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View Full Version : TradeMe $250 pocket bikes - any good?



virtual120
21st January 2010, 18:03
Was thinking about buying one og these little bikes for a bit of fun and maybe look into local racing if it gets of the ground. Are the ones on TradeMe like this one any good: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=253134258

Cheers
Tim

JimO
21st January 2010, 18:12
probably shit but at that price who cares

pc220
21st January 2010, 18:29
probably shit but at that price who cares

what he said

BigAl
21st January 2010, 18:51
Go to page 3 & check out th thread "Would you trust these Pocket Bikes" even though probably not the same trader lots of discussion is relevant.

SMOKEU
21st January 2010, 19:03
I had a mini dirt bike which cost around $260 new. They used to be on Trademe all the time a few months back. It never ran properly even when new, I had a mechanic look at it and it seemed like the carby was stuffed. After a lot of playing around with it I got it running, but it ran like shit, leaked fuel from the carby and had a top speed of around 10kmh (no joke). I'm not fat either. It would be a good deal if you have the time and knowledge to fix it (things WILL go wrong), but if you don't know much about bike mechanics or if you want a reliable bike then look elsewhere. Parts may be very difficult to find.

virtual120
21st January 2010, 19:05
Thanks, that's answered it.

sil3nt
21st January 2010, 19:05
Kid at work saved up and purchased one just the other week. The frame snapped thanks to dodgy welding after a week or so. Feel sorry for him really. Not sure if it was from the same guy but it was for around the same price.

MIXONE
21st January 2010, 19:16
Don't buy without checking it out first.I looked at some in Chchur and they were absolute shit.

The Everlasting
21st January 2010, 19:18
They may not be the best,but for the price you can't really fault it, the guy that sells them Dean,is an awesome guy and will help you out if you have any problems after the sale.

He's really friendly and helpful,that counts for a lot in my book.

The Everlasting
21st January 2010, 19:21
Same trader as that other thread I just posted in,see my reply there.

Scotty595
21st January 2010, 19:43
The bikes aren't too bad. Much better to get something like this though - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Pocket-pit-bikes/auction-265393983.htm

Depends what you wanna use it for though cuz those ones are quite powerful.

Elysium
21st January 2010, 20:15
The only way I'll be able to afford a Ducati 999.

SMOKEU
21st January 2010, 20:19
From what I've heard and experienced (and I'm sure some people will disagree with me) is that most of the Chinese engines are OK, it's just stuff like carbies, seals/gaskets, starter mechanisms etc that cause the most problems.

PirateJafa
21st January 2010, 20:30
We (the SMC) bought five of the $200 chinese jobbies. Ended up with three working ones, after cannibalising the poorer-running bikes for parts to get the better ones running.

But have had some great fun with them. Average around two/three hours working to get one hour of running out of them.

But all you have to do is get your $200 worth of fun out of them. Which ain't too hard. :)

BiK3RChiK
21st January 2010, 20:51
This might have been better asked in the Minimoto section... But, anyhoo, if you are able to get yourself along to a Pocket (Minimoto) meet and see these little bikes in action, you might decide yay or nay better than getting others opinions. Some are good, some are bad. As has been said, if you are prepared to tinker and do the mechanics yourself, then you'll end up with a reasonable little fun bike for the money. Also, at the track, the guys and gals can put you onto the places for spare parts (you'll need them). Check out the minimoto forum and see what you can find in there too.

CookMySock
21st January 2010, 20:59
Any of the chinese minimoto bikes are fine. You WILL be working on it extensively. If you don't want to fix your bike, then forget it.

The welding is shit. The sparkplug is shit. The manual is shit. The tyres, bearings, brakes, footpegs, fairings, grips, and most everything else on them are shit also, but hey thats what you get with a chink minimoto bike.

If you want to just ride, then buy a Blata. $4-6k. Take your pick. ;)

Steve

Z1_ZPF_BOY
21st January 2010, 21:41
These bikes arnt that bad. They have sum cheap bits that need replacing at first like the spark plug, foot pegs, and carb needs to be maintained well. But like any bike, if you don't know what ur doing wen fixing one, ur gonna be in trouble. If u know what ur doing and enjoy an hour or 2 standing at the work bench fixing it then u will be fine. Alot of un-mechanically minded people buy these hoping for weeks of riding without any commitment to it's upkeep, but if u r mechanically minded they r really enjoyable. Once u sort out the little defects at the start then they r great, the main problem is the carb. Chinese bikes will always be better quality for money, they may not be as reliable, but being a quarter of the price, (like others have said) you can't go wrong.

Buy one, double check all the nuts and bolts, get some gear, then come on over to a track day and have some fun, and if anything does go wrong, the friendly group of minimoto-ers will be more than happy to help. THEY R LOADS OF FUN!!!

Z1_ZPF_BOY
21st January 2010, 22:35
... Or if you have a slightly bigger budget then this bike is great. It's very fast, reliable, and is a proven winner.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=261234737

The Everlasting
22nd January 2010, 06:43
^Yeah that one is heaps better,might be a bit dearer,but at least you won't spend hours fixing it.

imdying
22nd January 2010, 09:43
I've had 10 times the fun out of my slow air cooled chinkers than I've have had out of my ZPF. The ZPF is a lot faster though :cool:

CookMySock
22nd January 2010, 10:03
... Or if you have a slightly bigger budget then this bike is great. It's very fast, reliable, and is a proven winner.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=261234737Yes, but you will limit your track time. It's well up in the classes and you will get to stand and watch everyone else race.

Also you might think "very fast" is not an apt description for one of these little bikes, but trust me it is. If you are new to pocketbikes, I strongly suggest you stay with a standard air cooled bike until you have some experience.

Steve

imdying
22nd January 2010, 10:28
Yes, you definitely want a water cooled bike like a ZPF, but you'll still want your air cooled bike when you get it... like he says, more classes to race in, and just as importantly, they're better suited to car park racing... plus they're cheap enough that all your mates can buy them, and there's more fun in greater numbers :yes:

CookMySock
22nd January 2010, 10:42
Yup thats it. If you have the cash, get both! Then you will be non-stop on the track except for the kids and the ladies classes. If race officals will permit it, you can ride the aircooleds in the higher classes (riders will smirk at you) but putting the watercooleds in the standard aircooleds races will make people glare at you and ruins their fun.

Again, the cheapie aircooleds are fine. Just expect to become an expert on them (half the fun of it.) They are just a chainsaw with wheels and brakes. There are lots and lots of experts at the track, and you will know everything about them in a short amount of time.

Steve

imdying
22nd January 2010, 12:16
Just expect to become an expert on them (half the fun of it.)Definitely.

Once you've learnt how to adjust the chain and the brakes, that's most of the hassles taken care of... the rest are just things you'll strike like crap or no fuel hose clamps, exhausts snapping off etc.

White trash
22nd January 2010, 12:19
Buy one, chuck a spark plug, fuel filter, new wheel bearings in them and replace the nuts that the chinese seem to make out of putty and you'll be sweet as.

crazyhorse
22nd January 2010, 13:35
Alot of fun - but jolly hard when going fast, and you wanna stop - almost uncontrollable. But love the thrill :)

CookMySock
22nd January 2010, 17:13
Alot of fun - but jolly hard when going fast, and you wanna stop - almost uncontrollable. But love the thrill :)LOL dont brake - corner!! If you lowside, your bum is only centimeters from the ground anyway.. its fun falling off! LOL.

Steve