I wouldn't bother with a brand name for a kiddie quad, the little ones tend to be outsourced as well, so it's not like you're getting the same level of quality you'd get from a full sized machine.
And your kid won't fit on the ATV for too long either, he's/she's growing after all.

I doubt you'll let your child do jumps regardless of brand anyway, so I'd say it's safe to just stick with the Chinese for that as long as you make sure the breaks are okay and you have a way to limit the throttle.

 

Im pretty sure that all kids quads except for Honda's are made in either China or Taiwan.

 

Skip the TaoTao and get a Kymco, Alphasports, or Eton or research another brand if you need 125cc or bigger. I was given a TaoTao 125 and the frame is nowhere near square. It's scary how bad it is. When you view it from underside the frame you'd think the axle is bent as the rear tires are at different distances away from the front suspension. Then you notice that the swingarm mounting points aren't square, the axle bearing carrier is welded on crooked to the swing-arm, and most cross bars are at 98 degree angles or 81 degree angles to the tubes they attach to. I know this is an old thread but I had no experience with this brand until now and would hate to see someone pay for a steaming pile like the one in my shed. If it wasn't free I'd have avoided it. If I can't tinker and make it useful I'll part it out or shoot it with my WASR or AR-15 .

 

I got a 125D Tao Tao, I am not a rep, will upload pics soon if need be. They are perfect for a kid starting up, dont be fooled w the 110 and 125cc engines. They are exactly the same as the ones used in name brand dirt bikes or atvs.

China has the right to assemble any product manufactured on their land. There are a few things; once you have one tighten all bolts, locktyte, check all wire connections and if possible use balloons w zip ties to protect them from water. Install a fuel filter and a fuel valve. Never leave gasoline on the bowl for long periods of time. Change the oil immediately when you buy it, its more of a grease to protect from rust and contamination in transit overseas.

I am rolling into two years on mine, only thing done is change the carb and removed the silly security alarm.

Good luck

Joseph, member since 2011 and only 6 posts...

 

You have 57 posts. What's your point? If you have to defend this brand and hope that people believe that you're not a rep than maybe something about your post stinks? This crappy TaoTao is my sixth ATV. Even though I regret buying my daughter a Predator 90 I'd regret getting her a TaoTao even more. At least the Predator has complete welds, the frame is square, and the wiring makes sense.

The tie rods on the TaoTao are adjusted to different lengths so one tire is turning 4 degrees while the other is straight. You can fool yourself into thinking TaoTao is okay but there's a reason why I was given a 2012 model for free. If I were considering paying money for a TaoTao I'd rather read my post and be forewarned than read yours and end up with something like the turd sitting in my shed.

I have nothing to gain by posting the truth about this POS quad. What do you have to gain by defending them?

 

If post count matters... I got you all beat..

JosephIV , how did you get a free Tao Tao? Is it really that bad? I was in the Tao Tao factory in 2008. I got to see it while I was there hanging out at a atv factory in the same town Jetmoto was using .. The Tao Tao factory looked real nice compared to the hole I was at.. Someone posted here that Tao Tao was using the factory I was at for the building of their kids quads.. If thats true Id stay away from them too.

I was hoping the Tao Tao was going to be the good one from China.. Its the only one that actually has its name on the building(in China) and they make a lot of their own parts.. The Shenmao Appliance Co (the factory Jetmoto was using) got all their components from outside sources.. The frames were just as you described..

Having said all that I still think a Chinese quad is a decent bargain for a kids quad..

 

Like most men with hobbies I'll put search terms in Craigslist or local classifieds for things like cars, trucks, guns, quads, or such. I was on a Southern Maryland classifieds site and saw an ad for two Chinese quads. One bigger 250 plus the 125 for $325. The 125 was listed as "frame broken". I was interested in the 125 as a possible parts quad for our Predator 90 to do a dual front A-arm build so I inquired about it. The seller replied that I could have it for free, it was taking up space in his garage. He re-iterated that the frame was broken.

The quad was beyond my wife's friend's place so it was an excuse to load up the family and drive 30 minutes to get the ATV and BS with her buddy. While driving the seller texted me that his son had a soccer game and nobody would be at the house so he left the ATV out front along with a 32" TV if I wanted that and 3 new Swamp Fox tires for the ATV with a 4th already mounted on the quad.

I loaded up the ATV and the TV (which I donated) and marveled at the free $160 in tires that I got. I had another tire mounted to replace a bald factory tire that leaked badly. If I have time I'll mess with the thing. We're full time work and family so time is scarce. The quad really is as bad as I've said although the frame isn't "broken" as far as I can tell, just not square. The house was in a community and the quad looks like it saw mainly paved road and backyard use on grass. Data plate says 01 2012 build which I'm guessing is January.

I'm JosephIV on Kawieriders, LS1tech, and Racingjunk and those who have bought or sold to me and/or met me know that I'm a genuine person. I have nothing to gain by knocking an ATV that I spent zero dollars to obtain. That's why I take issue when someone whose first posts on here were about the problems with their TaoTao questions my credibility based on a lack of post counts on this site. Hell, that guy didn't post at all in 2013. Maybe he was busy with family just like me?

 

I rolled the TaoTao out of the shed today and tinkered with it in the daylight. I noticed that the rear axle bearing carrier is bolted to the end of the swing arm. It isn't welded as I had mistakingly typed. The swing arm is at an angle, the holes at the pivot point are a little off but the bearing carrier being mis-aligned is the previous owner's fault I believe. The chain was dangling when I got it and I think they unbolted the axle assembly from the swing arm to try to get slack to put the chain back on. The mismatching hardware is a give away. For some reason TaoTao welded a nut to one side and not the other. I'll get the right size hardware and get a nut welded on the left side.


I got the beast running while sipping a single bottle of brain juice (beer). Besides needing to be revved to stay running it seems okay. I'll continue to tinker with it and who knows, it may grow on me like fungus. Still poorly built IMO but it was free for me and may be useable.

 

Thanks for all the info.. You can always say it was a good quad for the money..

Now that your kinda fond of the little beast... Tao Tao is pronounced like Cow Cow but with T's instead of C's..

 

Ha ha, Cow Cow, I like that. I have a disorder at the genetic level that makes me want to fix and improve things. It is often detrimental to my wallet and free time. Thankfully, you are right, this is probably a GOOD quad for the money.