Another Chicom Scooter Broke Down Today  By  americanpsycho (Read 5,080 times)

I'm not bashing cheap Chinese bikes. They are what they are.

I'm bashing people that try to make them into something they are not.

When I bought my first Chinese scooter, that was all I could afford (the first of two).
I worked on it like everybody else (too much) and kept it running. But unlike a lot of people here, I knew my Chinese scooter was not the best quality and had no illusions it was as good as a Genuine or Kymco, which were very popular scooters at the time.

But back then a quality scooter would set you back $3000. Now there are several budget Taiwanese models that cost just a few hundred dollars more than a Znen. Without ever having owned a "budget" Taiwanese model, some people on this forum keep saying their "better" Chinese scooters are just as good. I have owned both, and just about anyone that has knows there is a big difference.

The point of a much lower cost of purchasing a Chinese scooter just isn't valid anymore. This includes some brand new Taiwanese machines, not just getting lucky and finding a good deal on a used Japanese scooter.

There are many threads in this forum where people are asking advice on how to fix their Chinese scooters, some of them very frustrated.

There are many threads in this forum where people ask for purchasing advice. It seems if a non-Chinese solution is suggested, there are many people here that just have to bash it and put it down.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. And when the shoe is on the other foot, some of those very same people really don't like it

Yes, some of the name brand scooters use very proprietary parts that can be difficult to find. This is one of the main reasons I sold my SYM HD200 EVO, which gave me over 5000 miles of flawless service in one year.

But with a little bit of research you can find many Taiwanese scooter models that use a very generic GY6 design. Parts are universal and easy to find. You can buy Taiwanese/Japanese parts or cheaper Chinese parts

No, no, no!!!!

Most Taiwanese budget scooters use generic GY6 parts. The engines are universally designed and can use both name brand and generic parts. You can easily do all of your own work just like on a Chinese scooter, so what high labor costs?

A budget Taiwanese scooter is easier to work on. Fasteners, hoses, plastics, bolts, screws, cables, and gaskets are more robust and one doesn't have to expect that some of this will break just because you take it apart. More importantly critical engine, exhaust and transmission components are a better quality metal and stripping out bolts is less of a risk.

Noooooooo!!!!!!!

Help me!!!!! I'm losing my mind

Spandi we have been here before production wise (sheer number produced yearly) Indian and Taiwanese scoots rule the world

The Lance Cali Classic 125, Lance PCH 125 and SYM Fiddle 125 all use a GY6 with a ceramic coated cylinders. There is at least a half a dozen different websites that sell cylinder/piston kits, ceramic, regular, Taiwanese or Chinese, or BBK if that's what you want.

Genuine Buddy 125/150, and Kymco Agility 125 have the same engine parts availability.

The Tomos Nitro 150 uses a GY6b engine that has a different cylinder, but I was still able to find both a Taiwanese and Chinese cylinder/piston kit for it, and Tomos has the replacement parts available and for sale.

All of the above mentioned scooters can use generic CDI's, ignition coils, variators, clutches, gear sets, stators, shocks, brake pads, carbs and other various components. There are more Taiwanese models that use a more or less standard GY6 and would have the same parts availability, but I only specifically researched the models I was considering purchasing.

I also had a 2007 SYM DD50 two-stroke that I bought for $500 with 1200 miles is somewhat abused but running condition. I was able to find a generic/universal part for everything I want to replace or upgrade.