TradeMe scooters

[Mopler]

Consider a Honda Today 50 scooter. More expensive than a Eurorider/Capri etc etc but extremely reliable, VERY cheap to run (4 stroke) and lots of them about. Less zippy than a 2 stroke scooter but OK for short inner city commutes.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-286581065.htm

Thanks for the link, although I guess I will need to pay some more money to get the biker over the harbour bridge.

I came across scooterimports.co.nz - Has anybody ever dealt with them. Is there a showroom in the Mt. Roskill address? It seems they have some good prices running, and their bikes are not Chinese.

[cave weta]

Hello all,
I am about to buy a scooter for commuting to work (up and down Symonds Street, AKL CBD). I have absolutely no idea about scooters, and therefore my information is coming from forums like this one.

- Capri LX: Unfortunately not much information on the scooter, except the information on the website. Any experience with NZ Motor Factory, especially the Panmure outlet? A friend of mine has the Forza Ciclone ($999.00) and he is quite happy with it. The price seems to be right, considering that they have a 12 months warranty anyway. The Capri LX is at the moment on top of my list.
Looking forward to some comments.

Hello Mopler- Im the Forza agent - The Capri has been selling in huge numbers lately - around 4 per day. the 12 month warranty and low price is no doubt what is attracting people. The lower priced Cyclone is the same mechanically - just more city styled. The scooters have no generic faults, the assembly and quality are just fine - being totally honest after my 3 year association with the brand I can only say that they are less than awesome in just two aspects. #1 the rubber mat that is on the footplate needs gluing down as the four little clips do not hold if the scooter is parked in the sun and the mat heats up softening it. #2 the chrome on the bolts and the mirrors is a little cheap- I just spray a little CRC on them after a wash and it makes a huge difference.

Spare parts are all on hand here in Auckland and at about 1/3 of what you would pay for a honda or yamaha part.

Both scooters have room under the seat for a big bag of of shopping, we have Givi top boxes at great prices.
You can buy one direct from the importer in East Tamaki they are nice guys - but I hope you speak Chinglish. Buy through me you get the same bike at the same price with the same warranty but you get to support a kiwibiker member! plus- I will sweeten the deal with a new helmet.
Go here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1400012&type=3 to see more details on the bikes, Helmets are in a separate album have a nosy and if you need more info just ask.

Oh and with regard to the ignorant ravings of some people on the subject of 'Chinese shit'- that stuff is still available if you go looking for it, but it is getting harder to find.....Chinese bikes are generally now a good quality product. Sure you can spend five grand on a Piaggio but you get something that is actually no better. you just support a much bigger dealer margin.

[Mopler]

Thanks for your reply Cave Weta!
Unfortunately your "here" is not linked to a site to get more information about the bikes and helmets. I assume that it is linked to the NZ Motor Factory website though. If not, I would appreciate if you could resend the link (via PM?).
I have to admit that I could imagine quite well that the Chinese bikes are quite OK at the moment, although there is a lot of resistance from the people. Somewhere I read that millions of people in China ride Chinese scooters without any issues. Valid point!
If I put one and one together, you are located in Southern Coromandel or do you have a shop/ showroom/ office in Auckland? Getting the scooter from Coromandel to Auckland is probably not worth the trouble because of a free helmet ;-)
It's good to know that the Ciclone and the Capri LX are mechanically the same. I guess it is like the Keeway Milan and the Vmoto Milan. The only difference is the price, or am I wrong?

The Honda Today does have a lot of fans. I think I will have a closer look at one one of these days.

[cave weta]

Thanks for your reply Cave Weta!
Unfortunately your "here" is not linked to a site to get more information about the bikes and helmets. I assume that it is linked to the NZ Motor Factory website though. If not, I would appreciate if you could resend the link (via PM?).
I have to admit that I could imagine quite well that the Chinese bikes are quite OK at the moment, although there is a lot of resistance from the people. Somewhere I read that millions of people in China ride Chinese scooters without any issues. Valid point!
If I put one and one together, you are located in Southern Coromandel or do you have a shop/ showroom/ office in Auckland? Getting the scooter from Coromandel to Auckland is probably not worth the trouble because of a free helmet ;-)
It's good to know that the Ciclone and the Capri LX are mechanically the same. I guess it is like the Keeway Milan and the Vmoto Milan. The only difference is the price, or am I wrong?

The Honda Today does have a lot of fans. I think I will have a closer look at one one of these days.

