(PT. 11) The drive belt SHREDS on the most HATED scooter on the internet (Living with a Tao Tao)

[@constructdestruct360]

So even though the TaoTao is crap, I declare the video series a success!! It's informative and entertaining.

[@kylejohnson423]

Yeah, I just went through it a 3rd time. I decided to make a shopping list of tools I would need for my next moped project. Cheers!

[@roryo1386]

Lmaaaoo that distorted "Living with a TaoTao" had me coughing beer up my nose. Shame about the drive belt. I'm really happy you are still doing these vids. I loved riding my little TaoTao and it was so goofy sitting next to my dual sport.

[@SegaDisneyUniverse]

Every time something bad happens on my Tao Tao scooter, I'll definitely be thinking about that!😂

[@MassiveTrackHunter]

So to summarize. Buy a Tao Tao, move the brake cable and secure it outside the fender, upgrade the exhaust, re-jet, gates belt, rework the headlamp to use a better bulb. In the end you are still stuck....living with a Tao Tao. Love this series. Fun to learn all the small vehicle diags and repairs.

[@johng.3740]

Yes, I was about to ask what kinds of preventative measures could be taken to prevent these breakdowns. I have a Taotao and I only ride it about 3 days a week total combined use about 40 hrs a week.... haven't experienced what he has.

[@johng.3740]

@Jess JJCHu Ok, thanks I'll look into it. I realized that I spent more money buying parts to repair the engine in the scooter compared to simply buying a new engine and cvt assembly.

[@terryvalenzuela-of3ej]

​@John G. Hey John I was giving a tao it sat for 2 years I cleaned it up put new battery I sprayed carb fluid I was maybe able drive a block and back died won't start at all

[@johng.3740]

@@terryvalenzuela-of3ej Try checking the connections at the CDI box, sometimes they wiggle lose and the scooter won't start, also try checking the intake and exhaust valve clearances.

[@terryvalenzuela-of3ej]

@John G. I think it's flooding because it's leaking gas from back of carburetor causing to come throw filter

[@alexwoods1094]

Come on Garret! Hungry for TaoTao content! The people demand more TaoTao!🤣

[@albertwu847]

Yeah indeed but I think he got tired of it...

[@DaxtonAnderson]

Even though it's probably treating you well, can we get maybe a monthly KZbin Shorts (60sec) with a little update on the bike?? :) Been missing the videos and after you've done all that preventative maintenance I don't think we'll be hearing from you until the motor goes boom or you need another oil change 😂

[@kymbrereton203]

Talk about mixed emotions - oh no, a break down... oh yay, a video!! Keep it shiny side up

[@swampflux]

I've spent the past 2 weeks trying to research scooters and looking at cheap ones on facebook marketplace. When I found this series I hit the pause button and watched all the videos over two afternoons taking notes. THANK YOU. I think I'm going to invest in a Buddy 50 instead. Will check out your other scooter videos as well as I keep looking.

[@Scooter_911]

I'm so stoked to hear that! Honestly investing a little more in your first bike will insure a much better scootering experience. The buddy 50 totally rips as well! and there are a ton of worthwhile performance upgrades for it. The same cant really be said for the gy6 bikes. There are plently of performance parts but most of them are even worse quality than the parts that come on the bike.

[@KyanR7]

i see we had the same problem lol after i replaced my belt i haven’t had problems since

[@crowetablets764]

I have really enjoyed your Tao Tao vids, makes me glad to jump on my Sym scooter and think this thing isn't so bad!

[@tbthegr81]

Man I can't imagine owning a moped that breaks down that much. Mine brakes down way more often...

[@thatdcdude7434]

Do you know anything about American made Wolf scooters. I just made my very first scooter purchase. A 2021 Wolf v1500. Any input on that brand?

[@thatdcdude7434]

Learned that Wolf is actually a China made brand...

[@JeffreyBaconBacon]

Thank you for all of the work that you put into this series in general. I bought a used TaoTao for myself, and I am having a blast with it. It's my first motorized 2 wheel vehicle. I wanted a scooter that I could learn to ride on, before moving up to something a little bigger. I also wanted something to help me learn the basics of motorcycle mechanics, and your videos have gotten me through the little bit that I've needed to do so far. I'm putting together a shopping list using the links that you provided, and I hope that you get a kickback from those links.

[@JumpFloater4]

Sold my TaoTao ATM-50. Must’ve gotten a god like one cause I hit 17 thousand kilometers. Only changing the belt once. Exhaust once. Cleaned the carbs every month. Cleaned it every week. And never rode in the rain and kept it in a shack over night. So idk but I sold it for $200.

