Can you make a chinese scooter reliable?

[Kilsnacks]

I really really like this one chinese scooter http://www.superiorpowersports.com/50cc_Motorcycle_p/df50mc-sst.htm# and I plan on maybe putting a 150 on it with some custom work from a mechanic. The rest I plan on doing work on it my self because I want to get into automotive work. ( I am 17) can chinese be reliable after PDI and mods / upgrades?

[mmsscooters]

Yes, very. If you build an engine from scratch with quality parts they last a very long time, I have a customer with over 54000km on his bike, naraku crank and bore kit, hoca seals and gaskets, hoca cam, naraku head, keihin 21mm carb and a uni filter. thing is a beast still.

[stitch_man87]

scrappydawg has fully assembled performance engines in a wide variety of sizes

[stitch_man87]

for something like that you'll have more fun on a honda grom. its more expensive but its a 125 and does like 110mph out the box and has more than one gear

[blueboy5000]

A Grom only does about 60mph, and it's manual transmission has almost the same final drive ratio as a 157qmj

[stitch_man87]

Is there a grom bigger than 125?

[kz1000st]

Is there a grom bigger than 125?

Yes. It's called the Kymco K-Pipe. LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNpR-dCutLg

[cheapeto]

When I search the various sites for used scooters, so freaking many scooters are for sale for pennies on the dollar, why not get some used ones, and teach yourself how to get them running, and resell them once you get them sussed out properly.
You may need to buy a few different service manuals, but I can tell you small scooter mechanics seem to be very scarce in my area anyway.
And, from all the people that zip through here asking the same "how do I", "it does not start", "where do I get", questions, to me it shows a need, a need is how business is built up or created to fulfill a need.
Just buying a crated new one, then doing a PDI is where you could start, but what did you really learn as far as being a mechanic?
There oh so many slightly used scooters out there, I'd try and capitalize on that first. If you bitch up a rebuild on something you spent a couple of hundred bucks on over a new machine for $1500.00 or so, you take less of a hit.
I think jumping into the scooter repair world is a excellent idea, maybe even a sweet niche business, for the hard working person.
It's kind of funny, but yesterday, just stopping to at a friends house, saw their Baja 150 scooter, in the garage, 1200 miles on it, a 2007 or 08. The first thing out of his mouth, damn man, this thing ran great for the first 1200 miles now it will not start. I told him to adjust the valves.
But others in the garage said, no it's the carb, no it's electrical, no it's ...... so they will start buying parts, and swap them all willy nilly, and maybe get it running, or it will be just another fine scooter that becomes garage art, sitting year after year, not running.
Wish you the best man, what ever you do. Just my $.02

[wheelbender6]

"Is there a grom bigger than 125? "
No, but there are some articles on the web where owners swapped a CBR250 engine into a Grom. Imagine having a 250cc engine on 10" wheels!

[wheelbender6]

Got me thinking. It could be fun to buy one of those Chinese Grom clones and swap in a 200cc Lifan mill. It would cost quite a few grand less than a Honda Grom with a CBR250 engine.

[Shadowfire]

Can you make a Chinese scooter reliable? Sure.

All you have to do is get rid of ALL the old wiring and rewire it with a proper wiring harness that has real automotive connectors on them, which won't rust or stop working after (a) you've disconnected them once or twice or (b) because they are in a vibrating environment which they weren't designed for. You might be able to save some time by using the existing wiring harness and just replacing all the connectors, but make sure you check for stupid things like wire junctions INSIDE the cable jacket made by twisting the wires together. If you see a different number of wires going in on one end of the harness than coming out at the other, this is a dead giveaway.

Oh yeah, you also have to tear the engine and most of the drivetrain completely apart, inspect it for assembly problems, and reassemble everything to the correct torque values. The only problem is that there is no English service manual that has the torque values specified, so you're making educated guesses (which, let's be honest, is probably what the workers in the factory were doing when they put it together).

Oh yeah, and while you have that engine out, make sure you replace every hose clamp on every single vacuum and coolant line on the bike. As for the hoses themselves, I'd check the fuel line first. If it is stamped "DOT", then great news! You only have to replace the clamps. Otherwise, replace all the fuel lines on the bike.

Wheel/Tires: Replace both valve cores. Replacements are cheap and readily available at Autozone.

Brakes: I wouldn't replace them immediately, but I would certainly look for quality replacement pads. I talked with someone who had a TaoTao 50 who ran through 3 sets of brake pads and had <2000 miles on the bike. If I were a betting man, I'd bet that he lived at the top of a mountain (or drove down one every day) and kept on replacing them with the same kind of pads. (It also had the electrical problems that are associated with China scoots.)

Belt: If the stock belt isn't a Kevlar belt... replace it. Especially if you weigh more than 150lbs.

If you do these things, and everything in the PDI, you can pretty much be guaranteed to have a reliable bike, as long as you don't hammer the thing.

So, you basically need a set of all the gaskets on the bike, a set of new automotive connectors, and 80-120 hours of someone's time, plus any parts that were missing or damaged from the factory, in order to get something that is probably as reliable as any given Japanese or Taiwanese bike on the road.

2006 Kymco Xciting 250 : 11,800 miles
2009 Kymco Xciting 500: 21,500 miles
That's 30,000+ scooter miles with the only non-maintenance repair being the replacement of a muffler pipe and gaskets, thanks to driving on Massachuesett's fine pothole, I mean, highway system at night.

When I owned a 2014 Jonway YY250T, I felt like I was spending more time waiting for parts than I was driving it. In 7 months (March -> September) I only managed to put ~3200 miles on the bike; I typically put 10,000+ miles each year on them, from March -> early November.

[kz1000st]

That's odd. I have a fleet of Chinese bikes that I haven't replaced a wire or connector on and they have 30,000 miles altogether. I guess some people are luckier than others.

Or they know how they're built, respect it and ride it that way. As a Rider with over 50 years of experience, motorcycles on my resume from 50cc to 1000, over 200,000 road miles on all types of bikes I know 85% of reliability comes from how you use and maintain something. Like the KZ-1000 I owned with over 125,000 all original miles.

Anything is reliable if you treat it well.

[rks]

My Chinese scooter has been a joy to own. Totally dependable and breakdown free, since new. Only normal wear items have been needed, tires, belts and such. Have never had any electrical problems, lights, ignition system, charging system (except battery) are all OEM.

Have to agree with kz1000st, most of the "Chinese scooters are junk stories", stem from operator error, or ineptness. Properly monitored, maintained, and ridden....one will last a long, long time.

PS: I probably should have stated that I'm a fair weather rider, no inclement weather rides for me....have other equipment more suited to that.

[stitch_man87]

My Chinese gy6's have all been reliable. Parts are ridiculously cheap so I keep a crap load of parts in stock so if something fails I just gotta throw a new one on.

[BeachScoot]

Parts are cheap to fix these scoots...

[wheelbender6]

It kind of like asking if you can make a 1968 Corvette reliable. (don't buy a 1968 Corvette). You can know your machine very well so that you are prepared for the kind of things that typically go wrong. If prepared, you keep the parts on hand that usually give problems, like electrical switches, and the info needed to replace them.