Chinese Scooter Review. Should you buy one?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- I bought a Chinese "sport" scooter about a month ago and I decided to make a vid telling you if these cheap bikes are a good deal or not. I go through the good and bad and give my final thoughts on these very controversial scooters.
I really appreciate your comprehensive, yet easy to understand reviews! You have a great public speaking style. Keep up the good work!
I've been drooling over these for years. Your video was very informative. Enjoyed the tour, Thanks!
Thanks for your extensive review. I was thinking about getting one, but settled on a moped. Still has a Chinese motor though... Yes, I totally agree with you, it's something you have to tinker with, you have to be a part-time rider, part-time mechanic! I really think the appeal of the "Chinese" motors/scooters is the price tag more than anything.
Great review. I see the video is about 8yo so i’m wondering: did the scooter hold up, did you have it long and what broke?
At the 12 year mark
Yes, they may be cheaply made, but when you can't afford 2 to 3 thousand for a good one, you still can get you money's worth out of these. I have two Chinese scooters, the 4 year old one has almost 29,000 miles on it and the 2.5 year old one has just over 7,000 miles on it. I did have a bit of electrical problem on the first one, but other than that just regular maintenance and a set of tires at 23,000 miles. So I have gotten my more than money's worth out of it.
My 150cc runs good got 6000 miles on it and always change oil and gear oil, valve adjust and tune up and premium gas, got a friend that has up to 34,000 miles on his gy6 engine, it might be Chinese but it will last if u take care of it !
+xavier mireles Did you use conventional or synthetic oil?
+150cc GY6 Scooter, i used synthetic and still runs good, and sometime regular, they say change at 900 miles but they both turn black around 500 miles so id recommend change oil every 500 miles !
+xavier mireles dude all oil will turn black its the soot from the exsaust it leaks gasses into the crankcase from the valves and other things thats no problem synthetic oil is good in a car for 6000 miles its not worth changeing it early just a waste of money let it ride for a while wont hurt nothing u change the oil cause it gets thin loosing its vescosity thickness thats were the protection is so save that money bro
can you tell me how to change the gear oil. when should I change? got 50 miles on it.
Is the motor a Honda design? I have GY6 toa toa 2014-150 CC Quantum tour?
I think you got a killer deal for that scooter, but when you said it will hang with any Honda,Kawasaki etc............lets not get carried away......
Wile E Coyote I think you misunderstood. What he said was, now that he has made the tweaks, upgrades and maintenance, this PARTICULAR bike would be as reliable as the Honda, etc.
Seems fair enough. If he knows his stuff to do the work, his judgement is probably worth hearing.
Thats what im saying, dont say its as reliable as a honda, your crazy, its fucking air cooled dude.
Atheer Athman what other way can it be cooled?
Lol 😆
@@habibiranch So a older air cooled bike isn't reliable just because it's air cooled? Not very sound logic imo.
Thanks for taking the time to do this review. It's not only fun to watch, but also very informative. Cheers to you!
i love the way you speak. easy to understand, regular guy, and honest. i appreciated.
Compared to a Vespa for 8000-9000 it's a bargain.
Uno G and if you have tools and some experience much better
I have a 2008 model, nearly identical but without grocery bag hook. Paid $897 for it. It's been going 10 years, runs great. I don't work on stuff like that, but have paid probably $500 in repair bills over the years for various things. Also installed a kill switch.
Change the fork oil to a hevier weight that will make a real difference. Also you can add a 1/2 inch spacer above the springs-any object that fits will do, then your forks will be stiffer.
Loved the review. Very informative thanks! I was just curious...Did you find a solution to the gas cap vibrating loose, and if so what was it? Also, what were the little fixes you needed to do? Could a newbie mechanic figure it out? thanks again!
I just bought a jonway 250 and so far I love it. and mostly because of your review. thanks
Do you still have it?
For the money you can't beat them just a lot of maintenance checking bolt's body screws oil but I like mine very happy with it.If you want to make it move better change the variater weights to 14oz they are 16oz stock it will rev faster.Great vid good luck.