Argggh- I forgot the link to my facebook page -here it is https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1400012&type=3
you can also click the linky in my signiture on any post to go to my web site. Ill deliver the scooter for you - no problem there

[Zipper2T]

Sure you can spend five grand on a Piaggio but you get something that is actually no better. you just support a much bigger dealer margin.

The Piaggio Fly and Zip are made in China, as is the Honda Today and the Suzuki AN125 etc etc. Compare the Piaggio Zip 50 to an "Orion" scooter (or any other $1500 bike) and the difference in quality is obvious. It's more than just a "dealer margin".

[GDOBSSOR]

Hello all,
I am about to buy a scooter for commuting to work (up and down Symonds Street, AKL CBD). I have absolutely no idea about scooters, and therefore my information is coming from forums like this one.
Since I do not want to spend too much, I have narrowed my choices down to the following:
- Vmoto Milan, although I do not like it that it is only for 1 person. Design is cool, and Vmoto sales person at Great North Road was very nice as well
- Euro-Rider: cheap, Bruce at Wottoons was great and ran me through the entire Euro-Rider advantages. I have to admit that I am not too keen on the design though. I like the retro look.
- Capri LX: Unfortunately not much information on the scooter, except the information on the website. Any experience with NZ Motor Factory, especially the Panmure outlet? A friend of mine has the Forza Ciclone ($999.00) and he is quite happy with it. The price seems to be right, considering that they have a 12 months warranty anyway. The Capri LX is at the moment on top of my list.
- Solana Scooter: The cheapest one on Trade Me, but I have no idea where they are actually sold.
- Euro-Rider Maple: much more than the classic Euro Rider, but seems to be quite a good scooter
- Keeway Milan: seems to me like a one on one copy of the Vmoto, so I guess it is better to go for the Vmoto.

I am happy to take any advice. I will only buy a 50cc due to licence requirements, however, I am a little bit unsecure when it comes to 2 or 4 stroke, brands, support, warranty. At this stage I have most confidence with Woottons and I don't have the feeling they rip off people.

Looking forward to some comments.

From someone who had a lot of trouble with the tranny on her Baotian: DON'T buy a Chinese scoot UNLESS you are VERY handy with a wrench.
They're cheaper, yes, but if you don't know what you're doing they cost a lot of money maintenance wise.
My friend is an engineering student and he has a Chinese scoot. He manages fine with it. With everyone else, it's a lottery.
So, that eliminates: Solana, Euro-Rider, Keeway.

I suggest you look at a second hand Honda Today. A friend of mine may still have one for sale if you want to PM me.

[davereid]

...Oh and with regard to the ignorant ravings of some people on the subject of 'Chinese shit'- that stuff is still available if you go looking for it, but it is getting harder to find.....Chinese bikes are generally now a good quality product. Sure you can spend five grand on a Piaggio but you get something that is actually no better. you just support a much bigger dealer margin.

I used to run a scooter shop, we sold two or three chinese bikes before we realised how bad they were, and got out.

We kept selling TGB and Peugeot which were both great bikes and are still available.

While I can't speak for the current crop of chinese scooters, five years ago they were ALL abysmal crap.

Very few ever lasted much past 5000km. We saw bikes with broken frames, regular engine failures, electrical gremlins that created regular pedestrians of the owners.

My TGB has now done 48000 km hauling my big arse, and its been trouble free.

Buy a quality moped, and you can choose to keep it for ever. By a chinese scooter and you will have to keep it for ever.

[cave weta]

I used to run a scooter shop, we sold two or three chinese bikes before we realised how bad they were, and got out.

We kept selling TGB and Peugeot which were both great bikes and are still available.

While I can't speak for the current crop of chinese scooters, five years ago they were ALL abysmal crap.

Very few ever lasted much past 5000km. We saw bikes with broken frames, regular engine failures, electrical gremlins that created regular pedestrians of the owners.

My TGB has now done 48000 km hauling my big arse, and its been trouble free.

Buy a quality moped, and you can choose to keep it for ever. By a chinese scooter and you will have to keep it for ever.

Speaking from experience can be valid - if the same situation exists. - but as those crap chinese scooters are no longer available it is a mute point.

I totally agree with your evaluation of the TGB scooters. How do I know they are good? - I sell them! - I have The Tapo RS, The X-Race and the wickedly quick Bullet RR in stock. They range in price from $2390- $3250. The $1499 Forza Capri and $1195 Cyclone are outselling them 6:1 though.
we are having no issues with the Forza scooters except for cheap chrome and a loose floor mat.

This is the Auckland scooter market as it stands TODAY.

