China ATV's and UTV's

[mrefird]

Anyone own or tried any of the super cheap import ATV's or UTV's? I have had a Bayou 220, Honda Rancher 350 and a Sportsman 500 H.O. I miss having an ARV, but have sold or traded all of the one's listed above due to buying cars / trucks and more recently an adoption. I miss my ATV, but cannot afford to buy what I would really like to have at this time.

[jimbires]

my next door neighbors son has a motorcycle shop in Hazelton Pa.. he says the biggest problem with them is you don't know what parts to get for them . the guys that sell them tell you something like this one has Honda suspension . but you don't know what year or model of Honda . He always has a horror story to tell me about them . If you could find a cheapo that came with a book that told you what components were used to build it , that would really help . Jim

[Todd G.]

I think if you stay with the better known brands you will be ok. For example, the Kymco is doing well. Its cheap and the parts are fairly easy to find. Hyosung is another that is ok. However, as was mentioned, if you go after the other cheaper ones, parts can be an issue.

They tend to be a little under powered and somewhat cramped compared to other atvs. Also, the fit and finish are no where close to the more popular Japanese and American units.

With the Kymco, it works pretty well and will likely surprise you.

[ColtWKnight]

I wouldnt even consider one. They are problems waiting to happen which are difficult to work on, and harder to find parts for.
They use a lot of stamped metal and plastic parts that break very easily.

[Lodiman]

I have a problem with patronizing our biggest economic and military rival when satisfactory alternatives can be found produced here and in other countries who are our allies.

[sailinghudson25]

Buying Chinese products does support communism, poor enviroment, and hurts american jobs. If you're tight on the budget, just get a 80-100cc quality product. I have an old suzuki 90cc. Honda has one for under 1800 and has a decent suspension for larger folk. That was this year, no model year sale and before most people relaized our economy is shot. Mine is a kids model I had for years with stock suspension. Recently regeared for better performance, does like 30 or so max. I keep it under 20. If you just need reliable woods tranportation, this is the way to go for cheap.

Also, a poor performing bike can be dangerous. Just being broke down on a trail can be dangerous. How about the carb stalling out when your kids are taking a turn too fast. I've visited 2 people in intensive care and went to one funeral due to dirt bikes/ATV's. One had a wheel fall off, one was a cheap dirtbike that the throttle jambed up before a turn, and the funeral was a woodchuck hole on a quad.