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Post by wheelbender6 on Jan 17, 2016 17:57:09 GMT -5
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jan 17, 2016 20:08:12 GMT -5
I know nothing about these, but if the advertising is true, it surely looks like a swell ride!With 352cc and 22.8 hp the 104 mph speed sounds a tad optimistic, but it still should hit  + and cruise  + mph. THIS is the kind of road performance you really need to safely cruise the freeway.
Free shipping, lift-gate delivery and such makes it look like a very good deal if you want a real "maxi-scooter" at a good price. It should ride like a Lincoln Town Car and be a great bike for over the road. It's still a little big for me, but at well under 400 pounds (not much more than my Kymco 250) it's not all that heavy and just MIGHT be handy even in tight traffic... Especially for the younger, stronger rider. Is it REALLY as good quality as the Yamaha? Probably not, BUT... I'll bet it's still mighty nice! Chinese quality is getting better and better, and when prices go over $4K it's certain to be pretty decent. If I had more money, and less arthritis, I'd be tempted to give it a try!  In the mean time, I'll stick with my easy-on, easy-off step-through old 250... LOL!C'mon now, some of you maxi-scoot fans with a few thousand to play with have GOT to try these out... Keep us posted! Leo in Texas
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Post by wheelbender6 on Jan 17, 2016 21:20:10 GMT -5
Valley Scooters (one of our sponsors) also sells the Linhai 300 (275cc) for under 3 grand. I don't know if the newer Linhai 400 would be worth almost 2 grand more. I guess that is my real question. www.scootersus.com/aeolus300.html |
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Post by SylvreKat on Jan 17, 2016 23:43:10 GMT -5
And my real question is, how can they call it a 400cc when it's really only a 350cc?  I know, I know. Every manufacturer fibs like that. Otherwise looks nice! >'Kat |
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Post by rockynv on Jan 18, 2016 9:19:01 GMT -5
They all follow General Accounting Practice and round up whenever they can to simplify bike classifications. 235/244/249 its all a 250, etc.
Since Linhai was Yamaha's partner for some time making engines and possibly entire bikes for them the quality has been higher than the rest.
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Post by nulldevice on Jan 18, 2016 21:13:25 GMT -5
With all due respect Leo, I think your enthusiasm has overwhelmed your generally good judgment. Every manufacturer may shade, embroider, or stretch the truth a bit, but no others come close to lying to customers about scooter performance like the Chinese do. The performance statistics from the advertisement is about what I see published for my 2012 Majesty 400, but judging from the horsepower rating I would expect this scooter to perform much like a modern 250cc scooter from Europe or Japan, that is a top speed of 75 MPH plus or minus a. My research on the Internet indicates cruise speed is around 3/4 maximum speed, so this scooter's cruise speed would be around 55 MPH plus or minus. That's plus for the teeny riders and minus for the normal to large size riders. The cruise speed may seem a little conservative, but I found it about right for where I ride where road grades in excess of 15% are common on the county and township roads I ride. I found a warning of a 17% grade on a state highway nearby.  |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jan 18, 2016 22:18:13 GMT -5
With all due respect Leo, I think your enthusiasm has overwhelmed your generally good judgment. Every manufacturer may shade, embroider, or stretch the truth a bit, but no others come close to lying to customers about scooter performance like the Chinese do. The performance statistics from the advertisement is about what I see published for my 2012 Majesty 400, but judging from the horsepower rating I would expect this scooter to perform much like a modern 250cc scooter from Europe or Japan, that is a top speed of 75 MPH plus or minus a. My research on the Internet indicates cruise speed is around 3/4 maximum speed, so this scooter's cruise speed would be around 55 MPH plus or minus. That's plus for the teeny riders and minus for the normal to large size riders. The cruise speed may seem a little conservative, but I found it about right for where I ride where road grades in excess of 15% are common on the county and township roads I ride. I found a warning of a 17% grade on a state highway nearby. Nulldevice,
Ah... You're probably right. Have a wake-up-call bone on the Old Chopper Guy!
Hmmm... Come to think of it, the manual on my first Xingyue 150 cautioned to keep speeds below 65 mph for the first 500 miles... You couldn't get that scooter to 65 towing it behind an F-16... If that 150 would do 65, I'd probably still have it!
