Fraudulent Mini bike parts sales on EBAY

#1
Dear Fellow Mini bikers- I have recently and way too frequently come across some EBAY sellers misrepresenting vintage Mini Bike parts as Rupp or Boonie Bikes etc. We have one dealer in Michigan selling frames and parts that are not Rupp, yet he clearly puts Rupp in the add title. He has multiple adds for multiple parts and insists on putting Rupp on each part title. I messaged him and asked him why he does this, he says everyone does it and he gets more money for the parts. There is another guy in Virginia selling 7 HP snow blower engines as a Rupp engine. RUPP NEVER SOLD MINI BIKES with a 7 HP engine on it. I worked at a Rupp dealership in Ma. from 70-74. I owned a Rupp Enduro as well as Boonie Bikes. (I have 2 1969 Boonie Bikes now). If you see these adds, please message the seller and ask him why he does this. And avoid buying from him at all costs. We all love to ride, I want newcomers to be able to enjoy this experience also. But getting screwed by some parts seller with no integrity might stop him from being able to ride. Help stop this ILLEGAL PRACTICE. Please do the right thing! Kroozer1
 

cfh

Well-Known Member
#3
I think the other problem is everybody thinks every single Minibike is a Rupp. If you go on Facebook and you see people asking, “what is this?”, someone always says it’s a rupp. It’s a kind of makes sense if these people put the word “rupp” in their listing. That way when some newbie does a search their part comes up
 

PatrickCraik

Well-Known Member
#4
I've seen other guys advertising Max Torque and Comet for their chinese stuff. Their ads should read FITS OR FUNCTIONS LIKE THESE PRODUCTS. Crooks
 
#7
Guys thanks for the comments. I am most likely one of the older riders in this group. I come from a different time when a man's word meant something. I guess you the next generation of riders don't see it as a bad thing. But what if you were a newbie, saved up for a mini bike and then ended up with a POS that was not what they claimed. You are out 400 bucks for instance etc, what do you do then? So I just wanted to see what you thought. Thanks again. Kroozer1
 
#8
Lets put it this way for example Right is Correct !!! Wrong is Your stuck with Junk Any Help with Bonanza Mini Bikes some other one's but my Personal Choice is Bonanzas. Call me i will send you original survivor pictures or Help. Text or Call 412-277-5803 Mark Mariani Pittsburgh Pa. If you want Good Results You Need Facts to Get there !!! Make the Hobby Fun for Beginners or Old Timers... I have only been collecting Bonanzas about 7.5 year's but i have anything you want to see. PS. I don't sell parts but might put you in the Correct Hands . I will give my opinion on a question or direction. Go Back to the old way tell the facts and if you don't know let someone that Does !!! The reason i have what i have is because i only took advice from People i never found to mislead me and continued to call my Friend. Good Luck to All !! God Bless !!!
 
#9
Kroozer, I agree with you all the way. When a brand name is associated with any inferior part of less quality or durability than the branded part it is deception. I have noticed quality parts are made by people that will tell you up front who or where the items were made, there is no need for them to hide behind a brand name.
 

cfh

Well-Known Member
#10
I don't necessarily think the ebay guys are being deceptive (on the surface.) But let's say you made a repro product, and you want to get the word out about it. if you don't put the original name in your ebay ad, no one will find it in a search! i think that's why you see people doing that. To me, you would have to be an idiot to think that say a Comet torque converter system is normally $150, yet there's a "comet" torque converter for $50, and it's not a copy! I mean come on... But yea they should probably say in the ad that it's a copy. But based on the price difference, it's kind of obvious...
 

minibikefever

Well-Known Member
#11
liars are liars no way to sugar coat it, thats technology gives cowards a place to do business, have to do your homework before you push the pay button or you might get had by greed,
 

bruces

Active Member
#12
So can the 7hp snowblower engine not be bolted onto a rupp and ridden just fine ?Can the frame be used to replace a rupp frame if you had one damaged beyond repair? Are brand new Rupp frames available today ? Pretty much all of the minibikes were made with universal parts with a few proprietary pieces as well ,and to a person just looking to have fun riding a mini bike ,mixing and matching parts from any number of sources might be the only answer to keeping their bike going .Not everybody is interested in fully restored 100% correct mini bikes that you can only look at in the museum .Does your car only have parts from the Chevy dealer or have you got parts from Napa on it ?if you have a Napa ball joint or brake rotor on your Chevy ,did you call them out for selling Chevy parts that are not Chevy ?
 