[@joshuadavis6094]

Hey Garret I wanted to thank you... Between this series and your scooter 911 video on setting valve lash on the tao tao I just bought and assembled today...I was able to get the bike properly set up and serviced and ready to go... Went for a carb and exhaust and gates belt right out of the box... My valve lash was very similar to how you got yours right out of the box the lash was way too tight on both intake and exhaust and I found a loose connector for the ignition switch... Your series of videos really helped out and I wanted to thank you!

[@ozferim5235]

I got my powermax 150 for like $850 with shipping in 2019 and the belt never shredded and the exhaust never fell off and a lot more. I needed to replace the battery and a couple bolts but that's about it.

[@jodycornelius8258]

They should ship that junk back to where it came from. Now you know why its the most hated moped. Wait till the electrical problems start. Been in this biz ( repair) for four years. It's depressing . smh.

[@shall9864]

I'm waiting for the 5,000 and 10,000 mile reviews. I really applaud your sticking with it for as long as you have. Most places won't touch a chinese scooter due to their continually falling apart. By the time the customer picks it up, something else is wrong with it or within 25 miles of picking it up. I've got an old '08 chinese scoot with 8200km on it. First belt broke at about 1500km. Clutch ate it. Had to replace clutch and belt. No problems since. I have replaced the throttle cable and 3 headlight bulbs. I guess I should replace the original front tire one of these days since it is 13 years old. No cracking and it's still nice and soft. Rear tire lasted about 2500km before needing to be replaced. Exhaust has been perfect. No problems at all other than the bolts at the head need retightening periodically. It always goes whether sun, rain, snow, sub freezing. Just hit the button. Plastics have held up well. Clear cover over the gauges is so milky fogged you can't see anything. Seat cover is beginning to fall apart. I also have a Kymco People 50. The build quality on the chinese scoot is nowhere near as good as the Kymco. The feel of everything on the Kymco is just sooooo much better. It's almost like they actually intended it to last or something. Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing your new videos.

[@peterhallbus1114]

A small tip, I had the same problems with that kind of bulbs, last replacement was with a led one and that gave better light and has so far lasted as long as 4 regular 35w bulbs, and the price was the only $3 shipped ;)

[@FirstnameLastname-bp5cm]

This series is great! Seems like it may be completed at this point. I know you got a lot going on with your new business and we wish that well!

[@Blakethegoat]

Man I got into a head on collision earlier with a Harley (he went to pass someone and slammed me) and all I could think about before I got hit was “living with a taotao” the little jingle

[@soosaucy2866]

Lol

[@mutevibesgaming8616]

and yet i had one from the brand Sanya, and i did own maintenance whenever i wanted to.. managed to get 6000km's on it without big issues. untill the clutch blew off and snapped the belt.

[@lampshade9323]

Still loving the Tao Tao videos, you going to take it for a road trip soon?🤪👍

[@emiliejade1910]

Over six months in and the project is still on going, I'm impressed with your commitment and perseverance, and for bringing us the most watchable motorbike/scooter video's I've ever seen. But as you've pointed out on more than one occasion the Tao Tao really is a false economy, especially when most of the people who buy one probably aren't mechanically competent (and why should they be?) and would have to pay for the dubious "privilege" of keeping it going, they really would be better off buying a better quality bike for a little more money to begin with, or buy a quality second hand scooter. As ever thanks for bringing us a brilliant video and series and a Happy New Year to you.

[@Scooter_911]

Thanks! And you're absolutely right and "false economy" is definitely the best way to put that. I might be borrowing that term for the next video. Happy new year to you as well!

[@crpth1]

I'll play devil's advocate on this one. You all complain that's bad, it's this and that... In fact I agree with most of these. BUT, now comes the but. How would you explain that literally millions of these cheap Chinese scooters, are right now. Running not only in China, but around the world. It's not a few hundreds, or thousands. It's millions of them! ;-)

[@RayMoney561]

I have an ATM-50 and it is my first time with a motorbike of any kind. So far with the preventive maintenance outlined in the manual and quality replacement parts I am at just under 6k Km and only spending about $1500 in total. 2 drive belts caused (presumably) by a sticking throttle eating them alive (stuck at 3k rpm at stoplights, it was a poor throttle cable install from the shop and the system never had a chance to cool off) 3 headlight bulbs (finally replaced with LED and it has been the best so far) and 1 recitifier. I'm not sure how our experiences can be so vastly different but at the current rate I should hit 10k Km by December and as long as there is no catastrohpic failure, I'd say I got a decent (not great) deal. [Purchased Nov 2020, 6 Months of ownership] Also your video's have been a great help in doing what little work I've had to do on the bike! I hope you continue the series enough to defeat the 10k Km (or was it miles?) Marker you set in your earliest video.