I was trying in my aging mind to compare this "400" with my old Kymco Grandvista 250. "Minnie Mouse" is rated at just over 19 hp and weighs around 350 pounds. She'll do just over 80 under "perfect" conditions... Flat road, no wind. Realistic comfortable "cruise" up and down hills and with wind however, is no more than 70 mph tops.
This "400" supposedly has over 25 hp and listed weight is in the same ballpark as my Kymco. With over 350 cc and fuel-injection, the "hype" sounds reasonable... But, you have a good point about the Chinese "pushing the envelope". Could well be it actually weighs around 400 pounds or more, and offers only 20+ hp or so...
THAT would be disappointing for $4-grand... LOL! 
I'd really like to see an honest, real-world test on one... The optimistic side of me would like to think the spec's. are maybe % true... Probably too much to ask for from the People's Worker-Paradise.
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck (and is short on displacement) it's probably a Peking Duck 
Leo (always up for a "reality-check") in Texas...
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Post by reggie on Jan 18, 2016 23:14:01 GMT -5
I bought a used (2006) Linhai 300 about 4 months ago. Mostly to run around town for small stuff and my wife was in a nursing home on the other side of town. ( Passed away Nov 6) 51 to 55 MPG no problem. 70 MPH on the parkway. I took my gps with me one day too see how far off the speedo was. At indicated 70 the GPS showed 68 MPH and I weigh in at 285 LBS. I am satisfied with this. I have bought a used (2006) Yamaha Majestry 400. Had some minor problems that the owner thought was major so I got it at a good price. So far spent about $4 fixed it myself. . Has more get up and go but about the same top speed. I think the Linhai is a good deal for the money. I own a 67 factory stock Harley Electra-Glide, 2 Gold-Wings and unless I am going a long way I ride either one of the scooters. I will be 73 in 3 weeks and still ride as much as I can. Right now down here in south central Mississippi it is in the high 20s in the mornings and warms up to the high 50s in the afternoons. This goes on for about 6 or 7 weeks then we ride almost every day if no rain. Rain is not the problem, it is the dumm asses in the cars that slip and slide on the wet streets playing with their phones.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jan 19, 2016 11:59:41 GMT -5
Reggie,
Welcome to the site! Have a bone on the Old Chopper Guy...
I'm an old Harley guy from way back too, but arthritis has made it very hard to get on and off the big bikes these days. So, 8 years ago I rediscovered scooters. I'm 69 and my Missus is 83. I'm so sorry for the loss of your Wife. Getting to our age does bring some sad times, but also some very good ones.
I'm glad you can still ride the big bikes! And have discovered scooters too!
Sounds like your Linhai 300 is a good one! I suppose there is not a lot of difference in speed between the various 250 to 400 cc scooters. Without going over 500 cc it's not likely you'll get much more than 70 mph cruise, considering hills and wind.
Of course, allowances must be made for the hot Italian scoots... LOL! Some of those 250's will hit near 100 mph!
I definitely know what you mean about the idiots and their phones... Here in Texas, texting is causing more accidents and fatalities than drunk driving. I've seen cars weaving all over the freeway while the DRIVER texts the people in the BACK SEAT. It's insanity!
You have plenty of friends here at the It Is The Ride site... So, ENJOY THE RIDE!
Leo in Texas
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Jan 19, 2016 13:36:41 GMT -5
i feel like kat does.
why should this engine be called a 400 when it's actually a 352?
it isn't standard practice in engine technology.
automobile engines are called what they are, and there are numerous examples of it.
351, 289, 454, 327, and these are off the top of my head.
i feel like they should be totally honest in stating engine sizes.
partial sizes, 49.5cc for example, should be called a 49cc engine.
OTOH, i realize a lot of this has to do with marketing concepts.
also, they did state the actual engine size in the specs.
regardless of the above, i would like to get my hands on this 350.
it would probably be the biggest engine i would ever have.
my 250 (244) is pretty much all i need, and an extra 100cc would probably be perfect.
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Post by rockynv on Jan 19, 2016 14:14:41 GMT -5
Don't confuse cars with bikes. The divisions may not always make sense but rounding is what they do. 178 to 200 is all 200 even from Piaggio. The oddball is that they break out the 258 and call it a 260.
Hp may be low on the Linhai 400 however torque is the other half of the performance equation. Diesels do not outperform gasoline engines on horsepower but on torque. A lower hp diesel will outperform a higher hp gasoline engine because of having much more torque.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Jan 19, 2016 17:42:49 GMT -5
i think engines bigger than 250cc should come with "regulation" type wheels.
