Truth about gy6 150cc scooters

[blueboy5000]

Okay some of the things people say about 150cc gy6 bikes are ri-DONK-ulous! Time to set the record straight!

1) Value

A 150cc gy6 bike sells for between 600 and 1700 NEW. Therefore, your bike with 3k miles on it and no mods is NOT worth 1200.

But what about that bike you spent 1000 to hook up with every mod you can think of? Well that bike is worth LESS than stock. Sorry, but as soon as you start modding a vehicle (any vehicle) it LOOSES value. Yes it would be nice to see a huge return on your project, but that's just not the case. Mods depreciate the value. That said; mods can make your bike better, just less valuable.

2) Speed

You gy6 bike with 13" wheels will do 55mph stock AFTER break in. Yes I know the speedo says 140kmph, but they are inaccurate and USUALLY IN KMPH. To break it down 100kmph= about 60mph.

You cannot gauge your speed using a stock speedo. Use a GPS. And not a phone, USE A GPS UNIT. I have checked my own bike (which is very modded) with a Garmin and a Tom-Tom and have found it goes about 67mph MAXIMUM on flats. The highest speed I have attained is 83mph ON A LARGE STEEP DOWNHILL. Do not determine your top speed on a DOWNHILL, that is NOT your true top speed. Your true top speed is WHAT YOUR BIKE DOES ACCORDING TO A GPS ON A FLAT SURFACE.

3) Mileage

Simply put, varies greatly depending on roads, weather and hills. A modded 150cc should get about 60mpg on varied terrain, 70-75 mpg on FLATS ONLY. Note the more carb mods and CVT mods you do, usually the less MPG.

4) Reliability

I have been around bikes my entire life. I have been riding all manner of bike since I was 4. And I will say right now, that a Roketa (which is pretty low-end as far as gy6 bikes go) is just as durable and reliable as any Honda/Tomos/Yamaha/Burgman I have ever ridden. The "good" bike break just as much, and cost more to fix. Yes the initial stock parts on a low-end gy6 are pretty cheapo, but the replacements are pretty damned good and super cheap (a KOSO moly-coated variator only costs 70 bucks). Yes my stock carb was a POS, but the replacement I bought for 40 bucks and changed out the jets for another 9 dollars is a great carb, and is easily the same (if not better) quality than the one on my Kymco.

The biggest quality issue on these bikes is the rubber parts. So rather than mess around, simply change all your hoses with Tygon. This should only cost about 20 bucks TOTAL. And if you have some no-name tires, get some decent tires like Duro, Kenda, Pirrelli or Michelin.

As an avid scooter rider ( I own 7 currently) I cannot say a gy6 is automatically garbage. Yes they are not Aprillas or even Kymcos, but with a few cheap part swaps they get pretty darned close.

Just like any machine,you get out what you put in. Gy6 bikes are practically free compared to "good" bikes, and even with all mods done, a great gy6 can be made for LESS THAN HALF what a "good" bike costs.

And lastly if you are expecting a a repair free scooter, then you might as well sit around and wait fpr Santa Clause to ride up on a unicorn and take you to Fairy Land where no scooter ever breaks down. Scooters will break, Vespa or gy6, because they are machines, and machines break with use, period.

[scootnwinn]

Do you even know what you think? I certainly have no idea. You say they are just as reliable as "real" bikes (whatever "real" means) and then you say they aren't equal. Comparing stock to stock Chinese are not equal even you said in the post you have to replace a bunch of stuff. Whatever the case you seem happy? So if you like the bikes fine but don't tell me that Honda's have the same issues as the generic Chinese scoot I spent too much time in an actual motorcycle shop to even think its true for a second. No matter what you do to your Chinese scoot you will never be able to hold it WFO for a 600-1000 mile trip I have done than on many machines and have never been stranded once...

Chinese scoots have their place but they are not the same...

[Swordsman]

I think the OP means that Chinese GY6 are comparable to the higher-end machines AFTER the upgrades, which still comes out cheaper.

Maybe this is a tangent, but what is it about the GY6 clones that makes them less powerful than other brands of the same displacement? I've noticed a lot of the Chinese 150cc put out right around 8-9 HP, while carbed Kymcos and Genuines pump out closer to 11-13 HP... roughly 40% more juice. Is it simply the age of the design (being based off of 30 year old tech), or is it the inferior quality stock parts? Do these upgrades noticeably close the performance gap?

