looking for advice on first 50cc purchase

[pucc0]

Looking to make my first scooter purchase and I wanted to know if anybody here could help me identify this scooter. I've looked everywhere and the closest I've found that resembles it is a Redstreak Thunder 50cc but I can't find info on this manufacturer/model anywhere. Anyways, is this a good purchase for $700? It's practically brand new. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I'm completely new to this.

[jbjhillbilly]

Genuine (a great 2/stroke 50cc), Honda, Yamaha, Kymco, SYM/Lance, Piaggio/Vespa.

Outside of those brands, you are rolling the dice on drop-ship Chinese scooters. Quality control is spotty at best.

[90GTVert]

Welcome!

Essentially, consider it a generic Chinese scooter. It won't be on par with the name brands that Hillbilly listed above. That doesn't mean that it can't be a good scoot, but chances of a pleasant riding experience for extended periods of time is certainly lower than Taiwan and Euro brands.

The price seems fair enough as long as it's in good condition and working order. You don't really get much or any warranty on brand new Chinese scoots in many cases, so it's not a big loss to not get it brand new. The exception would be if you have a dealer nearby that actually honors warranty and sells something you like at a similar price. If you were able to find a top tier scoot (again, Honda/Yamaha/Piaggio/Vespa/Aprilia) for similar money with low miles and in good shape, I'd go that route instead.

I own 5 Chinese scooters and mopeds, so I don't mean to scare you off. I'm very willing to work on them though. I think it's a good idea for anyone considering a Chinese scooter to either be willing to work on them or to make sure they have a mechanic that will. Some shops won't even touch a Chinese scooter. Hopefully it goes at least a few thousand miles before needing any attention, but be prepared just in case.

[pucc0]

Thanks for the info, I did try looking for something that wasn't Chinese but honestly around me most of them were out of my price range. I am willing to work on it and take care of whatever maintenance needs to be done to better my chances with it as well. Checked out your Scoot FAQ and a lot of those sections were really helpful. Do you think 10w40 synthetic oil as opposed to 15w40 would be appropriate? It is still on the colder side here thru maybe April. Also, for the gear oil would you have any specific recommendation?

[90GTVert]

10W40 synthetic should be fine.

I use Mobil 1 75W90 synthetic gear oil in my scoots. Some people use 10W40 motor oil, and some manuals even specify it. I prefer an oil that is meant for gears. The viscosity of 10W40 motor oil and 75W90 gear oil is not as different as it seems. They are rated in different ways.