Bashan Peace 49.5cc Scooter Review

by Anonymous
(Somewhere)

I bought a Bashan Peace 49.5cc scooter and I have gotten the value out of my $699 purchase the past two summers. The motor scooter has 1300 miles on it and the first issue I have had is a blown light bulb that is difficult to figure out how to change.

It is one of those that has a larger headlight in a clear casing with a smaller bulb below with an orange-ish tint to the lens. It is a MN state law that we have to have the headlight on, so this has been an issue this past week trying to figure it out.

The owners manual is written in badly translated English and doesn't cover this topic. I did a web search and found possibilities under "how to change a headlight bulb Chinese moped"... A UK site had some answers.

I did buy it online from Green Earth Scooter out of Texas. They shipped it in a crate and I had a guy friend put on the back wheel, attach the brakes and add fluids. It arrived in two days!

One issue is they offer no support (see the issue with changing the bulb in the headlight.) I am impressed with the fact that it will actually easily do 45mph with an adult rider. It has started every time I have gotten on it and has never given me any engine trouble.

There are a few things I don't like. One is it came with these VIP decals on it and as amazing as this sounds, they were applied BEFORE they did the clear coat over the red paint. I recently took them off and was dumbstruck.

Second is the front brake makes a grinding noise (I have had my mechanic friends drive it and listen and they tell me it's okay and working fine, so I guess it's just noisy.)

Third is that the front end does not lock in place as it says it should. It seems to catch a little, but you can easily turn it straight forward without the key. The cheesy little trunk blew off on the way to work, which was fine because I was having to tighten it daily even though it had washers on it, the nuts and bolts were poor quality. And finally, the mirrors need to be tightened in place regularly as they loosen up too (the small adjustable wrench was worth the $6.00 I paid for it.)

I live 2 miles from work and in an area where I can do my shopping, nails, library, dining, you name it I can do it within 5 miles without the freeway system. I put 969 miles on it last summer, drove it everywhere I went, and spent $32.75 on premium gas.

So again, I have gotten my money's worth out of it. A friend just got a Vespa at over $4000... Uh... unless you were joining a Moped Tour across the USA (49.5cc can't be used on highways, just streets), I would buy cheap Chinese first and if you love riding a moped and want to upgrade, resell the cheap one and spend the bucks.

They don't have shocks so you won't find me going more than 25 miles usually.

Wear your helmet and drive defensively, especially watch the idiots behind you tailgaiting! I wear a yellow reflective street vest even during the day. It is a great money saver and I have to admit it's nice going to work in the morning and smelling all the fresh cut grass etc. You miss that stuff in a car.