Worth paying over a grand for China scoot?  By  Deleted (Read 2,946 times)

Nope. According to our numerous detractors, ALL Chinese scoots are of the same quality!

"and they're off....

Please call it by its formal name -- Chineesium.

:)I love it!!!!!

When I compare my BMS to my TaoTao, I can say the BMS had better chrome, heavier steel frame, and steel bar ends.
The TaoTao just has closed plastic/rubber/latex whatever material closed handles at the end of a thin steel tube, and cheaper plastic body panels that can easily break when it's a clip-on design.

Aside from that, the engine and transmission should be the same for BMS and TaoTao scoots.

If you take care of your scoot, there's no reason why a 50-80% costing TaoTao should not last just as long as a BMS.
Like if you have a garage, ride only in good weather, have baby smooth asphalt roads, the Tao can last a LONG time!

If you're riding on rough dust roads, with potholes etc... well.. I might go for a better model.

The BMS I had was more complex, had more screws. More screws, and more items/functions, means more things can go wrong.
The TaoTao was made very simple, the less it has, the less can break.

Suspension was way better on the BMS I owned, as the TaoTao suspension seems like it doesn't do a whole lot, but surprisingly I wasn't happy with the front disc braking on my BMS (I had to squeeze too hard for it to brake); however they felt less mushy than the TaoTao.
The TaoTao brake cables stretch when you brake, the BMS was all hydraulic.

So if you're asking me, I personally think there are good deals to be had in the cheapest TaoTao scooters.
I see not a lot of real quality improvement between lower end and higher end scooters of the same brand and cc type.

If your primary goal is to gain scooter experience, or experience what it is to be on a scooter, need a cheap and economical transportation device, for small trips, the cheapest models you can buy are very good buys IMHO!

I personally would only buy more expensive models when you're going at higher speeds, and for longer distances, because mileage will increase a lot, thus quality needs to improve a bit.

About the fuel lines I don't really know. The BMSes where a bit stiffer, but the TaoTao's I've had for just under a year (I think ), in the elements (Super hot S-Florida sun, and rain), and they're still working perfectly normal.
The fuel lines of the Tao feel flimsy, almost like those black hoses they put over electric wiring, but they haven't failed me yet... Instead the headlight went out, the blinkers and horn went out, and the clutch is slipping I believe; at ~5500km, nothing major done to it, not even a valve adjustment.

My Jonway Magnum was 1,400 retail but I got it for 1,200 . I really like it since it is a 2T , has 13 inch doughnuts , F&R disc brakes with sawblade rotors and dual opposed caliper in the rear , handsome boy body ( like VIPs ) very easy to work on as I can change the jets without removing any body panels or the seat bucket and I really like having dual headlights since I can see so much better with a wider beam . I did break the speedo cable and the tail light burnt out on the 2nd day but I rode it with no problems other than I had water in the gas from a hole in the wall gas station . The dealer already replaced the vacuum and fuel hoses along with fuel filter since some Jonways had a recall over the hoses . It is amazing how much better and safer the ride is with 130/60/13 tires compared to my TaoTao that had 10x 3.5 tires . A t 2T has more pep that a 4T and modest changes like upjet and lighter rollers and NGK iridium , around 20 dollars it ran . I did install a Uni vent cover which is smaller than the big red air filter and replaced the 75MJ with a MJ and it had more bottom end and midrange response with a hair more noise than the with the airbox . I later got the red Uni airfilter but could not find a jet larger than in the type that I used , which is Mikuni VM11/22 like many use . It had a lil bog but not like it wanted to stall . Well I only wanted to go around the block and dang it seized in . It even melted the tip off off the sparkplug which was a first for me .

I pushed it home and it would no longer crank and I could feel the reduction in compression by pushing down the kick start by hand . I now have a BBK , Uni and PM Racing pipe , blue CDI and heavy 8g Dr Pulley sliders . Most use 4 or 5g in 2Ts but I wanted to reduce the RPMs when I went over 50 MPH ( according to the speedo ) as I could redline up a hill with 5g and still hit 9k up a large steep hill with 8g and a running start . It start up instantly . I have not ridden it in 6 weeks since it has been raining so much more than it ever has this year and it fired right up the first try . It has street knobbies that are not balanced so it has a lil bounce like an old school minibike which I kinda like as I have some many offroad memories . It is very stable at any speed even in strong crosswinds and crappy road surfaces with cracks and patches that make even my Echarm with 16s sketchy if going fast . I do enjoy the exhaust sound and power that a 2T has even though mine is louder than I want it to be . It sounds like Yamaha YZ 80 at high RPMs . I had such a happy time when I had a Honda Spree 2T with a 90cc when I was a teen that made me want another 2T since I hated my TaoTao . All of my 49cc street toys I have had were 2T except for the TaoTao which was also my first China toy . I instantly knew it was nothing like Honda , but was only a fraction of the Hondas MSRP .

I cracked the piston in the TaoTao on the 2nd day and blew it up 6 weeks later and had a mental meltdown as I have 40 or so moped , dirt bike and cruiser street bikes and never had a piston problem . I decided to do research and kept caught up on the China scoots since it has been many moons since I had a two wheeler and was used to Honda , Suzuki and European rides . My first web search lead me to joining the old web site . I was surprised to read how many others have had failures with their scooters as I drove my toys like most wild teens do and only wore out tires and had cables break here and there but never any engine disasters . Someone had mentioned trying the Air Sal 50mm BBK as no way did I want another ' secret 63cc " piston kit that cracked and blew up into pieces the 2nd time . I was a mean dog with it as I even outran a drunkard on a 150 . It still runs as far as I know as I saw the guy a year and half later and he only replaced the belt , tires and brake pads .


I saw my scooter dealer had CFMoto scooters and motorcycles which I had never heard of so I wanted to research them as I wanted another scooter but not another lemon . After watching the Martin Racing Performance video comparing an Exharm to a similar looking scooter but had the stand GY6 instead being LC with EFI like mine is . I was impressed with the video , loved how it had a unlimited mile 2 year full warranty , and was 1000 less than the MSRP of 2,599.00 . I have had headlight go out , a brake switch and broke the CS but all were replaced free of charge . The engine is not like the GY6 which has so many after market parts as I have not found any thing but stock engine parts for it . Most 150cc Gy6s put out 8 to 9 HP but mine says 12HP on the MSO . At almost 18k miles it still has the original brake pads on the front and stops on a dime . It was a major improvement when I got the tires balanced and more so when I put Shinko tires to replace the crappy ChengShin tires . The belt is thicker too and I got 12k miles out of the stock one and could have gotten another 1,000 then been in the risk zone . I love having EFI as I have read so many carb problems in the forums and EFI is superb in every aspect like MPG and performance . It now tops at 68MPH instead of 75 since the sliders have worn down and take off is faster . CFMoto makes a great engine but the quit making scooters and only a handfull are left but plenty of parts .

SYM is another great brand .

If you paid over a grand I would want 13 or bigger wheels and rear disc since to me drum brakes are no good compared to disc