eenee meenee minee moe - down to the wire By grocerygetter (Read 3,341 times)

[grocerygetter]

Ok all you people with yrs of scoot experience - I've narrowed down 3 units, happen to be on the same page at one dealer.

Been glued to the net for a week now. Can't feel my legs anymore.
Watching units go out of stock online, prices slightly changing, wanted to be done this weekend and make a purchase. (first timer)
Can I get some opinons on the 3 rides in the top row of this page?

www.killermotorsports.com/250cc_Scooters_250_Gas_Mopeds_Cheap_250cc_s/406.htm

I know I've been pestering this weekend but have read and learned a lot regarding Linhai and Cf. Now down to the wire but looking for last minute opinions on what I've weeded down to.

thanks
Ron

[bobf]

I only recently bought a 250cc scooter. I bought from a different dealer in California but had no real problems with the experience. Their prices were about the same and the had free delivery too.

Once arrived I had to take off the covers and do what is called the PDI, pre delivery inspection. I did not do all per the PDI instructions available on this forum but did do as much as I could. I spent time from April 2010 till Jan 2011 to make up my mind. Ordered in late January, received in late February, and worked through some of March to get the PDI done. Our garage is unheated so I would wait until afternoon and the garage was above freezing.

Still have only ridden the scoot for about 10 miles as we have strange springs here where I live. Way too much wind, some snow, cold, none encouraging me to ride very often. But the few times out I have learned a lot about the scoot and how to ride. I got the Motor Cycle Safety Course completed a year ago, In May last year, and got my drivers license in July. The rest was making up my mind on which scoot to order.

I had the Burgman clone with the Linhai Yamaha clone engine in my favorites file. But I then chose the Rocketa Honda Clone scoot with the CFMoto Honda Clone engine in it. My final reason was that I wanted that extra large trunk that came with the Rocketa Honda style machine.

It looks to me like I have made a good choice for me. The scoot is about 300 pounds and that is plenty for me to handle if by chance we lay down. I am just about 79 years old and no longer the strength of an ox. But the limited driving I have done is enough to tell me there is plenty of power for what I intend to do and the trunk can hold at least two gallons of milk and still room for some other groceries.

Big difference from one to the other. The Linhai Yamaha engine lies flat and the CFMoto Honda engine is upright. So I think there might be sufficient room for a large storage area under the seat of the Burgman clone, just a guess. Not so much room under the Honda clone seat.

Look here to see what my experience was.

www.scooterdoc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=250cc&action=display&thread=3148

I hope these comments help you to make a decision.
.

[grocerygetter]

Thanks for your time on the reply Bob.
Good thought on the seat storage, now I'm trying to decide if I want potentially more seat storage or easier to reach valves/engine.

I understand the rad position being a concern for cooling (in front vs behind), but up in the NorthEast warming up would be more of the issue, so the CF shouldn't concern me in that matter.

And I read your original experience post - great info too but slightly discouraging, though I've read of lots of random issues from others. Keeping my fingers crossed to get one from a good happy day at the production plant!

I also wanted the larger rear storage, and am not sure why the Burgman tends to sell for more with no tail box. It also seems to be classified as a 260cc in many sites, unless that's a marketing gimick, and I was wondering if anyone has one and what is the reasoning for the price difference.

With any luck I may be hitting the "BUY" button tonight. Sunny & 50F out and the brown grass is crying for food so I'll be back later to do some more clicking.

Ron

[grocerygetter]

Does anyone have one of these?
www.scootersus.com/bmsTBX260.html

Is this single shock-swingarm better than dual straight mounted coil overs?

[insanetexan]

First off let me say Welcome to the boards Getter. I have been reading your posts on buying a Scoot and found several of your questions interesting.
Honestly I wish you better luck with KillerMotorSports than I have right now. I ordered 2 small items from their Garage Sale list last Monday. On Tuesday I get an Email from them stating a partial refund being one item was out of stock and still wondering which item it was lol. As of today I still have not received the other item from them. Oh did I mention I paid more for 3 day delivery than the items price combined. I will be contacting them tomorrow to find out what the hold up is.
The Scoots your looking at all seem to be great scoots. I have the Roketa MC-54B-250 and am very HAPPY with it. I am a new owners as well, have only had mine a couple of months. I did not get mine new but rather from a Police Impound Auction. It had been wrecked and the whole front parts were damages but with some internet searching and getting the plastic panels back on it I won't complain of the price $400.00 + Parts about $450.00.
It has great takeoff and is quite fast for me for what and where I ride it. So far just little errands around my area to save on my little truck.

Good Luck and Happy Shopping

[bobf]

The CFMoto Honda clone is 244cc and the Linhai Yamaha is 257cc. That may be some of the justification for the higher price. And maybe just the difference in manufacturers.