I work for a shop that sells Vespa,and I agree,the prices are out of line! Now with a Vespa from the 150cc and up,they're pretty decent,and now fuel injected so they actually run very well and without carb trouble.Now the Piaggio 50 ans 125's,they're Chinese made,but with piaggio's designs and standards,but there are problems especially with the carb on the 50.They have a new 50 that's under $3k out the door now and it looks decent.
I’m coming up on my first 500 miles on mine. Still running like day one. I like them.
What year?
Nine years later it's 2019 & this scooter, now called the Tao Tao Lancer, is till under $800 :)
Bought a Jonway 50cc. It was a rental and had less than 1000 miles. Dealer assembled and maintained. Very happy with it.
Really glad you mentioned the fact that the ABS brakes arent true ABS, and just limit the amount of pressure that can be applied and like you pointed out they are useless in rain or snow.
I got a new Chinese 150 cc scooter. Let me tell you what was wrong with it the day I got it.
(1) Came with NO spacer between the two bearings in the front wheel. VERY DANGEROUS!
(2) The gy6 engine has two valves with two springs for each valve. Three out of the four springs where broken when I got the scooter.
(3) The rubber intake manifold almost instantly began to dissolve from the gas. Got a replacement one from the company I bought the scooter from and it too dissolved within a couple of weeks. Finally got one that didn't dissolve on Ebay.
Here is a list of parts I've had to buy over the past 6 years.
(1) Five stators.
(2) One starter.
(3) Three CDI units.
(4) Two coil/spark plug wires.
(5) Three carburetors.
(6) One new storage trunk. (First one got cracks in it and lock failed)
(7) One set of valve springs.
(8) Three light bulbs - One head light, one tail light, one turn signal light.
(9) Three air filters.
(10) One air filter housing mount.
(11) One fuel filter.
(12) Four tires.
(13) One front brake caliper with fluid reservoir and brake handle.
(14) Three exhaust manifolds
(15) Three mufflers.
(16) Three spark plugs.
(17) One regulator.
(18) Three air valve stems.
(19) Two drive belts.
(20) One valve cover gasket.
(21) Three scooter covers.
(22) Fly wheel removal tool.
(23) One oil drain plug
That's all I can think of right now.
How much labor did I pay to fix these things? $0.00
I did all the work myself.
Question? Should you buy a Chinese scooter?
Answer: Only if you are mechanically inclined and able to work on it yourself, otherwise you will spend so much on labor you would have been better off paying more to get a Honda.
How many miles does my scooter have? Only about 10,000 miles. Odometer (and speedometer) broke about 4,000 miles ago.
Great video. Entertaining and a very good assessment from what I can tell in showing a viewer what they'll get if they're considering one of these "Chinese" scooters.
I do plan on getting one, but knowing what's in store helps a lot as opposed to expecting a gas-and-go thing.
It's great video ... can you post something about the issues you referred to but did not really mention what they were?
Dude! that was a fantastic review and you are a fantastic reviewer. I watched the entire video. Bravo man, I want one like yours for my girl..
back brake is useless though front is 70% looks like the front break was pretty awesome. you use both at the same time. it even says so at the DMV
This bike was probably designed for the US market. In the US, it's a DOT requirement to have turn signals that turn with the steering wheel. Bikes sold in both the US and overseas will have turn signals molded into the front (which is cleaner looking) and something on the bars as well.
Thanks for the review, man. I've been looking at these cheap scooters and this was helpful. Cheers!
as far as front end dive, i fixed that problem on my ninja 250 by using heavier weight fork oil, worked amazing. just a suggestion.
@MrBorderghost The dealer I got mine from actually did a pretty thorough job checking it out before handing it over. But when I got it home I tore it apart myself and did a proper PDI.
if you fit similar springs to the front from the back. it'll solve the front end dip
When I lived in China I saw bikes that were the same/similar to the one in this vid all the time. They were all given the generic name of "R9" despite being produced by a whole bunch of different companies, many being illegally produced by unregistered companies. I rode a few a couple of times and my main impression was how crap the brakes were and poor build quality.