[@graysongurksnis1640]

I can’t believe you let yourself live with this for so long😂 I run a scooter flipping business and I’ve learned that I will NEVER buy a tao tao even if I plan on selling it right away

[@thatdcdude7434]

Hats off to him right? With all the vehiclece he has, he is doing this for us... Good dude!

[@lambodp]

1500 miles on a drive belt is just plain pathetic. I'm glad you have enlightened a lot of potential scooter buyers for the actual cost of the scooter, not just the initial purchase price. This scooter demonstrates the saying "you get what you pay for" quite well, and being handy to fix things is great, but breaking down and walking/ubering home sucks. Thanks for the series!

[@Foggyfighter]

Figure you have done an amazing job showing for who this kind of scooter would be a suitable purchase. Also figure you have done a way better job than I would have ever expected possible in showing the "quality" you may expect from this type of scooter. One should always be humble for the budget limitations of oneself and/or other people, but to realize the difference between paying $500-1000 extra for reliability versus a cheaper bike and a daily chance of some roadside wrenching kind of makes you ask what kind of person and what kind of preferences you have. (I mean, if nothing else you would need someone to pick you up at the roadside)... Great quality as always. Just wish there would be more content and higher frequency between the publications. Missed the notification on this video. Only noticed it because I searched for your channel, which I never do on any other channel. O:) Also, side note.. Always nice seeing people who knows what they are doing, being able to wrench pretty much anywhere.. While I spend my life complaining I got no suitable place to wrench on my bikes..

[@Scooter_911]

Thank you for your kind words. I had really hoped to get these videos out quicker but my job has become extremely demanding recently and I don't have as much time for editing and production as when I started this project. Got a few more in the can though so stay tuned!

[@Foggyfighter]

@@Scooter_911 having a job is a nice thing. hopefully it's not the worst job.. :) not saying it's a good thing, or would suit your channel, but have you considered a patreon, in order to support development of the channel? :)

[@Scooter_911]

@@Foggyfighter I have. I just haven't made the move to bring it live, and I'm not sure what I can offer my patrons in return

[@Foggyfighter]

@@Scooter_911 I figure the question isn't what you can give the patrons in return. I figure you already provide the value. The question should rather be if the donations could be helpful in developing the channel, in terms of helping you spend more time and resources on the channel in the future. Time invested is an opportunity cost. Equipment is a cost. Tools is a cost. And vehicles, for most of us, is a cost. Would it help you to invest more time? And would it help improving the content without losing the "garret feel"? After all, a quarter (taotao) tank of gas ($1) from me might not seem like much, but soon you have a day payed for, to spend on content creation?! :) Don't expect too much (a.k.a being demanding), and realize most of us appriciate you for being you.. Time to go live?!? ;)

[@dapv144]

I wish I had a Tao Tao. I bought the BD50QT9A from some website almost 3 yrs ago. It's manufactured by Baodiao locomotive and good luck finding anyone who is familiar with them.. This thing has been nothing but a bucket of bolts. Finding exact replacement parts is almost impossible. Im working on it this weekend to try to get it operational. I must say,, Its been fun working on it and cruising, but it is highly unreliable. I feel for anyone who has to rely on a 50 as their primary mode of transportation. Thanks for the vids man and much respect to you for your honesty and knowledge in all your content. Thank you for being ballsy enough to document the struggles. I just want to know when you are putting the BBK on that thing though. I mean, come on, you know you want to.

[@MultiEldridge]

Man, I've never seen you so annoyed at something on one of your videos - and I like your videos because you're normally so upbeat! I can understand the frustration, though.

[@StaitlyNatters]

It seems that when you breakdown on the taotao it’s inclement weather. Maybe not take it out when the weathers bad

[@cemtkeenan2750]

You can remove and replace the drivebelt without any tools, but gloves would help. Grab clutch pulley with both hands, squeeze or pull it towards the clutch bell. The belt should now easily slide out both clutch and variator- install new belt.

[@BF-km3qp]

Thank you for the content, it helps a lot!

[@Padawan_8000]

Thank you. From watching your videos and other KZbinrs videos I bought my first scoot this year. 09 Lifan qt50 t. It wasn't running hard ware was Missing, no belt and wrong battery. The first thing I did was give it a crank and gear oil change with motorcycle grade oils. I drained the old gas a put premium in it. Runs great I put about 70 miles on it. Next year I want to change the air box, clutch, variator, roller weights bc of my size and terrain. O I even bought 60 mph rated tires for it even though it goes around 30mph. My friends thought it was an over kill on that. I paid 300 bucks for it and with parts, title fees, and insurance I only spent about 750 bucks.