Both of those joint efforts are contracted deals. But where I live the Yamaha or Honda dealers won't acknowledge the agreements and tell me they won't service the machines. Seems strange to me. Income should be considered income if I was in business.
.

[Cruiser]

Apr 3, 2011 8:57:53 GMT -6 grocerygetter said:

Does anyone have one of these?
www.scootersus.com/bmsTBX260.html

Is this single shock-swingarm better than dual straight mounted coil overs?

Ron, I noticed you abandoned your original thread. Please make sure you read all the replies, especially the valve adjust video which is the same video listed under product videos on the killermotorsport website for these scooters.

In theory, I think that the mono shock setup is capable of a better ride than dual shocks but I don't know how it works on this scoot. Another consideration is that the mono shock will take up some of the under the seat area and the storage bucket may not be as big as you hope. Most people go with a suitable top box and side bags if necessary to add the storage they want.

[grocerygetter]

Hey Mr Insane Texan - good to know about Killer - that's the kind of stuff I want to hear.
Although I'm wondering if they aren't giving you their time cuz the order isn't a few grand for a new bike. Can't help wondering that sometimes when I place small orders for "Closeout" items.
Either way, that's the kind of stuff that scares people away from purchases, thanks for your time to reply.

Bob - I guess the market is making a statement as to which manufacturer they feel is able to grab more $$ for their units.
I was wondering if there's some reliability thing that warrants the price difference, or extra features that I can't put a hand on from website descriptions.

Still the biggest game I think I've ever played buying a motorized unit.

Keep the experience coming people - my wife want's me to hit "BUY" so I can move on to "HER" list...

thanks
Ron

[grocerygetter]

Cruiser - great info again.

I wasn't sure if I could get a good following dragging on my other thread with somewhat different questions building up.

I saw the vid on the Killer website actually before joining here. That actually spurred me to want to understand more of the difference between the two popular builds.

Talking to one other guy in my driveway today who plans to buy with me, I think I'm going to to go for a Linhai to try and get some extra under-seat space. Is that the way it works between the two - Cf loses under-seat storage to the motor placement?

I'm figuring I'll use the storage every day; the ease of motor access can take a back seat since it should be a yrly PM thing.

Now the shock placement has me thinking, without any hands-on time, I can't judge the ride vs the storage - great point on the storage, didn't see that one. Exactly why I'm here.
Can't stand the "DOH" factor when you hold the new toy in yer hands and see all kinds of stuff you didn't realize before.

[Cruiser]

Most of the differences in price can be attributed to the model year of the scoot. Many 2007 and 2008 scoots are still out there like some of the ones you are looking at.

[Cruiser]

Another consideration is that I'm quite sure that the plastics for the Honda Reflex clone scoots is the same whether they have Linhai or CfMoto engines. These means the underseat storage is identical for both engine types.

If you are interested in ride quality, the CfMoto variant has a 4" longer wheelbase which usually gives a nicer ride.

[Cruiser]

Another valuable tool of this forum is the search engine, Ron. Killermotorsports is pretty well known to members of this forum. Just type in Killermotorsports in the "search for" block. You might want to do a 365 day 50 item search and start reading some of the results. You have to consider both the good and the bad. Very few dealers have perfect records with all their customers. Both online dealers I purchased my scoots from are out of business. Neither one had great records with their customers which is probably why they went belly up. The dealers that hang in generally have more happy customers.

I am happy with my scoots regardless of where I purchased them from and was able to get any issues resolved while the vendors were still in business.

[grocerygetter]

Man just when I think I'm getting closer, I start rethinking again.
I actually thought today that I'd start doing more searching here - dealer names and other models.
Still kind of fun learning, and it snowed hard this morning so the sunny weekend I-want-my-scooter blues have tanken a backseat

thanks again - all good info
Ron

[grocerygetter]

HA! That video at Killer made me inquire more about the other engine.
I didn't want to have to dismantle the bike to change a spark plug, and at that time wasn't ure how often valves needed adjusting, but didn't look like a "procedure" to me.
Looks more like an engineering disaster. I constantly tell my son, it's easy to design somethgin that is difficult - you can't assemble or maintain without detailed instructions.
It takes a better designer to make a product easier to own.

ok bear with me - I know I'm jumping all over. Going to add another model to the mix here.
Cfmoto Fashion commuter.
My wife says she won't ride with me, looks like they don't make them anymore, I think I'm seeing old stock around, they cost more than the average 250 likely for a reason that my greeness isn't aware of, aside from 80's styling, it seems like it's a neat little ride.
Thoughts?

[speedracer]

Reply 15. 30 minutes without removing a piece of plastic? Intake valve was easy with battery box cut out. Real curious how you reached bottom valve without taking off bottom side panels and dropping bottom cover.