While Xkeleton‘s Trickster, a Sachs Madass knockoff, has been creating a lot of online buzz lately, few have noticed that the real thing is now available. It’s being imported by Tomberlin, who otherwise imports mostly dodgy Chinese scooters and who unfortunately took the halfass “bring ’em in and sell ’em as farm equipment” route rather than dealing with homologation and making it the coolest street-legal moped of all time. (the Trickster also lacks DOT/EPA approval) (see comments regarding DOT/EPA approval). But we’re glad to Sachs back in the US, and we’d be even happier to see the 125cc model, as if. (Sach’s official Madass site) Remember the early ’90s Madison, WI scooter club MADass? They’d be stoked.
29 thoughts on “Madass USA”
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HOMOLOGATION!!!!!!!!!!
Sachs is actually owned by an american company. The grip shift bike component people.
P-Town Scooters, one of our local Portland shops was the first dealer in the U.S. to carry the Madass. I have to say it looks pretty badass. Yes, it’s a badass Madass. It did have a rather ugly DOT sticker on it that made it pretty clear that it was made in China. Sachs must have some sort of flimsy licensing agreement with a Chinese manufacturer. I stupidly didn’t double check to sure that it had the Sachs name on it, though I’m pretty sure it did. It was definately a Madass though.
Steve Sellers from P-Town brought out the badass Madass for a moped ride. Some locals are working on setting up a Moped Army chapter!
Also, I just have to say that I have a resident in one of my apartment complexes named J. Bahdaso. It’s hard to say hello to Mr. Bahdaso with a straight face. But that’s somethin’ else. ;-)
Dave
*Waits for the global release of the 500cc concept Madass*
illnoise,
so Tomberlin imports scooters from china right???? I thought sachs was like from Germany,niether Tomberlin or Xkeleton is using the Sachs name whats the deal??
The Xkeleton looks better than the Tomberlin for sure…anyone seen the real thing(s)?? I called both Tomba nd Xkeleton, Xkeleton swears up and down that they meet DOT and EPA, they went as far as giving me the DOT info to check t out myself. I haven’t……yet
Not sure about this, but from what I’ve heard and how I understand it, the Tomberlin Madasses ARE Sachs. Most of the stuff Tomberlin sells is unimpressive Chinese junk, but they are listed on Sach’s page as the official US Madass distributor. The Sachs version may be (and likely is) built in Asia, of course, but the Xkelton is (allegedly, again, i’ve never seen or ridden either) a somewhat-lower-quality Chinese copy.
Looking at the photos, I have no idea how they’d be DOT/EPA approved, unless they have some sort of approval system for off-road bikes like dirtbikes. I just can’t see those tiny lights and signals (do they even HAVE signals?) being street-legal.
The signals are there :) I hope someone with real info pitches in….BahBye
The photos of both scooters show them with bar-end turn signals, which I was always told were not legal in the US. The Tricksters’ bar end signals at least look fairly large, and it has reflectors in appropriate places, but their site is so painfully annoying to use, I quit trying. If they both say they’re approved, they’re probably not lying, though importers have lied before (if they have the official stickers, however, then they’re definitely not), I’m just saying it seems bizarre that DOT would have approved those tiny, oddly-placed lights and signals yet made Yamaha change their Vino signals, (for instance).
Also (assuming your “BahBye” was meant to be dismissive) I try to be pretty clear that I don’t have all the info in the world and I welcome comments correcting me. I do this site in my spare time and don’t accept advertising, so my resources are limited, I just think it’s fun and helpful to get some unbiased info and opinions out on the web. If you have time to do some more research, we’d all love to hear more about the Madass.
Steve inserts shameless plug for the video review here:
http://thescooterscoop.blogspot.com/2006/01/thescooterscooptv-is-live.html
I have a Tomberlin Madass( its slow but a nice machine) I did talk to a Tomberlin rep about sachs and the china deal. Sachs are(were) German just put together in China. Tomberlins are DOT/EPA . From what i have seen and researched Tomberlins stuff is not from china (check the facts). In fact i own a 50cc ATV (made where Polaris is made) not China. But back to the Xkeleton, can anyone buy one I have tried several times and no luck. I did notice that they did not have any dealers in CA. Tuff state with DOT/EPA. No sales in Canada(big on DOT/EPA. I would really love to hear from a owner of a xkeleton, Are there any?
I recently baught an xkeleton trickster on ebay. I had a hard time getting it put together because it didn’t come with instructions. I contacted customer support at xkeleton and the guy I spoke with was very helpful. He helped me get everything in working order. The only problem is that I never recieved an MSO for the bike and have been in a run-a-round with the ebay seller and the xkeleton guy over getting a replacement sent out. I’m begining to wonder if they are legal at all in the US? Does anyone else out ther own one? I tried to get in touch with other ebayers who have baught them, but am still waiting for responses. I have had this bike sitting in my garage for about a month now…I baught it to ride it, not store it…If anyone else is interested in these bikes, buy a real Sachs if you can or Tomberlin. I’ll post again soon to let you all know how things turn out.