~SM

[thumper650]

Blueboy, you are certianly entitled to your opnion. Thanks for sharing!

[skuttadawg]

China scooters are no way as good as a Honda or an Italian scooter . Yes replacing the fuel and vacuum hoses is a great idea along with the shipping engine oil and gear lube with any brand name automotive oil and gear lube . Many will run a tad better with a larger main jet since EPA has then lean .

My Echarm has a LC version of the GY6 ( parts do not interchange ) with 17k miles on it as of today . I have only changed the oil and adjusted the valves at 2,200 miles and it still runs strong

[blueboy5000]

Originally Posted by Swordsman

I think the OP means that Chinese GY6 are comparable to the higher-end machines AFTER the upgrades, which still comes out cheaper.

Maybe this is a tangent, but what is it about the GY6 clones that makes them less powerful than other brands of the same displacement? I've noticed a lot of the Chinese 150cc put out right around 8-9 HP, while carbed Kymcos and Genuines pump out closer to 11-13 HP... roughly 40% more juice. Is it simply the age of the design (being based off of 30 year old tech), or is it the inferior quality stock parts? Do these upgrades noticeably close the performance gap?

~SM

Yes the upgrades do indeed close the gap. Most gy6 bikes have cheap components and are based on a 30 year old Honda design. With proper, inexpensive, easy to do mods, a gy6 will easily produce 12 to 14 hp.

[scootnwinn]

Originally Posted by blueboy5000

a gy6 will easily produce 12 to 14 hp.

I would like to see undeniable proof of that

[inuyasha]

Originally Posted by scootnwinn

I would like to see undeniable proof of that

Hi Rob
Unless you throw the scoot on a dyno that would be hard to prove but it is a realistic goal
More ccs will equal more power so it all depends on how large of a displacement upgrade you do
With a 63 mm bore and a 61 mm stroke your 150cc becomes 190.15cc
That should easily put out over 12 bhp
Take care and ride safely dear friend
Yours Hank

[scootnwinn]

Hank, I'm with you but, for a reliable daily ride in order to do that you need the kit, about $60 (cheap from ebay a quality kit is quite a bit more right?) then you need to have the cases bored right? How much is that? $50? more? To really be sure about that don't you want a new crank?? Any way a full rebuild of the engine is not "easy" in most people's minds, like he says. Yes with serious rebuild and replacement of everything but the cases you can make 12 hp, but he said "With proper, inexpensive, easy to do mods" Easy to do mods for me are performance pipes, air filters, roller weights, etc. Not total rebuilds. I can rebuild an engine but it is not easy. It takes a high level of competency and careful planning preparation and deliberate methods to get it right. You will take up a good 10 hrs at least. I'm not saying a GY6 can't make that power just that it isn't easy like he said. To do what you said and do it right with quality parts it's really going to cost around $500 isn't it?? You can get a used Honda Elite 200 for around $1500 and it will make reliable 12ish hp for you for the rest of your life... Not trying to bust anyone's chops really I just know what kind of power your starting with and a pipe and air filter isn't going to give you a horse power increase in excess of 50%. Once again Chinese rides are great scoots for 40-50 mph around town but no matter what you do I don't think you will ever finish a Scooter Cannonball or tour reliably...

[inuyasha]

Hi Rob
You are quite correct my friend, whats easy for me and others with the proper skills and machining equipment is not considered easy to most
Ive been working on motorbikes for over 40 years and have a decent home machine shop, lathe, drill press, mill etc so for me a rebuild is easy and quite enjoyable
I do apologize
Take care and ride safely dear friend
Yours Hank

[scootnwinn]

I enjoy it too Hank I just built my Vespa back to stock (circlip on the wrist pin trashed the other top end when it stopped being happy in or near its groove) and it isn't hard for me but you do have to pay attention. I mainly was concerned that people would be thinking they could do "easy" stuff and suddenly turn their 7-9 hp engine into a real screamer. It isn't as simple as that, though I do admire his optimism.

