Chinese Chopper?  By  ridecheap (Read 6,091 times)

it's been for sale for little over a year now,
There have some youtube reviews been made.

So far, the pro's where:
- manual gears
- Nice loud straight pipe
- Chain drive (meaning you can sprocket change for faster top speed)
- Ridiculously fast for such a small machine (feels like you're floating with your nose 2 in above the asphalt, while going 70MPH; ok, not that bad, but still badass! )
- Super fast acceleration, much much much faster than even a Burgman 400!

The cons where:
- Hard tail (meaning you feel every bump in the road. Ride on track-like roads only)
- In some states the saddle is too low (illegal low), so find out the laws on minimum seat height in your state
- Possibly illegal loud (no muffler)
- Manual transmission (might not be for everyone)
- The rear fender is not good. They have one with a full fender, but on a rainy day going slow, actually gets your back wet, and your backpack or coat can touch the tire if you're not careful.

I personally would take the other one, most websites sell 2 models, the one with full fender is more appealing to me.

it actually can go faster with a sprocket change, and some people have gotten to 70MPH stock out of it. Th 60MPH is just a generic number they put there.

I think realistically you won't get it past 72-75MPH.

They always put the best MPH on them that is what gets the sales, so when they say 60mph + or-5 that thing is a DOG for a 250 out of the crate its a pig. Sure you can make them go faster but for a chopper it should haul out of the crate. It is just for looks and putt putting around looking cool, but you got to wear a bandanna otherwise you will look like a wuzz
Alleyoop

Not my style but it looks neat. I'd look into availability of spare parts, and if that is good, go for it.

I agree it looks very cool. Not my style but that means nothing. I would definitly listen to alleyoop if your talking performance.

Ridecheap,

This basic design is sold under numerous brand-names, most common being "Scorpion". There are a couple of them in my area, and I looked one over well, talking with the owner. The GOOD points of these obviously begin with the fabulous styling. They are a loose copy of a chopper made by a Texas team for one of the "Biker Build-Off" TV shows. The one I looked at showed good quality construction and superb custom paint. It used a Lifan 150 engine with 4-speed tranny.

On the down-side, the rider was average size, and said his would cruise at 60 mph, but top out at just under 70 mph. As Alleyoop said, THIS is SLOW for a 250. REALLY slow... But, it's fast enough to suit most 150cc scooter enthusiasts. I would certainly hope that with a little messing with the sprockets on the jack-shaft, you could hit to and cruise at 70. But you cannot count on that. Be prepared to live with the stated performance to be the real deal.

It IS an old-school "hard-tail" chopper. I rode a hard-tail Harley for years, and the solid rear-end with no suspension is MORE than "punishing"... Every tar-strip and pebble at speed feels like Godzilla is smacking you in the butt with a sledge-hammer.

THAT is PART of the chopper-experience... Trust me here, they don't call me "OldChopperGuy" for nothing... HeHeHe... I put nearly a half-million miles on hard-tail choppers. I also was 6' 2" tall at eighteen, and at forty, when I stopped riding them, I was just over 6' tall. Yup, those years on the road pounded my spine until I lost over an inch of height. Not really a biggie, but something to consider.

These are LOUD. A whole LOT louder than a GY6 150 with straight-pipes. They really bark... But again, THAT is part of the charm...

As mentioned, the split rear fender is a terrible idea, for looks only. For street use, I'd remove it, and craft a nice, simple solid bobber-style fender (probably a suitable trailer fender could be modded) and add a pillion-pad on it for a passenger. These bikes look SO good, you'll want to be able to give rides to whomever...

The bulbous spider-like trim piece on the side hides a jack-shaft for the drive-chain. It looks better and more chopper-like with that removed.

These beautiful bikes are SMALL! Very, VERY small... Even though they're as long as a Harley Big Twin, or Honda Gold-Wing, and have nice, road-sized wheels, they are still lovely miniatures compared to a full-size chopper. That fact you will either love, or hate. Personally, I sorta like it.

Depending on the seller, manufacturer, etc. getting these titled, licensed and insured can sometimes be problematical. That fact has killed off much of their popularity. In Texas, they seem to be no problem, but in some states (again, depending on who sold it, who made it and what documentation is provided) it can be a problem. Some sellers sell the "Scorpion" version without license mount, or required lights, and list them as "parade bikes" or "off-road only". You need to be sure the seller you buy from will provide a bike that is ABSOLUTELY capable of being street-licensed in your state.

There are several Chinese-made choppers and bobbers out there, including the "Kikker" Hard-Knock. All of these bikes look great, but also have a rep for poor service and difficult licensing. If you really want a hard-tail, Harley-style exotic chopper, in miniature, any of these would be great, and somewhat affordable. Just be sure to do your homework to be SURE you'll be getting something you can title, license and insure.

And, get a good kidney-belt... and some Tylenol... LOL! If you're young enough, the back pains are tolerable... If you're old enough to suffer from the hard-tail syndrome, you may want to chop up a Honda Rebel, or Yamaha V-twin. They make good little choppers too.

End of story is: The one I examined looked to be well-worth the price. It was a real head-turner in miniature, and sounded like a proper single-cylinder "thumper". For the short-haul ride, I guess I could live with the hard-tail. The performance is pretty disappointing, and with near 20 hp, I don't know why they aren't faster. They are pretty quick on acceleration, so could be they're just geared down a little. Since a jack-shaft is used in the drive-train, altering the final gearing should be easy...

DO try to examine one in-person, and test-ride if possible. If it's what you expect, you'll LOVE it, but if not, it will be an unpleasant surprise, and for sale again your first season.

All the best to you!

Leo in Texas

PS: One other thing to consider, is that these do have a stretched and raked-out front fork. This makes for some handling characteristics which are MUCH different from traditional cycles and scooters. It's easy to get used to, but not for everyone. Again, do try to check one out in person, before spending your money. If you DO buy one, and don't like it, they don't bring much at re-sale time, and you may "take a bath" if you decide to sell it.

Thanks for all the good thoughts everyone put out there!! I am sure others were interested as well!!

First things first I will put my thoughts on this Chinese model chopper:

I agree there are other models with the full fender but the models I have searched for have a different muffler or downgraded CC engine which I tend to hate. I am in favor of ripping off the split fender and putting on another one so water and stuff doesn't not fly up.

I agree about changing the sprocket out to get a boosted top speed. If that does not work to get a good cruising speed of 70mph then I could always bore this out somehow etc in the future.

Thanks for all the tips on riding a chopper style mini bike.

I looked at Cleveland CycleWerks and love the bobber style bikes coming in at 3,000 plus with shipping which I dont know the cost, but I did not see anything chopper style like bikes on the website.

I have searched on craigslist but I am really leaning toward something new no miles in the 2 grand range all shipped to the home. I have not purchase anything new always buying used...

I am on the fence really right now.