Vehicles & Servicing RACAL 3 WHEELER

I am thinking of buying a Racal 3 wheeler (Maya 150cc petrol engine). However, I have not been able to find any information on who makes them, which chinese manufacturer supplies the engine and transmission and most importantly, I can't find any information about its long term reliability and dependability.

If anyone here has had any long term experience with these vehicles I'd like to hear about it.
I believe they are being used extensively in Cauayan City, Isabela, as a replacement for regular tricycles.

Cheers

 

If those are the ones with a drive shaft, I hear them go down the road as if they have no lubricant in the rear axle assembly. Very noisy, meaning metal is against metal type noise somewhere in the system. Filipinos do not seem to notice this warning noise. There is a sales center south of Robinson Mall that may have more information. Good luck...see how many stay on the road, they are relatively new here.

 

Sorry to hi-jack the thread...but it got me thinking, is there a market in the Phils for Tuk Tuks - like the ones you see in India or Thailand?

The filipino tricycle idea, just seems a bit belt n braces to me...glue a sidecar to a motorcycle, expose passengers to the elements and hope for the best. Of course they are cheap to run and make, but I just can't help wondering. Tuk Tuks come in larger sizes too and for all purposes - like jeepneys, ferrying of livestock materials etc. Just wondering how come they never took off as an idea.

 

I have not actually ridden in a Racal three wheeler but a friend bought one. He drove it to his house in Valencia and then right back to the dealership.
The top speed is very low accordingly to him. He did say it could haul a pretty good load.
Best to try it before you buy it.
The dealership took the unit back, no problems there.

 

To a dealership here, try before you buy means you sit on it. If you mean test drive, don't ask when they are taking a drink because they will spit on you laughing... hahaha, no you buy first sir, hahaha

 

I guess it all depends on how much one is prepared to spend on personal transport. The trouble is, these 3 wheelers are cheap, they are advertised as low as US$600 in Alibaba and I believe the selling price here is about 100k.

In the Phils if you want cheap transport you'd need need to spend 60k for a bike and 30k for a sidecar, but the reality is that sidecars are too small and impractical too carry any sort of load or more than 1 large foreigner! It seems to me the RACAL 3 wheeler makes more sense, it can carry several people, of all sizes and weights, and a pretty big load as well (350kg according to the literature) and they seem relatively economical (22km/liter, max speed 50km/hr).

The Tuk-Tuk mentioned by Cerne is a much better idea, a version of these made by Piaggio is also available in Manila. The Piaggio Ape is a terrific little runabout, designed in Italy and built in India. However, at a price of over 200k it doesn't make sense, at that price it would be best to consider a Suzuki multicab, 4 wheels and luxurious air con!

So I am back to my meagre 100k budget and that cheap Chinese 3 wheeler. If the engine used in the RACAL model is made by Lifan I would have total confidence that it would be reliable enough as they are a carbon copy of a Honda engine that Lifan used to sell under the name of Hongda! I understand the reluctance to accept low quality Chinese made machines, but, are they really that bad? Millions of Chinese citizens seem to get around just fine everyday in one of these!

 

For P100,000 you can buy a used multicab in good condition, a much better unit all around.

 

Omg! How large is that foreigner? Have you seen the Dumaguete style of commercial trike sidecar?

 

Thanks for tip Outcast, I was under the impression that you need to spend about 180k to get a good multicab.