ok what the heck?

[scoot55]

Hello Everybody just a quick question
I bought a tire pressure gauge just to keep my tires were they need to be when I tried to check the pressure I can't get the tire pressure gauge in far enough to give me a reading other than 10 lbs of air??? I've tried 3 different types of pressure gauges none of them work do I need to buy a special kind of gauge??

[scoot55]

ok, Well I learned a good lesson today on tire safety

I went to the scooter repair shop today to learn that even though my tires felt very firm That it doesn't always mean that you have sufficient air in your tires

11 pounds of air is all I had in my tires!!!! and that's why my tire gauge only read 10 lbs

I thought for sure that they were full because they're brand new scooters and the tires were very firm. I was also told that when I bought my scooters from a reputable motorcycle store that they did a PDI check inspection

obviously they didn't because the tires only had 11 pounds in them. So I learned that even though the tires look firm you need to check them cold.They set my tires to to 29 front 30 rear and I went home Happy as I learned something new about tires

[sc00ter]

Get in the habit of regularly checking the oil level and tire pressure. My 98 Zuma looses air a bit more than the other 2 scooters. And your not alone. The rear valve on the Burgman is a pig to get the pressure gauge on.

[scoot55]

yup I am checking oil too ................I'm surprised that the motorcycle shop did not do a thorough check before delivering these to me. One of the two that they brought over wouldn't start right off the delivery truck the delivery guy had to to adjust the carburetor so it would start

You think they would have done all that at the shop that just tells me they didn't PDI the scooters they just put them together put gas in it and send it over

I was very proactive today and went over everything and everything now is fine oil
full and checked everything's tight I'm not happy that they didn't do a safety check before they delivered them

[kz1000st]

Prior to recent times it was a time honored tradition to spend the night after picking up a bike going over it looking for flaws. Tightening loose bolts, checking fluids and giving the wrenches a good workout. A bike was not a car. It was a personal item and getting to know it was part of the allure.

Now people buy bikes and scooters without owning tools is the norm. It does something odd and back to the dealer it goes. Older riders found and repaired issues. I find it unsettling that finding low air pressure is seen as the dealers fault. I have a two compressors, a floor pump and two air pressure gauges. Also my thumbs can squeeze a tire.

[scoot55]

Originally Posted by kz1000st

. I find it unsettling that finding low air pressure is seen as the dealers fault. I have a two compressors, a floor pump and two air pressure gauges. Also my thumbs can squeeze a tire.

I find it just as ODD that a reputable dealer obviously did not inspect the bike it wouldnt even start when they delivered it as the carb screw was way off........ We pay for a service ( good money too) should you not get what you pay for???

do they cut corners too when you go in for service?? do they really check everything as stated on the paperwork? or do they rush it in and out so they collect as much $$ and get as many in and out as possible.

there are many seniors me included that dont have the mobility to be a mechanic!! sure we can check fluids bolts and oil and maybe even change oil, but some seniors buy these to enjoy not to be a mechanic.

[rks]

I consider myself to be a senior...will be 71 in a couple of months. A scooter is not like a Chevy or a Ford, where you can drive tens of thousands of miles, year after year, and only need to put gas in the tank. It will require more maintenance.....and your life may very well depend on that maintenance being done correctly.

Now, more than ever, if you want something done right, you better do it yourself. Some of us really enjoy the dirty hands part of bike ownership. If you don't, find someone you can trust to do your work as it should be done. Doesn't sound like the selling dealer is that person.

[cheapeto]

[but some seniors buy these to enjoy not to be a mechanic.]

And that is a valid point, however that kind of comfort is more found in the branded names of scooters, Honda,Yamaha,Suzuki, and the others, for double the price or more.They have about 70+ years of doing it.
Can they have an issue, sure they can, and back to the shop it goes, for a mechanic to repair.

The china dolls have a lot going for them, you can get great miles of fun, but you are going to tinker, nor are you going to roll WOT everywhere you go, or it will become another dust collector in the garage.

IMHO, I'm sticking to the big names, but I can not afford to pay show room prices. I tend to look for used branded iron, and get the service manual, and learn to do what I can and pay for what I can not do.

[kz1000st]

The idea that when you buy a China scoot, you're on your own is dated. There are many shops that sell China scoots and can service them like the big boys if you want to spend the repair money. Of course there are used car lots and hardware stores selling them still but you have to open your eyes and ask if they fix what they sell before you buy. Not to put too fine a point on it but I read other forums. Even the brand name boys botch it up periodically.

You ride ANY two wheeled transport you better know your bike. If you aren't able to work on it you should at least be able to tell your mechanic what symptoms are present. Bikes are not cars.

[rks]

As you say....Branded, (which is politically correct talk for, high priced), doesn't mean bullet proof. Noticed this description on our areas craigslist this AM.

