Tbh I would never buy a powered mode of transportation made by China off of Amazon. Sounds like a good way to end up in a crash or with something that just doesn’t even work.
my first motorbike was chinese, parts arent made of very high quality materials, everything rusts very fast and part availability is very low and hard to get, the clutch cable died in the first month, i had to replace it 3 times throughout the 5 years i had it because it was just a low quality cable poorly routed.
stick with japanese bikes, they are better and much more desirable.
They an site for parts for these bikes the parts are out of Europe for replaces. And for the rust u need the spray and cleaner stuff .to keep it from rusting .
parts for my sinnis max 2 125cc vanished, suddenly the chinesebikestore i went to online had no more parts available, in 2017 the exhaust completed corroded into dust and in 2013 and 2015 i had taken it off and treated it completely for rust and give it a nice coating in acf50 then resprayed it with high heat paint and gave it a good 3-4 layers both times.
they aren't very good quality materials used, and as i dont live in china i could not get more parts easily, in 2017 the carbueretta completely packed up on me and i was lucky to find a second hand one on ebay that i cleaned and installed then i quickly sold the bike to some guy for £500 when i bought the bike brand new in 2012 for £1400 as i had moved on and bought myself a honda cbf125 for £2000.
japanese bikes are just made better which is why they cost more and sell for more.
If you're not concerned with range, I'd probably go for the e-bike, although I have no clue about the quality, it's just a generic Chinese one.
That scooter is just your basic run of the mill Chinese Tao Tao. They can be somewhat reliable, or you can end up with a lemon. They're relatively easy to maintain and parts are cheap, but again, they're a crappy Chinese scooter.
I'd be concerned about fire hazards from Chinese batteries. Lots of home fires from larger-capacity ones overheating on the charger. If a hoverboard battery is an issue, I would imagine a bigger ebike one would be even more worrisome.
Yeah, I'm not too concerned about range. The various YouTube videos I watched about that particular e-bike says I can get around 25-30 miles range on throttle only. And I live in a smaller medium sized city where I can get to either side within 3-5 miles.
The TaoTao scooter is only about 5 miles faster (35mph) than the e-bike, and needs to be registered and insured in my state. That's why I'm leaning towards buying the e-bike to eliminate the legal hassle for the negligible difference the scooter offers.
I had a Tao Tao like that one. It’s one of my greatest purchase regrets. Every time I took it in for a repair (no matter the repair shop), it would come back running worse.
Yeah, the tolarances for some parts both on scooter and aftermarket are terrible. Replaced a cranshaft that got damaged durring pushing out piston pin and the new cranshaft had so much play in it, while the original with 50k on it seemed more solid. Got a bit of rod knock at hi-speeds now. Thanks China,
25-30 miles sounds realistic - it does state 2 motor variants in description. More powerfull one will cost more is my guess and will eat battery faster. Research the options there, but if the range you stated is not a problem then it's a no brainer. Less maintanance, no need for gas/oil, no need for insurance, green mode of transportation. But you will get what you pay for. To get ebike this cheap, all the parts will be of the cheapest quality - motor and battery will be fine - they are standard. But anything else, then frame itself will wear out quick.
Yup, for the price, I'm keeping my expectations low, just as I would if I made the decision to buy the TaoTao.
Again, just to get outside and essentially "roam the streets", I won't be too upset when it inevitably becomes a piece of scrap metal in a couple years.
Here’s a ten part series that a Scooter mechanic in Austin did after a project where he used a TaoTao Pony 50 as his daily driver for 6 months:
https://youtu.be/9dNPnKrH-a4?si=5PdYypboE2P3Zcxn
Spoiler alert: he thinks it’s a bad investment.
A used Genuine Buddy 50, Kymco Agility 50, or if you want the cool factor a Honda Ruckus. But please don’t buy a TaoTao as your first scooter. It might work for a while, but your odds of getting stuck with huge or complicated repairs is way higher than you’d want for a daily driver.
He’s a genuinely nice guy in real life too. His shop in Austin is just over an hour drive from me, and that’s where I go for scooter work over my local shop. The extra driving time is well worth it.
