motofino 125 retro 30 day review

I recieved my scooter 30 days ago today, 550 miles, no problems, at all, well, the front disc is noisy, but that is no problem to cure. This is the start of my busy photgraphy season, the miles will add up fast. I think that this scooter is going to handle the job.
Bob
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/MOTOFINOS...
http://www.pbase.com/tsiya/root
http://photobucket.com/albums/v244/tsiya/

Bob,

I own a shop that is the only one that will look at China scooters in the Gulf Coast. I have seen many faulty Moto Fino's. Stand by!!!! If your job depends on dependable transportation, you choosed poorly. Many China scooters don't even comply with USDOT. Just check, I did. Many items I refuse to touch do to legalities.

retroretread wrote:

I recieved my scooter 30 days ago today, 550 miles, no problems, at all, well, the front disc is noisy, but that is no problem to cure. This is the start of my busy photgraphy season, the miles will add up fast. I think that this scooter is going to handle the job.
Bob
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/MOTOFINOS...
http://www.pbase.com/tsiya/root
http://photobucket.com/albums/v244/tsiya/

Jeff wrote:

Bob,
I own a shop that is the only one that will look at China scooters in the Gulf Coast. I have seen many faulty Moto Fino's. Stand by!!!! If your job depends on dependable transportation, you choosed poorly. Many China scooters don't even comply with USDOT. Just check, I did. Many items I refuse to touch do to legalities.
<quoted text>

I prepped this one myself, with extra TLC. 800 miles on it now, we will wait and see. I spent a lot of years turning wrenches, taught a small engine class at the tech center, naturally I won't have the problems some people do. Motofino is no different than any other Wangye scooter, and there will be some problems, but a lot of good ones too. If mine screws up I'll let people know, but it is doing fine.
Bob

Jeff wrote:

Bob,
I own a shop that is the only one that will look at China scooters in the Gulf Coast. I have seen many faulty Moto Fino's. Stand by!!!! If your job depends on dependable transportation, you choosed poorly. Many China scooters don't even comply with USDOT. Just check, I did. Many items I refuse to touch do to legalities.
<quoted text>

Jeff,
If you are working on any scooters at all , then you are dealing with mostly chinese components it doesn't matter where they say the scooter was made. I agree that most of the scooters out there are pure trash. Pep Boys scooters are a great example of that and Advance auto parts both of them sell junk stuff with no customer support. The best way to tell if you are getting a quality chinese scooter is to check out the manufactuer before you buy, call them up tell them you need a part like a valve spring or anything that wouldn't normally be needed on a regular basis, if they can't support their product with parts no matter how small it is then don't deal with them and they should be able to get it to you within a few days if they really have support, ask them a few technical questions to get a feel of their knowledge for what they sell, if they don't have a real tech person, then stay away. I have been in the scooter and motorcycle business for years and there are only 2 of the chinese manufactuers that I will deal with, one of which is mentioned in this thread. All motorcycles have problems no matter what brand, it is the support from the maker of the motorcycle that determines weather or not it is a good buy for the end consumer.

950 miles, no loose parts, no problems. I never found any loose fasteners when I prepped it. It is still running on the original Chinese sparkplug.
I have an NGK standing by, but if it isn't broken I won't try to fix it.
Motofino dealer support has been easy to get, I email a question, and get a fast answer. I haven't needed parts, but have talked with people who have had no problems getting what they needed.
It may break tomorrow, anything can, but I feel good about this one. I'm an old worrywart, I listen to every sound a machine makes, and analyze every vibration. This scooter is smooth and tight.

Now up to 1600 miles, in 87 days. Only big aggravation has been a starter relay that was not properly sealed, took on some rainwater, and stopped working. I could still resort to the kick start, rode to town, to a Kymco dealer, bought a relay off of a wrecked Kymco, 10 minutes of wrench time, and $10.00, and back on the road. Motofino would have sent me a new relay, had I asked, but Hell, it wasn't worth the hassle.
I bought a can of liquid electrical tape at Walmart, sealed all possible places on the new/used relay where water could enter, and don't expect to waste time on worry.
At 1600 miles, no unreasonable problems!
I turn the key, punch the button, aim it down the driveway, and twist the grip, and go!
I don't know of many mainland Chinese scooter dealers, honest ones, anyway, who will sell you a Chinese scooter, without warning you that you had better have some basic mechanical smarts, or enough bucks to buy a Honda.
My take on the whole damned Asian motorscooter thing is that a whole bunch of folks want to save money, but ain't willing to do any homework!

