Big boy or jonway or what what please help

Draconia2

Draconia2

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Im looking for a scooter since i need a temporary ride until my car gets fixed. Nothing fast maybe 300cc, just road travel trying to avoid highways as much as possible actually because of the huge percentage of incompetent people on the Durban roads.

So i can get some sweet deals from somebody i know in the big boy bike industry, then there's a jonway scooter i can get for cheap (around R8300 for 150cc which might be a bit dodgy so still looking elsewhere)

cant buy it cash, needs to be on monthly installments
i weigh about 80-85kg *correction there just checked * :P


but now, thoughts regarding :

spares ?
reliability ?

jonway uses honda motors or so i am told but not sure bout big boy . last time i had a bike was like 9 years ago /feels old.... will be rusty when i get on but should catch on fast
was a cheapskate roadbike but dont want to get that stront again .

any good bike places around pinetown / escombe area i should know of ?

also do they still force you to take your bike in for services at the same dealership you bought it and if you go somewhere else they charge you higher ?

lekke mense
 
Last edited:
Hey Draconia2,

If you're gonna be riding back roads and avoiding the highway then 300cc is overkill for a temporary scooter.
I ride a 250 motorbike and commute on the highway daily.

150cc should suit your needs just fine based on the distance you need to travel.
R8300 for a 2nd hand 150cc Jonway is.. okay, pricewise, but personally I think Jonway is more expensive than it should be. I'd vote BigBoy. You can service it anywhere, but usually the dealer where you bought it (or any brand dealer) is a better option than a random service agent.

If all else fails, Big Boy have a deal on where you can get a scooter + helmet + registration for R14 a day. Interest is pretty high though so it works out to a lot for a little machine. I'd advise using your contact to get you a good deal on a small machine, or maybe even something 2nd hand that has been checked out.

How long does it need to last you? I also needed a quick transport fix a few years back and grabbed myself a Vuka Scuta for 5.5k which was zippy and cheap. Lasted me 3 years. Of course, Vuka is a bit more expensive now that Jonway run them, but it is also an option.
 
AniV said:
Hey Draconia2,

If you're gonna be riding back roads and avoiding the highway then 300cc is overkill for a temporary scooter.
I ride a 250 motorbike and commute on the highway daily.

150cc should suit your needs just fine based on the distance you need to travel.
R8300 for a 2nd hand 150cc Jonway is.. okay, pricewise, but personally I think Jonway is more expensive than it should be. I'd vote BigBoy. You can service it anywhere, but usually the dealer where you bought it (or any brand dealer) is a better option than a random service agent.

If all else fails, Big Boy have a deal on where you can get a scooter + helmet + registration for R14 a day. Interest is pretty high though so it works out to a lot for a little machine. I'd advise using your contact to get you a good deal on a small machine, or maybe even something 2nd hand that has been checked out.

How long does it need to last you? I also needed a quick transport fix a few years back and grabbed myself a Vuka Scuta for 5.5k which was zippy and cheap. Lasted me 3 years. Of course, Vuka is a bit more expensive now that Jonway run them, but it is also an option.
Click to expand...

well 300 i need just for the amount of hills we have here and because i want to add on a box on the back of the scooter plus carry the wifey around to work etc since shes scared of driving anything herself (yeah i know one of those women hey :p LAZY but shes not heavy at all, like 67kg i think) now im pretty sure that since the box will be filled plus a passenger, the normal 150 wont cut it on uphills but i could be wrong, because in the past it was me alone on a 125 with just a school bag so im not sure about it, i refused to give people lifts because i was a noob and so insecure and blah lol.

i want a 300 because of the headroom for incase i need to hop on the highway if something happens on the routes (flooding, trees, rocks) i take that im atleast covered and wont have a merc nailing me the whole time.

dont care about speeding, slow lane for me is fine.

scooter will be used permanently, while car is being fixed plus afterwards. everything is going up while salaries stay the same :mad:
 
Either should be fine. Here's a piece of advice I recommend you follow if you don't want to waste a few grand:

Once you've bought the bike/scoot, try get a bakkie/trailer and take the bike to a mechanic you trust before you even start the engine. Have them rebuild the bike using stainless bolts and loc-tite on all the threads. This will allow you to use your bike for many years and put thousands of trouble-free kilometres on it.

I say this because the dealers have really, really, really bad pre-trip assembly procedures. Most of the bolts aren't torqued correctly and the factory bolts will most likely shear if you torque them to spec anyway. Apart from that, they'll rust within the first 6 weeks, guaranteed. Especially since you're in Durban.

The motors are bullet-proof and will last forever if treated correctly and set up correctly from the start.
 
Nocturnity said:
Either should be fine. Here's a piece of advice I recommend you follow if you don't want to waste a few grand:

Once you've bought the bike/scoot, try get a bakkie/trailer and take the bike to a mechanic you trust before you even start the engine. Have them rebuild the bike using stainless bolts and loc-tite on all the threads. This will allow you to use your bike for many years and put thousands of trouble-free kilometres on it.

I say this because the dealers have really, really, really bad pre-trip assembly procedures. Most of the bolts aren't torqued correctly and the factory bolts will most likely shear if you torque them to spec anyway. Apart from that, they'll rust within the first 6 weeks, guaranteed. Especially since you're in Durban.

The motors are bullet-proof and will last forever if treated correctly and set up correctly from the start.
Click to expand...

sharp , will do that, yes ive been told that the mech at the particular dealership is very lousy also since its made in china brands i would suspect a bunch of cheap stuff . taking care of engines is one thing i can do ^^, so that part is covered :D
 
I Have a GoMoto Ballistic Naked 150cc and it works perfectly for me. Been riding it for a while now without any hassles. Have 1100km on it or sumin at the moment. Services are cheap and I havnt had a need to replace any parts yet, but spoke to the people at Jonway (as the gomoto is basically a Jonway) and they aid that they do not have any issues with part availability. Also know of some Jonway / Gomoto scoots with over 10 000km on it, so reliability will not be an issue. Please view this forum

http://www.sascooters.co.za/
 
Type RSA said:
I Have a GoMoto Ballistic Naked 150cc and it works perfectly for me. Been riding it for a while now without any hassles. Have 1100km on it or sumin at the moment. Services are cheap and I havnt had a need to replace any parts yet, but spoke to the people at Jonway (as the gomoto is basically a Jonway) and they aid that they do not have any issues with part availability. Also know of some Jonway / Gomoto scoots with over 10 000km on it, so reliability will not be an issue. Please view this forum



http://www.sascooters.co.za/
Click to expand...

thanks man , really puts a lot of fears at ease :)
 
Jonway and Big boy are Chinese scooters. Jonway does use Honda motor, as do Big Boy. But it's a Chinese copy of a old Honda motor.
I have a Big Boy Retro, did 6300Km on it, from brand new 2 years ago till now. If you service it regularly, then it should last long. Plastics seems to corode after a few years in the sun.

The motors is mass produced in China and is not 100% reliable. But IMO, if you got a good dealer with great after sales care then you're fine.
So it really depends from dealer to dealer. In any case, I've heard good things about the Jonway Galactica.

Don't know what your budget is, but apparently the Sym Evo 300i is a dream to drive, just a little more expensive than the Chinese knock-offs.

Check out the sascooters forum for more advice. Some of the guys on there has done 200KM + on this Chinese scooters on a Sunday breakfast run.
 
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