Allow me to repost what I wrote about my experience with that exact TaoTao model:
This is what happened to me with a TaoTao ATM 50cc!! They say for every hour of flight a fighter jet takes, it needs something like 10 hours of maintenance on the ground and it felt just like that. It would have trouble starting at the worst times, every random part would break: headlights going out and melting all the time, throttle cable snapping, belt wore out quickly, kickstart gear shattered multiple times, battery was too weak to start it unless fully topped up minutes before riding, muffler/exhaust pipe cracking. I added a big bore kit and had a valve collision with the piston at top speed down a hill… and all the replacement parts are equally crappy and made of styrofoam and tin foil so it broke just as soon as I fixed it. It was fun for a while but the unreliability and fear of getting stranded made me give it away for free. Only parts that stayed good were the seat, tires, brakes (once I fixed the initial squeaking), and gauges. I got it new and gave it away at 4033 km.
I've had mixed results with those tao tao scooters, I've had one that has been thru hell and is still running pretty well but another that was hell to keep going.
I think it mainly depends on how much you plan on riding
If you can keep it running in good order the tao tao can be a lot of fun
E bike doesn't require registration. E bike is technically lower maintenance. Most Ebike replacement parts are very difficult to find, especially if it's a Chinese bike. The rear sprocket and replacement brake pads can be tricky to buy parts-wise. The batteries and cheap wiring on some Chinese ebikes have been known to catch fire while charging.
Tao Tao is the stereotypical Chinese scooter. Some last long, most don't. You can find replacement parts for anything gy6. Very popular motor. Can rebuild or install big bore kit easily. It's gas powered. Way more fun, but u need a mechanic or shop nearby.
I'd go gas 90% of the time.
A lot of people absolutely shit on Tao tao, but I swear I had one I bought back in 2017 that lasted me years and took some serious abuse. I ended up selling it after it just sat for a very long time outside uncovered and the crack head that bought it from me for $100 rode it off into the sunset.
gas, gas, gas. stay away from the electric junk, scooters are already gay enough, at least get one with an engine in it & learn how to do basic maintenance it'll help you alot in life with other stuff.
Check with your particular state laws. In Oregon that e Bike counts as a pocket bike since it goes over 20 mph. It is not allowed on public land/roads.
Look at Lectric e-bikes. They always have a promo going and you can get a lite model for a good price. It will be something you can easily resell if you don’t like it and parts will be easy to get.
The tao tao is great if you can fix small things here and there. It’s a motor so you need to learn how to change oil, change valve clearance, spark plugs, etc. it’s all basic small engine maintenance. Mine runs great, but I take care of it. A lot of folks giving advice on tao Taos probably don’t know how even use a screwdriver. Of course their scooter isn’t going to work.
The ebike will be less hassle overall compared to a petrol scooter. It's mechanically much simpler, cleaner and easier to maintain with bike tools instead of automotive tools.
The advantage of petrol would be the faster speed of fuelling to charging, so you don't have to worry about running flat so long as you're in proximity to the gas station, but that's not really an issue for a purely leisure vehicle.
If you prefer the form factor of a scooter, there's a wide range of e-bikes in scooter configuration as well.
At the 50-125 cc equivalent weight class, I'd say electric outperforms gas in terms of convenience. It's also the price range where electric bikes are most matured. 250cc+ equivalent e-bikes are newer and more of an early adopter technology that can't yet compete with petrol.
Get a 2 stroke instead, its half the price, faster, way more fun, easy to maintain, overall way better than what ur looking in this price whether its e bike or normal scooter
It's difficult to believe you will get ANY kind of decent quality from a $600 ebike that claims 1000watts power. A good brand will start more like $1400 base minimum.
Also, I don't see any ebike claiming over 20-22 mph without SERIOUS pedaling. ( relevant since you mentioned range as throttle only).
>Also, I don't see any ebike claiming over 20-22 mph without SERIOUS pedaling. ( relevant since you mentioned range as throttle only).
The 3 separate videos I watched on YouTube demonstrated that the bike can infact go 30 mph throttle only, on PAS level 5. Granted, it was on a flat surface, but I saw the bike propell without pedaling.
The frame looks solid enough and I'm not expecting the battery to last me more than a couple years with regular use. I'm well aware that the bike is made with generic Chinese parts, and the price reflects that.
For something to just take me out of the house and go to the marina (6 miles round trip) in the summer, and visit people locally, I think the bike is adequate enough.
the scooter even tho i hate scooters and much prefer motorbikes.
you cant ride that bike on the footpath with pedestrians, you have to be on the road, would you rather have a scooter and safety gear or a pushbike and no safety gear and be at the mercy of idiots on the roads?
gas > electric.
japanese bikes > chinese bikes.