Got to laugh loud about guys bashing Asian scooters. Bet you can't find any scooter that doesn't have an awful lot of "Made in China" components today. You can pay more for them if you want to but the Motofino GY6 engine styled scooters are a wonderful value for the scooter dollar.

1953 miles as of today, I rode 52 miles almost non stop. I did a detailed job of checking stuff out before I ever started the engine. Years ago I assembled Honda and Suzuki motorcycles at a local shop, there was a couple of hours work to do when they came out of the crate, including valve adjustment. We also flushed the carbs,they would gum up during shipment. If you don't want to pay someone to do this stuff, you have to do it yourself, and don't take shortcuts, do it right.
There are some lemons coming through, but good setup would save a lot of them.

Jeff wrote:

Bob,
I own a shop that is the only one that will look at China scooters in the Gulf Coast. I have seen many faulty Moto Fino's. Stand by!!!! If your job depends on dependable transportation, you choosed poorly. Many China scooters don't even comply with USDOT. Just check, I did. Many items I refuse to touch do to legalities.
<quoted text>

I doubt your statement!!! The Motofino 125 is entirely reliable, and a BIG consumer value.
Very simple to work on. Are you having a maintenance
knowledge problem?

best buy i ever made great runaround love it

This coming Thursday, my Motofino will have been on the road for 4 months. It is just short of 2200 miles. If the wind wasn't blowing 30mph I'd be out riding now. The one problem I've had was after running through very heavy rain, and the solenoid got wet. A Honda solenoid would have done the same.
I notice one thing, any time someone comes on negative about Motofino it is never anything specific, they just don't give any details at all. Are they really having problems, or just blowing smoke?

ISAIAH BOLTON wrote:

I NEED HELP TO FIND A DEALER IN THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA TO DO PREP WORK ON MY MOTOFINO SCOOTER

Try posting at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/MOTOFINOS...

Some of the dealers check in from time to time. It shouldn't be much of a job, most of them are in good running shape right from the box.

5 months on the road today, 2820 miles, running strong.

I have owned Motofino scooters (2 125's and 1 49cc) and they are like tanks. Collective miles exceed 9,000 and I've changed spark plugs and oil.

Anyone may spend more, the same as spending more for brand names, but overall its the same.

Love them. MKJ

Jeff wrote:

Bob,
I own a shop that is the only one that will look at China scooters in the Gulf Coast. I have seen many faulty Moto Fino's. Stand by!!!! If your job depends on dependable transportation, you choosed poorly. Many China scooters don't even comply with USDOT. Just check, I did. Many items I refuse to touch do to legalities.
<quoted text>

Bob, Can you contact me when you have time www.sassyscooters.com Gail

Gail wrote:

<quoted text>
Bob, Can you contact me when you have time www.sassyscooters.com Gail

Done, sent my email addy.
The Motofino is not my first Chinese scooter, but it is the first one I trust to ride in the boonies, where a cellphone won't work. It is possible I got an exceptional one, but I'm usually not that lucky.

I'm about to buy a 2007 49cc Motofino scooter, 49cc. It has 450 miles on it, has been garaged all winter, and there is already rust on it. About a dozen nuts in the rear are rusted, look like they are "frozen", and the muffler apparatus is starting to rust.
How and why would this happen so soon????
More important, is it an indication of a cheap Chinese product?
Thanks for any ideas anyone might have.

Well, I have a 49cc Motofino, and 1600 miles and 2 an 1/2 months later, it has been nothing but trouble. My best advice, provided your's still runs, sell it. I have been unable to contact Motofino to get any kind of warrenty parts, and the dealer I bought it from went under. The motor has had 3 plugs, 3 carbs, 3 ignitions. Now the motor has a good Briggs Carb, Briggs CDI module, and NGK plug.... and it still won't run!!! Needless to say, there might be a lawsuite.

My 125cc retro hit 3400 miles yesterday, running strong. Forrest, you are full of crap, Brigs doesn't make any parts that will fit.
Sandy, any piece of iron or steel will rust, without protection.