Read before purchasing…
Read before purchasing… We try to be fair in doing reviews and provide honest opinions on items. After doing our research, we settled on the TAO Cheetah Platinum 125 for a Christmas present. Several dealers had the unit in stock and we chose Killer Motorsports for the purchase. The specifications outlined on the website were what we were looking for in a starter ATV for new riders. It has a governor for speed limiting, a remote kill switch for the adults to use should they need to protect their rider from injury, and a lanyard for killing the unit should the rider fall off. The specs also mentioned LED (DRL) and brake light, which we verified with Killer Motorsports and others dealers and their associates before purchasing. The pictures also noted that the Cheetah Platinum was “NEW”, so being 2024, we figured that’s what we would receive (note, this was advertised this way on the other dealerships websites as well). What we got, was a unit that was sitting in storage since 08-2022. The packaging was pretty dusty when it arrived but was unclear if that occurred in transit to the northeast or not. While it had the safety features noted above, it does not have LED lights like the description indicates. Disappointing for even a 2022 model in the modern age. A call to TAO directly indicated they never made that unit with LED lighting and blamed it on their web developer. The 2024 model doesn’t have them either, so if unhappy, we could return it (poor customer service). As far as receiving the 2022 model, they deferred us to Killer Motorsports directly, again, accepting no blame. We received the same response from them regarding the age and headlight issue, if unhappy, return it. We were also missing a breather tube for the gas cap, and Killer Motorsports plans to ship one out. So while advertised as new, we got an older unit and were not even offered a discount off the 2024 prices. We also paid extra for assembly and setup (we highly suspect this was assembled prior to making the boat ride from China). The handbrake required adjustment so if it was assembled state-side, they didn’t follow their own specifications. The good news, the ATV runs well and the speed limiter is a great option for beginners. The bad news, based on the above, we hate being deceived and lied to about a product. So my warning is, while TAO may have a nice product, you will most likely receive something different than advertised, so question everything before purchase, particularly the model year of the unit you want. Disappointed in TAO and Killer Motorsports from that regard.