Should I buy an "off brand" scooter?

Ive been looking at 150cc scooters and yamaha, honda, and all the other big names have nice selection but the prices start at $2500 and go way up from there. There are quite a few imported scooters that are considerably cheaper (as low as $800) and the websites of the importers also carry replacement parts, so I know I could get parts, as long as the company stays in business. Does anyone know if any of these offshore brands have been around for any significant time? Or do they just sell scooters until people start having problems, then disappear? Could anyone give me a good brand to look at besides the big 4? This particular scooter caught my attention. Its a Roketa -- Fiji. Anyone have one?
heres the link to see it
http://www.extremescooters.biz/productde...

Buying a scooter online might be cheaper, but it will cost you in the long run. Remember, you will have to do all the wrenching yourself. Mosts brick and morter licenced dealers/shops refuse to work on them and parts will definetly be an issue. The dealers might claim to have great parts support, but if you are willing to diagnose the problem, remove the bad part, send it back, and wait 4 weeks before they send the new part, well, I would rather be riding than watching for the UPS truck.

Your best bet is check the used market. Ebay, Craigslist.org, etc. A 2 year old Kymco People is still going to be 1000 times better.

As for Roketa, recently the FBI raided their HQ because of fake DOT/EPA certifications on their bikes. Also Google ROKETA JUNK. It will give you an idea of the quality of these things.

You get what you pay for.
Caveat empor.

There is a reason these off brand scooters are so cheap. They are poorly built knockoffs from China or Korea, and parts and service is a problem. The quality control in these countries is not up to par with Japanese or American standards. A honda will cost more, but you are buying quality, reputation, service and support after the sale. You will also get much more use out of a name brand Japanese scooter.

Off brands use designes nearly identical to the big names. Although the initial performance will be the same, if (when) a part breaks, good luck getting it from them. On the plus side, parts from the name brand bike it was based on will likely fit just fine.

Related discussion thread
http://scootdawg.proboards59.com/index.c...

Check your regional craigslist > for sale > motorcycles for used scooter values.

Online vendors
http://www.bandit-motorsports.com/index....
http://scootersus.com/

Online parts
http://www.partsforscooters.com/Vehicle-...

Stay with the name brand 4 strokes. They are very reliable. Buy a nice used one, even an old one if it's in good condition. My sister bought a Honda Elite 250 in 1986. She and her friends tried to kill it for about 7 years then it was parked for about 10. My father (an experienced motorcyclist) put a battery and oil in it, then rode it about 300 miles. I don't think you could do that with an "off brand."