Tao Tao 150B ATV Review

[northerndad]

Hey Folks,

Bought a TT 150B on trade in through a dealer earlier this month. I basically paid MSRP for it, which is about twice as much as I wanted to pay for a china bike, but I wanted to lose the trade in so it worked out.

There are a couple reason why I bought the 150B: It is full size, was available, and it is fully auto with reverse (larger engines were semi auto).

The ATV comes with a couple headlights (high and low beam), a popular GY6 engine/ transmission/ carb setup that is usually found on scooters, A arm front suspension, and solid rear chain drive. It also has the usual rear disk/ front drum setup for brakes.

We had a small TT 110 ATV that really impressed us with build quality and features, a lot for the price. The 150B is a different story, as it has been underwhelming and just so-so in leaving impressions.

The build quality is OK but on the shoddier end of the spectrum, with some sloppy welds and plastic body cuts that look like they were made by a 10 year old (they probably were). There is a fault in the design of the footwells that will lead to them breaking prematurely. While the 110 came with a safety tether and remote start, the 150 comes with none of that facy stuff. Just the basics and nothing more.

Wires were loose and had to be tied up. Many bolts were loose when I got it home, despite the dealer saying that they were all tightened. The bike made some terrible rattling noises when riding that were mostly cleared up with tightening but not all. The chain was also too tight and had to be loosened. The steering design is also a bit imperfect, as the front tires don't turn at the same angle, leading to a "floating" feeling while turning on more solid surfaces. Also there is a lot of rust on the bike after washing it (I washed it after each trail ride), and it will need some extensive body work to keep water out of the frame.

Despite the above complaints, this bike is a lot of metal for the money. The GY6 seems quite smooth and capable, despite my worries that it was too small for a bike of this size. The ride is fairly smooth and the adjustable shocks work.

Since buying it we've put about 5 hours on it. I've changed the oil once, and will be changing it again soon. I've requested a new footwell from Tao Tao Canada/ the dealer but haven't heard anything back. We've taken it in some long grass and on some long trails behind our house. It has handled medium grades and shallow puddles and mud, but don't try doing anything serious with this one.

The GY6 is easy to drive and very good on fuel! We haven't even used a full tank yet and we've been riding with some fairly heavy loads.

There are a couple problems I've been unable to resolve. The engine idles inconsistently, sometimes "racing" while at idle. I read this can happen when too much oil is in the engine, but I've checked and it has the right amount. It also still has a large rattle from the rear right at a certain RPM, it may be the muffler, not sure.

While some Tao Taos are great - the 110 series is amazing for the price - it'd be best to stick with Gio or Linhai in Canada for the larger ATVs.

[MICRider]

Good honest review! Almost sounds like our Gio's... My son has the 110 Mini-Beast which runs beautifully and rides great. Fit and finish seems pretty good on it as well. I have the 200cc Beast though and it sounds closer to your 150 Tao Tao as far as the quality is concerned. Seems they put a little more attention into the smaller models than the bigger ones

[midlifekrisiz]

The engine idles inconsistently, sometimes "racing" while at idle.




this happened to the wifes gy6 150 and it turned out to be the throttle cable was pulled up causing the idle to be too high... pushed the cable down a bit and zap strapped back in place and seemed to do the trick

[northerndad]

Hey Midlife,

Thanks for the tip, I did adjust the throttle already but it didn't do the trick. It actually starts and idles great, but after about 1 min or so of idle, the RPMs go up and up, then it starts fluctuating. It seems to run fine.

Would this be caused by the air/ fuel mix?

Thanks!

[FastDoc]

The engine idles inconsistently, sometimes "racing" while at idle.

That is frequently due to an intake leak between the carb and the head. While idiling spray carb cleaner or starter fluid on it. If the idle changes that's the problem. Usually a cheap and easy fix, depending on how hard it is to get to the carb.

[northerndad]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

That is frequently due to an intake leak between the carb and the head.

That makes sense, I will check that, thanks Fast.

[northerndad]

The idle racing issue is solved, it was a leak between carb and head. Thanks for the help!