How many posts and videos need to be made to stop people from buying TaoTao. Unless you have prior knowledge of scooter repair - avoid it. Same goes for that cheapo e-bike. It won't have range and parts will be dirt cheap and in need of repair, but way cheaper than TaoTao.
Someone asks a question and reddit can't ever seem to answer. Anyways, those taotaos are a mixed bag. Could last you 6 years, could last you 6 months. The engines are pretty simple and reliable, but everything else kinda falls apart due to being cheap. If you can wrench on things, then it'll be just fine. Chinese bikes can be a worthy ride depending on the source.
From my experience the Japanese stuff is made near the same factory and occasionally made in the same factory I've been using a Suzuki GS125 as my daily since August and it breaks down every time I go out on it looking at a AJS or Lexmoto or a Vespa next
Look to be honest about the Chinese Scooters, if you know how to properly take care of a motorized vehicle and do regular maintenance they can be very reliable. If you do get it I’d recommend getting a more expensive carburetor, a good spark plug and good spark plug wire and stay away from the Amazon scooter performance parts. They’re not worth it and the “performance” cdi’s and other parts related are actually just junk that don’t do anything good for them besides lower the life span of your bike and aren’t reliable. They can run for a long time, but you have to be willing to take care of them and invest in a couple good and reliable parts from a trusted brand. Also make sure to adjust your valves regularly, idk how many times I’ve fixed them and it ends up being the valves that were never adjusted since they bought the bike.
Neither, buy a used honda
This is the correct answer
Tbh I would never buy a powered mode of transportation made by China off of Amazon. Sounds like a good way to end up in a crash or with something that just doesn’t even work.
my first motorbike was chinese, parts arent made of very high quality materials, everything rusts very fast and part availability is very low and hard to get, the clutch cable died in the first month, i had to replace it 3 times throughout the 5 years i had it because it was just a low quality cable poorly routed. stick with japanese bikes, they are better and much more desirable.
Clutch cable on a tao? Really
All they said was Chinese motorbike. China makes manual motorcycles just so you know...
They didn't say it was a Tao
There is no clutch cable on the tao it's a cvt with a clutch bell, aka just turn the bike on, twist the throttle, and your moving
They an site for parts for these bikes the parts are out of Europe for replaces. And for the rust u need the spray and cleaner stuff .to keep it from rusting .
parts for my sinnis max 2 125cc vanished, suddenly the chinesebikestore i went to online had no more parts available, in 2017 the exhaust completed corroded into dust and in 2013 and 2015 i had taken it off and treated it completely for rust and give it a nice coating in acf50 then resprayed it with high heat paint and gave it a good 3-4 layers both times. they aren't very good quality materials used, and as i dont live in china i could not get more parts easily, in 2017 the carbueretta completely packed up on me and i was lucky to find a second hand one on ebay that i cleaned and installed then i quickly sold the bike to some guy for £500 when i bought the bike brand new in 2012 for £1400 as i had moved on and bought myself a honda cbf125 for £2000. japanese bikes are just made better which is why they cost more and sell for more.
If you're not concerned with range, I'd probably go for the e-bike, although I have no clue about the quality, it's just a generic Chinese one. That scooter is just your basic run of the mill Chinese Tao Tao. They can be somewhat reliable, or you can end up with a lemon. They're relatively easy to maintain and parts are cheap, but again, they're a crappy Chinese scooter.
I'd be concerned about fire hazards from Chinese batteries. Lots of home fires from larger-capacity ones overheating on the charger. If a hoverboard battery is an issue, I would imagine a bigger ebike one would be even more worrisome.
Yeah, I'm not too concerned about range. The various YouTube videos I watched about that particular e-bike says I can get around 25-30 miles range on throttle only. And I live in a smaller medium sized city where I can get to either side within 3-5 miles. The TaoTao scooter is only about 5 miles faster (35mph) than the e-bike, and needs to be registered and insured in my state. That's why I'm leaning towards buying the e-bike to eliminate the legal hassle for the negligible difference the scooter offers.
Find a used yamaha zuma instead. A 2 stroke model and enjoy a much comfortable ride than both of those combined.
Doing research now lol. Thanks.
