[kz1000st]

OK. Here's my report on the final repairs. The Snowmobile/ATV shop I took it to after losing interest in fixing it myself installed a 72cc BBK on the scooter, a new stator and some other incidentals after finding a scoured piston and barrel. Final cost $663.00. Which would have been worse if I took it to a bonafide Kymco shop with stratospheric hourly rates.

So an $80 starter motor and $90 stator later on top of the $300 original investment rockets the cost to over $1000. I can hear it now, "Yes, but unlike a Chinese POS this scooter will last." Not so, China scooter haters. It will last only if the next owner doesn't flog on it like the last and takes good care of it with regular maintenance unlike the first owner who beat it to death in 2,000 miles.

Which is about what you can say about a Chinese scooter. Care for it and don't abuse it and the 50cc China scoot will last as long as many other similar sized scooters. Bintelli and a few other China scoot sellers have customers topping 20,000 miles with ease.