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I am considering purchasing a Manhattan 150cc scooter and wanted to know if there are any other owners on this site that have some words of wisdom. I am assuming that they have had limited exposure in the Australian market as they seem to be fairly new. I have done some research and they seem to be fairly well accepted in the UK, France, Italy and the US as the Manhattan is a re-badged Xingyue.

The attraction of the Manhattan was that it has plenty of room for a tall guy like me so that when I turn the handle bars they don't end up in my knees like they do on the VS125 which is the original scooter we were looking at and in the same price bracket.

The main areas of interest are: Have you had any post purchase mechanical issues? Have you had any trouble getting replacement / service parts? Would you purchase another Manhattan 150cc or something else next time around?

Thanks.

 

 Dont

 Sorry, I meant to say Dont stop looking, the manhattan is a budget scoot, so of course its not going to be as good as some.

I personally am a little cautious on a lot of the Chinese scooters, because they haven't been around that long to give off any reputation (good or bad). 

It's going to be a little agricultural in the way its put together also. 

They over ordered Manhattans, and so they are cheap. I plan to buy one. Any news on how they go, I only read the NRMA review? I am five foot six, will the Manhattan be too big for me?

Is the stock old, as from the OP date? Or is this an improved version, with 16 inch wheels?

Do they rust, or stall...?

I bought a Manhattan 150 scooter from Ultratune 16 days ago and so far it's been back at Ultratune for repairs for 10 of those days on 3 seperate occasions.  The first was an oil leak.  Ultratune changed a seal and it was okay for 1 day then it started leaking again, this time until it was bone dry.  This apparently was another faulty seal somewhere deeper in the engine and took over a week to repair.  When I got the scooter back the auto start button seemed to be struggling to start the scooter and yesterday just wouldn't work at all.  On stalling at a set of lights I had to push the scooter off the road put it on the main stand and kick start it to get going again....not a safe situation to be in.  I took it back to Ultratune today and they replaced some micro start piece that sits near the left break.  They also had to drill a whole under the battery as rain water had collected here and there's no drainage. 

During the oil leak saga I asked Ultratune if they could just replace the bike and give me another one, as I had paid full price ($3100) for the Ultratune demo, but they refused.  I contacted Manhattan scooters and asked the same thing and Nick who I think runs the place, was quite rude and basically said, 'you bought a second hand bike from Ultratune so it's your problem now'.  After getting advise from the Office of Fair Trading NSW, I've since had the dealer delivery fee from Ultratune refunded since it appeared I technically had bought a second hand bike.

I would never again buy a Manhattan Scooter, nor would I recommend one to anyone else. Basically, you get what you pay for....when it's working!

Good luck with your scooter hunt and if you've already bought one of these, I hope you have better luck with it.

Ouch.  That's not a good story at all. 

A cautionary tale indeed.

Further to my tale above, the last 2 weeks the scooter won't start and stalls whens it's cold (every morning).  I constantly have to push it off the road, put it on the stand and kick start it.  It also has a bad squeek coming from somewhere.  I called Ultratune and was told they no longer deal with Manhattan scooters because of the trouble I've had with this scooter. 

I'm now in the process of contacting Manhattan to find out where I can go to get the bike repaired but the call is put straight through to voicemail.  This was only an hour ago so hopefully they'll call but given my experience so far, I'm not holding my breath.   Buyers beware!!!!

kez:

Further to my tale above, the last 2 weeks the scooter won't start and stalls whens it's cold (every morning).  I constantly have to push it off the road, put it on the stand and kick start it.  It also has a bad squeek coming from somewhere.  I called Ultratune and was told they no longer deal with Manhattan scooters because of the trouble I've had with this scooter. 

I'm now in the process of contacting Manhattan to find out where I can go to get the bike repaired but the call is put straight through to voicemail.  This was only an hour ago so hopefully they'll call but given my experience so far, I'm not holding my breath.   Buyers beware!!!!

 Any qualified Bike mechanic can look at it, but preferably you would be better off taking it to a scooter mechanic. (They tend to know more about scooters, and have a better care factor)

Where are you based, so we can advise the best place for you to take it.  Then hopefully your problems will be sorted out

Dakoda:

kez:

Further to my tale above, the last 2 weeks the scooter won't start and stalls whens it's cold (every morning).  I constantly have to push it off the road, put it on the stand and kick start it.  It also has a bad squeek coming from somewhere.  I called Ultratune and was told they no longer deal with Manhattan scooters because of the trouble I've had with this scooter. 

I'm now in the process of contacting Manhattan to find out where I can go to get the bike repaired but the call is put straight through to voicemail.  This was only an hour ago so hopefully they'll call but given my experience so far, I'm not holding my breath.   Buyers beware!!!!

 

 Any qualified Bike mechanic can look at it, but preferably you would be better off taking it to a scooter mechanic. (They tend to know more about scooters, and have a better care factor)

Where are you based, so we can advise the best place for you to take it.  Then hopefully your problems will be sorted out

 I live in Marrickville and work in Ultimo.

Fully insure it then lock it up on the footpath at night...sorted..might take a few nights..then buy a 2nd hand LX/ETVespa 

Great minds think alike....it's been out on the street, unlocked since I bought it.  I don't think I could give it away!  lol 

Id lock it though....it'll take a little damage and prolly be written off, by what Ive read on here about the way scooter insurance works.

Try taking it to Sandy at SS scooter engineering on King St Newtown...it'll cost but it'll be fixed...then some bugger will knock it when you're happy with it.

No doubt!  lol  Thanks for the recommendation, I'll give them a try.

kez:

When I got the scooter back the auto start button seemed to be struggling to start the scooter and yesterday just wouldn't work at all

....It also has a bad squeek coming from somewhere

....rain water had collected here and there's no drainage

....scooter won't start and stalls whens it's cold

Basically, you get what you pay for....

From the sounds of it Kez, your scoot really needs a bit of love more than anything else. Sure, I'm not a fan of most Chinese products, and I agree that you get what you pay for, but fundamentally, with a little love, your scoot will be fine.

You mentioned it lives on the street, and there was water in the battery box- I always encourage my customers to keep their scoots undercover where possible. Sure, you can use your scoot in the rain, but it helps to store it out of the rain when you're not using it. In the rain, you'll get rusty nuts and bolts (more so on a Chinese scoot), and condensation in the electrics. Think of a lawn mower- you can cut wet grass, or even use it on a rainy day, but you couldn't expect faultless reliability from your mower if you left it out in the weather all the time. I know with inner city living it's not easy to find a dry spot, but constant weathering will (unfortunately) take it's toll...

I reckon the squeak is from one of the brakes, especially if it is in the weather. Next time you walk past a car yard, have a quick look at the disc brakes on one of the cars that hasn't been moved in a couple days- it'll look rusty as. I reckon your brake/s have a bit of rusty-weathering on them, causing the squeak. A good bit of use will soon get rid of that.

Auto start button- just sounds like a flat battery, which happens frequently this time of year. No biggy, a new battery will sort that out quick sticks.

I reckon it needs a service by a good scoot mechanic, a little bit of love, a fresh battery, an undercover parking spot and the idle screw needs to be adjusted up a little; then it'll be right-as-rain, and I'm confident it will be hassle free. And it will get better with age. Get some k's on it, and the engine will free up, and it will be a different machine...

But ultimately, if you're not happy, move it on. Cut your losses, and get something else. If you don't want the bother of selling, just trade it on something from a real scooter shop, there's plenty of good operators in Sydney...

Hope this helps