Chinese atvs

[dfkrug]

I had one of those long ago. A 1978 Honda FL 250 Odyssey.

So, you had one of the early FLs, with only
partial roll cage and no rear suspension? Did it have reverse? The Pilots are
the best, and very valuable, selling for over $6K in good condition.

 

[DK35vince]

So, you had one of the early FLs, with only
partial roll cage and no rear suspension? Did it have reverse? The Pilots are
the best, and very valuable, selling for over $6K in good condition.

Yes, I had an early FL model.
Pull start, 250cc 2 stroke, no reverse, balloon rear tires, no rear suspension. Limited front suspension.
But it was fun.
The Pilots were nice, but back then I felt they were way overpriced. So I never looked seriously at one.

 

[dfkrug]

If cost is an issue, you don't need to go all the way up to a 300. Even the Arctic Cat 150
that we have is plenty powerful enough for your wife...

That's true. If the 150 fits the driver, that's usually enough, esp when the ATV is used just to haul the
driver, and maybe a few tools/materials around.

Another unit to consider: It seems that Polaris is still selling the Phoenix 200. The utility version is
no longer available (Sawtooth), sadly. Anyway, the Phoenix is a great quad with full auto trans,
reverse, and shaft drive. All it needs is racks to used as a ute.

It is full-sized, light weight (400#), plenty fast, and has excellent suspension. I added a front rack to mine,
and got the wife to drive it. Made in Taiwan, BTW (Aeon Motors). Cheap, too.

Taiwan is worlds away from mainland China, in terms of quality.

 

[dfkrug]

Yes, I had an early FL model.
Pull start, 250cc 2 stroke, no reverse, balloon rear tires, no rear suspension. Limited front suspension.

These were unusual vehicles, which did not fit other market segments. They were not really ATVs, since they
had roll bars and limited suspension. They were not gokarts, cuz karts have no suspension or roll bar. By the
time they evolved into the 89 Pilot, they had full suspensions and roll cages, more like dune buggies than
anything else. The Pilots have a cult following.

This is my 05 Coolster 250, which has an engine made by CFMOTO of mainland China. CFMOTO
now has a limited US dealer network and sells ATVs and SxS utes with all the features: 4x4, PS, FI,
800cc, locker, etc.

They are getting better, and I see some good material choices (brass radiator, painted or chromed
bolts, Kei-Hin carb, etc.) but also many design flaws (bad paint, errors in the wiring, poor water
infiltration, etc.). Parts are inexpensive, from dealers in the US, or China-direct. I was able to
buy a new piston, rings, and jug for only $100, delivered.

 

[TomSeller]

I'd go with the electric golf cart. Easier to get on and off for a 60 year old and better for hauling back whatever it is she bought when shopping.

 

[ruffdog]

Some of the small china made atv's had a automatic, electric choke that didn't work. I designed and machined an adapter so a mikuni manual choke kit would fit. My friends atv was the first subject and it worked great. I made some up for the local dealer so he could get rid of the atv's he had. He said the manufacturer was not helping him with the problem.

 

[KubotainNH]

The Honda FL250 and FL350 Odyssey of 1977-1985 evolved into the Honda FL400 Pilot of 89-90.
2-stroke, full roll cage, fast.

Interesting, I've never seen one of those. I do see there's one for sale locally on CL for $5600...ouch. Funny how Honda made large automobiles with the names.

 

[dfkrug]

Interesting, I've never seen one of those. I do see there's one for sale locally
on CL for $5600...ouch. Funny how Honda made large automobiles with the names.

My guess is, after trademarking the names, Honda figured that they might as well re-use them. The
Honda Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV have been out for a while.

Honda is seen as the inventor/originator of the 3-wheel ATV (69 or 70). Suzuki sold the first
4-wheel ATVs (83), as long as you exclude these bizarre Honda FLs, which are not really ATVs.

This strange segment has been coming back with the advent of sporty side-by-sides, like
the Kawasaki Terex, the Polaris RZR, the Deere RSX, and even some Chinese units.
These are 2-or-more seat SxS units, however, not ATVs. Yamaha's YXZ1000R is amazing.

Check out the HiSun Strike 1000, a large Chinese sporty SxS with a US dealer network.
All of these run $12K-$20K.

 

[dfkrug]

Interesting, I've never seen one of those. I do see there's one for sale locally
on CL for $5600...ouch. Funny how Honda made large automobiles with the names.

My guess is, after trademarking the names, Honda figured that they might as well re-use them. The
Honda Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV have been out for a while.

Honda is seen as the inventor/originator of the 3-wheel ATV (69 or 70). Suzuki sold the first
4-wheel ATVs (83), as long as you exclude these bizarre Honda FLs, which are not really ATVs.

This strange segment has been coming back with the advent of sporty side-by-sides, like
the Kawasaki Terex, the Polaris RZR, the Deere RSX, and even some Chinese units.
These are 2-or-more seat SxS units, however, not ATVs. Yamaha's YXZ1000R is amazing.

Check out the HiSun Strike 1000, a large Chinese sporty SxS with a US dealer network.
All of these run $12K-$20K.

 

[KubotainNH]

My guess is, after trademarking the names, Honda figured that they might as well re-use them. The
Honda Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV have been out for a while.

Yep, I have a 2nd generation Odyssey van and it's an 00.