Forward: Qlink Pegasus "Overheating" / Head Gasket

To read the entire story correctly, you will have to read the last post first. The entries are in reverse chronological order.

Use the links to the right to read the blog this, correct, way. (For some reason, blogger doesn't allow visitors to sort by date.)

This is the saga of my 2006 QLink Pegasus 150cc Scooters, purchased new- from an authorized QLink dealer, on September 1st, 2007. It has just now been fixed, by me.

I am the ONLY person who has publicly said they have a DEFINITIVE solution to these series of scooters, which have been described as having "overheating" issues. Rumor has it that about 20 of these scooters were replaced with new ones, very quickly, by QLink. These were the first ones to have trouble. Since then, I have seen no verifiable evidence to support this rumor.

This blog is a result of fairly careful note-keeping. It was something I knew I had to do within the first week of owning my new bike, because I was already starting to get screwed. My original dealer wouldn't answer his phone. A local dealer told me to go to hell, and that he wouldn't support the warranty. He, too, was an authorized dealer for QLink scooters.

I originally posted many of this in my own, closed, membership-only, forum. I did this for the ease of the dealer. I felt it would be simpler for them to view pictures and text together, than to receive email, and that they could do it from any computer. I had never had membership requests for the forum, but eventually had two requests from users in China. This were the first requests in the three years my forum has been up, and it happened a day after the title appeared: "QLink CFMoto Pegasus 150 Scooter."

I kept quiet about many of these details, because popular opinion suggests they have a habit of "voiding" the factory warranty. The owner's manual says that warranties will be voided if work is not completed by an authorized dealer. Well, an "authorized dealer" authorized me. Therefore, a representative of QLink and their products legally gave me permission to do this work without voiding the warranty.

I have tried to protect the dealer who made this arrangement with me. The owner seems like a good guy, the place appears professional, the prices seem fair. He went through the trouble of picking my bike up, driving it to his shop, and working on it for four weeks. I don't want him to get into any trouble over this matter, because I don't feel he deserves it, and I think his hands were tied by QLink to an extent. You will see that communication isn't their strong point, however, especially when plagued by a problem product like an overheating Pegasus. If I were in the market for a scooter, I would see him first. People tell me I'm crazy. People tell me they'd have thrown that bike through his front window. There's always some room for improvement, I guess.

Finally, after documenting MY solution to this head gasket, (note that I do NOT call it an "overheating" problem now,) I'm a bit angry. I lost probably five weeks of riding time- time I planned on saving money in gas over what my big SUV uses- since this started. I've been lied to- right to my face. I knew it, stood there and took it, knowing the other people wouldn't budge. But enough is enough.

Everything here should be considered "opinion." Any emails that were copied are true and complete. I have all email archived including the header files, so there is proof of who sent what, and when. All images are as they were taken, except where obvious notes or color keys were added. I have had a witness to the discussion regarding me doing warranty work. I have two witnesses who observed my repair. I have the opinion of two of the most intelligent mechanical engineers I've ever met. I have receipts, phone records, and more.

I have a growing network of other owners who have gotten the shaft- some far worse than me. These owners are, typically, those who took dealers' advice to keep riding their machine, despite a clear need for taking it out of service and repairing it. Some call this a conspiracy between QLink and dealers. Many facts indicate this could be possible.

My goal here isn't to slam anyone, but to warn others what they're getting into when they choose products that are imported and poorly supported. To warn others to what extent their $2400 investment could mean absolutely nothing for months on end, and to help those who have had these problems fix their machine.

I am fully open to participation in a class-action lawsuit against QLink. I will say no more at this point, except that you may contact me if you wish to do so.

This blog may quickly disappear. I have asked QLink for some things in exchange for information on how, exactly, to fix not only the head gasket issue- but to regain their reputation. I've offered to send them professional-level documentation on the process of doing so- ready for distribution to their dealer network. I've offered to tell the story of how some unscrupulous dealers seem to have given advice to customers that result in catastrophic or irreversible damage to their bikes- probably in the hopes that they would fail. From here, those dealers are absolved of responsibility unless the customers took them to small claims court.

At the time of purchase, very little negative information existed regarding the model, and the few internet discussions out there made the bike look good. One negative comment mentioned an overheating issue that a forum owner decided was "not credible," and banned the user from his forum. It was said that 'there are people out there just trying to make trouble' and that no one should trust this person's account of events. (Note that this forum also is a heavy supporter of QLink, and has their banner ads on the forum and main site. The owner, on more than one occasion, has said that he met the "general manager" of QLink, a "Mr. Johnny Tai.")

Nowhere in this saga was Mr. Tai available for discussion, despite repeated attempts to contact him.

Please note that much of what is presented here is speculative, in terms of the actual corporate policy of QLink. It is, rather, an account of actual communication with them, where it is referenced.

Feel free to post a response, or contact Tim at
qlink_pegasus [at] yahoo [dot] com.