[@brianwilliams309]

I pushed my tao tao more than i was able to ride it. Mine had 1200 km just had it bored out to an 80cc. Then the valves went to crap and the carb and the intake. The day i got it back from the shop. After that i got to ride it for a grand total of 30 km before the transmission went

[@kylesjunkandprojects216]

I completely agree on the Kymco Agility 50, I once bought one of those with 9k kilometers on it with the original belt, hardly any oil in it, and all it needed was a valve adjustment and regular maintenance, I did change the belt to be safe. I rode it for 2k more kilometers and sold it. 10/10 ped! It’s amazing how reliable the gy6 can be when it’s not made of garbage.

[@joeybomba8046]

S*** I had a TaoTao with 14,000 miles on it you get a good when you get to bed when you got a maintenance aren't all that great either they're just a step above and that's about it

[@jasonmorgan661]

I just blasted your video backstage at church on accident.😎 i know some peeps divine message for the day will be "living with a tao tao"!!!😂. I cant make this up lol. Oh man😥

[@miketayse]

Always fun to see what's going on. I think you've proved that buying a Tao-tao is a pretty risky gamble. I didn't know they still made 2 stroke scooters, hmmm....I've always liked 2 strokes.

[@SegaDisneyUniverse]

Wow, it's a good thing I'll be swapping my drive belt soon to stay on the safe side. I assure you it was not a fun experience getting stranded because my scooter's drive belt busted on me! Luckily I wasn't too far from home when it happened! And I recently lubed my throttle cable line since it was getting stuck from the cold weather!

[@johng.3740]

I too have a Taotao 50cc, I use it to make food deliveries. I drove it for about 40hrs a week. I installed a big bore kit because the scooter was waaay too slow at 50cc, top speed about 25-30 mph! After the big bore kit, top speed went too 45-47mph....great for keeping up with traffic where I live. Though the big bore kit only lasted for about 1000miles, one day, the scooter bogged down and the next time I tried to start it.... wouldn't start.... eventually it would start with a bit of oil dumped through the spark plug, or extensive cranking....not good. I did some reading and found that this is normal due to the quality of materials in the big bore kit, so now I'm going to try a "high quality" big bore kit from Naraku. 42.5mm, intake valve bigger than exhaust valve, hopefully higher quality rings, pistons, head and cylinder tube materials. It costs about $250 on Ebay

[@18wheeler77]

When are you gonna continue the car videos?!!

[@gordonpenny1842]

Love the vocoder Love this vid!

[@RustyGlovebox]

Really brings home the real cost of the Tao Toa to operate

[@joeybomba8046]

This drive belts are known to be bad and cheap you have to get a Gates belt and any drives in the rain in the CDI box gets wet and damp they can't be wet it's just simple things and they're not costly

[@BenSwanster]

I'm enjoying the series. I've learnt a lot at maintaining my Direct Bikes (uk version of tao tao) I swapped my blubs for LED types and haven't had a blow since

[@1worldgaming18]

my drive belt snapped one day (long time a'go) on my aprillia rally with a 70cc kit with all the trimmings on and it made it sound like a moto cross bike ring ding ding :)

[@allenwalker4701]

The voltage regulator/rectifier might be on the way out. I was randomly blowing headlight bulbs, then it progressed to rear tail/brake light bulbs on my 2008 gy6 150. It took me a while to figure, but the giveaway was I'd see occasional spikes in the headlamp brightness. The vrm cost like $9 on ebay, and lasted whilst I still had the scooter. Unfortunately I'm not aware of a quality vrm. Not sure if there is a LED bulb you can change for the headlamp but the tail/brake lamp is usually just a bayonet replacement. LED can handle voltage spikes better, as well as using negligible electrical power. Sorry you are having troubles with it. I think we all want to see you somehow persevere with it...^^

[@ehllyINTHEYEAR8642]

I have a tao tao 🤣 I'm always singing living with a taotao!

[@cherbelmorad1936]

Hahaa🤣

[@ehllyINTHEYEAR8642]

4 months later still running ! I got new light bulb fixed front brakes and oil change! Ya dig

[@Dziki_z_Lasu]

This is the point when a lot of people sell them for a small money to get rid of them. However a potential buyer will get something a lot more decent for no money, so everything that could happen, happened before and people tend to buy better parts, because the difference in cost is marginal. The next critical period will be at 4-5 year, when all rubber things will disintegrate, most probably also fuel tank (quite a lot of work). Then corrosion will kill that thing soon if it already didn't. If you must periodically road legalise moped in yours country, take a special care of the frame serial number. A bit of rust there or even chipped paint in an unfortunate part of a symbol will send your perfectly fine scooter to a scrap yard.