IOW, the scoot should look like a manual shift bike.
there's just something about small wheels that makes me nervous at high speeds.
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Post by wheelbender6 on Jan 19, 2016 19:24:39 GMT -5
Thank you for that review, reggie. Keep me posted on how well you like the Linhai. I'm sorry for the loss of your wife.
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Post by ricardoguitars on Jan 19, 2016 19:33:48 GMT -5
Don't confuse cars with bikes. The divisions may not always make sense but rounding is what they do. 178 to 200 is all 200 even from Piaggio. The oddball is that they break out the 258 and call it a 260. Hp may be low on the Linhai 400 however torque is the other half of the performance equation. Diesels do not outperform gasoline engines on horsepower but on torque. A lower hp diesel will outperform and higher hp gasoline engine because of having much more torque. Agree with rocky, torque does impact performance more than HP on typical city traffic situations. |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jan 20, 2016 20:59:00 GMT -5
Great mention on TORQUE!
Good example is my old single-cam, 2-valve, carbureted Kymco250. At 19 hp it has about double the horsepower of my old Chinese 150 had. BUT... It has at least TRIPLE the "grunt". That equates to torque, which is a BIGGIE when topping hills, bucking wind and hauling a load.
Back in my day, the venerable Ford flatheads were very hot when modded. And, they did it at under 4,000 rpm. In the fifties, a hot-rodded 283 cid Chevy might have 250 hp and perhaps 200 lb/ft of torque. It would put out max hp at around 8K rpm.
In contrast, a hopped-up flathead Ford with maybe 250 cid might have 175 hp, but 350 lb/ft of torque. Max power might be at 3K to 4K rpm tops.
Both mills, in ordinary steel street-rods would turn the quarter-mile in around 14-15 seconds at -100 mph.
Similar performance, but derived through VASTLY different methods... Like a John Deere tractor against a 2-stroke ATV. High-rpm HORSEPOWER is "thrilling modern" but low-end TORQUE is "satisfying old-school"... Yup!
I have not seen figures published, but I'd think a red-hot crotch-rocket with 1,500 cc might offer 400 hp and 100 lb/ft of torque, at maybe 12,000 rpm In contrast, My old '57 Harley chopper with about 2,000 cc had 250 hp and near 400 lb/ft of torque, at 2,500 rpm.
Modern high-rpm low-torque engines SCREAM with horsepower, and old-school low-rpm high-torque engines GRUNT with torque.
In the end, for absolute performance, the screamers win out, but I VASTLY prefer the leisurely, effortless performance of lots and lots of TORQUE. Give me a simple "thumper" every time. That's one of the most enjoyable attributes of today's SINGLE-CYLINDER 250 cc and larger scooters. (OK, even the 50's and 150's have it to an extent...). While definitely not mega-performers, they DO offer that confident, comfortable "roll-on" power with no fuss or muss, and at a sane rpm.
Today's scooters (especially larger, single-cylinder models) have found a perfect mix of power, torque and rpm. They are mini-thumpers, but can still reach over 8K rpm for a WIDE power-band. Combined with the CVT trannies, they provide a more enjoyable daily riding experience than most other power-trains.
THIS is one of the BEST attributes of modern scooters, and many younger riders are not even aware of just why their scooters are so enjoyable.
Even with her little 15 cid 250 motor, my old scoot is still a little bit of a "thumper". And, every time I roll the throttle on, up a steep highway entrance-ramp, and feel little "Minnie Mouse" change her exhaust-note from a put-put to raspy growl, then grunt and dig her heels in to attack the hill, I reminisce a little about the days half a century ago and the fun I had on big, long-stroke singles and V-twins when they'd bark and cackle... then send up a cloud of black smoke and a burst of orange flame (the EPA would CRINGE at them today...) accompanied by that wonderfully-satisfying push in the seat of my jeans and the hard pull of the bars...
Like the bike was saying "OK, hill... You wanna piece of US? Hang on chopper-guy". "Let's dance..."
Dog-gone if bikes are NOT fun!!! Yup! 
Whether you prefer HORSEPOWER, or TORQUE, or maybe BOTH...
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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+ and cruise 
+ mph. THIS is the kind of road performance you really need to safely cruise the freeway.
