I bought my son a 2011 Chinese ATV with a 125 engine, auto trans, with reverse. It has remote start, kill, and alarm. Let’s face it, we buy these because they’re less expensive than the Japanese counterparts. But there’s a reason for this… Now that we’ve put some miles on it, I’ve ran into a few problems and I wanted to share the solutions with the forum. This may help you decide to buy one of these or not, or it may help you make yours run better.
- Replace the battery as soon as possible. The stock battery is really cheap, plus, the electrical system on these atvs will keep the bike running without the battery, but they will not charge the battery (even a new one). So you must connect a charger every night after use.
- Replace the oil after breakin, and use synthetic. These atvs do not have an oil filter. They have a screen filter that you can clean, but it’s inside the left case, and not really a regular maintenance item. Change the oil regularly and use synthetic to make it last longer. Also, others are reporting that the oil used at the factory is really cheap, so change it soon.
- The motors are supposedly clones of Honda single cylinders of the 70s and 80s. Some recommend purchasing a Clymer book that covers 90-150cc Hondas, All of the specs are supposed to be the same (torque, clearance, etc).
- Check the valve clearance after the initial break in. Just like our Japanese atvs. There is a youtube video on how to adjust valve on Chinese atvs, google it.
- For hard starts, check the basics as always, Fuel, Air, Spark. The plugs foul easily, and the factory plugs are cheap, so pick up a few spares of name brand plugs.
- All of the engine covers, oil dipstick, inspection covers are plastic or very cheap metal. Be very careful when performing maintenance so you don’t break or strip anything.
- Depending on the carb that was installed, it will have an idle screw and it may have an air screw. On some of the carbs, you can pull the slide and adjust the needle for lean/rich adjustment. Google “how to adjust carbs on chinses atvs”. There’s another forum where a guy has some really detailed carb adjustment posts.
- Before allowing a kid to ride, carefully go over every single bolt and screw. Especially in the drivetrain, steering, and wheels. My atv has many loose bolts, including the rear wheel nuts and the tie rods. I used red lock tight on many of them,
- Know your warranty options. The large print on mine said that I had a 6 month warranty, but fine print said that it covered engine parts only. Not troubleshooting or installation.
- Once you address the oil, spark plugs, battery, valve adjustment, and loose bolts, the atv runs great and is a lot of fun. Owners on other forums state that the engines last a long time if the owner takes care of them.