[@theofficialseanodonnell7498]

Was considering getting a Tao Tao before seeing these videos. I think I’ll have to spring for a Honda metropolitan!

[@Dragontech1]

I wished I found your video series on this before I bought one. I'm just a little over 500 miles on mine and it's been a domino effect of one break down after another. The latest one was trying to tune the carb and checking the spark plug color to see if I got it right and now the threads on the head for where it goes is stripped. All I wanted was just cheap transportation for getting back and forth to work. I've learned a lot from this series and going to try to get it back up and running again. At least better performance parts are mostly cheap and easy to get. Thank you for these videos.

[@Scooter_911]

I'm sorry to hear that friend. If there is a bright side it's that you're learning a lot about motorcycle repair!

[@crpth1]

Come on!! You striped the thread on the head, because you had no clue about what you were doing. And that's the scooter fault?! For goodness sake that's ridiculous. Complain about the material or assembly faults. But please keep in mind that your own mistakes should not count.

[@Dragontech1]

@@crpth1 striped? 🤣

[@crpth1]

@@Dragontech1 lol😁 autocorrect does need some AI.

[@VanAuMc90]

I was riding down the street yesterday going about 55 mph my belt broke felt a shudder had to move to the side of the road it did the same thing yours did when i pulled the gas no wheel movement I can hear the belt flapping around...I have a X-PRO 150CC PRETTY BOY VIP

[@JumpFloater4]

I'm at 9 thousand kilometers and Ive only replaced the exhaust. I guess I got a good one.

[@jonnyb9982]

I bought my kymco agility 50 in 2016. It was one year old with 500 kilometers when I bought it for $1000. A steal. Today I have almost 14,000 kilometers. So far the only problems I've had were the automatic choke, and and had to get a new starter. That is it. Other than that, I just put new tires on it, and did the breaks last year. It fires right up, and I drive it a total of about 20 miles a day.

[@dekoldrick]

Lucky for me, I didn't buy either of the two I acquired so the initial purchase cost can be avoided. One was retrieved during a junk removal job, the other was given to me by my local scrap metal collector after seeing the one I got from the junk removal was identical to one he had but can't be bothered to work on such things anymore.

[@acorredorv]

Just to add some motivation and keep this series alive. I managed to nurse a Chinese 150cc bikie up to 15,000 miles and I never had any spectacular failures, just the usual; brittle plastic would break, rubber parts disintegrated, random stuff would come loose and what not. It had this weird electrical gremlin, whenever the headlight bulb went out the ignition coil would follow, but I was never able to measure a spike in voltage. I got rid of it after the 2nd time the gas tank leaked, walking to a bike in the middle of a gas puddle in the garage? Not worth it, setting my house on fire was a risk I was not willing to take.

[@Yenkna_PCs]

I have an Icebear Trike and I had a breakdown, but it was rather simple. A dirty carburetor. I just used carburetor cleaner and it did the trick.

[@RadioIlluminaticom]

I also have a Chinese scooter (Giantco Stealth). I love it. My lock and tracker cost the same as the scooter. The scooter thief will probably not steal a Chinese scooter. I'm working on changing the belt - it snapped and I had to drag the scooter many miles. I need an impact wrench.

[@ErwinHolland.]

I have seen OEM Peugeot belts do over 20K kilometers. (it was on a bike i bought, still had the original belt with more than 20K on the clock) And it still looked fine. I replaced it, obviously, but just shows you what a good belt can do.

[@AdamSchell303Racing]

If you can say one thing it will make a great mechanic out of you. I'm planning on getting a 150cc and racing it.

[@obivaughn11]

Just happened right before winter. These scooters are a pain!

[@eamonnmckeown6770]

I'm in the process of setting up an appt to inspect a used scooter I just bought. The shop/dealer said up front " We don't work on Chinese scooters. " lol. It's a Wolf RX50. I tried to get a 2 stroke Vino running and it just didn't happen. oh well. Good info on the Piaggio. I'll save up for one of those.

[@verablack3137]

So in 2017 I bought a used Honda PCX 125 for $1500, about 10,000 miles in and I have had to buy tires, oil, air filter, and I replaced the belt because it was looking a bit old and had cracks in it. It is also fuel injected, starts every time and goes 60mph with a popular national dealer network to get parts from, so it really was much cheaper for me to have spent slightly more cash up front.

[@jarikinnunen1718]

I have Kymco Filly. Nearest looks like same scooter with "same" engine model. Only weak points are floor fuel tank and fuel pump. I did small tank under saddle.