[Gossamer]

Hello Mopler,

I bought a Forza Ciclone from the East Tamaki NZ Motor Factory for my son to ride around on whilst he is on a learner car licence. I ride it regularly and have grown to like the little scooter. Granted the finish is not as refined as the more expensive Japanese or European brands but I have found it to be very reliable. The bike has now done nearly 2,000km and the only minor problem we experienced was a loose electrical connection to the indicators which was easily fixed. Starts first time everytime. I would suggest derestricting the bike in the first instance - a 5 minute job. Even with that done, the bike can be quite underpowered on hills (it is only 50cc afterall) but the fuel economy is great, consistently getting ~2.2L per 100km. As expected, the machine is very basic which makes maintenance a breeze. Oil change takes only a few minutes. The tappets may need adjusting after the first 1,000km or so but that's also easily done.

It's great for commuting in city traffic.

Cheers.

[Mopler]

Thanks everybody for their replies. I have to admit that I am still not sure if I made the right decision, but I decided to go for the Euro Rider at Woottons.
Initially I wanted to buy the TGB Tapo at NZ Motor Factory. Then I thought I would be better off with the Piaggio Zip, but Woottons convinced me to go for the Euro Rider. 12 months warranty on the bike make me believe that the bikes cannot be that terrible. $600 price difference were obviously another reason. Well, it takes me up and down Symonds Street and thats what I wanted it for. I have to admit that 30km/h uphill is quite frustrating though. Would a derestriction make it much faster (uphill)?
Does anybody have any experience with the Euro Rider 2012?

[GDOBSSOR]

Thanks everybody for their replies. I have to admit that I am still not sure if I made the right decision, but I decided to go for the Euro Rider at Woottons.
Initially I wanted to buy the TGB Tapo at NZ Motor Factory. Then I thought I would be better off with the Piaggio Zip, but Woottons convinced me to go for the Euro Rider. 12 months warranty on the bike make me believe that the bikes cannot be that terrible. $600 price difference were obviously another reason. Well, it takes me up and down Symonds Street and thats what I wanted it for. I have to admit that 30km/h uphill is quite frustrating though. Would a derestriction make it much faster (uphill)?
Does anybody have any experience with the Euro Rider 2012?

I had experience with the Baotian which is a similar scoot. You may get it a tiny bit faster uphill if it's derestricted, but in all honesty, it's a gy6 engine. They're not all that hi-tech and you may even have a shorter lifespan with it in doing that. Um... A year's warranty on the bike is GOOD. Does it cover both labour and parts? If so, that's great. That means that if anything goes collosally wrong with it in the first year (as is possible), you're saved. However, if it's fine for the first year but if eighteen months in something like the transmission starts to go, as happened with mine, you could very well end up spending a good part of the $600 price difference fixing your 'cheaper' scoot up. Uhm... somebody said they had a Chinese scoot that had 2000 km on the clock, started every time and had only had minor problems. I'd be interested to see if they could still say that at 5000 km.

[Gossamer]

Unfortunately derestricting the scooter doesn't increase it's power, just allows it to get past that electronically monitored 50km/hr limit. Had a look at the picture of the Euro Rider on TradeMe, it looks very similar to the Forza that I have. Have you derestricted your scooter? If it's anything like the Forza, it is simply a matter of unplugging a sensor that is connected to the CDI. The sensor is located inside the variator housing, look for an electrical wire protruding from the underside of the variator housing and trace that back to the CDI. I have actually totally removed the sensor from my scooter (redundant so no point leaving it there). Scooter is still underpowered but at least it now keeps up with traffic on the flat and downhill. It is still frustratingly slow going uphill though.

[Gossamer]

Hi GDOBSSOR, in all honesty, I am also curious to see if this scooter keeps going to 5,000km. So-far-so-good, fingers crossed. I bought the scooter for my son to play with and wasn't looking for something that I will keep long term. He'll probably get sick of it in a few months at which time it will find it's way on to TradeMe. And if it craps out before that, well it'll be someone's spare parts or project bike at a bargain.

[Beeza]

No offence but if you actually somehow buy one of those lemon Chinese scooters, you deserve every mechanical faults you'll get.

Stay away from cheap nameless Chinese shitmobiles. Get something known like Suzuki SJ50 or a Yamaha Jog (good scooter).

That sort of passionate ignorance reminds me of when I was a wee youngster and most of the old, wise bikers advised me against buying Jap Crap and to spend my money on a proper, high-quality bike that was Made in England that would Last a Lifetime whereas any tinny Hondamakazuki would be junk before it was paid off. They'd have advised me to buy a BSA Dandy or a Ariel Pixie.