Hello everyone out there that's thinking about buying a taotao scooter. Well I got a red one just like the one in this video, and it runs very good. However, you need to be careful when driving over bumps in the road, because it will cause some of your bolts to come loose and you won't know there's loose. The only problem I really had with it; is the first two months that I had it; my belt broke on me, but the company outta Texas sent me another one for free. But the good thing about this scooter; it's so very easy to work on. You can pull it up on youtube, and it will show you what to do. Three dollars will full it up and last me all week.
+Ralph “Candymanlove” Willis AGREED!
+Ralph “Candymanlove” Willis I'm waiting for mine, and already purchase all the upgrades I want to do to it. can't wait.
I have mines over a year now, and had only a few problems with it. But she back up on the road running like a brand new sewing machine. $2.75 fill it up with gas and it last me a whole week. This is my baby. But I strongly encourage you to watch the things you run over...like plastic bottles and wet leaves and pine straw on the road.
@jatroup12 It's just like I say in the video. If you are okay searching the web for tips and fixing things on your own it is a good buy. If you are lazy and rely on dealerships to fix your car when it breaks down forget it.
Kymco is Taiwanese, and actually used to be part of Honda before splitting off.
Nice Scooter, gonna get mine here shortly, I see you're a veteran, join the the club and thanks for the service, see ya at the VA in Houston
what exactly did you fix on it ? tighten some loose bolts ?
good video,i've only had my50cc meideo for about 400 miles,but so far it's been good
Good info. I have been considering one of the Chinese 150cc scooters. Your video was helpful. Thanks!
@aves1pm The only fixes I had to do were changing the glass fuses over to modern blade types and I always had problems with the muffler rattling. Everything else was preventative work like checking every bolt and connection and changing all the fluids and stuff. Never had to do anything major to it.
any problems with a loos es park plug wire?
Thanks for the great review! Seen this bike on Ebay same price in Dallas. Probably where you got yours lol. I am upgrading from a 50cc scooter and its great to see this on video and get a full depth look. Very awesome review and appreciate it a lot! Will get mine this summer. Safe riding!
I got basically the same bike with different headlights from TaoTao after only 2 weeks I am really impressed with it and very satisfied with the purchase.
I can tell you that this is a problem. Glad he mentions it in the video. I had a scooter exactly like his. I was going down a bumpy gravel road and the cap came loose splashing gas out onto the muffler. Next thing I know it goes up in flames. Barely had time to stop and dive off. Very dangerous
nice looking scoot
I feel that your comments were fair enough regarding the externals of the bike. However, the long-term reliability could be compromised by the use of a lower quality metal in the engine and power train components. Full crank or half-crank? Chrome bore? The condition of the oil after the first change, if examined, might reveal a more than acceptable level of metal and this could be an omen of things to come. Greetings from NZ.
Who heard the police sirens at the end and thought.. "That guy bolted!!"
@dkw12002 One thing the Chinese do very well is engines. They are old school air cooled, SOHC, carbed engines but they are bulletproof. They use the same carbs the Japanese use and the same CVT belts. You don't have to worry about engines.
And actually the overall build quality is pretty good. The frame is solid, the plastics are tough (i've dropped mine a few times, no cracks), and the wiring is great. I would TOTALLY buy another one for myself.
@rps75 It takes about 100 miles for it to come loose so before every ride I just open the seat and tighten it by hand. Never had a problem since.
For all of the fixes I had to do, google 'chinese scooter pdi'. The first result is a great write up of everything I had to do. It can be done by a newbie but it will be very frustrating and you will probably have to go buy lots of tools.
I guess that was you I saw riding all over those fields. You look like peewee herman crossed with Micheal Jackson! Good vid and review of details. The gasoline cap was funny. If you keep riding that thing around like crazy, shit will break! Big plastic chunks will crack off. Oh yeah, adjust the rear brake yet?
gy6 engines are awesome ive got a 150cc gy6 scooter, i am modding it out quite a bit making it beast :)
@MrPolymers Yep done that. The Chinese tires actually griped very well. They just suck in the rain.
