[quote=“Lo Bo To”]That Hartford looks sweet Battery 9.
Any word on: reliability, can most mechanics repair them, are parts cheap, do they have balls?
I’ll look at SYM and Kymco. I had 2 Kymco 150 Xing’s in the past (Lowrider style motorcycle). The first one was awesome and lasted me 3 years driving the crap out of it. Around the island three times. The second was a real lemon.[/quote]
The Xing motorcycle was a disaster in terms of reliability, so ignore it, but you were talking about scooters right?
Most mechanics can repair very simple faults like blown bulbs, but beyond that are largely incompetent. It is for this reason that there are a few topics on Forumosa regarding motorcycle and car technicians that can be recommended. It is for this reason that I suggest the more reliable brands so as to avoid such problems as much as possible. Having a motorcycle fixed here can be as painful as pulling one’s own teeth out, and only to try and get the simplest of repairs done properly.
Do they have balls? Well regarding any 125cc to 150cc motorcycle or scooter that isn’t a two stroke then the short answer is emphatically NO!
Which is why again I revert to the principle of getting something reliable, comfortable and suitable for your needs.
If you need a machine to do anything different than taking you to and from, and picking up shopping with little fuss, then don’t consider a scooter. If these are your only requirements however, then please refer to my suggestions.
I remember being a bit younger and all the thought that went in to how it looked, what colour I could get it in. Did it have 5HP more than any other. Would a girl be interested in it and so forth. But then I got old one day and realized none of that means a damn. In terms of scooters you’ll get more respect from girls if you are less of a boy racer and more responsible and you’ll get more from your bike if you choose a practical one, that isn’t pretending to be something it isn’t and wasn’t designed to do.
To re emphasize what to look for in a bike in Taiwan:
- Fit and comfort
- reliability.
- Cost of service and repair.
- Purchase price vs running costs.
- Least likely to be stolen.
- BRAKES!
I’m old in Taiwan terms though, so I won’t take it personally if you choose to ignore me.
I’m sure there are plenty of people abound that will tell you how to wire all your lights up together. How to fit Christmas tree bulbs to it. How to put a big bore exhaust on it and how to get it to perform past its 105kph limit all the way up to 110kph, as well as how to zig zag across the road in an unnecessary fashion in order to prove to everyone how much larger your penis is.
I, on the other hand respect anyone that can ride properly and that can live past the ripe old age of thirty commuting through Taipei traffic each and every day, that doesn’t constantly piss me off. I’m sure those people who accomplish that have a very big penis indeed!