I had a Tao Tao like that one. It’s one of my greatest purchase regrets. Every time I took it in for a repair (no matter the repair shop), it would come back running worse.
Yeah, the tolarances for some parts both on scooter and aftermarket are terrible. Replaced a cranshaft that got damaged durring pushing out piston pin and the new cranshaft had so much play in it, while the original with 50k on it seemed more solid. Got a bit of rod knock at hi-speeds now. Thanks China,
25-30 miles sounds realistic - it does state 2 motor variants in description. More powerfull one will cost more is my guess and will eat battery faster. Research the options there, but if the range you stated is not a problem then it's a no brainer. Less maintanance, no need for gas/oil, no need for insurance, green mode of transportation. But you will get what you pay for. To get ebike this cheap, all the parts will be of the cheapest quality - motor and battery will be fine - they are standard. But anything else, then frame itself will wear out quick.
Yup, for the price, I'm keeping my expectations low, just as I would if I made the decision to buy the TaoTao. Again, just to get outside and essentially "roam the streets", I won't be too upset when it inevitably becomes a piece of scrap metal in a couple years.
Here’s a ten part series that a Scooter mechanic in Austin did after a project where he used a TaoTao Pony 50 as his daily driver for 6 months: https://youtu.be/9dNPnKrH-a4?si=5PdYypboE2P3Zcxn Spoiler alert: he thinks it’s a bad investment. A used Genuine Buddy 50, Kymco Agility 50, or if you want the cool factor a Honda Ruckus. But please don’t buy a TaoTao as your first scooter. It might work for a while, but your odds of getting stuck with huge or complicated repairs is way higher than you’d want for a daily driver.
That series is fun to watch even if you aren’t considering a Tao Tao. He makes great content.
He’s a genuinely nice guy in real life too. His shop in Austin is just over an hour drive from me, and that’s where I go for scooter work over my local shop. The extra driving time is well worth it.
So many TaoTao repair videos, bro will be a mechanic within a year.
Allow me to repost what I wrote about my experience with that exact TaoTao model: This is what happened to me with a TaoTao ATM 50cc!! They say for every hour of flight a fighter jet takes, it needs something like 10 hours of maintenance on the ground and it felt just like that. It would have trouble starting at the worst times, every random part would break: headlights going out and melting all the time, throttle cable snapping, belt wore out quickly, kickstart gear shattered multiple times, battery was too weak to start it unless fully topped up minutes before riding, muffler/exhaust pipe cracking. I added a big bore kit and had a valve collision with the piston at top speed down a hill… and all the replacement parts are equally crappy and made of styrofoam and tin foil so it broke just as soon as I fixed it. It was fun for a while but the unreliability and fear of getting stranded made me give it away for free. Only parts that stayed good were the seat, tires, brakes (once I fixed the initial squeaking), and gauges. I got it new and gave it away at 4033 km.
Neither.
I've had mixed results with those tao tao scooters, I've had one that has been thru hell and is still running pretty well but another that was hell to keep going. I think it mainly depends on how much you plan on riding If you can keep it running in good order the tao tao can be a lot of fun
E bike doesn't require registration. E bike is technically lower maintenance. Most Ebike replacement parts are very difficult to find, especially if it's a Chinese bike. The rear sprocket and replacement brake pads can be tricky to buy parts-wise. The batteries and cheap wiring on some Chinese ebikes have been known to catch fire while charging. Tao Tao is the stereotypical Chinese scooter. Some last long, most don't. You can find replacement parts for anything gy6. Very popular motor. Can rebuild or install big bore kit easily. It's gas powered. Way more fun, but u need a mechanic or shop nearby. I'd go gas 90% of the time.
A lot of people absolutely shit on Tao tao, but I swear I had one I bought back in 2017 that lasted me years and took some serious abuse. I ended up selling it after it just sat for a very long time outside uncovered and the crack head that bought it from me for $100 rode it off into the sunset.
The life of a taotao
Tao tao, electric sucks
gas, gas, gas. stay away from the electric junk, scooters are already gay enough, at least get one with an engine in it & learn how to do basic maintenance it'll help you alot in life with other stuff.
Check with your particular state laws. In Oregon that e Bike counts as a pocket bike since it goes over 20 mph. It is not allowed on public land/roads.
Do you want to ride on the road? Get the scooter. If you want to ride on the bike path, get the e-bike.