Well I finally got the MSO for my Trickster. I paid for it on July 11th, was told it would take 7 days to recieve the bike…On day 8, I emailed the guy who sold it to me and asked what was going on. He said that it would be loaded on the truck that day. It took about 14 days before I got the bike. Then, it took me forever to get the MSO for the bike. I finally recieved the MSO on August 19th….That’s like 40 days after I baught it!!! Whatever you do, don’t buy one of these things from a dude selling them on ebay. There was a different guy who had one listed on ebay, but he didn’t sell it (didn’t meet his reserve price) and he is no longer a registered user of ebay. The guy I bought mine from also now keeps the bidders user ID private. I guess he found out that people who have baught from him were spreading the word that he is not a good person to deal with. He also used to have his item location say Florida, but now it just says UNITED STATES, United States. He has changed his listing to now say that shipping takes 7-14 days. He also lies and says the bike has a high output Honda XR 50 engine. It doesn’t I’m pretty sure its a Lifan engine, just a knock off of a honda engine. Especially when you consider the low price of these bikes…He says the MSRP is $2300, but on the xkeleton website the price is $1599.00…I know the MSRP is usually going to be a bit higher than anyone would sell them for, but come on, that’s just unrealistic, $2300. I bought mine on ebay for less than $800, and the seller said if I was interested in another, he’d sell me another for $690, plus shipping…These things are cheep so don’t over pay for one if you do buy one! I’d say your best bet is just to not buy one at all.
As far as hearing from other ebayers, I have heard from one ebayer who said that their trickster started falling apart after about a month of riding it…The rear fender fell off, the
foot-pegs came loose. That ebayer warned me to just go over the whole bike and make sure everything is snug before I even start riding it. I have also heard from another ebayer who also had a very hard time getting the MSO for their bike as well. And I have also heard that one ebayer never recieved their bike, and it had been a month since they bought it. I would really advise you to NOT buy one of these off ebay. There may be other sellers in the future on ebay, but as for now, I’m pretty sure there is only one, and he sucks!!!
Thats it for now, I’ll post again once I get this thing insured and can start riding it to let you know how that goes.
I also bought a Trickster on EBay from Ray in Florida and Alain in San Diego, Ca. I received the bike 6 weeks later, 4 weeks late no paper work was lied to about It being CARB and DOT it’s not. Now they wont return any calls or emails. I have hired a Privet Investigator to find both of these scum bags and intend to sue both of them. If possible I will go after them criminally as well. If you can help or want to talk or just want to send me a letter I can hand the judge I welcome your input. BillS356@aol.com or 310-827-4231
Hello peeple . I am letting interested persons know that I have just completed payment through Paypal for one of these Xkeletonz off Ebay fromPowertoysdirect for about a total price of $875. Item #250048486056. Payment was made on Nov.11, 2006. A few hours later I read the comments people have left and now wonder what will be my experience with this seller and the item as listed. So all I can say is I hope to God it’s a good one ! I will however post my further commentz good or bad about this Xkeleton thing about once a week as apparently there is quite an interest in this machine. One last thing I will say is further examining the pictures at the web site is one view shows the drive chain on the left side and another shows it on the right side. Now I’m starting to wonder……see ya next Sat night !
Peeplz…I am back…just call me Derv……I have not received the “Trickster” as yet, but after some email conversation with the seller….I believe it is on it’s way, but not by UPS or FEDx . I did hear from the buyer who paid $250 (+$500) and he said quality was good but he thought the thing was “underpowered” . Well you can only have so much power for 49cc. Good thing is that these motors can easily be made bigger in cc’s and cheeply too ! Well I still havent seen a ” Madass Moped” yet even though I’m from Madasson Wi. Derv out …but will return next Sat for news about my coming 1st. Xkeleton.
Here’s the latest:
Previous management taking over Sachs
On 3 November 2006 the insolvency administrator, Mr. Volker Bhm of Schultze & Braun, has come to an agreement with Sachs management on a management buy-out solution (MBO) and has signed the appropriate purchase contract. The insolvency proceedings are therefore expected to be completed by December 2006.
At the same time this decision was taken, the announcement was made that neither of the two groups of prospective investors, with whom the insolvency administrator had held intensive discussions in the course of the past weeks, was given the award. The MBO solution came into play at a rather late stage, says the insolvency administrator, and now the company will be carried on by its previous management and its workforce. They managed to raise the purchase price with the help of a lender and have already paid the purchase price to the insolvency administrator. This sum will now be part of the insolvent estate and will soon be paid out to the creditors, says the insolvency administrator.
