Pep Boys bikes

[kevrider]

does anyone know anything about these Baja motorcycles and scooters sold at Pep Boys?  my brother is looking at their 125cc streetbike for cheap transpo and asked me about them.  wondering if they are safe.

[squeezer]

Pretty much the same motorcycle that any other Chinese company puts out, all using the same Honda clone engine.

I haven't ridden one but poked around a bit for info.  All the reviews I've read of them are the same -- it will max out at around 60-65 mph and last about a year before problems crop up.  Then you throw it away.

Since the engines are Honda clones, Honda parts will work.  They'll probably fit a lot of chassis parts as well.  Your brother will have to able to do the work himself, though.  Pep Boys may sell them, but they don't service them, at least not the last time I asked.

I'd try to talk him into getting something like, say, an old Connie or KLR for almost the same price.  Either one of those will probably run forever with pretty minimal care.

[Boxerdawg]

IIRC these are not street-legal, if that matters to you.  

[Zerosum]

That doesn't mean anything here in Baltimore!  

I see these things in the Pep Boys stores here, too.  Look at one up close... they are CHEAP beyond cheap.  The whole idea is so ghetto.  It really pisses me off.  I hate the idea of a bike that you "throw away" after a year.  What a waste of materials.  Your brother would be better off buying an older Honda XL250 or Suzuki DR350.  Something that's a little rough, but will run for a long time because it's a quality Japanese product, not a knockoff slapped together by dollar-a-day slaves in China.

[veefer800canuck]

Canadian Tire carries the Baja lineup, but I've never seen a streetbike, just dirtbikes. I think WalMart has them also.

I looked closely at the components on them and they're crap, for example the chain adjusters look like they're made of fine drop-forged Camembert.  

For the money, I'd just go a find a used Honda in good shape.

[JamesG]

Since the engines are Honda clones, Honda parts will work.  

Don't bet on it.

They really are junk.

[Mr. Whippy]

Here are the problems I am familiar with:

The cast parts are pot metal.  Therefore threads pull out easily and parts warp with repeated heat/cool cycles.  Additionally, the parts are brittle and crack/break off bits with minimal force.

Initially, they run great.  They degrade fairly rapidly with heavy use.

[ZZR Rob]

All of the above with no factory back up. Stay away. As stated by others, buy used time tested jap makes. Good luck.

[GoneRacin]

if you can keep on erunning long enough to actually ride it, You would find out the suspension adn everythign else about these bikes are junk. Mosy blow the motor after leaving the pep boys parking lot. As stated above, No warranty at all.

[Ghost Dog]

If people haven't learned the lesson on what the made-in-China label implies - go ahead and buy one of these cheap pieces of junk.

[maddjack]

I know someone  (work associte) who bought one of the dirt bikes,what a POS,it lasted under mild use 3 months,then was trash,STAY AWAY

[MilleArp]

If you get one, be sure to buy the extended warranty !

 

AS if !

How long are they warrantied anyway?

 

.

[Bounce]

Like chinese bikes nearly everywhere. Hard to get warranty work when it needs it. Spares are non-existant. A friend who visited china said that even over there, they don't stock parts. Home fab up the parts you can and toss it out if you can't.

[chornbe]

China... jeezuz... (sigh)

[bubba zanetti]

 the chain adjusters look like they're made of fine drop-forged Camembert.