In another thread, I had erroneously conceded that eTon is made in China. If you go to the eton USA website, it says made by Chinese auto parts company JI-EE. However, once you go to JI-EE website, you will find the following passage:

...and have been producing ATVs, 2-wheel scooters (gasoline and electric) and electric scooters (for medical care) in Taiwan. Successfully marketing these quality products with brand of eton and surely becoming a worldwide famous and reliable one in the market.

http://www.e-ton.com.tw/prof_history.htm

So, as you can see, the eton ATV IS manufactured in Taiwan. FYI.

 

My understanding is the engine components are produced in the mainland. One things is for certain, they use "manufacture" and "assemble" interchangeably. So don't read too much into "producing". You really think they produce tires, frames, engines , trannies, chains, handle bars, grips, sprockets, bearings, etc, etc all in one little plant???? They buy from suppliers or sister companies and put it all together.

You seem to be getting bent over something really stupid, though. Honda and Yamaha have joint ventures in China. Kymco has China ties and a pretty decent quad. Linhai Yamaha is in China and has made some decent quads. Doesn't matter where it was made. You can't classify quality that way.

 

Who's bent? A comment was made on a thread that eTon was made in China. I had been told that they were made in Taiwan by the dealer and I conceded after looking at the eTon USA website. Another individual posted the link to JI-EE and I followed it. I merely posted what I found. The point that was being made in the other thread was the general consensus (backed up by evidence posted on this site and others) that the Chinese made ATVs are not holding up. I cited just what I had found from my experience and that of others. If you were following that thread you would have seen that in my opinion research is the best means to judge a product. Your train of thought is valid anywhere; Ford, GM, Chrysler and most all others use many foreign assemblies in their 'American-made Products.' Nevertheless, they are still classified American-Made because they are assembled here by American workers. The overall design and implementation is what makes a good product and the Taiwanese manufactured eTon is a good product. Just setting the record straight as others had attempted to do for me. Your simplistic minded response is absurd. Quite honestly, don't know why you appear so bent over this.

 

You have an "issue" or you wouldn't have started this thread. I've heard this crap a million times. You aren't the first and won't be the last. What bothers me is people like you want to stereotype and it's not that simple. These companies are intertwined and if you can understand that in autos then you should be able to grasp the concept with quads. Built in Mexico doesn't have a very nice appeal to it, but Built Ford Tough does. It's about marketing and saving a buck on labor. Period. Taiwan is in the the Republic of China BTW and they have trade agreements out the wazoo. What makes one so great and another not-so great when they are using a lot of the same parts? You'd have people believe China is incapable of producing a quality product but a few miles over still in China, they are cranking out quality products left and right. It's ignorant.

I agree certain brands don't hold up, but you don't want to talk about the ones that do because it blows your little theory out of the water. You want to bash a brand that you've had experience with then go ahead. But don't stereotype and knock every brand fom China because of a few bad apples. Spare me the BS.

 

I knew it. Taiwan is so much better than China.

 

The thread was started to inform. The only person around that should have an issue is the poor sap that got lulled into buying the SunL with the cracked frame (SunL being one of the well known Chinese problem childs we hear so much about). I have no issue with any quality made product. But when you see a far higher percentage of complaints coming from products made in certain countries, it's no longer an "issue"; it's called statistics. There are exceptions to every rule (as you have so adroitly pointed out) but numbers are numbers and if you ignore them, you will join the ranks of the disappointed. I also think that you would find the vast majority of Taiwanese to be offended by being referred to as Chinese. They want nothing to do with being a part of China. Perhaps you've read the newspapers.... Probably not; easier to sit on your little throne and pontificate. BTW, how is it that you use Billy? Could it have been the sheer numbers of good references you heard? Oh yeah... numbers.... statistics... where have I heard that before?

 

And even Billy doesn't deny that there are decent quads coming out of the mainland. And they might be offended by being called Chinese but that doesn't belittle the trade agreements that were established by that relationship. You say the "overall design and implementation" makes a quality machine. I'll agree with that. Compare your Eton with my China QJ and you'll find more similarities than differences. But let me ask you this. Is comparing the quality of Eton to a SunL even a fair comparison when the Eton costs more? Maybe you get (at least to a point) what you pay for? Maybe THAT has more to do with it than where the quad was built? A lot of people may have issues but a lot of people have been happy too. A lot of that, I think, depends on on the individual and their knowledge of the machines.

Like I said, if you have an issue with a specific brand then have at it. Otherwise, you're just talking out of your butt.

 

Oh yeah. Let's not forget my other caveat (from the previous thread). You DO get what you pay for. You cannot expect to pay $499 for an ATV and expect to get the same performance/durability as a $2,000 ATV from one of the more reliable manufacturers. Yes, the Big Four spend huge amounts advertising their ATVs and the market price reflects that. The next tier (Kasea, eTon, Dinli, etc.) don't spend as much marketing dollars but nevertheless have an equally reliable product with performance that matches or exceeds that of the Big Four (in fact, rumor has it that the Big Four outsource their mini-ATVs to this second tier of manufacturers). Then you have the sub-$1,000 Chinese ATVs that cause people nothing but heartache. So you tell me, bigshot. Who's fooling who?

 

Well, glad you agree. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

BTW, RAMTech, it was you I was defending in regards to the SunL and the other Chinese junk people have wasted their hard-earned money on. Taiwan is a technologically advanced country, particularly compared to China. I wouldn't be so quick to snipe.