Sine the time the request to open insolvency proceedings has been filed on 28 June 2006, the insolvency administrator has not only continued the company, but has put it in a position to develop new vehicle models in addition to its existing range which have attracted a great deal of attention at this year’s international Intermot fair in Cologne. The company’s management which is expected to take over on 1 January 2007 also has new plans for developing motor scooters and motor-assisted bicycles designed to secure Sachs long-term market position.
The acquisition and purchase concept also provides for the continued employment of 33 of the 44 strong workforce. Business operations will continue at the same location as before. Close ties with suppliers in Europe and, above all, in Asia are expected to create a sound basis for remaining competitive in the market. Motorcycles with a cubic capacity of below 125 cc are sold under the Sachs marque. The company also imports and markets Voxan motorcycles with a cubic capacity of as much as 1,000 cc.
Sachs Fahrzeug- und Motorentechnik GmbH is the successor company of the Nuremberg-based Hercules Werke GmbH which was established in 1886 and which this year celebrates its 120 years of existence.
Background information:
The term management buy-out (MBO) describes the majority acquisition and purchase of a company by its previous management. The capital required by the acquisition and purchase is raised either from the private assets of the members of the management team or from a bank or other financial investors.
Hope your bike is delivered soon Xheleton…
I just received the x-keleton I bought on ebay from powertoyersdirect. I bought the bike as a Christmas present so I am not an informed “biker”. I liked the look of the bike over other mopeds. Several people wrote about having difficulty getting the MSO? What is this and why is it needed? I live in California. Will this be needed to register the bike? I also went to the X-keleton web site, but it is under maintenance. I was expecting the bike to come assembled. From the comments I read from xkeletonrippedmeoff1, I’m thinking I need to get the MSO & instructions. I was really hoping this was going to be a great gift. Not much fun if it sits in the garage because I didn’t give them everything. Can someone help educate me?
Dear Xkeletonz, I bought my xkeleton from powertoysdirect. It arrived today. I just realized I didn’t get a title or any of the documentation needed to register the bike.
Hello again peeplez. I am back with my probable last report on this xkeleton business. I bought one from the Ebay Powertoyz guy. I received the bike about 9 days later and would have got it sooner if I was there to answer the phone. All the parts were there but a big scratch or gouge was evident on top of triple tree clamp from a twisted packing frame bolt. No assembly instructions. Took two peeple to install muffler clamp. A few loose wire connections. Got everything to work after a while. Nice looking mirrors but they snap apart like a potato chip if you try to adust them for angle. Motor started right up but throttle cable end was frayed and sticking to inside of carb. Quartz head lights are pretty kool and work real good. Digital speedo is OK but cannot be seen properly at night. Speedo has button underneath to switch from Mph to Kph. Wheels and tires are very good. Brakes are bigger than needed. Kickstand was loose and needing a spacer. No chain guard which might be a problem for someone like a child on the back. The bike is rather heavy for it’s small horsepower motor but handles quite well. Bike would be decent if it had about 150cc motor on it but then it wouldnt be a “Moped”. The bike’sperformance is slow
Hello again peeplez. I am back with my probable last report on this xkeleton business. I bought one from the Ebay Powertoyz guy. I received the bike about 9 days later and would have got it sooner if I was there to answer the phone. All the parts were there but a big scratch or gouge was evident on top of triple tree clamp from a twisted packing frame bolt. No assembly instructions. Took two peeple to install the muffler clamp. A few loose wire connections. Got everything to work after a while. Nice looking mirrors but they snap apart like a potato chip if you try to adust them for angle. Motor started right up but throttle cable end was frayed and sticking to inside of carb. Quartz head lights are pretty kool and work real good. Digital speedo is OK but cannot be seen properly at night. Speedo has button underneath to switch from Mph to Kph. Wheels and tires are very good. Brakes are bigger than needed. Kickstand was loose and needing a spacer. No chain guard which might be a problem for someone like a child on the back. The bike is rather heavy for it’s small horsepower motor but handles quite well. Top speed might be 30 Mph initially. Bike would be decent if it had about 150cc motor on it but then it wouldnt be a “Moped”. No MOS but may be available. The bike’s performance is embarassing slow. I’m going to try a different aftermarket carburetor and performance air filter and a new throttle carburetor. Bike definitely needs a SKID plate as your going to sooner or later hit the bottom of the engine on a curb or something. Bike looks much better than it performs ! Bike has a kool name and looks. What kind of tricks can it do? Can’t do any wheelies. Barely climbs a hill. I think now I understand what the TRICK is…..where’s my money? DS
Xkeletonz, there are a litany of mods you can do to boost power to your bike. Removal of the electronic governor is a good place to start. Next you need to gear it up by changing the final drive sprocket. A 15t should suffice. Then you can carefully chop 5-10mm off the throttle slide so it opens further.
