Find a Dealer & Review 888-kit-bike/BikeMotorKit
Ok, I have been sitting on this for a couple of weeks now. I don't necessarily like to post negative things but at the same time I hate to see others get taken advantage of especially when money is tight.
After much deliberation over vendors , I decided to to order from 888-Kit-Bike/BikeMotorKit/deverou(ebay). I had decided that I would get a Grubee 66cc and the vendor choice was made primarily on location though they did claim a 60 day warranty. They were a Michigan company and being unemployed in Michigan, I thought I should try to support my local economy. Unfortunately the company wasn't completely local as they are 3 hours away. If they were closer I would have shown up on the doorstep.
Pre-sales service was good and they were quick to answer all of my questions. Shipping was great as it arrived the next day. That's where the good stopped.
The box seemed to have been re taped but I thought perhaps they had opened it for inspection. Looking at it further I noticed that the piston crown had some color and wear. I thought "well perhaps they do a test run in". I tried to be positive and give these guys the benefit of the doubt.
Prior to installation I noticed the the clutch assembly was rough. The Friction plate was completely out of round and rubbing on the large gear. I envisioned that this would cause excessive friction and the spinning mass would add to vibration.
I tried to call Joel and Sean but no luck. When you call the phone system makes you state your name and if they chose to accept the call, it would be transferred to their phone. Pre sales calls always went through. Post sales calls never did. I had my wife call but they ignored the call as well- must have caller ID??? So 4 voice mails and 2 emails- rather polite ones at that- were never returned. This was pre installation I must add. My question was, "this doesn't' seem right to me and before installation and further complication any warranty exchange, I would just like to get their feedback".
No response so I threw it on. Wow it shook like crazy. I tried to make the best of it but i sheared a rear mount the first day. Drilled, tapped and fixed. Lost the muffler bolts the next day. OK I can deal with problems. Later in the week, it shook the chain right off the sprocket while my friend was riding it. The chain got stuck between the rear sprocket and the frame and brought everything to a standstill. The sudden pressures ripped the front mounting bracket clean of taking the metal around the bolt holes with it. My friend felt horrible and insisted on ordering a new kit for me.
The second kit- still a Grubee from another vendor- was factory sealed and the piston was completely clean. I can deduct that I was sold a used engine the first time around. Not necessarily a ridden to death engine but one that obviously been used for a bit until it was realized that it had a horrible vibration problem. I am quite disappointed in the lack of service from 888-KIT-BIKE/BikeMotorKit. I am disappointed in myself that I tried to give them business. Not only will they not get my business but now I feel obligated to warn others about dealing with them.
In hindsight its pretty comical that they offer a 60 day warranty yet don't respond to any concerns. I wonder if they have ever fulfilled a warranty claim.
Reminds me of Tommy Boy:
Ted Nelson, Customer: But why do they put a guarantee on the box?
Tommy: Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of sh!t. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for now, for your customer's sake, for your daughter's sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality product from me.