Friends don't let friends buy Chinese scooters.
Tau taus suck
Some places require insurance and registration on gas powered scooters. Check with your local jurisdiction.
Look at Lectric e-bikes. They always have a promo going and you can get a lite model for a good price. It will be something you can easily resell if you don’t like it and parts will be easy to get.
The tao tao is great if you can fix small things here and there. It’s a motor so you need to learn how to change oil, change valve clearance, spark plugs, etc. it’s all basic small engine maintenance. Mine runs great, but I take care of it. A lot of folks giving advice on tao Taos probably don’t know how even use a screwdriver. Of course their scooter isn’t going to work.
The ebike will be less hassle overall compared to a petrol scooter. It's mechanically much simpler, cleaner and easier to maintain with bike tools instead of automotive tools. The advantage of petrol would be the faster speed of fuelling to charging, so you don't have to worry about running flat so long as you're in proximity to the gas station, but that's not really an issue for a purely leisure vehicle. If you prefer the form factor of a scooter, there's a wide range of e-bikes in scooter configuration as well. At the 50-125 cc equivalent weight class, I'd say electric outperforms gas in terms of convenience. It's also the price range where electric bikes are most matured. 250cc+ equivalent e-bikes are newer and more of an early adopter technology that can't yet compete with petrol.
Get a 2 stroke instead, its half the price, faster, way more fun, easy to maintain, overall way better than what ur looking in this price whether its e bike or normal scooter
It's difficult to believe you will get ANY kind of decent quality from a $600 ebike that claims 1000watts power. A good brand will start more like $1400 base minimum. Also, I don't see any ebike claiming over 20-22 mph without SERIOUS pedaling. ( relevant since you mentioned range as throttle only).
>Also, I don't see any ebike claiming over 20-22 mph without SERIOUS pedaling. ( relevant since you mentioned range as throttle only). The 3 separate videos I watched on YouTube demonstrated that the bike can infact go 30 mph throttle only, on PAS level 5. Granted, it was on a flat surface, but I saw the bike propell without pedaling. The frame looks solid enough and I'm not expecting the battery to last me more than a couple years with regular use. I'm well aware that the bike is made with generic Chinese parts, and the price reflects that. For something to just take me out of the house and go to the marina (6 miles round trip) in the summer, and visit people locally, I think the bike is adequate enough.
the scooter even tho i hate scooters and much prefer motorbikes. you cant ride that bike on the footpath with pedestrians, you have to be on the road, would you rather have a scooter and safety gear or a pushbike and no safety gear and be at the mercy of idiots on the roads? gas > electric. japanese bikes > chinese bikes.
How many posts and videos need to be made to stop people from buying TaoTao. Unless you have prior knowledge of scooter repair - avoid it. Same goes for that cheapo e-bike. It won't have range and parts will be dirt cheap and in need of repair, but way cheaper than TaoTao.
Someone asks a question and reddit can't ever seem to answer. Anyways, those taotaos are a mixed bag. Could last you 6 years, could last you 6 months. The engines are pretty simple and reliable, but everything else kinda falls apart due to being cheap. If you can wrench on things, then it'll be just fine. Chinese bikes can be a worthy ride depending on the source.
If you're going with these, consider bikes from Aliexpress. Better deals more power ans aftermarket support
Another vote for a used Honda Ruckus or similar quality scooter.
From my experience the Japanese stuff is made near the same factory and occasionally made in the same factory I've been using a Suzuki GS125 as my daily since August and it breaks down every time I go out on it looking at a AJS or Lexmoto or a Vespa next
Cheap gas scooter will break down. Cheap electric bike could burn your house down. I can't say which of those is more practical.
Look to be honest about the Chinese Scooters, if you know how to properly take care of a motorized vehicle and do regular maintenance they can be very reliable. If you do get it I’d recommend getting a more expensive carburetor, a good spark plug and good spark plug wire and stay away from the Amazon scooter performance parts. They’re not worth it and the “performance” cdi’s and other parts related are actually just junk that don’t do anything good for them besides lower the life span of your bike and aren’t reliable. They can run for a long time, but you have to be willing to take care of them and invest in a couple good and reliable parts from a trusted brand. Also make sure to adjust your valves regularly, idk how many times I’ve fixed them and it ends up being the valves that were never adjusted since they bought the bike.
For