However doing all of this will only give you a bike that will do 40MPH on a good day. Bigger carb, big-bore kit, engine swap…. your pocket book is the limit.
I’d also go through the bike removing bolts and screws, then applying a thread-locker compound, and torqueing them down (pdfs of manuals are at the tomberlin web site) to the right value.
I waited to respond to all the bad press the dealers have received over the past few months but now I feel it’s time to join forces with you guys . I did experience the same thing as you folks . Triple clamp was scraped up due to broken shipping crate , one bolt in the clamp is used to bolt to the shipping frame(kinda crushed – must have been double/triple stacked ). Broken throttle cable /housing (part of shipping damage ) Broken mirror )left side ) Big Time leaky petcock (all over the garage that has a water heater in it – I would definitely be SUEing Big Time if I had a house fire- I’m from Calif. sue happy state ), Headlight wired wrong , Stand real wobbly , Nuts and bolts loose . MISSING TITLE – I really don’t care about the scrapes and Broken stuff I can fix that – the dealer sent parts and did replace them after a couple of calls(lots of them). Parts came from the factory not him so I guess that explains the delay (2 Months ?? ) Well everything is fixed – I do all my own work . I can’t say it’s the dealers fault as a distributor/third party .Common sense tells you to go over the bike for safety and loose stuff from the shipping . I really want to give the dealer the benefit of the doubt and be patient enough to SEND me a TITLE which I found out via the DMV ,”must legally provide at delivery or soon thereafter” as stated by law . I’m not out to get him or anything but I’m going to try ONE more time to contact him via email – Then I’m going to have to go after him legally . I really just want to ride this thing with a plate and it’s been sitting since the end of September without one / could get pulled over and get really screwed ! I did have one problem or another but they are all /was fixable – DON’T want to see the guy in jail or anything I just WANT MY TITLE !!!!!! I want to actually buy another one (a third) just to modify if I know I can get a legal title for them , geez if there’s a problem doing this and the dealer can’t figure it out I ‘ll even help the dealer if I can. Anybody have the same experience ??? Feel free to contact me . Though it seems everyone has . I mean this is a real neat OVER BUILT platform to really trick out larger engines carbs etc . Hopefully the dealer won’t screw it up for himself and get on the ball with our titles – I think the Bike really is gonna take off this year as more and more people see it , I know for a fact a whole bunch of yuppie rich guys in their 30’s and 40’s in the neighborhood want one over a scooter for the attention they get.
This is to all the madass freaks! I have real info on the madass by Tomberlin. If anybody out there is really interested in what is going on I will gladly lay it on you. I purchased the silver madass right from Tomberlin in Augusta, Ga. These are the people that have everything to do with the madass coming from China which also has the name of Sachs on the engine case. You can pull up their website by just typing in Tomberlin but I am going to give you the name of the head man in charge of the whole store in Augusta, Ga. His name is Thomas Marshall at 1-877-543-7288. This 800 number will get you right to the main man.
Let me tell you about the great service and treatment that these people in Augusta give you. I had a few problems with the MSO when I got to Floruda to register it. In Florida it is not considered a moped but a scooter and needs to be titled, registered and tagged. The people at Tomberlin went way out of there way to help with the problem I had at the tag agency. Even as far as to call done to the tag agency in Florida from Georgia to help straighten it all out. They even overnited me a new MSO to make things easier at the tag agency. I can’t say enough of the treatment that this company gives to you when you make a purchase and even when you have a problem. They went above and beyond what most companies would ever do.
They give one years warranty on defective parts. At the time I bought this scooter on 11/16/06 they had a sale going on for the holidays(which I think goes on to the end of the year but not sure). I paid including Georgia sales tax $1060.00 and completely assembled and driven out the door, with a tank of gas. If there is anything you guys want to know about the madass/Tomberlin here is my email (lindamclarney@yahoo.com) I will be glad to help you because it is a hell of a piece of equipment. I do not have very many miles on it yet because I am picking my tag up tomorrow but the more I drive it I will keep you posted on it’s progress PS: not real fast
Can someone help answer an assembly question on the Xkeleton? I don’t know how to set up the hoses. Definately got it wrong the first time. The fuel hose runs from the petcock to the bottom of the carb, right?. Where do the 2 other hoses go?
As far as I know the fitting at the bottom of the carb (the float bowl) is the drain for the carb. A section hose attaches and routes down the bottom left of the engine.
Your carb’s intake fitting is at mid-level on the right side. A hose attaches to this and the fuel filter. Another section of hose attaches to the filter and the other end goes on the petcock fitting….
Just visit
the picts there will give you a better idea of the hose routing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/madass/
And I ask all Madass owners and fans to visit North America’s primier Madass site:
http://www.madass.ca/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
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