Hey I've heard they have this great new concept in the world. It's called shipping. I think UPS, FedEx and Puralotor would love to help out. :)

Just ribbing you, Phil. It might not be cost effective for the end client that way, which is probably what you were meaning. :D

It's great of you to lead him the way to an honourable guy to help him.

i guess i need to know how tall and how much he weighs, you see when i was 15 i was bigger than many grown ups and i had worn out a maico 450 (mostly you wear the bolts from wrenching, no complaints about chinese from me) but the 125 may suit him better the apollo 150 would be great if your up to a "little drive" 8O , heres the big thing most if not all of the reputable dealers and distibutors dont sell or allow the sell of their products on line, i know zong does but its overstock and lets see how long they do that once the old stuff is gone, so you need to find somebody (dealer) who has it there so you can size it up, dont be offended if you cant ride it but ask them to, it a insurance thing trust me. then ask them what parts they have IN STOCK if they have a few things would be good enough. if you need more help feel free to give me a call its listed in the profile

He's around 5'9" and 130-140 lbs. I was thinking he could get a scoot he could "grow into" and still be able to ride say in 4+ years from now.

He sounds like an averaged sized 15 year old, not really small or not overly big. I would mention that I am a big man, (280lbs) and my 250 Yamaha rips me around even at that weight, and my wife is scared of it. If this is his first bike, I think you're 'safer' to go with a 125. I know the china bikes don't have as much power as my yz would have, but still might be a lot of power for a novice rider who hasn't even 'legally' driven a car.

There's a lot to be said from starting small and upsizing when ready.

Well said. Also, we could provide tons of tips that would optimize a 125 for your son. We didn't sell our 125 until my son hit six feet (must be something in the water here).

Hmm, ok. I'll look into the smaller ones too.

He's outgrown the little XR50, but did enjoy it for several years.

I did quite like the Gio X33 140cc model. It's a shame it's on back order.

Gio has some nice looking dirt bikes, I almost bought one myself. Problem is he cannot ship to you in the US from my understanding. There well may be ways around that though. He comes around the forums often perhaps he may have a solution for you.

Rats! I just noticed that. When I tried to input the address it said "no shipping" or something to that effect. Then I check the international shipping link...and it says they only ship to Canada. Darn.

Welcome! I am glad to see you have received a lot of good advice from our helpful members. Good luck with your search! :)

Spud :)

Yes and keep us posted on what you do!

Thanks SP and will do TT.

Still reading and learning. The squirt is very impatient, but a little research ain't such a bad thing.
:wink:

OK, he seemed to really like the Roteka 200cc model, so we went with that.

Slightly bruised in shipping, but overall not too bad.

Had to assemble front wheel, bleed front brakes, handle bars, and rear suspension. Put in good 15-40W because I didn't trust the "stock" oil.

Snafu's: When tightening the bottom shock bolt, it broke right off. Trip to hardware store for grade 8 bolt and lock washer.

Chain is too short. Need one more link just to mate it together (yes, that's with master link and still 1/16" too short...incredibly frustrating. I haven't cursed that much since work last Friday).

Battery wears down right away and is mostly useless for starting.

Won't start. Filled with fresh fuel, opened pot bowl drain screw to make sure gas was in bowl.
Looks like the factory started it, because the plug was black with carbon.
Cleaned and replaced. Color probably should have been brown, so maybe jetting might need some work.


Took off air boot to shoot starting fluid directly down the pot throat.
Finally got it to run for about 30 seconds, but then died and that was it.

Too tired to continue for today, but we'll take another crack at it again when time permits.

Not a bad looking little bike. If we get her running, might need some more ergonomic adjustments, namely height adjustment.

Need to finally break down and get a spring compressor. Looks like the bottom adjuster rings can lift it another inch up.

I knew it wasn't going to be easy, although I didn't expect quite this much of a challenge.
:wink:

Welcome to the wonderful world of China Bikes. :lol:

The chain being too short is a good thing. The stock sprockets are ok, but the chains are not. Pick up an RK or a DID chain at the local bike shop; expect to pay around $20 to $30 for a non o-ring version.

I've heard reports of a dessicant in the fuel bowl to guard against corrosion in shipping (although I've never seen one). Pull the carb off, remove the bowl and spray everywhere with aerosol carb cleaner. Gently turn the air / fuel screw in all the way, then back it out 1.5 turns. Toss out the stock plug and install a genuine NGK, despite whatever it says on the factory plug. :wink:

I don't think that compressing the rear spring further will increase seat height, only spring stiffness. Sometimes, depending on the shock design, you can buy or fabricate a shock extender that'll add an inch.

Good luck!

Thanks Weld.

We'll give those a try and see what we come up with.

(I might not update for a while, because my next shot at the bike will be the weekend).

Pre-update:

Noticed the starter/kill switch housing is cracked and just spins on the handlebar. Looks like a JB weld to repair the housing and then maybe some Goop to hold the c-clamp to the back of it.
(the lower screw hole is all split apart and only the top screw is holding).

Also picked up a new chain with 116 links (two more than the B.S. one from the factory).
Got the new NGK plug also.

Will take another crack at it this weekend.