[@janialander414]

This was nice series...I do own 50cc Kymco Agility, 2006 model. For most of its life that scooter has just been stored in garage, untill I got it cheaply, with 3000 km in odometer...I replaced belt and battery and so on as those parts simply had aged a lot. Now there is about 15 000 km in odometer, little less than 10 000 miles. Needed new rear tire as original was worn out. Engine runs nicely, clutch started show need for replacing. Belt I bought is still thicker than change limit. Never has let me on the side of road. And I do run some longish trips at summertime, longest was somewhat over 400 km round trip, about 250-260 miles. Does climb hills acceptably, acceleration in city is acceptable. Makes me wonder why buy a new chinese suspicious quality stuff when you can buy secondhand quality brand stuff.

[@n4zou]

I've dealt with a blown headlight bulb like that before. The wiring harness has soldered connections instead of crimp type connectors. The solder has gone bad for the headlight circuit in the wiring harness. When that happens the DC current in the headlight circuit increases, which causes the bulb to burn out and cause that white coating on the inside of the bulb. You'll need to remove the entire wiring harness and fix every soldered connection in the wiring harness, not just the headlight circuit. If you don't you'll be chasing electrical problems constantly as each and every one of those soldered connections go bad in every circuit.

[@williamhaskellhaskell3162]

The head lite and c.d.I. are AC volts direct from the stator. The rest is dc. The cheap head lite bulb is plastic

[@ErAcEr100]

Coming back to this old video and took your recommendation and bought a Genuine Buddy 50 to replace the TaoTao. May I request a video of how to properly remove the restrictor? The dealership gave me a washer/gasket like item that I think it is supposed to go into the place of the restrictor but that was a year ago and do not remember exactly. Thanks!

[@itsmephil2255]

Been looking forward to a new video coming out for a while Just a shame you got stranded when the belt snapped

[@applepoop10]

What happened the Tao Tao videos? It’s been 3 years since the last video.

[@JulitoPapitoo]

Good to see an update on ye olde hunk o' junk.

[@JumpFloater4]

Any update to the TaoTao? I'm at 13k miles. And I feel like something's wrong there's no way I haven't had any issues with this damn bike at all. Besides changing the exhaust I've done nothing to it and it's still pretty much brand new. Could not pushing it hard be a reason? I never need to go above 35.

[@JumpFloater4]

@jefroli evertinitz I never drive in the rain lol

[@mopedmessiah]

Your point is 110% correct. I bought a Super 8 150, and an 05 Typhoon 50. Such, such better bikes than any chinese bike. The Typhoon only cost 500 bucks and needed minor work. Honda Elites, yamaha Zumas, just so many options thatll run so much longer

[@rodgerwill1042]

Cue the defenders. Popping the popcorn.

[@Scooter_911]

Hahaha I know right?!

[@thatdcdude7434]

Like I said in an earlier comment, nope, i am not living with a Tao Taaaooooo...lol, yet you are schooling me Garret on how to be DIY guy bc where I purchased the scooter sucks on the maintenance tip...lol! You give me the confidence, as you always say its just a bucket of bolts, just about the tools!! You are beast mode bro!!!

[@davidroman9300]

First thing you do is change all the rubber gas lines and use real gas line , those will always clog the jets in the middle of a ride and it won't run . after that there pretty good. I've got a 2012 Tao Tao and it still runs pretty good.

[@thomasdsmith7678]

The bulbs sometimes pop if the voltage is high or wavers to the actual bulb. Might check at the bulb.

[@sharkfin4256]

Hang in there buddy

[@Bert439]

Man oh Man I applaud your dedication! Wondering what your opinion is in ScootStar, they are imported by Alliance PowerSports who also brings in SYM & Lance motorcycles.

[@carmineredd1198]

my taotao vip powermax 150cc still going strong .my only breakdowns were twice due to cracked airline hoses and twice ran out of gas but i was riding with others . the new twin only had one breakdown , the battery failed but i was not alone and carry wire ., beat my taotao 25,000 miles before the first oil change, you cannot . same brakes belt bulbs $650 NIB , $50 battery, $70 rear knobby tyre ( orig tyre in EC ) , hose was free came from a toilet tank overflow thing . get one like mine and test it

[@billrimmer5596]

I absolutely love this channel. Their is a guy that claims to change the belt by just squeezing the two parts. I don’t know if that’s possible. I c u used your impact to do it. Is the Buddy 50 a lot lighter than my Buddy 125?

[@almostabeast240]

I habe replaced belts both ways. It's really easy to replace the belt with the squeeze method, but usually you should replace rollers at the same interval as the belt, so the front pulley needs to come apart anyway.

[@Mayranos]

check the manufacturers spec sheets, they list the weights and dimensions, on them.