Good review, and made some valid points that many people should be aware of.
A good, honest review! Thanks for telling about the warts as well as the good stuff! But, I didn't hear what manufacturer it came from...who made it?
You got lucky if nothing is wrong. I am the proud owner of two identical Wildfire 250s. Both literally started to fall apart from the moment I purchased them. From the handlebars coming loose while driving on the highway, to the plastic snapping in the wind, to the cooling fans spinning off the post that spins them, these bikes are crap. But, you get what you pay for. On a different note; I also have a 2003 Geeley JL50 scooter that is just perfect. Pick and choose your scoots carefully.
yes, they do. Countersteering is all because the wheels want to bring the bike/scooter upright and the rider is steering to make the thing fall over (a little bit). I've done 4,500 miles on my scooter (7,000 Km)
@PlanBSkater2010
Haha Hyosungs are really great bikes. They're made in Korea ( as you probably know ) and Korea is a great place. The New Kia's, Hyundai's and other Korean Car manufacturers are making great automobiles now. My friend up the road has 2 Hyosung ATV's, and they're both great.
I know I lived there before.
IT'S JUNK!! I live in a town that has more scooters than cars and if it ain't a Honda,Yamaha or Vespa chances are good it's only reliable when new and good up to the first year,after that it's junk! I bought used Yamaha Zumas for the price of a new offbrand Chinese made scooter and still runs year after year!
So what is the best brand among (honda, Yamaha or Vespa) in terms of quality and price?
A friend bought a first bike galaxy scooter in 2002 and still running like new
Just bought this exact same bike today. Pretty much everything mentioned here is more or less true. Thanks again for a decent vid, yo.
Thanks for the video! Inspired me to buy a Chinese scooter with same body style. Got a couple of questions for you. How is this scooter still holding up? What other things did you do to improve reliability of this scooter? I ask because so I can fix issues up front> Thanks again for this AWESOME video. I have showed this video to several friends of mine!
I have a JCL 250cc scooter (Chinese) I purchased used from a Honda/Suzuki dealership here in Ohio this past summer. First, I have owned a number of motorcycles/scooters. My first scooter was a Suzuki Burgman which is far and beyond the quality of these Chinese scooters. Had to sell, kids in college stuff, then got the urge to get riding again. This spring, purchased a Kymco 150cc Super 8. Great machine. Problem was, just too small for me. Traded for the JCL. Lots of work to keep it going..
the "weird" fitting part of the trunk is for the air filter... i have the same scooter but the air filter is there, rather than above the pipe.
if you roll with the back brake, theres an adjuster, tighten that until you feel the breaks when you move it, then back it off a turn or two. then you should have the best breaking the scooter allows for :) hope it helps, mine did the same until i tightened it up, not i can lock up the rear if i need to
Excellent review. After testing and fixing for about a month, my Chinese scooter is as reliable as it can be because there is nothing else to break/fix. LOL. Ride safe and enjoy.
thanks for the review, I've been curious about these.
the flaws you mentioned are not that bad and are present on yamaha, honda or any other scooters as well, that's because some of the cheaper and smaller bikes/scooters that Suzuki, Honda and others sell are in fact made in china, they just don't advertise that.
Let me know what problems you have after 5-10k, then we will know if it's a good deal or not, but $800 new is a good price, that's almost how much they are selling used around here
Awesome real review. Thanks man. My friend is selling his. I am going to buy it!
great review, you are a natural. Sound is critical, more than video.
I don't know dude, sounds like you should've bought something else with your money. Try the Bintelli Scorch. I've never heard any complaints about their scooters and the one I have has yet to give me any trouble!
For the price of a new ZNen Chinese scooter like the Bintellis ($1000+), you can get a used Yamaha or Honda 2-stroke with more pep off the line, more aftermarket parts, and much better build quality...