[ckizer]

Great write up. What else could I replace? I want to make it as reliable as possible. My only ride is my 150cc gy6 taotao vip powermac scooter. I've changed spark plugs, new forks, and trying to decide where I spend $200 on next. I want to make it as reliable as possible.

Also what are the parts that wear the fastest? Like belts or something? What could I spend $80 on and keep on hand for the day when my scooter breaks and I can't afford to wait two weeks for a part to come?

The part about phone GPS vs. a standalone GPS unit isn't valid though unless you had a really really cheep phone. The GPS unit inside an iPhone is actually higher quality and more expensive chip than the one in my $500 GPS travel unit. Apple quality is really good. I got 73 miles per hour on my gy6 and it has no mods that i know of which i though was pretty unusual and scary. I had a car follow me and verified with multiple devices. I bought it used, maybe the last owner did some mods or something?

[ckizer]

Originally Posted by inuyasha

Hi Rob
You are quite correct my friend, whats easy for me and others with the proper skills and machining equipment is not considered easy to most
Ive been working on motorbikes for over 40 years and have a decent home machine shop, lathe, drill press, mill etc so for me a rebuild is easy and quite enjoyable
I do apologize
Take care and ride safely dear friend
Yours Hank

If you break down the parts in an expensive brand name scooter, and a generic gy6 scooter the difference in material and parts is about $150. Honda isn't good because it cost more. Honda could easily sell those scooter for for $750, but they choose to keep high profit margin and use it to put quality back in. As chinese scooter companies get better the only distinction there will be between chinese scooter and Honda scooter is a better engineer team. All the parts come from China. The Chinese factories making them are getting better quality control everywhere, and will be able to do it for nearly the same price.

The people who make the parts for Honda and Tao scooter company are both being paid $1.50 in china for the most part.

[inuyasha]

Originally Posted by ckizer

If you break down the parts in an expensive brand name scooter, and a generic gy6 scooter the difference in material and parts is about $150. Honda isn't good because it cost more. Honda could easily sell those scooter for for $750, but they choose to keep high profit margin and use it to put quality back in. As chinese scooter companies get better the only distinction there will be between chinese scooter and Honda scooter is a better engineer team. All the parts come from China. The Chinese factories making them are getting better quality control everywhere, and will be able to do it for nearly the same price.

The people who make the parts for Honda and Tao scooter company are both being paid $1.50 in china for the most part.

Hi

Its much more then that
For one the quality of the metal used in the engines is much higher quality in top brand companies like honda yamaha aprillia vespa etc, most Chinese products use lower quality pot metal
Some like Sym use ceramic coatings for their cylinders, 4 valve heads etc
http://alliancepowersports.com/about/
My aprilia sr is another that has a higher quality and technology then your typical chinese scoot
http://www.motorscooter.com.au/html/...r50/ditech.htm
I love all brands and makes, in fact i own and ride Chinese scoots but i do see the big difference between big name brands and the generic Chinese scoots
There is really no comparison
You DO get what you pay for
Take care and ride safely
Yours Hank

[blueboy5000]

Originally Posted by scootnwinn

I enjoy it too Hank I just built my Vespa back to stock (circlip on the wrist pin trashed the other top end when it stopped being happy in or near its groove) and it isn't hard for me but you do have to pay attention. I mainly was concerned that people would be thinking they could do "easy" stuff and suddenly turn their 7-9 hp engine into a real screamer. It isn't as simple as that, though I do admire his optimism.

My bike is quite the "screamer" now. It has no internal mods, just a great carb, and CVT. Stock, at 1300 miles, it went 50mph GPS verified. Now it hits 65mph GPS.

my buddy's 1p57 with BBK can do 70+, but he also has a 30mm flatslide carb.

We both are running KOSO variators with 12g sliders. We are both using 'performance' clutches, mine has red springs and his has blue.

So yes, much much performance can be produced without a BBK, but a BBK give you one hell of a kick.

I do admit, working on these bikes is easy to me. It may not be easy to others. I've been an automotive technician since 1997, and I will say the gy6 is super-easy compared to even a primitive car engine (like a Chevy small block) . They do take a bit of wrenching skill, but not anymore than than your typical lawnmower, and not anymore than any other type of scooter.

That said, I work on my gy6 much less than I do my Honda c-90, but that could simply be because the C-90 is growing old.