I've been looking at some Chinese made 400CC. Made by Roketa/Odes.
Can anyone give me an honest review? Are these reliable and what kind of quality are they?
The only reviews that I have been able to find are 4-5 years old and I would imagine that many of the previous problems have changed.
As for what they would be used for: some trail riding, hunting, maybe a little snow pushing.
I know many people swear that you have to get a name brand, but honestly I can get two Chinese made for the price of one name brand (about $7600).
Thanks for any honest feedback.

 

The honest answer is they are unreliable! The large majority of people that buy the Chinese brands are throwing thier money away. You would be far better off to buy a used name brand.

 

You may spend half as much initially but you'll end up spending three times as much time and effort keeping them running. If you're looking for something a little cheaper than the name brands try Kymco. Their quality is very good and provide the 300 cc versions of the Yamaha Grizzly and Kawasaki Brute Force.

 

Thanks for the info. Cost of keeping them running is definately a factor. I've heard some of the name brands are pretty expensive to keep up(that was from a Yamaha/Honda salesman)
I've heard of Kymco, Will have to look them up.
I heard that Odes is a clone engine of Yamaha or Honda. Is that true?

 

Just about all the chinese engines are clones.

Kymco isn't a bad brand, but I don't know about there models over 250cc.

I'm guessing the dealer didn't mention the names Yamaha or Honda when he was talking about the other brands.

 

Scooter,

No, he specifically said Can-Am and Polaris. I've noticed in my area that those two brands tend to be the most expensive out the door.

If the engines are clones, then what is about Roketa (or other brands) that makes them so unreliable? Is the frame or suspension not good?

 

I know the earlier roketa were notorious for weak frames. Looking at some of the chines brands out there now, the frames look smaller, and the welds seem questionable.

The problem with any dealer is, they're not going to try and sell you the competition. Honda, Yamaha, Polaris, Kawasaki, Suzuki and CanAm all make a good product. The problem with buying used is usually not who made it, but who took care of it (or didn't) after the purchase.

 

Can-Am and Polaris are more expensive because they tend to have more features than the other brands. Typically, most horsepower, most on-board storage, good comfortable ride, and other innovations.

When the Chinese brands claim their engines, transmissions, etc. are "clones" of the Japanese brands what they are really saying is they copied the general design without the same materials, machining, and fasteners. They claim copy but the workmanship is shoddy at best. Typical problems are carbs. that don't stay adjustment, starters that die quickly, ignitions that stop working, etc.

The best advice is to stay away from the Chinese quads.

Kymco is made in So. Korea or Taiwan. I can't remember which. The long term reviews I've seen seem to suggest the quality is good.

 

Proud of you guys for telling the truth.

Does the phrase, "you get what you paid for" sound reasonable?