Well-maintained Zumas sell around here for around $1000, Honda Elite 50s can be had for even less. Though a dealer warranty on the newer scooters is a selling point.
+chronotriggerfan The problem with a used scooter (even if it is a Honda) is that you don't know how it was driven or maintained and parts for them can be hard to come by. I know that from personal experience. That's why I decided to buy a new Chinese scooter instead.
chronotriggerfan even if so they are super cheap parts and easy to fix though..
i bought a 2006 yamaha morphous dirt cheap with 100 miles on it,
craigslist is your friend
+chronotriggerfan Btw, my Chinese scooter runs very well I use it as a daily driver and it has 5k miles and counting. I did do a few minor upgrades such as an aftermarket drivebelt (gates powerlink) and LED bulbs though. The original belt worked fine but after 2k miles I noticed it was starting to tear so I replaced it and I just recently inspected the aftermarket belt and it's still in great shape.
Be sure to replace those valve stems. The rubber on those will crack to the point of blowing out, which won't be pretty if you're going 50-60mph.
Thx for takin ur time to go through this scooter
Those Chinese scooters do hold up pretty well, the only drawback is the original parts such as the belt, tires, and light bulbs are low quality and have to be replaced with aftermarket parts almost immediately but once that's done then everything's fine. I'm very happy with mine so far. I bought it brand new last summer and have 5k miles on it as of now. Another good thing about them is that most if not all of those scooters share the same engine and other mechanical parts.
Fuel lines too.
You should buy a Chinese scooter if you'll be ok with tearing it down and fixing it from time to time, replacing some hoses and will maintain it properly. I spent $350 on my taotao atm50 and still have less than $700 (cost of a new one) even after doing a full rebuild after the piston exploded as result of an overheating event. I also upgraded it to 72cc while I was at it. Tools also account for a decent portion of my after purchase expenses, which I never really mind buying. Parts are dirt cheap and the engine is very simple. I also removed the pair system as my new head didn't accommodate it anyway and I was happy to get rid of most of the obnoxious hoses under the seat.
Ride quality is ok but it isn't as nice as my ruckus that was stolen, on the flip side, it has been more reliable.
You should avoid Chinese If you aren't willing to learn to work on it, want something you don't have to think about and can just take to a shop or dealer to fix.. if you are down to put some effort in, and you WILL have to, otherwise you'll have a dead bike as most shops won't touch then, they can be a fantastic value and super cheap transportation option.
wow thats a good deal for that big of a scooter... why the fuck did i pay 800 for a 50cc
Alex Lesher bra i paid $800 for 49cc + $230 for registration. 😱
Thank you for the review. i've been considering a Znen knockoff of the Honda Ruckus that can fit parts directly off the Ruckus. They've got them in 150CC CARB legal for 1-1500.00 online, out of Hong Kong. That Znen knockoff will basically be this scooter in a different frame with different wrappings.
you can tighten the yellow looking bolt with a wire hanging out of it an your breaks will work better and I made mine to the point where your skid some times
I'll have to get a motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license to ride a 150 in Florida. I can ride a 50cc on a driver's license, but anything faster requires a motorcycle endorsement. I want to get a scooter, but the 50cc are too slow and I don't have the time to do a class for a motorcycle endorsement.
I have 9500 miles on my Scoot... Still running strong...
Great video, I have not experienced the same issue with the gas cap but agree about all of the other quality issues.
Thanks for the great video, had any problems with it since?
8:00 had me dying LOL aint nothing else to break!!
After the initial fixes it’s great!? Like what?
Thanks for the info, how is it holding up a few years later?
I bought a Chinese scooter, and it has been great. It is a 2008 CF-Moto E-Charm 150cc. If you treat it like a scooter then it will act like a scooter. Yup, in California, I don't see a lot of Chinese scooters, because I think alot of riders enjoy being pampered by a dealer. I am more of a DIY, and the price was right for me. Doing appropriate research outweighs the factor of one searching for a "great deal".
