Post
by daChurchPcGuy » Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:03 am
This isn't going to make me popular but:
My daughter bought a pink Taotao three years ago for $699. The dealer replaced the carburetor and battery before we picked it up, his standard procedure. A couple weeks later it died, I took it back to the dealer it had a crimped fuel line. She rode it a year and wanted a bit more power so we upgraded the jug, piston, head, and camshaft. The kit cost under $100, I did some website work for them so the labor was free. The scooter is too fast now, she has to pay attention to make sure she stays under 35mph.
Battery died over the winter, she had moved in with her fiance and didn't keep it on the battery tender. Replaced the battery, switched over to Mobil 1 synthetic.
That's it, it starts, runs, stops and costs almost nothing to run.
I have made a decent amount of money buying them used and not running. Drain the gas, put in a carburetor and battery, sell it for $300. Once in a while I have to replace the ignition. CDI, coil and new plug cost around $25. I don't bother troubleshooting the parts, it takes 20 minutes to take off the plastics and replace everything. The worst repair I've run into so far was a knucklehead that had installed a 79cc upgrade with no valve clearance. I paid $150 for it, it's my son's daily rider. I usually replace the carb on it every spring if he forgets to run it dry.
I bought 8 hybrid scooters from a guy a couple years ago. Yes, gas, electric, or hybrid drive modes. After wasting my time getting the hybrid and electrical side working I decided to simply sell them as gas scooters. I didn't lose a dime but I learned to stay away from the Chinese electrics.
Honda and Yamaha scooters still get a premium around here, it just takes longer to sell them. The Chinese scooters are cheap and sell fast. If you want to make money fast the Chinese scooters are the way to go. If you want a quality scooter you just pay a bit more. I have an old Yamaha Chappy project waiting in the wings, I'll dump a Chinese scooter and keep the Chappy in my fleet once I get around to it.
I learned how to ride on a Japanese bike back in the 70s, I'll always keep one around, but I've had good luck with the Chinese crap. Use good gas and oil, tighten everything on a regular basis and you're good to go.