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I have had over 40 mopeds , scooters , motorcross and street bikes mostly Honda and Suzuki with a few Europeans . Well 3 years ago I was sick of putting in 80 dollars a week in gas in a van and had two fever bad . I only had a limited budget and wanted something new instead of one used and abused . I bought a TaoTao ATMa 50 and hated it . I rode a Honda Elite and a hot rod Honda Spree with a 90cc engine that I bought wrecked . I replaced the forks and front tire , changed the gear oil , cleaned the airfilter and never did anything but put in gas and oil and ride . I only used the kickstart a time or two just too see if it worked . I was 18 and drove it like I stole for almost 2 years and only replaced the tires . Well on the second day of owning the TaoTao or POS the piston cracked . It did not ride or handle anything like my Spree which I felt safe at any speed and could ride with no hands where the TaoTao made me nervous at top speed as it felt unstable . I was more relaxed doing 160 MPH on a Honda Hurricane 1000 than at 45+ on the TaoTao . Since it was brand new I took it back had my dealer rebuild with a new " secret 63cc " piston kit . 6 weeks later the piston exploded into pieces . I NEVER once had any of my toys have a fried piston . I decided I needed to read up on the China scoots as they are no where as good as Honda but waaaaay cheaper . A new Honda scooter I could buy a car a good used 600cc cruiser . I joined the old SD and was suggested an Air Sal 50mm BBK as no way did I want another POS piston made out of recycled pot metal and butter . I must say the Air Sal is very good quality and it was a beast compared the 63 . It never gave a problem . I bought a CFMoto Echarm as I needed a stronger scooter to go to college and work as well as just ride around . A friend of a friend blew up his scooter and needed one ASAP as he had two jobs and a newborn baby but no drivers license . I let his take it for a spin and he had the cash in hand before he came to a stop . It still runs and he only had to replace the tires and belt so far . What I liked about CFMoto is they have a 2 year full warranty with unlimited miles where even Honda only has a limited warranty that covered the engine and drivetrain only . Even the tires and bulbs were under the CFMoto warranty . I also liked how the Echarm has Ducatti EFI instead of a carb , disc brakes F&R instead od crappy cabled drum on the rear , and LC engine instead of AC and taller 16 wheels which is like a crossover between a scooter and a motorcycle . To me a true scooter experience it with doughnuts which is what I call fat tires . At over 18k miles I only had 1 valve adjustment and engine and gear oil changes .
I later bought a Jonway Magnum to be my toy project as I missed having a 2T , liked how it has 13s instead of 10s and was thrilled to see it had rear disc brakes with opposed pistons in the caliper instead of a floater(s) that only press from one side . It has street knobbies and the ride reminds me of an old school minibike . It is so stable I can ride with no hands in a curve ( not suggested that others try ) . Bumps , cracks , uneven patches that made my TaoTao and even my Echarm wobble had no effect on my Magnum with wide 130/60/13s . First night I rode it to another county . I had so much fun I ran it out of gas . I have done that in 20 years . Luckily it was 600 feet from a gas station so not too bad of a push . The Magnum is also much lighter than the TaoTao 249lbs vs 186lbs . It has a handsome boy body like the VIPs so it is easy to get to the carb without removing the seat bucket or body panels . I have always loved 2Ts as all of my 49ccs have been a 2T except for the TT which was a secret 63 . Quality was a lot better than the TT as with dual 35w headlights I can see perfect at night on country rides where the TT was just above a candle . The suspension on the Magnum is perfect where the TT it was too wimpy and even the Echarm the rear shocks are too . I did adjust the dampening to the stiffest on the Echarm which did help but it has too much weight on the rear as when I go above 60 it gets sketchy since it does not have enough of the weigh on the front to stabilize it .
Honda and other big name scoots cost so much more as well as the parts with some proprietary where the China use universal parts with a huge selection of aftermarket goodies like a BBK . I have always loved to wrench since I was 9 and all two wheelers need to be serviced . It is so much fun to build a hot rod scooter and pass by cars while getting way more miles out of 3 dollars worth of gas . To me I would rather buy a China scooter and tinker around with it instead of paying so much more for a brand name scoot . If you do not have the experience , tools , place to work but have the extra money then buy a Honda , Kymco , Vespa or Aprilia
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