PatrickCraik

Well-Known Member
#13
I don't necessarily think the ebay guys are being deceptive (on the surface.) But let's say you made a repro product, and you want to get the word out about it. if you don't put the original name in your ebay ad, no one will find it in a search! i think that's why you see people doing that. To me, you would have to be an idiot to think that say a Comet torque converter system is normally $150, yet there's a "comet" torque converter for $50, and it's not a copy! I mean come on... But yea they should probably say in the ad that it's a copy. But based on the price difference, it's kind of obvious...
Exactly!! The title should be descriptive..C'mon,these guys are simply trying to cheat us. I've had several occasions trying to get info from sellers only to get more ambiguity. I simply dont bother with them after that. They're hiding or lying about something
 
#14
I guess in the end it’s up to the buyer....caveat emptor....happened to
Me in the beginning...guy in Cleveland had a trail horse $600...Tecumseh h60...nice bike...drove 4 hours one way to get it...it was about dark when I got there, he was in a hurry “to go to work” so we loaded it up and off I went...got up next morning only to find out it was a piece of shit...he had copper tubing for axle spacers, galvanized pipe for inner wheel spacers...no float in the carb...etc...long story short i kept the bike and got my money back....so point of the story is there’s assholes out there and if you don’t take care of yourself no one else is going to....oh and I’m old...
 
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#15
So can the 7hp snowblower engine not be bolted onto a rupp and ridden just fine ?Can the frame be used to replace a rupp frame if you had one damaged beyond repair? Are brand new Rupp frames available today ? Pretty much all of the minibikes were made with universal parts with a few proprietary pieces as well ,and to a person just looking to have fun riding a mini bike ,mixing and matching parts from any number of sources might be the only answer to keeping their bike going .Not everybody is interested in fully restored 100% correct mini bikes that you can only look at in the museum .Does your car only have parts from the Chevy dealer or have you got parts from Napa on it ?if you have a Napa ball joint or brake rotor on your Chevy ,did you call them out for selling Chevy parts that are not Chevy ?
 

capguncowboy

Well-Known Member
#16
I have put Rupp or Bonanza in the title for my listings before, but I clarify what it is in the description. Rupp and Bonanza are the neon print of ebay listings. It grabs their attention. Read the description and look at the pictures
 
#17
Bruces, you seem to be missing the point. If you have a Rupp and a guy is selling a speedway mini bike parts, they are not going to fit. Just as a 7 HP engine will NOT fit in the frame of most of the Rupps. 70-76 had a tilted mounting plate, only 4 HP small frame Tecumsehs will fit. MINI BIKES WERE NOT MADE WITH UNIVERSAL PARTS!!! I have a 71 Sears and two 69 Heathkit boonie bikes. Other than throttle cables, almost NOTHING from a Rupp will work on the Sears or Boonie Bike. Different wheel sizes, different brakes, etc. . It is not the same as buying a ball joint from Napa or from Ford, they are different brands but fit a SPECIFIC MODEL. What you are saying Bruces is that a Ball Joint from a F 350 will work on a Nissan Pathfinder.?????? Really? Our Government misleads us constantly, investment bankers ,stock brokers, police, lawyers all lie through their teeth. We cant change that, but we can self- police people and businesses that effect our hobby or pastime. BOYCOTT the phony sellers and spread the word about them to your fellow riders. Kroozer 1
 
#20
I once bought a Great Tote Goat and it had a Champion engine on it and I didn't then know what a clone engine was I put it together and sold it I will stick to the Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh engines
 
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