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10-28-2014, 05:07 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: NC
Posts: 15
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Are there any reliable china-scoots yet?
Hi, am thinking about getting a second scoot-----researched china-scoots a couple years ago and decided to pass at the time and bought a Zuma instead assuming that eventually one of the Chinese companies would start producing something reliable and relatively cheap.
Has that happened yet? My Zuma F has provided over 10,500 trouble-free miles of riding (other than flat-tires) and I'm thinking about selling it and up-grading to a Zuma 125 but would also like to get something else (cheaper) to ride in order to off-set some of the mileage and wear-n-tear on the new Zuma, need something that I can rely on to actually crank and not leave me stranded. I was thinking about maybe getting a second low mileage used Zuma or maybe a used Honda Met but was curious about how the china-scoots are doing these days before I make a decision. So, how have the china-scoots made any progress? Your thoughts? Thanks |
10-28-2014, 09:41 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Hyde Park, NY
Posts: 1,130
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Look at the Lance line of scooters. They sell Chinese built SYMs at a very reasonable price. After that and next on the food chain are Kymco Agilities, The 125 comes in under two grand and is stone ax reliable,
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2008 Eagle Milano 150- 9,679 miles 2009 Honda Rebel 250- 10,434 miles 2009 CF Moto Fashion- 16,023 miles 2009 MC-114 50cc Cub Clone- 4,317 miles twowheeler.yolasite.com/ That's 30,049 China Scootin miles and Counting. |
10-29-2014, 11:21 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Las Vegas, Nv
Posts: 105
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"my momma always said that reliable is as reliable does.." Seriously, if the question is "are there any chinese scooters that you can just hop on and ride the crap out of with very little maintainance and get the same life expectancy of an Italian or Japanese scoot" then the answer is "No". With proper PDI and reasonable maintainance, there are some very well performing chinese, korean, and taiwanese products available.
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10-29-2014, 11:45 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Hyde Park, NY
Posts: 1,130
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Lance scooters are built by SYM in their China plant much like Kymco builds the Agilities, Super 8 and Like models. I avoided crate scooters like Tao Tao and Bashan since they're only as reliable as their owners. Lance is only sold through a dealer and has a warranty making it as serviceable as any other. The Kymco Agility is as reliable as anything according to many sources.
http://modernvespa.com/forum/topic130381.2 http://www.scootersus.com/cfmoto.html
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2008 Eagle Milano 150- 9,679 miles 2009 Honda Rebel 250- 10,434 miles 2009 CF Moto Fashion- 16,023 miles 2009 MC-114 50cc Cub Clone- 4,317 miles twowheeler.yolasite.com/ That's 30,049 China Scootin miles and Counting. Last edited by kz1000st; 10-29-2014 at 12:56 PM. |
10-29-2014, 10:01 PM | #6 |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Arlington, MA
Posts: 137
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+1 for the Kymco Aglity. I have the 50cc and it's been really reliable.
I'd love the new Zuma, but I've read the valve adjustments require draining the cooling system so I just kept riding my Kymco. It need some time to warm up in the Winter, like under 40 degrees, but it's been very reliable. |
10-30-2014, 08:01 AM | #7 |
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Hyde Park, NY
Posts: 1,130
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http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/824/17...on-Review.aspx
The Agility was the Superbike in this scooter review.
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2008 Eagle Milano 150- 9,679 miles 2009 Honda Rebel 250- 10,434 miles 2009 CF Moto Fashion- 16,023 miles 2009 MC-114 50cc Cub Clone- 4,317 miles twowheeler.yolasite.com/ That's 30,049 China Scootin miles and Counting. |
10-30-2014, 08:29 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 493
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I've been riding scooters for 30+ years, I have YET to see the huge difference in quality between China and other countries in terms of scooters.
Scooters, by their vary nature, are high-performance small-engine motorcycles, ALL of which require maintenance and all of which break down from time to time. My several gy6's are by no means more prone to mechanical failure than my E-Ton, Kymco and Hondas.
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2011 Roketa MC-23-150 4T 150cc 157 qmj 24mm carb w 115 main jet and paper cone air filter Manual petcock w Tygon fuel lines Scrappy Dog Scooters Retro-slash stainless straight-thru exhaust RED spring clutch Adjustable CDI (brand unknown, it's blue and red and works great!) KOSO high performance variator w 12g sliders Gates Powerlink 835-20-30 belt GPS verified 65mph on flats. |
10-30-2014, 04:28 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Hyde Park, NY
Posts: 1,130
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I have to wonder myself about the quality issue. Looking at the Vespa forum it seems to me you're not getting your six to seven thousand dollars worth of quality there. Especially in comparison to a two thousand dollar Chinese 250cc.
