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Post by bigkahuna427 on Mar 7, 2012 20:36:53 GMT -6
No I get it and have a few chinese scooters myself. They are unquestionably inexpensive. However, they are also built inexpensively. I just believe you have to be at least handy to keep one going and careful buying one. I have three chinese scooters that I own and have less than $700 into all three after purchase and repairs. All of these people gave up on and that is why I have them so cheap. I have skills and that is why they are so inexpensive to fix up. One a 2008 has 2200 miles on it. The other two are 2003 have 200 and 350 miles on them. I also have a Kymco YUP50 I think its a 2002. It is absolutely beat and has 9000 miles and even has the original belt on it. I have that one stripped down to the frame and if the missing parts aren't going to kill me I hope to have it on the road this summer.
If you guys are working on this stuff you know what I am talking about here.... Plastic panels you can hardy get off without breaking at least one thing. Connectors crumbling in your hand. Wires backing out of connectors. Buy a new one and you should spend an afternoon on it replacing stuff before you ride it. How about a cylinder kit I bought recently for one. A chinese sourced part it had a piston to cylinder wall clearance of WELL over .010 INCHES! I could even convince the seller this wasn't right because every one he had on the shelf measured the same. Not a small company either.
Now to me they are an incredibly good value but I have had decades of experience and training working on stuff and these things are relatively simple to me. To a consumer who just wants to buy a $700 scooter because it looks just like the Honda and assumes it's going to last just as long I have my concerns about their expectations. I know the chinese products vary and some are better than others. This is evident in the products they are manufacturing for other companies. So, the chinese really can build a better product. Really they don't and in part it is the consumers fault because they want cheaper product. People feel they can have a scooter shipped to them in a crate do some minimal assembly and their off. It's brand new so no problem, right?
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Mar 7, 2012 17:42:35 GMT -6
Only much lower quality......  |
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Mar 7, 2012 14:00:40 GMT -6
This is the main reason I stopped riding 20 years ago. Three accidents with "sorry I did not see you". The first was the worst one Yamaha XS 850, last day of school, four giggling girls in a car turned left right in front of me so close I had little reaction time. I just jumped and caught my knees going over the top of the car then did a lot of tumbling and sliding. I had a leather jacket and helmet but the jeans weren't much help. The only good thing was that I was going to make my last payment at the bank.
The last wasn't an accident but very close. I got the bike to a complete stop with out even chirping a tire and was just a few inches from the door. That bike was an XS 650 I stopped riding it and sold it for $300 6 mos. later.
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Mar 6, 2012 7:00:43 GMT -6
There are a good many people who will buy on the edge of emerging technology and not always for the reasons of saving money. The Toyota Prius is an amazing car have been around long enough with little bad press. The Prius easily goes 440 miles on a full 10 gallon gas tank and gets better around town milage than highway. While the car is a hybrid the engine is pretty much serves as a generator. Like squeaking the most out of a gallon of gas I am sure that getting the most out of a full charge would require changing some driving habits. On a performance note an electric motor has almost no "power band". An electric motor achieves it's full torque in almost an instant. Most electric motor driven vehicles have some sort of controller that among other things will hold them back. If you take a good sized electric set up and put it into a light framed vehicle the acceleration can be really violent. Actually could be perfect for drag racing... Here is an early 1970s Datsun. |
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Feb 29, 2012 9:39:56 GMT -6
I guess this one is not in the cards for me. I made an offer and he ended up selling it to someone he had talked to a few days earlier. Reviews and such looked good on these.
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Feb 26, 2012 13:12:15 GMT -6
I am looking at a Piaggio Fly 150. As I understand it has a Vespa motor. I am just wondering if anyone has some thoughts or experiences with them.
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Feb 11, 2012 17:37:29 GMT -6
The kid just finished a 2000 trip with not much of a vehicle and plenty of trouble. in spite of all the encouragement you guys gave him he never gave up. Despite all of his faltering along the way I myself congratulate him.
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Feb 5, 2012 6:24:31 GMT -6
Congrats on your good luck with the Roketa! It is probably a testament to your self sufficiency in repairs. However, it does not surprise me that there are not too many folks posting a 10K milestone.
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No Title...
by: bigkahuna427 - Jan 30, 2012 15:19:04 GMT -6
Post by bigkahuna427 on Jan 30, 2012 15:19:04 GMT -6
In my state no title required for anything 250cc and under or more than ten years old.
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No Title...
by: bigkahuna427 - Jan 30, 2012 13:27:50 GMT -6
Post by bigkahuna427 on Jan 30, 2012 13:27:50 GMT -6
towing companies end up with vehicles all the time that are abandoned. In my state they go through a process where they advertise in a paper they have the car and are making claim. Sort of a this is your last chance to come and get it. After that process they can get title. What happens to a vehicle you are storing and has been abandoned in your state?
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Jan 27, 2012 17:05:33 GMT -6
I never even read any of that so far as to try and understand it. What is wrong with regular old 10W30 or 40? It sure surpasses any need these engines have.
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Jan 9, 2012 9:31:42 GMT -6
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gas prices
by: bigkahuna427 - Jan 9, 2012 9:22:58 GMT -6
Post by bigkahuna427 on Jan 9, 2012 9:22:58 GMT -6
I have a lady friend that has a Prius. Pretty nice little car to drive. When you come to a light the car is off not idling off. The impressive thing to me is that it has a 10 gallon gas tank. In the winter she gets 440 miles out of that 10 gallons of gas. The gas milage on these cars is supposed to be better around town too. Now if I could only mount a snow plow on the front.... |
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Jan 5, 2012 13:10:00 GMT -6
And cars with points never failed either..... Everything fails.... I actually think the electronics are quite reliable. I have had litte trouble with any of the vehicles I have owned in the last 15 years. although I am a bit insulated from the cost of repairs myself at least on the labor side.
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Post by bigkahuna427 on Jan 5, 2012 9:13:36 GMT -6
Yes, cars have far more sophisticated emissions and they work. Education fellas, emissions are coming and there is no stopping it. |
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