[ron9969]

I just ordered this model.I had preety good luck with the gy6 motor on my dune buggy and there are a lot of hop up parts available.Ill let youall know how it works out.

[northerndad]

I've had tons of problems with this model since writing this review:
* Both footwells eventually split and broke
* Chain adjustment bolts stripped - replaced w good ones
* Chain tensioner needed to be removed
* Swing arm bushings needed to be replaced
* 1 front tire totally worn down - hard if not impossible to have front wheels aligned due to design defect

I've fixed all these issues, but I have less than 20 hours of riding and probably 100 hours of fixing into this machine. Replaced the chain with a heavy duty one. Of course the GY6 engine is doing fine

The Gio Beast has been better though it is a manual trans. The Linhai 200 is head and shoulders above in quality, way more power, and the Tao has been sidelined. The Linhai does cost more but 0 time fixing it in the last few months has been great.

[ron9969]

Well one of the reasons i picked this model is that it seems large enough.I think the gy6 motor is good,just doing a few mods to the clutch makes a big difference in power.Its really hard to figure out what well and wont go bad.You think the camber,angle of the wheels is to much?The tires seem extremely far from the fenders.Did they ware on the outside edge?
Im curious is the suspension worth a dam?
I just cant see after a few years that a lot of bugs couldnt have been worked out of atvs,its not rocket science.Even for the chinese.Funny people write knothing but praise for the smaller models.

[northerndad]

Hi Ron,

Part of the problem with the front wheels on the Tao Tao 150 is that the camber changes as the wheels go up and down, and the alignment goes out when you steer it. So there is no way to get it to work properly, it is a bad design. I aligned the wheels with someone on the ATV, to get it closest to being aligned during riding conditions. Be sure to loc tite the bolts as they come undone very easy.

Suspension is OK, it works alright.

Where do you live? what country?

I haven't decided if I'm going to keep the Tao Tao 150 or just dump it. I don't feel good about letting people ride it as the steering makes it unsafe (the misalignment causes it to jerk left-right while riding at any speed). We'll see. As I mentioned I like the Linhai much much much better:



Jacob

[ron9969]

Hi ,im in northern arizona in the usa.The tao tao has a good reputation here,i havnt read much of anything wrong with tt products.
Curious the front suspension looks like other atvs,i know with atvs n buggys you want a bit of toe in to get quik steering.
You mentioned the footrest area isnt very strong?mabe needs some renforcement?
I live at 6800 foot and we already have snow and have more on the way tonightIm also thinking about the jetting.

[ron9969]

Im curious if your right about the steering.In your picture the front tires looked like their toed out wich might explain the steering problem.Well i guess ill find out.Your the first person to ever say something like this.I just cant see the problem as unfixable.

[northerndad]

If you compare my Tao to a proper setup, you see where the problems are. I did adjust it to toe in a bit, but like I said they keep going out. With the defective front end design it will always be out of alignment when steering which results in the uneven wear. I suppose someone willing to fabricate a fix could do it! I currently don't have any fabbing skills though.

I have fixed up the back end and the front end will be next - but since it'll just be used rarely now I won't put a ton of energy into it - I'll just toe in the wheels a bit again, red loc tite it all up and leave it

jb

[Weldangrind]

We have a 150 GY6 Gio Monster with the same problem. It boils down to a basic geometrical flaw, known as bumpsteer. It stems from the control arm length vs. the tie rod length; if they are too dissimilar, they will rotate through different arcs. Since they plot different arcs, the tie rod will push or pull on the spindle, causing the wheel to steer as it cycles up and down. When you hit a harsh bump, the wheel will steer you in a different direction, despite holding the bars still.

To examine the problem, remove one front shock and put the front of the quad up on a jackstand. Manually raise and lower the wheel, and you'll see how the wheel changes direction. The only fix is a different length or tie rod that is closer to the length of the control arm. I've considered re-engineering ours to match our 200 Gio Beast (which has no bumpsteer), but my wife and daughter find it to be ok for them, since they both drive at very low speeds. It's like driving Miss Daisy when I ride with them.

BTW, improperly engineered cars behave the very same way.