(The infamous “Hockey Mask” scooter has been a buzzkiller in the USA for years)
I was told a couple of years ago that Europe doesn’t have the disdain for Chinese scooters that has become status quo in America. All imported scooters had to go through a rigorous approval process before they were allowed on the roads, keeping out the 2-wheeled riff-raff. America has traditionally been more lax.
Apparently today the tables are turning. American requirements are becoming stiffer with EPA certs no longer being transferable between different makes and models using the same engines. I suppose Euro requirements are letting up because I’m seeing more and more inflammatory reports from overseas.
Recently, French site Scooter-System (title link), called for a blacklisting on all fly-by-night scooter brands. They also have hopes that French manufacturer Peugeot could use their 2006 partnership with Qingqi to bring China to a new level of quality (Qingqi had already formed a joint venture with Suzuki). I’m not sure about their quality, but Qingqi’s stock has improved since the announcement.
What it all comes down to is “support”. In time China will either provide quality on par with their Taiwanese competitors or they will continue to provide the world with disposable scooters. For prospective buyers with tighter budgets I will say this… You can buy a perfectly usable scooter from a Chinese manufacturer, but if you do so make sure it’s a name that has been around in the USA for at least 5+ years. Ask your local dealer if they get good support from the distributor. If they offer a nice warranty (like 2 years), do they honor that warranty without giving your dealer grief? And never buy a scooter from a mail order clearance house unless you are cool with disappointment. There is an old saying, “When you buy a dirt-cheap Chinese scooter you can expect to get one mile of road time for every dollar spent.” Don’t expect to get far on your $800 scooter by mail. One day I will try to sit back and compile a list of the more reputable Chinese brands in America; until then, be careful!
(*Shudder* It wouldn’t matter WHO made this scooter with its nausea inducing aesthetics. It’s like Ed Grimley transformed into a scoot. “This is so sad I must say”.)
15. June 2008 at 3:49 am
Oh yeah, I wanted to include this.
The hardest thing for the more reputable distributors of Chinese scooters is the Chinese practice of “design robbery”.
When you see a particular model from a distance you never know if it’s the roadworthy version or one of a dozen other piss-poor clones making the resale value on ANY of them far below what you’d expect from a uniquely designed Japanese or Italian scoot.
15. June 2008 at 6:18 am
Hey,Steve
Point taken. So which Italian and/or Japanese scooter manufacturers out there offer this so called “nice 2-year warranty”?
Holding the Chinese (alone) to such a high standard may only be…hopeless (historically speaking).
BTW, it’s a fact (right?); but which Chinese scooter mfr makes the beautiful new Aprilia Scarabeo 200? Now, that’s a scoop that I would like to like you to uncover.
–Lorenzo
15. June 2008 at 7:29 am
Hey Lorenzo!
It is true that Jincheng has been producing Aprilia bikes/scoots since the 2007 model year. Seems I heard the Scarabeo and SportCity were both largely (if not completely) manufactured in China. I’ve seen the SportCity 250 in person and regardless of where it was built I had no complaints with the fit & finish.
Vespa, Piaggio, Derbi, and Harley-Davidson have all had a relationship with Zongshen Foshan for 3 or 4 years now in a variety of capacities. Kymco, CPI,and many more have Chinese partnerships too.
For those where the partnership includes manufacture and assembly there will be cases where you CLEARLY see the difference and other cases where you may not realize it without a walkthrough from an experienced mechanic familiar with the before and after China differences.
I’d be interested in seeing a compiled list of brands and models that have experienced this before and after China effect.
Oh and as for that “nice 2-year warranty”? I’ve only seen it on Chinese, Taiwanese, Indian and Korean scooters. Brands that have more to prove than the beloved Italian and Japanese marks.
15. June 2008 at 7:33 am
Some scooters you just can’t kill:
http://www.n8w.com/wp/39
16. June 2008 at 4:27 am
“American requirements are becoming stiffer with EPA certs no longer being transferable between different makes and models using the same engines.”
Actually, I think that EPA certs for engines are transferable. See:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-news/motorcycle-epa.htm
The change is that state DMVs are actually cracking down on stuff that is not certified. Here in CA, large importers like Ricardo Motors have been shut down because their EPA & CARB paperwork didn’t apply to the nscooters they were actually selling, and a bunch of Ricardo buyers got notices in the mail revoking their vehicle registration.
Ricardo still operates out of Sacramento, but they can’t actually sell scooters in CA because they can’t get CARB certs.
16. June 2008 at 5:58 am
I agree with ya Steve that the workmanship and finish on the Scarabeo was outstanding as I saw it. As Aprilia attempts to expand globally, or vice versa, the partnership with a Chinese mfr seems not only inevitalbe, but wise. After all, China makes most of what we consume here in America anyway. Lower cost in labor does translate into higher profit, or higher bottom line.
So if you wanna get something 100% “Made in Italy” or “Made in Japan”, expect to pay a very pretty penny, e.g. Vespa (unless that’s gonna get outsourced, too, somewhere down the road?)
–Lorenzo
20. June 2008 at 3:13 pm
Hey Rick! Thanks for that info. I’m still trying to hunt the the source of those rumors that have been flying around. I’ve heard from 2 different sources that even if a manufacturer gets their scooters EPA certified the different distributors have to get their own cert (even though it’s the same engine family).
Once/If I find it, I’ll post it here.
The only piece of info I could find is all the hoopla around 50cc scoots. Engines up to 49cc used to be exempt from the strict EPA standards that the larger scoots had to follow and all that changed in 2006.
Thanks for that input, man!
Hey Lorenzo!
I believe that move is inevitable with one exception… Say you have a scenario where the US economy doesn’t make a significant improvement in the next 5 years… and fuel prices (especially diesel) continue to increase… and the $RMB (Renminbi or People’s Currency) starts beating the pants off the $USD, there is NO way we are going to be buying Chinese made products. Believe it or not, we’ll be buying scooters made in the good ol’ USA! Anyone ready to get on your 2012 Harley Topper II? How about your 2012 Cushman Road King Fi? It could happen.
20. June 2008 at 8:31 pm
Funny thing is…with these free trade agreements there is really no such thing as “made in the U.S.A.” anymore. and You left out the fact that Harley-Davidson is also partnered with Zongshen. They AND Piaggio (a company that collaborated with Cushman once or twice) are affiliated with Zongshen. Do you actually think that with the abundant cheap labor over there that America in general has profited from since day one combined with the general disregard of small displacement motorbikes (except motorcross…’cause it’s EXTREME and marketed to the sheeple to be “a cool action sport”) would be a catalyst for the manufacturing of scooters in the U.S.A.? As long as there is a way for corporations to gain all that they can and spend very little, they will choose to import them. If the companies that claim to be “American” (Genuine, T’NG, Tank/Roketa, United Motors, and many others that I don’t feel like mentioning) were making their own scoots in the first place then China would not have so much…as you say “piss poor clones” out there. If Vespa (a brand that had a reputation for being reliable and more importantly established itself by being affordable, but now serves as a very overpriced toy for wealthy posers like the Jonas’ Brothers, Gwen Stephani, among others) would price their bike more reasonably then more people probably would look at the “piss poor clone” chinese bikes. Oh and as long as the U.S. in delving in foriegn affairs (and spending trillions of dollars)then the economy will continue to plummet. So as far as foriegn currency beating the pants off of the dolllar goes, that’s an inevitability. As long as this government stresses a dependence on OPEC then gas prices will rise (hell at this point Canadian oil isn’t a bad idea!)
15. August 2008 at 5:50 am
Point well taken Leo!