So.. I purchased a Chinese Bike **horror story**

Hi all,

this is my first post, I would appreciate any help on the topic I’m about to post.

I recently bought a new Sinnis harrier 125,
The bike is 9days old & bought at 0 mileage plus I’m the first owner.

The bike is intended for high usage as I’m using It for the knowledge (the exam needed to be a London can driver) I have to cover every inch of London. I estimate I need approx 1.5 year use of the bike

anyway...

First day I thought To myself decent bike but not as good as the Honda vision I learnt on, rear breaks feel very stiff neither Are they as responsive but no matter I only need the bike to last two years no big deal. However, in the 9 days of owning I’ve had the various issues....

Day 2-3: Bike rides and feels fun no heavy use during these days Total 3 hours, not ridden again till day 6.

Day 6: I put the more expensive petrol and a hour later my Sinnis looses power, struggles to run and the engine light is on, the bike cuts out at traffic lights and has to be re started.

Day 7: I switch to the cheaper petrol all seems fine again however the moped does at times cut out maybe twice during a 4hour use.

After 4 hours I’m stuck 30 minutes from home and the Bike won’t start no matter what, I tried kick start, the standard start procedure NOTHING works. Eventually the bike does run however 10 minute from my home is goes dead and the traffic lights and same happens this time it’s 15 minutes before it decides to run again.

I will be going to the dealership tomorrow however, obviously I’m fuming it’s a new bike shouldn’t happen

my question is what could the issue possibly be?

And should I ask for refund or A new bike?

I have warranty but I would rather not have The same bike fixed And retuned as I don’t know what other issues it could have long term


Kind Regards

 

Welcome to the world of gy6 engines! They have made millions of them. Mostly they are tough as heck. The electrics and fueling can vary in quality. My first move when buying vehicles with those engines is to reduce it to a fuel line direct from tank to carburetor provided the tank is above carburetor. Maybe an on/off valve. I plug the vacuum hoses at carb intake manifold. Last month during that process, I noted a faulty kind of cheek valve in the tank vent that may have caused an actual vacuum so high that it effected flow of fuel. Bike stopped after 2 miles every time. Mostly I found changing the air fuel mix setting to 3.5 turns out solved the real problem. That adjustment screw is tamper proofed so you have to drill a tiny hole in cap metal only, put in sheet metal screw just enough to grab it with pliers and rip off cap revealing flat head screw. You can view thus process on the internet. Idle will speed up su You have to slow it down at idle adjust point. Do it on hot engine. You can ask the seller to do this but they may need a reason for going around the law. Once I told Harley Davidson that it almost caused me an accident and death because of engine failure. That worked.
You paid about 20% price of a normal bike so owner involvement is the fix. Read up on it. Example is you probably have a disk brake in front and a drum brake on rear. Drum brakes feel mushy and require more pressure. They make that brake less powerful so your back tire does not break loose. Stuff like that is part of learning about transports and will help you in the future no matter what you drive. Don't spend too much on performance parts. Carb adjustment and maybe a different main jet in carb and that's it for more power. Engine is designed to work its best at 3 to 5k rpm. Spending hundreds will get maybe another 1 hp. Silly really. Spend that on gloves and protection. New riders crash about twice. It's so fun that you just push the limits and bang, your on the ground. Study and practice counter steering every ride. You may never crash in the corners. Run high beams in day. People won't pull out in front of you at intersections as much. That hurts.
Have fun but be alert for the dumb.

 

Your sinnis will be EFI , nothing you can do to the fueling, these Chinese scooters need a lot of PDI before going out on the road. Brakes need lubing on sliders, headrace bearings to tight, lever pivots etc. I spent about 4-5 hours building them out the box ready for road. A better quality scooter will need battery/petrol and it's ready ! Valve clearance is an issue and need adjusting as they are to tight from factory. I used to work on chinese bikes/scooters and they will need regular servicing /maintenance or it will let you down. I personally don't think it's the scooter for your needs, the pcx is 100 % better. Sorry to go on.

 

I have got a refund on the bike today, you are right I’m looking at the pcx and SH now.

I thought I was being clever saving a few bucks but clearly not. Obviously wasn’t given a proper PDI also.

And to think I chose this Sinnis over a used PCX ohh the regret.

 

There is a place for the Chinese machines, the "knowledge" isn't one of them ! Glad you got it sorted.

 

On that note if there anybody selling a Honda PCX or sh125 Let me know, based in London budget approx £1800 and slightly above

 

Keep your money and train for another job. Done the knowledge back in 1982. I had the last good year out of driving a cab back in 1984. The trouble is that the game has given up on you. No one cares about you. Gengis Khan and other councils are closing off all the roads. The radio circuits are owned by multi national firms, and run mini cabs as well. If you really want to know what it is like. Follow a cab for the day. Go where he goes. Tell him your doing it, and see what he takes. Trust me it is not the fortune everyone says you earn. I retired early because the covid had taken away all the work, along with Gengis Khan and Uber etc etc.

 

Refund it. Theres no secondhand money in chinese scooters, cheaper to buy. But less money back once you d3cide to sell it.. And you gonne spend money. And alot of frustration and youe precious time. And ypu gonne be late for work because it stops either wont start. Or just stops on the highway. Like mine did. REFUND IT