Hi ,
Is anyone familiar with the VBike 350cc-BL SPORT ATV and if so is it a good bike and is it dependable? I'd appreciate any feed back on any Vbikes in general as to if they are a good generic bike to have. Thanks, Lou.

 

I am not familiar with this quad. It is spec'd fairly well for the price. It looks to be a Raptor/Warrior350 knockoff. I know the Yamahas can be found used for $1500 or less with low hours if you are willing to shop and wait a bit. A trade off buying used over new but you get a virtually inexhaustable supply of replacement oem and aftermarket parts.

 

Never heard of a reliable Chinese ATV of any make, thats why they cost so much less.

Better off to get a used name brand for the same price.

 

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it greatly. I'll think about what i want to do but i'd rather have new if I had to choose.

 

I'm wondering if you have realistic expectations when buying a chinese quad. Who is going to service this? The answer of course is you. Are you up to this? Your comment that "but i'd rather have new if I had to choose" suggests that you expect a new chinese quad to have less problems than a used name brand quad. Hmmm.

350cc chinese engines aren't the most common ones out there. I'm not familiar with them. Where are you going to get parts? Have you looked to see what parts stuff is available other than where you bought it? What if your dealer goes out of business? What if VBike goes out of business? Not that uncommon these days...

I would not discount buying used name brand quads if you can find them. In my area there just aren't any available at anything approaching new chinese prices, but that may be just a california thing. For me it was chinese or nothing. But I deliberately bought a quad that was as generic as could be. The same engine was used on scooters, buggies, and hundreds of different chinese quads. Since then the hundreds of chinese atv brands has diminished to just dozens, but I can still get parts.

Don't get me wrong. I love my chinese ATV. It is 2 1/2 years old. I have over 2000 miles on it and it runs as good as when it was brand new. But I've had issues. All of them are minor to someone who is mechanically inclined, and has the tools and desire to work on them. But not everyone fits into this category.

I just want to make sure that you are going into this with eyes wide open....

 

A good used brand name is a much better ATV than a New Chinese. Sure they look similar but the metallurgy is so much inferior on the off brands.

Its like comparing a Snap-On wrench to a drop forged wrench made in India.

 

Well, this is not absolutely true. There is always a price/performance tradeoff. A smart buyer will look at used name brand prices and compare them to new lessor quality quads and try to make an informed choice. I looked at used name brand quads when I bought my quad and couldn't find anything that made sense. For me it was chinese or nothing. I'm not saying that ther aren't deals out there somewhere, but in my area there just wasn't any. I do not regret my decision at all in buying a chinese quad. I did research, made my best choice, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. That said, let it be known that chinese quads require work. Not everyone is up to this task, and should be cautioned before making such a purchase. I think this is one point where you and I are in agreement .

Mercedes makes great cars. I don't drive one. They are too expensive. I know they are great at protecting the occupants in collisions. They handle great. They are really reliable. But I have two Honda's. Not as good, but after a lot of research I chose the Honda route. Some people love their Hundai's. Go figure. To each their own.

Of all the problems I've had on my quad, none have had anything to do with "metallugy". Rubber (other than the tires) is the biggest problem. Anything rubber I had to change in about a year, from the eyes in the shock absorbers to the rubber hose between the airbox to the carb to the rubber bushings in the swing arm.

Perhaps this is a bad analogy? I have a lot of tools. I have some snap on tools, as well as chinese, pakistani, indian, italian, and indonesian tools. I have not seen any performance difference between any of these. Snap on tools are better why?

 

the only reason I can think of is that if you some how break it they will replace it.

 

That particular kind of warranty is not going to happen with brand name atvs nor knock of atvs