make/model/year and get what you need.

I would suggest steering clear of models with fuel injection and liquid cooling if you want the simplest things to learn to work on. Those can both be really nice things to have, they're just more complicated when something goes wrong. I wouldn't personally prioritize that if it weren't for the fact that you want to learn to work on them. EFI and LC can be great reliable scoots (like the Honda Ruckus for example), especially when you just want to ride. Something like a Yamaha Zuma up to 2011 when they were two-strokes is probably one of the simpler top tier branded scoots and has a big following. At least with a two-stroke you don't have to worry about valve timing and there are less moving parts. They have their own complications though when you get into them.

[aeroxbud]

Welcome to the forum.
Two stroke is the way to go!
Would love to see some of your art work in the future.

[geoffh]

Welcome to the forum,this is the place to learn, watch the how to videos in the tech section and all the answers are there.Chinese scoots and parts are cheap,here in the UK you have to pay to get them towed away.Over the last 10 years 6 work mates have ignored my advice to buy Yamaha/Honda and got stung by a Chinese cheapo.A rough Zuma or Ruckus would cost £££but if you learn to repair them and then add some fancy pants paint job you may be on a winner.stick to branded air cooled just my 2 cents.

Geoff (2cents)just found that

[rocketdog]

Heya Pom,

I'll have to agree that 2 stroke scooters are the way to go for speed. Only one problem. They are getting hard to find. Correct me if I'm wrong folks but importers and most companies don't sell 2 stroke scooters in the US anymore and haven't for awhile. It was too hard to pass emmisions. I have a '04 lml Stella I'll never sell.

If your looking for a cheap scooter and cheap available parts get a 4 stroke GY6 150cc. I've had several that would do 60 in stock trim. I've seen B block engines up to 232 cc and they would do a 100 mph. I just saw one on Letgo complete for 100 bucks. He says it doesn't run but it's more than likely the carb is stopped up.

Good luck in your search and we're happy to have another Scooter enthusiest.

[rocketdog]

Well after my post I just saw an 05 Piaggio 50cc 2 stroke for 300 bucks. The guy says it runs but the kickstarter is broken. It looks good. He says and I qoute, " It runs but it smokes some". Do tell. hehehe I take it that 300 is a fair price for it if all the above is true?

[pinkscoot]

Another good 2 stroke is the Yamaha Vino. Lots of body parts to paint.

[Natey]

Speaking of 2-strokes, I've been rolling around on my Genuine Buck10 scooter for a couple years now with no issues. It was bought new in Oregon, then brought down to California. Apparently once you buy the scooter and reggie it, you never have to go back to the DMV...they'll just send the new sticker every year, even if you move it to here in California.

Not Chinese, but if you can find one they're pretty cool little scoots!

[pinkscoot]

The Buck-ten is a classic scooter.

[ThaiGyro]

Ni hao!

您会发现您的钱包更加快乐，并享受质量控制较少的挑战。

You will find your wallet happier, and enjoy the challenges of a bit less quality control.

If you enjoy working with your hands and your brain, you will fit right in here. You will find more valuable info here than any one shop.

Welcome!