2012 Tao Tao 150 ATV
So what’s the deal with cheap Chinese ATVs? Are they worth it (as little as they cost) or are they truly pieces of junk?
It’s hard to say, especially for me, a person who has never owned one until now.
How did it happen you might ask? How do you go from looking for a reliable, name brand ATV such as Honda, Polaris or Yamaha and end up buying a Tao Tao?
Price to be honest. I stumbled across the following craigslist add “NEW 150cc ATV for $949”, so obviously I could not resist. A few days later, I had purchased my 1st Chinese ATV, a Tao Tao 150 automatic, with reverse (!!!) ATV.
I can invest $950 bucks into an ATV without many worries but $9,000 (comparing new to new here) makes me a little uneasy. I realize that the cheap ATV does not have many of the features that the high-end quads do, such as fuel injection, independent suspension, shaft drives, 4 wheel drive, etc., etc., the list goes on and on. Most I can live without as long as the thing does what I need it to do and that is exactly what I intend to find out over the next few months, possibly years (if it last that long, lol, I crack myself up).
I plan to post and capture some video regarding its reliability and performance and hopefully help make the decision a little easier on someone in a similar situation. I did as much research on Tao Tao as I could but let’s be honest, there’s just not a lot out there. Sure, there are plenty of sites to get parts, which was a big plus by the way, but there aren’t that many sites that discuss their performance or reliability.
What do I think so far?
It’s easy to start, electric start is great when it works and you have a good battery. I am a bit concerned about the fact that there is no other way to start it, kick start or pull start would be nice if ever needed. It runs and idles well. I do have to let it warm up for a few minutes whether it’s cold or warm outside. It shifts into gear easily, the automatic transmission seems to work well. Top speed I would say is right around 45 to 50 mph. If you ever buy one, make sure and check all visible bolts, screws and nuts for tightness. These ATVs are shipped only partly assembled and most of these “dealers”, if you will, that sell them, don’t give a rats about final assembly or QA. I tightened most and even found a few missing. Frame and engine are generally already assembled and good to go but exterior plastics, lights, racks, seat, etc. need to be checked well.
Wiring suggestion:
One thing I Noticed right off the bat is how all of the wiring is just out in the open, loosely zipped tied to the frame, sort of exposed in a bad way. It wouldn’t take much to jerk a wire loose or accidentally clip a few and cause major electronic problems. I went to Lowes and purchased wire shielding (plastic, split, beveled shielding) and a few rolls of electrical tape. Using that, I simply covered all of the exposed wires and then secured them back to the frame.