[@sapvt7023]

I have really enjoyed your Tao Tao video. any recommendation between another model or any of these brands? Bintelli sprint, Wolf Brand Scooters V, Lance

[@Scooter_911]

Great question! I've actually worked at a dealership that sold all 3 of those brands and I can honestly say there isn't much difference between them. While they are all a little better quality than tao tao the bar is still very low and I will always recommend purchasing a second hand name brand scooter from yamaha, Honda or even PGO (genuine scooters in North America)

[@paulbudford]

You definitely get what you pay for. A more premium scooter like the typhoon would also come with a dealer backed warranty. I have a 2019 typhoon. The build quality is definitely not as good as the earlier built in Europe version. Still guessing way superior to the Tao Tao. With the Chinese scooters, you need a bit of mechanical know how.

[@paulbudford]

@Blitzen I don't think they imported the Zip to the US. ☹️

[@paulbudford]

Here in the U.K. The zip was a two, or four stroke. My typhoon is a two stroke. But from 2021 no more two strokes. It's funny how some markets get models, and some markets dont. The zip is a great city bike. Loads of delivery companies use them.

[@lethargicstove2024]

Living with a Tao Tao in that creepy voice lol

[@dasriechen1140]

My tao tao had one single valve adjustment, and is at over 6000km, literally drove till the tire exploded (I never checked the tires whoops) while I was driving down the road with my hanging muffler and air intake, and wiggly handlebars. Minor shoulder injury. Didn't get a new tire, but that damned TaoTao will still crank and run, 5 months later, no work done since the wreck. I didn't know they were so bad but mine literally has only ever broke down on me once. My complacency led to the tire exploding. It's a piece of crap, but the damn thing just won't quit. However my trailmaster has broke down on me twice in 2 months.

[@wesleyd.A10]

So, is this series all done!?... It's been 3 years from the last video...🤔🤔🤔

[@josephhartman7979]

I've got a 2020 tao tao ATM 49c c haven't had any problems with it yet and it has 2200 miles on it just had to adjust the valves

[@Spuki2k]

My Honda lead 91’ has close to 30,000 km and has never broken down on me. At least not to where I couldn’t get home without some improvising.

[@bumpintheG]

Ohhhh thank you G, for these videos I will never get a Tao Tao... I'll stick to Vespa🛵🎉🎉🎉

[@mario-bjornpeikert1572]

@Garret: Especially the part of the video you are talking about the competetivity of the offfers made by Piaggio and Kymco is really interesting but you forgot to mention the security issures your TaoTao came with. Remember your breaking system fault? Or your steering bearing problems? This is something you are less likely to discover on a name brand. Of course you have to maintain the other scooters as well but the tend not to be death traps! I think by the time you have driven this scooter 3000 Miles you could easily have driven a Piaggio for the same cost. On the next sceduled maintanace it would be nice to see the weldings on the frame and if there are any cracks on the frame as well. If you find any, please abort the experiment because it would prove the machine to be a death trap!

[@DivergentDroid]

I'm watching the playlist from the beginning. Do you have Any reason to think perhaps the 150's Tao Tao makes will be any different? Perhaps you should get a Vitacchi Spark 150cc and see if it is the same or better.

[@steveforbes6303]

I think it's safe to say that it's a piece of crap. Way too many things wrong for 1500 miles.

[@KyanR7]

it is a piece of crap but if you know what to change they can be so much fun. i even wheelie mine but i mainly road during the summer. i put about 4700 miles on mine and the last thing to go wrong was tire pressure and that was my fault because of how much weight i put on the back tire.

[@Winner3ty]

@@KyanR7 Thats true, but with all the parts you buy, you're better off just getting a taiwan bike. My super 9 is a top of the line scoot' for not really that much more

[@KyanR7]

@@Winner3ty honestly you aren’t really buying a lot of parts for it at least in my case. I don’t know i guess i just got lucky but she’s been running ever since and i’m getting closer to 6000 Miles

[@Winner3ty]

@@KyanR7 Thats great, I just prefer Taiwanese stuff because I like 2 strokes. lots of nice LC scooters out there like mine, bit older but lots of parts and tunable, and zippy even stock

[@KyanR7]

@@Winner3ty what’s your thoughts on ice bears?

[@landmonkey22]

Lets go with another episode!

[@dr.samsung_8855]

My taotao is a little over 10k miles and is just about ready for it's 3rd crankshaft 😂😂

[@smoothcriminal9698]

I smell big bore kit...

[@dr.samsung_8855]

@@smoothcriminal9698 80cc to be exact 👌

[@GYccUsefultips]

@@dr.samsung_8855 Install a decompression tube to ease the load on the crankshaft.Make sure it is not running lean by checking the spark plug..Use 5 ml per gallon of gas of Lucas fuel treatment and 2 cycle marine oil blended..75 % Lucas/25 % 2 cycle oil..Use an NGK spark plug..

