I want to buy a scooter but I've heard the ones made in China have a lot of mechanical problems?

Question

How does a Chinese one compare to say a Vespa?

Answer 1

Check out the page in the link.
Chinese scooters (I have one - Tank Racer) vary widely in build quality. Some are reportedly very well built, while others er, suck. They are making them a bit better these days. Do your research. Some claim their Chinese scooters perform comparable to a Vespa or the popular Jap models..

Answer 2

OK, here are some facts about scooters... Chinese (communist china) scooters have a very bad reputation, in some cases it is very deserved, but a person considering scooters should at least take an OBJECTIVE look at the facts. Vespa (Piaggio) is considered by a lot of people to be the absolute top of the scooter world, the actual facts indicate that Vespa and their sister comapnies do not fare any better as to repair problems than the major Japanese makes, specifically Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Suzuki. The Japanese models equal the quality of any of the European 'brands', and cost considerably less.

So even if one assumes the European scooters are superior, one has to consider the differential in price of aquisition and repair, shop rates are high on those units. This same 'analysis' should be carried forward in consideration of the other 'tiers' of scooters.

There are a number of makes coming out of Taiwan, (free China) that are of very high quality. Kymco is the better known of these in the USA. Others include SYM and TGB, others escape my mind at the moment. South Korea also has some very good scooters being imported into the US, Daelim (might be Taiwan, don't recall) and Hyosung. This level of scooters are priced considerably below the major Japanese makes. (30-50% less) Of serious significance is that these comapnies are still making medium and small displacement scooters, an area that the Japanese companies have mostly abandoned.

ChiCom (communist China) scooters are the lowest in price and quality. HOWEVER it should be known that these companies have been producing the engines and major components used by ALL the major firms in Europe and Japan. So, one should understand that extremely high quality can come out of China, all engines under 250cc used by Honda and Yamaha and others have been made under license by communist Chinese factories for decades.

China scooters; typically will have a very sound engine, but the other components on the bike will be of extremely low quality. Specifically, the fuel and vacuum hoses, battery, and other electrical components. The people that understand what they are buying, fork out a pittance for these bikes, and replace the suspect parts before they ever ride the scooters. There are literally millions and millions of Chicom produced scooters operating all over the world every day... they are what they are, cheap, but servicable. These cheap rides will require more upkeep than the higher priced and higher quality scooters, and only persons willing to learn about and do the mechanical things should consider these. Many people find that once they 'get into' tinkering with their scooters, the up keep stuff is more of a hobby than a chore.

You will also hear horror stories about scarce parts for Chicom scooters, this is simply not true. It is a fact that a lot, and I mean MOST dealers have no parts, and could care less about support after they sell a scooter over the Internet. But the fact is that practically all Chicom use a GY6 engine, a cloned Honda of the 1960's. As such, the parts are universal for the most part, regardless of the 'badge' slapped on the scooter.

http://scootdawg.proboards59.com/

Forum site that is mostly devoted to china built scooters and run by folks that ride them every day, very friendly place to get any and all questions answered. There is one thread that is entitiled 'New to scooters?' and covers practically ever aspect of the world of scooters...




http://scootdawg.proboards59.com/

Answer 3

Comparing a Chinese scooter to a vespa is like comparing a Yugo to a BMW. No comparison.
Do yourself a favor, stay away from the chinese junk.
Only look at scooters made in Italy, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Answer 4

Kymco scooters (Taiwan) come highly recommended, as they work well, are reasonably priced, reliable, and have a long warranty. The Chinese scooters are OK for the price. However, it is not recommened to buy one from some on-line source as you will have no warranty, no parts, or service. If possible buy from an established dealer (one with a reputable service and parts department). As for comparison to a Vespa, well, no doubt the Vespa is a higher quality machine, but, you will have to decide if its worth the 3x as much as you will pay for it. Whatever you buy it is still just a machine, if you crash, beat the **** out of it, or never do basic maintainence you will have trouble with it.

Answer 5

Vespa is top quality. Chinese scooters are disposable. The fact that you see Vespa's from the 1960's still running is a testament to their quality and style. Japanese scooters are somewhere in the middle.

Take a look here for information:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yamahascootergroup/

Answer 6

I have had two Chinese scooters a 50 cc and a 150 cc Roketas. have not had any problems with ether one. I know they cost less than most others. And some people have mechanical trouble with everything they own. But I believe you should buy what you can afford. and there have been 1000's of these scooters sold and not that many people have complaints.

Answer 7

Not even close, There are Vespa's that have been around for years, A scooter from China may only last a year before parts start to fail.

Better off buying a used Honda-Yamaha-Etc. if you don't want to spend a lot of money.
Watch Craigs list in your area.
http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html

Answer 8

I personally would not buy a bike made of milk bottle tops like some of the china bikes. Tawain are getting better at it but japan are top of the pack. The french also produce a half decent Peugeot model. The choice is out there, spend as much as you can afford, but save some for a decent helmet.

Answer 9

Your complicated usa agencies with usa made. Many chinese language agencies perform their factories in the US and Visa Versa. Dole working example, whom you suggested. Is a US company yet maximum of their fruit comes from south of the border. which ability your chum stored a Latino farmer in business enterprise and a US billionaire slightly richer. Apple and Nike are US agencies yet iPods and Nike footwear are made in Asia. Honda is a jap company yet my Hoda Goldwing bike became into geared up in Dayton Ohio. basically some nutrition for concept. the corporate area has little to do with the place the roles are placed.

Answer 10

You can get a good quality honda scooter at the site below. Hondas are very reliable. I had one before.