I've owned one like this for 8 years, it is reliable and it is my main transportation, and I agree I had to put some finishing touches to it, but by and large it is a standard stock bike. I'm very satisfied with mine... a Meiduo MD150T
+Yann Kitson Awesome!
i had similar scooter, if you drive normal, and don't care what other people think of it they are ok, you cannot compare with a vespa, because they are in a totally different price range
decent review...thanks for taking the time to do it. got a kick out of your "off road" comments lol....thx again
My Chinese scooter broke down 8 times in 6 months, it was the engine that was at fault 100% of the time, 3 starter clutches, two start motors, 3 head gaskets, and other various bits, I've still got it after throwing into the garage in disgust 3 years ago, dunno if I want to restore it or just scrap it...
I have The same bike. However mine is a RocketA Tahiti 150. I got mine for $150.
@IrfanLitt786 This one is labeled Roketa but really there are many different manufacturers in China that make the same bike. So you may find the exact same thing branded something different but it was probably built in the same factory.
Great non-biased review, like you I'm pretty handy with engines so I don't have a problem with them at all. 5*
I bought a used one. Exactly like yours. Just put a rubber gasket on the gas cap. I will eventually upgrade to a Tmax. So the one i have i may sell or not. But yes it is powerful.
Got a peace sports.The only issues was the carb on the the front wheel balance.Changed the carb runs great but may have to go to have the wheel balanced.
Hey thanks for the educational video, i learned a lot.
chinese bikes have bad reviews, but treat them right and you should have minimal problems. unlike other people my age who buy them the min they are old enough to ride one on the streets, then tear shit out of them racing each other, then falling off them round corners, and totaling their bikes, only to be forced to return to having to walk to where they need to be.
i have a 50cc chinese scooter and have had no problems besides me breaking the brake light by pulling the wrong way on the lever.
"just to see if it would break" lol...love it
@TheMattmurdock On the title for this bike it is an '08 roketa. The model is something like MC-150. But really if you find a bike that looks like this no matter what it's called, it was probably built by the same people who made mine. With Chinese bikes, names and models are irrelevant. If it looks the same, it is.
First: It's YOU'RE. Second: It IS a grocery hook. The actual helmet hook is under the seat on any scooter IF they have one. It's there so you can lock your helmet on the outside while keeping the seat bucket free for other items. Anyone can take a helmet off of a grocery hook and steal it...
Wooooeeee! That's a lot! A good friend of mine has a Chinese scoot and it's broken down a few times, but being an engineering student, he's tampered with it and fixed it up every time. Restore it? Eh, it may just be cheaper to buy a new scooter... But, a cheaper option could be to get your hands on a second hand Japanese engine (eg Honda Dio) that's in good condition and fit it. Make sure you know what you're doing first.
Oh a word of advice about those side view mirrors on your scooter jtech, my scooter has the exact same kind of mirrors painted blue...DON'T over tighten them, even slightly, if you ever take them off and put them back on. Just snug them enough so that they won't wobble...they're made out of really crappy plastic and you could fart and break it off the bolt.
I agree with pretty much everything that was said, however everyones mileage is going to vary, from the start you have to change vital parts, the timing the belt, the carbs need to be adjusted often, it's a major headache, and after everything is said and done if you take it to mechanic you basically paid the same amount as getting a brand name bike. It runs great for the first month but after that is when shit goes bad, i use it to commute and it rattles to pieces.
@xpiecemealx these bikes usually are ordered online and put together by a shop or the new owner. The quality of materials vary. I replaced some bolts, and did my own oil and brake changes. Im not the BEST mechanic but my mom walked me though everything and its REALLY simple. I live in Cleveland and we have POC scooter shop that does almost everyones work. an oil change ther costs 50 bucks! I did mine for 10. and parts are super cheap. I got a replacement fender for $25 (it came cracked).
Dude you're awesome.
I'm considering buying a JCL 150 with 16 inch wheels because my girl friend is shorter than I am. What do you think? I was going to buy it off line but NOW I may go to a store a check something similar out before I purchase one.