I would have to agree that the debate about so many things is overblown. Reminds me of the Ford v. Chevy or the old Amercan v. Japanese nonsense. The Chinese have tremendous manufacturing capacity - they are building factories as fast as they can - producing all kinds of goods. Back in the day the Japanese had a reputation for cheap and shoddy goods... they took consumer feedback seriously and now have a rep for very high quality products and engineering. The Italians make things that are beautiful but don't always work. (There is a long story to go with that but I'll save it for another day).
Anyway, the Tank or other scoot that has lots of question marks around it will either prove itself and find ultimate support or it won't . Can't debate what you can't prove... can't prove by not trying. The way of the marketplace is that everything finds its own level. The Tank looks good... that is, it's stylish, has the right motor for now and has a place in the marketplace. Time will answer the rest. It could turn out to be like buying IBM stock in the 1950's or Apple in 1978 or it may turn out to be a horses behind. For now I would chose to view Tanks a little like a Fiat I once owned... it was beautiful and I invested in keeping it running because I liked it. If the utility goes out of it the object of all that affection quickly gets sold or junked. On to the next beautiful thing. As an early adopter the, "...you may not be able to get parts later." scare tactic is beside the point, in fact, if the thing is built so badly that it becomes the key issue Americans won't continue to buy them! :roll:
I like the looks of the Tank 150's -- there are things about them that could be improved but that is what the after market is about. I will try this one out for a while and see how it does. I have high expectations and therefore will likely tend to be critical on some issues but forgiving, in part, because it looks so good to me. The engineering and stamina issues will take time to prove themselves worthy of future choice. If I buy a second one it will be because I have found a combination of things I like.
One last thought, I have not liked many of the scoots I sat on and read about in my quest to find the right ride. They are not BAD scoots; they just didn't have the combination I was seeking. At 6'2" my choices will necessarily be different than those made by my 5'2" spouse. To my eye things don't always appear the same as they do to my son. The first Hondas I saw were odd looking cheap motorcycles that I couldn't get enough of -- the lesson was that there was
SOMETHING in there that was what I was seeking! Once the marketers figure out what that is everyone will buy one!!
Sorry for soap boxing it here but I have been bashed about in the search for and finding out the objective information I was looking for. Have a great life and be at the top of your class!
