Here is a list of screen names of all whom have contacted me...PLEASE CHECK AND MAKE SURE I HAVE YOU LISTED. Flwrs4ever sueirish poisondartfrog flwrs1 ishareflowers highalttransplant kamiljablo spookycharles wishdesign danette1980 stpehiinalta cottageflowers lhmkc grannieb vikingkirken candycow aproditelaughs riley17 daffodilady booberry85 nikkineel daisy_lee medontdo msmacgyver playintheyard greenthumbgrows peaches20 wenders67 carolynp micyrey carolinam quiltingfox mommyto2 ncgardengirl dirt_under_my_nails anadarko_rose dimples31312 nuthatch_mo ggwrn luvgardening2 dirtdiggin lisa627_ohio_z6 kimsgarden hmle2217 ptp813 nogmo jaleeeisa botanicalboi plant-one-on-me chellflower divahethr markcase1964 crisann margarita10 kiddo proudgm_03 debdov colcol wipe_yo_feet pumkingal scooter_wv puffie sheriannricherson velsgarden chitownladyd wind_red wishdesign danette1980 stephiinalta cottageflowers nlb52 threas zena2008 vic_zn5 michiganmama pife sunset_in rbrady spacetomato suze62 stevenwayne kerai mao_tse_mom isamae carol57078 seiko mpmom ilovefarac dirtduchess misskimmie dirtygert paulan70 vikingkirken dawnbrn intelkid appaloosa909 lindalana andreaz6wv kellycomposter plantman50 sybilkrizinski keeversgirl gimpytwice soonergrandmom retsec angelady christieb199 agirlsgirl greenbug fcofill james-in-lapine seedmama pseudacris_crucifer justonemorehosta louisianagirl patrushka daisy_lee dan_the_mail_man goldfishliberator princess_ariel thinking_stomach taz56 votetrapper shropshire_lad elf7 w9yards november_sky lois ohsillyme godsgardener morguegirl dancinginthegarden girlgarden2007 gmom2_6 boys pufftrinket crafting4goddess tergov erin_2009 piksi_hk hummy1 auntnawnee ak110682 chemocurl jworth gammy2 maemae0312 bonechickchris jas_il deeS perennialfan273 diggingdevil GROVESPIRIT PLEASE DO NOT POST ON THIS THREAD ANYMORE, GO TO THREAD 3...AND POST WHEN YOU MAIL, OR RECEIVE, AND KEEP CHECKING IN, WE WILL BE PLAYING SOME GAMES !!!!!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of the comments in this forum just made me cringe. Many of you simply do not know what you are talking about. If you buy a Kymco (Agility line) Honda Mero, or Yamaha BWS you are buying a Chinese scoot! If you buy a Chinese scoot today many of the parts are made in Taiwan or Japan. In fact even if you buy a Vespa most of the bike is assembled and produced in Vietnam!!!! Don't dump on Chinese bikes just because. It isn't fair. Chinese scoots have improved a lot during the past 5 years or so, but like everything else, there are good Chinese Scoots and re are bad Chinese Scoots. How do you know which is which? Some Chinese companies make their own engines. Start there. SYM makes the TOMOS Nitro in China. Its their own engine and its a great, well-made bike (I own one.) Another is Linhai which is partly owned by Yamaha. If you see a Linhai motor on another brand don't buy that brand because Linhai does not sell their motors to any other manufacturer. Neither does SYM. In fact, Linhai is the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in China. Many of their products are marketed under the Yamaha label. These two brands and Benzhou are well made and up to the standards of Taiwanese manufacturers. (If my research is right Benzhou makes the Agility line for Kymco.) There are other tier-one manufacturers in China as well, just these three I am familiar with. There are mid-tier Chinese brands as well such as Pulse, Lightspeed, Chironex, Roketta, and Tank. Today Pulse is producing a beautifully made product indeed. The mid-tier bikes are often cheaper than the top-tier bikes, but can be a bit less reliable to own. With 2,800 scooter manufacturers in China there is a lot of junk being turned out too, but lots of fine high quality scooters as well. Another good tip is to make sure that there is an American (or Canadian) distrbutor and that the distributor has a large parts inventory. I called TOMOS before purchasing my bike and found out that they were operating from a warehouse that is 60,000 square feet in Canada. Do your homework. What is my point? When you buy a Chinese bike, you re really buying a Chinese assembled bike. The engine, carborator, CDI, ignition coil, and transmission are most likely Japonese. Heck the GY6 engine is screw for screw, casting for casting, part for part a Japonese engine!!! All scooters need repair and maintenance. Chinese scooters, if you do your research and buy a top tier brand, will be every bit as reliebale as anything else out there.

Thanks, great info. Kymco has been my choice right along, really like the larger wheels. Found a near-by dealer with a slew of last year's 150 cc models (new) and at price hard to ignore. I promise, no more Chinese scooter posts! Mike

"you get a lousy handling machine with a front wheel that washes out easily dumping the machine and your face into the pavement" That's exactly what happened to me, leaving me some life-long scars on my left leg and left forearm, when I made a sharp cornering. Straing line was OK on that bike but the handling/cornering was a whole different thing. I was on a Chinese made small bike, just riding in the empty industrial parking lot for the first time for practice. That was the end - disposed it.