New 400cc V-twin For 150,000 Baht

[witold]

Maybe you should tell that to the Chinese companies making BMWs and other so called "higher class" cars?

Can you remember when the Japanese and Koreans were rubbished for their inferior "copies" Now of course lead the world.in many things.

Yeah, I know, China has an Intel chip factory too with 0.0000000001 failure rates. This means nothing. We are talking about low-end motorcycles here, and so far they have failed every time they tried.

And like I said earlier, I hope they eventually succeed. We could all use cheaper bikes.

Although for the guys living in LOS, your time would be better spent complaining about taxes and import duties. For the price you pay for comparatively crappy Er6, I can get a top of the line engineering in a Gsxr 600 package in the USA.

Edited August 17, 2010 by witold

[Richard-BKK]

Maybe you should tell that to the Chinese companies  making BMWs and other so called "higher class" cars?

Can you remember when the Japanese and Koreans were rubbished for their inferior "copies"      Now of course lead the world.in many things.

Yeah, I know, China has an Intel chip factory too with 0.0000000001 failure rates.  This means nothing.  We are talking about low-end motorcycles here, and so far they have failed every time they tried.  

And like I said earlier, I hope they eventually succeed.  We could all use cheaper bikes.  

Although for the guys living in LOS, your time would be better spent complaining about taxes and import duties.  For the price you pay for comparatively crappy Er6, I can get a top of the line engineering in a Gsxr 600 package in the USA.  

The Kawasaki ER-6N costs in the states USD 6,699 msrp (about 221,067 Baht) and the Suzuki GSX-R600 costs USD 10,399 msrp (what is about 343,167 Baht). Again, the information you provide is inaccurate - you cannot buy a top of the line GSX-R600 in the USA for the same price as you're buying a ER-6N in Thailand, which is currently priced about 245,000 Baht.

[JSixpack]

Maybe you should tell that to the Chinese companies  making BMWs and other so called "higher class" cars?

Can you remember when the Japanese and Koreans were rubbished for their inferior "copies"      Now of course lead the world.in many things.

Yeah, I know, China has an Intel chip factory too with 0.0000000001 failure rates.  This means nothing.  We are talking about low-end motorcycles here, and so far they have failed every time they tried.  

And like I said earlier, I hope they eventually succeed.  We could all use cheaper bikes.  

I don't understand: how can you be so CERTAIN that they haven't succeeded with this Lifan? Nobody here even has one yet.

Let's give it chance before all the bad mouthing.

[jackcorbett]

I don't understand: how can you be so CERTAIN that they haven't succeeded with this Lifan? Nobody here even has one yet.

Let's give it chance before all the bad mouthing.

Agreed. This one can go either way. I will say this. Since I cannot own guns here in Thailand (I had many in my collection back in the U.S.) I have bought a few swords. Included are two Japanese Chinese copies. One is a 20 inch bladed mono steel model with an almost matching Katana with a 28 to 29 inch blade that is differentially hardened. Quality of both seems to be excellent. As to the differentially hardened Katana, like the traditional Japanese Katana's the inner core of the steel is soft making the sword flexible while the outside is hard and brittle so the sword can take and keep a razor sharp edge. I had them shipped to me in Thailand from the U.S., and the larger differentially hardened Katana cost around $300. There are fancier "Chinese copies" that show much greater attention to detail, prettier fittings, but from what I can tell the quality of both these swords is excellent. A Japanese katana from a recognized sword smith duly licensed by the Japanese government would no doubt cost AT LEAST $5000 and if I were to bet in terms of durability, sharpness and overall functionality I wouldn't bet a lot of money that the Japanese sword was significantly better if at all.

[billd766]

Well, it looks decent enough - in the pictures.

But...

-400cc twin is still too gutless to go anywhere.

-price tag sucks. Just a little more and you can get Kawi Er6n which is quite a respectable big bike.

-chances are that Chinese workmanship sucks just like it sucks on every other Chinese import. Stuff wears quicker and breaks quicker. The 'feel' of the ride is probably not that good because of dodgy suspension, etc. Consequently, the bikes do not hold much value so when time comes to get rid of it, you will be taking a bigger loss.

I hate to bad mouth Chinese bikes because the potential is there. They generally license old Honda engine designs that are bulletproof. One day one of these Chinese companies will figure out it's quality control issues and deliver a great bike at a low price, but I am skeptical that that day has come with this Lifan.

It is all down to horses for courses.

A 400cc twin would be ideal for me as I have a 200cc Phantom and I use it as a knock about around town and a cruiser bike.

They are 2 totally different bikes and the "just a little more" could be about 95,000 baht or about 60% more than the Lifan.

If I had my 'druthers I would love a 900cc Kawasaki Vulcan but with a price tag of some 461,000 baht it would be a very expensive toy but no doubt fun to cruise around Thailand on.

[anono222]

Ouch! Price is a bit stiff for the product. The Lifan 250 V-Twin has been selling well here in Chiang Mai for the last couple of months. Have been considering a purchase but fear the 250 is too small for my size. However, the price for the 250 is only 78,000 B from JRD. Seems a bit much to double the price for another 150cc when the bike itself appears to be very similar. Am I rambling? Guess my answer would be yes if a test ride were available, or maybe a rental, that demonstrated the product stood up well under my butt. The price is another matter. I can buy a lot of bike for 150,000...and not an unproven (in Thailand) Chinese bike. Said that...

[KRS1]

If it is as fast as a Steed, I'd be interested.

[anono222]

If it is as fast as a Steed, I'd be interested.

Dealer in Chiang Mai tells me 120k cruise is very comfortable on the 250. Since they would not let ride one, take that comment for what it is worth. The 250 did look good and set well, just a bit too small for me I fear. I am asking the folks at JRD if they have any idea when/if the 400 will make the market. One thing, the staff at JRD did assure me that since the bikes are assembled in Thailand, parts would be readily available. I just wonder how many parts I would need!

[BigBikeBKK]

If it is as fast as a Steed, I'd be interested.

since when is a steed fast?

[PaulD]

My V250 Lifan is not built for high speeds. Gets an honest 120 (GPS and spedo), but takes a while from 110. 18HP is hardly impressive, after all. Considering, its torque at first is pretty fair and around middle ranges is good, however, and it doesn't have enough distance on it to be broken in. It is all stock now.

Build quality after 1300 kms and QC have nothing wrong, yet.

Edited February 9, 2011 by PaulD