The biggest difference is in warranty, set up and follow on care over a crate scooter for the average person. Lance has that part covered.
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2008 Eagle Milano 150- 9,679 miles 2009 Honda Rebel 250- 10,434 miles 2009 CF Moto Fashion- 16,023 miles 2009 MC-114 50cc Cub Clone- 4,317 miles twowheeler.yolasite.com/ That's 30,049 China Scootin miles and Counting. |
10-30-2014, 10:24 PM | #10 |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Arlington, MA
Posts: 137
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I don't think it has as much to do with where it's made, but who makes it. My Kymco AG is made in China, so was my Lance (back when they were Znen) The Kymco has been way more trouble free than the Znen. Little things were always breaking on it, and parts were a pain to find. Personally I'd probably not buy another no-name Chinese scooter, since I use it to get to work.
I totally agree that Vespas are overpiced. Kinda like a luxury car, it's just a name. |
10-31-2014, 06:41 AM | #11 |
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Hyde Park, NY
Posts: 1,130
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My favorite story in defense of Znen Lances is this. There used to be a member here named Dorian. He had a Lance Milan he commuted on daily. He put 24,000 miles on it in just over a year with regular maintenance; bolt tightening, bulb replacement and routine things. He did a big jump on a dirt mound one day and broke the frame. It still got him home but he scrapped it not wanting to replace the frame or trusting a weld repair. The engine still ran splendidly.
Mike at Lance switched to SYM built models when he started hearing that his scooters were being used as commuters after the rise in gas prices in 2008 and people wanted solid rides. Prior to that the philosophy was that his Lances were being used as weekend toys, so day to day reliability wasn't a big issue. You have to applaud that kind of commitment to customer needs.
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2008 Eagle Milano 150- 9,679 miles 2009 Honda Rebel 250- 10,434 miles 2009 CF Moto Fashion- 16,023 miles 2009 MC-114 50cc Cub Clone- 4,317 miles twowheeler.yolasite.com/ That's 30,049 China Scootin miles and Counting. |
11-01-2014, 11:22 AM | #12 | |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Arlington, MA
Posts: 137
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Quote:
I do wonder how the PCH is, it looks great but I had a Sym built Tomos Nitro that I wasn't crazy about. |
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11-01-2014, 11:35 AM | #13 |
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Hyde Park, NY
Posts: 1,130
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I don't think 24,000 miles on a Lance Milan is indicative of crap. Many Znen Lances are running to this day.
Blown valves in $7000, pressed steel scooters is more an indication of crap to me. http://modernvespa.com/forum/topic130381.2
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2008 Eagle Milano 150- 9,679 miles 2009 Honda Rebel 250- 10,434 miles 2009 CF Moto Fashion- 16,023 miles 2009 MC-114 50cc Cub Clone- 4,317 miles twowheeler.yolasite.com/ That's 30,049 China Scootin miles and Counting. |
11-02-2014, 03:34 PM | #14 | |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Arlington, MA
Posts: 137
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Quote:
Blown valves in a $7000 scooter is also crap. Fortunately that's both ends of the spectrum. |
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12-02-2014, 05:23 PM | #15 |
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Santa Barbara
Posts: 1
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SYM, Lance, and Chinese scoots
It seemed to me in reading through this thread that information about the Lance scooters is not entirely accurate. None of the new SYM made Lance scooters are made in China. Only the Lance models made in 2009 and prior were made in China (and not by SYM). The current models are a big step up in quality and it is much harder to find parts for a Chinese made Lance vs. a SYM Lance scooter.
I recommend staying away from Chinese made models (other than possibly the Kymko Like or Agility). If you are going to buy a Chinese made bike, make sure you know who is willing to service it first and where you will buy parts from. Kymko parts generally take a minimum of three weeks to acquire. Parts for the Chinese made Lances can be hard to come by as well and often you cannot use the parts from the new SYM made Lance scooters in a Chinese made Lance. And, there are many shops out there who won't work on any Chinese made bikes because they're afraid other items will break while they are working on the bike (due to weak metal, etc.) and that they'll be responsible for fixing it at no cost. |
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