"2005 Vespa GT200 with 12k mi. Does not run currently. The splines for the crankshaft are stripped and the crankshaft needs to be replaced. The rest of the scooter was in great working order, comes with new variator components and a new belt and clean title."

Nice looking scooter, probably $6000 or more new, needs a crankshaft due to sloppy maintenance, probably performed in an over priced service center, by a "trained" technician.

What a shame.

[Roscoe]

What attracted me to the cheap, used, non running or barely running scooters is I like to tinker with things. Parts are cheap, they are easy to trouble shoot, as I replaced some parts and made adjustments they became plenty dependable enough for what I do.

[cheapeto]

[The idea that when you buy a China scoot, you're on your own is dated.]
Maybe in your area, in mine not so much. The ones here are charging the same hourly rate as powersports places are. Once you take them in a few times, you will be getting close to a brand name cost anyway,without the reliability.

[Even the brand name boys botch it up periodically.]
You are correct. My Big Ruckus had a shock on it that IMHO was horrible junk. Cost me $240.00 to upgrade to what should have been there.
Had I paid show room price for it, I'd be pissed about it.

If I remember right kz, you had come into TotalRuckus, once looking to repair your Ruckus starter switch maybe? Or something like that, sure anything can break.

[As you say....Branded, (which is politically correct talk for, high priced), doesn't mean bullet proof. Noticed this description on our areas craigslist this AM.]

I never stated bullet proof, nor did the ad say a high priced tech did that.
It was a $5,000 scooter the 2005 Vespa brand new. Now that I think about it, they are still worth between $1000.00 and $1400.00 if in decent shape according to NADA.
Excellent resale value, something most china scooters do not have.

Every manufacture of anything has defects. I will respectfully suggest to simply relook at the threads here, on Scooter Doc, on where ever the threads are at, statistics of china scooters letting folks sit, between 0 and 1,500 miles is alarming to me, when you say branded scooters are way over priced.

You can also, go through your local Craigslist and when you see china scoots for sale, the majority of them will be between 50-1500 miles on the OD, regardless of year. Which means sitters and dust collectors.
They also have very low resale value, but dig around man, I sure you can find the exceptions.

The only thing I'm grateful to my china scooter, is I found the love of 2 wheels again. It was her reliability I could not count on, a used Honda gave me that.

Since I found ScootDawg, in 06 or so, what is the most asked question? Help I: starting issue, lights, hoses, gas vapor lock. Not hating them, just the facts.

Over on Adventure Rider, is a thread for a Big Ruckus clone, started in 2011, I've been following for years, as the guy is giving one of the best follow my scooter threads to show how good that machine is. It's very impressive, for reliability, and all his miles. I love reading it.
BUT where are the others? You have to dig to find them. Or find the exceptions, to pigeon hole you view.

[kz1000st]

What you are saying has a great deal of substance but old timers like me have seen it before. In the seventies and eighties cheap Japanese motorcycles abounded. You could buy a 750cc for a couple of thousand dollars less than a Harley or European bike. Flogged to within an inch of its life they ended up back at the dealer where the estimated repair cost could be three quarters of original MSRP. The dealer would offer a pittance for trade in, sell the abusive owner a new bike, scrap the bike and the cycle repeated. Of course Harley and BMW owners derided the rice cookers. They didn't mind paying comparable repair costs because their bikes cost more originally.

BUT. Every so often someone like me or RKS came along. You see we knew what we were doing, didn't flog the bike and got tremendous service for our money. My 1979 KZ1000st was with me for 125,000 miles before I sold it to my brother. Even my 1974 Kawasaki H-1 two stroke gave me 30,000 miles over six years before I sold it. Both with all original engine bits.

As you can see I have two Chinese scooters with decent mileage that were manufactured in the "Bad Old Days". I find it amusing that mine work just fine while those around me suffered such ailments. Maybe because I don't beat my equipment, fix it when it needs it and do the scheduled maintenance.

Also. I did own a Big Ruckus for a year. Sadly it was in a flood, something I didn't know when I bought it. I didn't keep it after having to fix too many things and discovering rust was inside the engine. I replaced it with my CF Moto Fashion, a decent Honda copy that has given me fair service for 15,000 miles of its near 17,000 mile life.

I don't like the word overpriced in referring to brand name scooters. More expensive describes it better without sounding judgemental.

[kz1000st]

Originally Posted by rks

I consider myself to be a senior...will be 71 in a couple of months. A scooter is not like a Chevy or a Ford, where you can drive tens of thousands of miles, year after year, and only need to put gas in the tank. It will require more maintenance.....and your life may very well depend on that maintenance being done correctly.

I'm 66 years old myself, have a long history on two wheels and am the son of a former Triumph dealer. You think Chinese scooters are unreliable? You should have seen 1960s Brit bikes.

[rks]

Mine has been a joy to own. I wouldn't sell it now, for what it cost new, 6 and a half years ago. Hit another milestone today on my 32 mile, morning coffee run. See photo below.