TaoTao ROMAN-150 Gas Street Legal Scooter - Blue

Excellent I was somewhat nervous but all went well. Thank you very much for asking. I will recommend to my friends. I'm ridding and enjoying the scooter.

I've had my Roman 150 for just a little over a month. As I received it in late September and it is now November in Minnesota where I live, my riding and break-in time is just about over. This will be something of a first impressions review. I have logged just over 100 miles on this scooter.It's almost impossible to review this scooter apart from addressing the caveat screamed by more experienced riders that it's nothing more than *Chinese junk*! I am a newbie, and can't claim experience with high-end Vespas or any other type of scoot. I purchased this based on price-point. Anything priced over $2000.00 (almost every 'name brand' scooter) is beyond my fun budget. I have no doubt that many criticisms of Chinese scooters are wholly valid. That said, China manufactures one half of all scooters made. Chinese people ride, by and large, Chinese scooters. TaoTao has been in operation since 1985, which is a respectable chunk of time. I don't think the Chinese are *intentionally* trying to pass off lemons, especially in the US market. There's a significant amount of good information about Chinese scooters, pro and con, on the web. I think it can basically be asserted that there isn't much customer support in the States, and that the owner assumes a great deal of responsibility for maintenance and smoking out support networks. That's where I land, and this is my personal experience.My Roman 150 was delivered via semi, and was enclosed in a *huge* box and secured to an iron shipping frame. The box had received a few dings in the journey, and, as such, I wasn't completely surprised (though dismayed) that there was some significant cosmetic damage to the front panel, and immediately noticeable missing parts. The most significant of these was the bolt that fastens and secures the steering assembly. TaoTao does have an office in the States, and I was very quickly able to track down the part from their website. A pain in the butt, and unnecessary, but encouraging. Most of the assembly screws used to fasten the front panel were also MIA. That was remedied by a hardware store run, and was a simple fix. I touched up the damaged front panel with some Auto Zone paint, and unless one is looking for the problem, it is pretty well disguised.The small amount of user assembly was *very* easy, and the laughably cheesy DVD of two Chinese guys building one of these things was actually *helpful*. Essentially, the front wheel assembly needs to be completed, the battery needs to be installed, the steering assembly and handlebars need to be secured, and the mirrors need to fastened. This all took less than an hour, and I'm no mechanic. Just fun wrenching.I was struck by the fact that the Roman 150 is *big*. The specs say it weighs 300 pounds, and I believe it. It is significantly more imposing than the 50cc variety of scooters which I would describe as 'petite'. Almost everything external on the Roman is plastic: panels, switches, light housings and lenses, etc. I assume this is among the factors that keep the cost down. It should be acknowledged that higher-end scooters (Vespa, et al.) have mostly metal panels, which undoubtedly adds to their value. That said, high-impact plastic is a completely mundane feature on cars and almost everything else today. Despite the plastic, the Roman feels quite bullet-proof. The seat compartment has enough space to hold a full-size (I think) helmet. The glove compartment seems kind of useless, as does the flimsy trunk, which I didn't attach. The center and side kick-stands are totally industrial strength. The tires, although probably a little on the cheap side, seem durable and were perfectly inflated, which surprised me given that this scooter had been crated since 2013.After 'assembly', I was somewhat undecided about what to do next. At that point, the post delivery inspection (PDI) is *highly* recommended by the pros. There are many great resources for this on the web, and I'm planning my detailed PDI for next spring. I inspected the engine compartment for glaring anomalies, and there were none. Everything *looked* tight. Given the fact that weather would only allow 2-4 weeks of riding time, I was curious about whether the Roman was mechanically sound, or something plagued with bizarre problems reflected by the aforementioned missing parts. On the advise of the seller, I changed the oil. I decided to pour some gas in it and see if it would fire. After five tries, it started, and very confidently. *It lives!* I let it run for a half and hour, stationary. No problems. I fired it again, and it came back to life. Excellent. Time to take it out.And so I did. Again, on the advise of the seller, I kept things between 30 and 40 mph for most of my rides over 4 weeks. The Roman 150 performs marvelously. It has an incredible amount of power and accelerates smoothly. Hills are no issue whatsoever. I've never had a power fluctuation or glitch. It just goes and goes, and seems to want more. Mechanically, it seems to be rock solid, even in sub 40 temperatures. I see no reason why it will not top out at 60 mph, and it has more than enough power to run comfortably in city traffic. And yes, it looks cool. I've had many compliments.When springtime rolls around, I will do the fine-tooth-comb PDI. But on first blush, I *love* this thing. It's more fun than the law should allow.I would add that the seller is *excellent*. I received a phone call hours after I placed my order regarding my color choice. Post sale, the issue of legal paperwork was immediately addressed and I soon had all the documentation I needed to get the thing registered and licensed. Awesome!

We bought the blue 2014 roman 150 8 months from someone who bought from here. They said it arrived with a huge scratch in which she was sent a replacement part. She loved it. We got it in great condition and rode it hard. The thing is quick.Pros.=Look -We constantly get complicated on how pretty it is. Looks like an old style Vespa. The color (baby blue) on white looks like an retorted classic car.Performance-Acceleration is enough to pop a wheel. Top speed between 50-60 mph. Even with 2 people totalling 280-300 lbs. Quiet for the amount of power. Gas milage better than our other 150 scooters. Shocks very smooth even with two people. Cons=1- The white seat and plastics get dirty easily. Wipes of easy on the body, but should be garage kept or covered because the white vinyl seat can stain easily.2- The Speedometer favors KPH. It does display MPH, it's just small writing. Large KPH numbers displayed.3- No passenger pegs. Tho it has plenty of butt room and the trunk works as a back rest, the bike is designed for the passenger to put their feet at the floorboard. Could be uncomfortable for passenger to have legs forward while pointing toes to keep feet on. Especially if their short.Things that fail first. ( these are not cons. Everything fails with age. These are just the things that went bad on the bike first. )First 6 months--Gas gauge- Like many scooters. Gas gauge goes from full to empty, not showing much between. But Suprisingly, still works enough to know when it's time to fuel up.First Year--Seat latch- cracked, then failed. Die cast meddle overtime simply Deteriorated. Maybe contributed to me living near the beach in the salt air.First 18 months- -exhaust pipe- Again, living a block from the ocean most likely contributed to the rate of the muffler mounts rusting, then failing. Still, no rust anywhere else.Conclusion-As I wrote this review, trying to pick apart any problems I had with the Taotao Roman 150, I've realized what a great scooter it was. I just went outside to look at it and was reminded what a great looking scooter it was. Minor cons but would really recommend this scooter to anyone. I own several scooters and would rate this one at 4.5 out of 5.