[@blairtheageese5269]

Great video, Yes a 2 stroke is so much better, In Canada they only sell the dam 4 strokes now, due to climate change,

[@mattparker9726]

with the 2 stroke 50 CC engines I wonder if you can pull a 66cc upper and fit it as a 'big bore' kit? The entire motor is like 90 bucks.

[@MrEgnorant]

My Tao Tao seems to be a clone of yours! I got it free because it was bought for someones grandkids who promptly crashed the plastic off and left it nonrunning. the ground on the CDI fell out and it was abandoned. Had the loose wire on the blinker too. With only 102.7 K on it I hope to use it as a yard bike with a few drives to the corner store. I did have a petcock failure and gas drained through the vacuum line and filled the crankcase (and garage floor) with gasoline. So what is next?

[@dutchguy1975]

My Kymco Agility 50 really has costed me a lot of money although it was a 2nd hand with 7700 kilometers on it. Already worn out 2 variators, yes the actualy variator with several sets of rollers, already on my 3rd bendix, 2nd set of gaskets, and the 20lb of rust that was called the exhaust I replaced for the Technigas 4Scoot which is only has 1 clamp and the nuts that are rusty. Also had to replace my CDI, my odometer broke, not the cable but the odometer and my electric start hasnt worked in a year and a half which is not the starting relais but the electric start motor and I'm not handy enough to replace that myself. Overall the Kymco has costed me a lot of money in a little over 2 and a half years. So I stopped investing in it and in about 5-6 months I will be buying another scooter but probably something like a Peugeot, Aprillia or Yamaha.

[@MrSegmentfault]

I had a Speedfight 3. The exhaust and subframe rusted straight out of the factory. Inlet manifold rubber cracking within 1st year. Braking light socket desintegrating in 1st year. Seat wouldn't close without curing some plastic. Etc.. What a piece of junk. Piaggios China and Vietnam factories are OK. For Kymco and Peugeot I would stick to the parent factory (France, Taiwan). Which is difficult because they have outsourced the entire budget lineup.

[@dutchguy1975]

@@MrSegmentfault wow I had a Speedfight 2 and had no issues at all with that. All I did was tune the setup properly and replace the 20lb worth of possible rust that is called the exhaust with a stainless steel Leovince GP. With my current scooter's exhaust rust is also no issue. the Technigas 4Scoot, has a nice raspy sound also, and that's with the DB Killer still in.

[@williamhaskellhaskell3162]

Taiwanese is not Japanese build?

[@CaptainHDY]

What Happened? 2 months and you gave up with the Tao Tao? Been on mine 3rd Year. is not my only Vehicle but the main one I drive. 140 mpg average (Well guess that is Kilometers) vrs 11 in my 94 Chevy Truck or 17 in Dodge Caravan. use Scooter as Back up Trans and use it for Uber Eats Deliveries months on end as example Van is getting rebuilt engine, 180k Miles but has take almost 6 months to to parts issues, funds issues, and a damn slow mechanic, But quick Log:11/15/2022 - 01/05/2023, 3300 on Odometer. average 165 a day driving that scooter for 20 days in that ;little sample. so about 3 or 4 days a week I drive 6 to 10 hours doing deliveries and 6 of those 20 days were over 200mile days. So yea it is tough but has been my only trans for 6 months now other then the above mentioned 2500 pick up truck. would have like you to prove yourself wrong as the scooter will probably out last its tires if you take care of it. Well was interesting series but guess you gave up. Some of us on those things have no choice and have to keep them running. Just did it's 2nd Clutch last week and new Varieater yesterday and am off to do Eats Deliveries for about 10 hours today. (Depending on how the Varieater works out, think the weights are heavier and not sure how well it is gonna preform.

[@fatlaed6251]

Mine is cranking just like that exactly like that and I can't figure out why it won't turn over even with a charge battery

[@garysmith6895]

Why have you stopped this series. Are you going to pick it back up?

[@CaptainHDY]

Just Broke 30k on my scooter and yea it is Crap but easy to fix. just replaced a Crankshaft last month in mine and she fired right up and is driving again.. Guess you gave up on yours. as part of the upgrade went to an 80cc Big bore kit and I messed up the install but she ran 500 miles till my Belt decelerated too so rebuilt everything including a new crank kit. and at about 1000 miles on the latest build...

[@Mrflash222006]

I had a Suzuki ap50 did 7k miles and it didn’t miss beat, it was a 2T and I only run it on Fuchs oil

[@davespooney8472]

Typhoon plus derestriction, sports exhaust and upjet will run rings around most budget 125’s never mind 50’s.