Posted: 5/28/2008 11:07:37 AM EDT
Before any of you tell me to turn in my man card, I'll let you know my daily driver is a 2007 Chevy Duramax crew cab and I have plenty of other cars to back up my manliness. Just none that get better mileage.  I'm already married too so I'm not worried about picking up chicks either. So enough of me trying to prove my manliness, on to my questions. Does anyone have any experience with the Chinese made scooters out there? They are very tempting for the price. And for the price of diesel nowadays, it would pay for itself in a couple months. I'm thinking of a 150cc size scooter for just around town and to work on side streets. My wife wants a scooter instead of an actuall motorcycle simply because it would be easier for her to ride as well. The brands I'm considering are Lance and Loncin since dealers are close by with service and parts available. As much as I am against supporting China these days, I think I'd rather buy one of their scooters versus supporting the greedy oil companies anymore. My last fillup on my truck was $250. And another thing is, a scooter is about all I have room for in my garage between my Jeep and Nova. |
|
Tho not really Chinese (Taiwan) Kymco Scooter arent bad. Ive talked to a few folx with them and they all seem pleased. IIRC Kymco makes some stuff for some of the Japanese nameplates Some guys up in MN rode one flat out for 24 hours - 1400+ miles - and vary a hiccup. www.motorbyte.com/mmm/pages/2004/69/feature69_1.htm Local scooter freak gave me the run down on the various "quality" hierarchy of Chinese scooters - evidnetly some are evidently better than others - tho he added they were basically all disposable, just some were more so than others. He rides a Piaggio |
|
just spend the 2K and get a Honda/yamaha scooter its worth the extra $800-1000 to have a bike that actally runs and you can get parts for if need be There are 20+ year old Elites and Sprees all over the place however its rare to see a China made scooter older than 10 months The lance scooters are supposed to be OK I think the Schwinn brand scooters are made by lance |
Gabriel: What models do you have and what kind of experience has resulted? I'm not into scooters - but my nanny is hell bent on one and Ive been trying to save her from Cheap Chinese crap. Which is why Ive recommended big 4 or Kymco. Thought People 250 or S 200 would do. Her main concern is its pink - that tells ya the level of discourse I'm dealing with. Any info would be helpful |
 How about a Honda Ruckus? They aren't that much more, especially used (if you can find one). |
To those that actually answered my question, thank you. All the others... I'll have to check into the Kymco brand. After a quick search, they seem pretty good. I'll take Korean over Chinese products anyday and don't mind paying a little more to do so (actually double but I digress.) There is a dealer not far from my wife's work so I think I will go there this weekend. Plus, they offer exhaust systems for them! 
|
I have a Super 9, the older liquid cooled one. My wife has a Bet and Win 150. The only problems I've had with the Super 9 are a dead battery and I replaced the variator once. The previous owner put an aftermarket one in and the rollers disintegrated (this translates into "the aftermarket transmission couldn't take the abuse" that I put it through). I put a new Malossi one in a couple years ago and it has been fine since. I really beat this thing and off road it. The mere fact that it's still running and in good shape says a lot about it. I found an old picture of the rollers. They wear like this when the throttle is held open all the time. They just sit and vibrate in their tracks and come apart (and these were the crappiest aftermarket quality rollers I have ever seen).  The Bet and Win has had one issue. A baffle in the muffler has come loose and rattles. It's a warranty issue and Kymco is going to replace it. My wife rides it like I ride my Super 9, so that wouldn't be suprising for any make of scooter. The plastics underneath hers are scraped from front to rear from jumping curbs and such. I test rode their Exciting 500 and Venox 250. The Exciting was actually really nice, the Venox seemed way underpowered, they should have made it a 450. |
|
Top speed on it is around 65 indicated (roughly 58-60 actual) with one person. We don't ride two up on it much, but it still goes, although considerably slower. Both of us are about 150 punds. I've ridden it on Highwat 94 in Indiana and Michigan, although I wouldn't recommend it and I wouldn't do it two up. The People S 250 or exciting 250 would be very nice choices. Another company to consider is Genuine Scooter Company. I think al their scooters a made in India. Two models stand out, the Stella (a very nice Vespa clone) and their newer Buddy. I haven't ridden either, but the Stella is the beast to have if you're at all interested in a vintage type scooter. It's a metal bodied two stroke 150. |
|
Can't say much good about the Chinese ones as they don't seem to last long. We just have a Yamaha Vino [03] bought from new. With 4K on it, it's still on the original battery and plug. No replacement parts yet and maint has been replacing the drive oil and air filter cleaning. Still looks brand new. You get what you pay for. |