Not sure where to add this one - Chinese scooters/mopeds help please?

hethmar

Youngest son is learning to drive a car, meanwhile has to rely on lifts to and from work and I get the impression this arrangment is wearing thing with said work mate.

He is absolutely skint, as always, but I wondered if these Jinlun. Baotian etc Chinese scooters/mopeds (advertised a lot on ebay) are worth buying at only about £400 for a completely new bike? Anyone know of any problems please?

kroome

Be carefull, as i understand the situation at the moment from the motorcycling press, is that some of these 'imports' do not comply with british or european safety standards thus making them illegal on the roads. friend has also had problems with one that did not work properly and company did not want to know once they had their money. The bike is a great idea but get a good one cheaply enough by buying second hand. Do not forget he will need to takr the CBT test before riding on the roads.

lemmings999

what you may also find with the chinese bikes is they will come in a crate and you will have to assemble it yourself and then but the bike through the nessesary tests

NickC_4

I've bought a JinLun. I would say it is worth going for if you have any mechanical sense, or happen to live near the supplier.

So far, mine has been fine, apart from the fact that the bolts generally could have done with being tightened up a bit more! The quality isn't brilliant - but they are great value for money. I would definitely suggest giving it a thorough check over and tighten everything after a few miles if you get one.

At it's first service a couple of weeks ago, the mechanic said it was fine, exlcuding the bolt issue and a fault with the swing arm bearing. It should be covered, but I am still waiting to hear from my supplier (Scootex, near Cardiff). Provided they supply the part I will be happy.

Any any warranty you get is not going to be worth much if you cannot take the bike back to the place where you bought it.

It is worth looking at http://www.jinlun-owners.co.uk if you are interested.

I had a choice: A new JinLun 125-11 (with some kind of warranty), or a six year old Suzuki Marauder (with lots of miles and no warranty). Even if I do have to spend a few pounds on repairs, I'm still quids in.

Nick.

[ADDED]
Forgot to say that I got mine assembled, registered, and taxed by Scootex, so once I had done my CBT the day after my bike was delivered, I could ride it.

rygon

get him to push bike it..much better for him.

It may be worth having a look on bike-trader for some 50cc scooters. Look at the honda c90. Not the coolest of machines but tried and tested and very cheap