Lifan Gy200 A5

[Jonny B]

a friend of mine just bought a brand new Lifan GY200 A5, from the dealer here in chonburi city for 45 000 baht with 2 year warranty, green book etc, fully legal. The guy/shop has just started selling them to test the market here so not sure how long he would keep that price. Apperently its a chinese copy of a honda model (not sure which one) and they didnt get good reviews and had some problems with initial models a few years ago but seem to be alot better now. Im no expert but from what i saw it looked great. i took it for a small ride and seemed to ride very nice also. Someone looking for a fully legal road/trail type bike at a very reasonable price i think would find this bike hard to beat. i payed over 50k for a nouvo and i know had this bike been available then i definately would have got it instead. I believe the factory is located here which would explain the cheap selling price and would make servicing and warrant issues alot easier.

my friend told me that there is now a copy of this model going around now also so i guess it must be half decent if some1 is copying a copy, nway if u do happen to get one from somewhere i would contact lifan directly with all the numbers and make sure its one of their bikes.

has any1 else come across this bike yet or bought one from somewhere, any experiences?

will provide shop details to any1 interested.

[H2oDunc]

False economy you will find. Your friend would have been better buying a second hand Phantom or Nouvo rather than this Chinese liability. He will find that parts that he is going to be needing often will be hard to get and your average somchai mechanic will have no idea of how to repair and will just bodge it as best he can.

My friend bought a Chinese scrambler type bike and it spent more time in the dealers waiting for the replacement parts that either failed or simply dropped off like the front brake calliper.

[Jonny B]

False economy you will find. Your friend would have been better buying a second hand Phantom or Nouvo rather than this Chinese liability. He will find that parts that he is going to be needing often will be hard to get and your average somchai mechanic will have no idea of how to repair and will just bodge it as best he can.

My friend bought a Chinese scrambler type bike and it spent more time in the dealers waiting for the replacement parts that either failed or simply dropped off like the front brake calliper.

yeah fair enough, im sure alot of people would be under the same impression, im also sceptical myself, i guess only time wil tell how reliable it is. in all due respect your friend didnt buy this bike so i guess cant really compare.

[VocalNeal]

False post

Edited November 26, 2010 by VocalNeal

[Richard-BKK]

The correct model number is Lifan LF200GY-5

[Jonny B]

The correct model number is Lifan LF200GY-5

Ahh, k, thanks. is that the correct model number for thailand or everywhere? I typed the other number into google and it showed the same bike.

[mbox]

The correct model number is Lifan LF200GY-5

Ahh, k, thanks. is that the correct model number for thailand or everywhere? I typed the other number into google and it showed the same bike.

Johnny B, Thanks for the info and please keep us updated how your friend is doing on his Lifan 200cc Bike....

mbox

[shadyanna]

Hi,

Actually I bought the bike 2 weeks ago and already did 500 kms without problem. It seems to be a very reliable bike not so powerful as Japanese motos are but it´s a good option for everyday use. I took my decision considering that a Fino can definitely not offer the same comfort, power, and trail biking for a higher price.

Moreover, if you consider that the majority of japanese motos are made in Thailand to be export to Japan and re import later, it´s just a waste of money. I really trust in chinese industry as they try to target new thai market (middle thai class) in offering something reliable and because their factory is in Thailand now. This model already exists for three years now and even at the beginning a lot of users complained about the electric start or the plastic quality, nowadays you just can´t find more bad customers feedback. People started to do "Lifan club", it is a kind of recognized quality.

More details are there:

http://www.motorcycl...get-Enduro-Bike,

This article is quite exactly the feeling I have with my bike. I know a lot of "sceptic-sick" people will say that I lost my money, that it ´s risky to do that... But really, I drove many trail old bikes models (honda ax-1, Baja, KDX mainly..) just for rent and definitely I already love my bike )

For those who are interested in more informations (seller contact etc..), you can contact me by MP.

Anna

Edited November 29, 2010 by shadyanna

[Bobr]

Good luck, it might be really improved over earlier models. The Chinese certainly are not stupid, and they must know the horrible reputation their bikes now have. Hopefully they will get their act together and produce some quality machines that give the Japanese a run for less money.

Good luck to your friend with his new bike.

[nikster]

I payed over 50k for a nouvo and i know had this bike been available then i definately would have got it instead.

Then you can count yourself lucky it wasn't around back then. You get what you pay for.

[nikster]

This model already exists for three years now and even at the beginning a lot of users complained about the electric start or the plastic quality, nowadays you just can´t find more bad customers feedback. People started to do "Lifan club", it is a kind of recognized quality.

...

I admit to being a sceptic. Not prejudice though, just my experience talking to owners of various "alternative" brands of motorcycles. Platinum owners with a 50% failure rate on any trip. A friend whose JRD finally burnt out after a year where it was nothing but trouble.

If you are happy with this bike one year on - good for you. I am just as happy to wait and see, and to meanwhile buy vehicles of proven quality. Even if it breaks down once in a year, it's not worth the trouble - but I guess everyone's tolerance for this kind of thing is different.

As for the price - well. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

[mbox]

This model already exists for three years now and even at the beginning a lot of users complained about the electric start or the plastic quality, nowadays you just can´t find more bad customers feedback. People started to do "Lifan club", it is a kind of recognized quality.

...

I admit to being a sceptic. Not prejudice though, just my experience talking to owners of various "alternative" brands of motorcycles. Platinum owners with a 50% failure rate on any trip. A friend whose JRD finally burnt out after a year where it was nothing but trouble.

If you are happy with this bike one year on - good for you. I am just as happy to wait and see, and to meanwhile buy vehicles of proven quality. Even if it breaks down once in a year, it's not worth the trouble - but I guess everyone's tolerance for this kind of thing is different.

As for the price - well. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

While i heard the same of JRd and Platinum but the Brand mentioned here is Lifan. Putting  all the Brands in one Basket just because we have never heard of them is to my opinion not quite right. I sure hope we get some more choices of decent Bikes  .

The Place where i live ,most of  those 3 wheel Bikes( 2 front wheel for loading stuff and one rearwheel ) which are used for transportation ( usually at markets) are powered with Lifan engines....and they been around for years. So there is the reliability that quite a few Thai's know about them already. 

Sure no free lunch but some brands have higher prices as they have massive spendings in order to be popular ( ie advertising) plus they may have some "extra" for Brandname in having that wing or whatever on that Bike.  smaller Brands sell less and advertise less to keep their price lower nor do they add any extra for their Brand (since they unknown, noone would really pay for it anyways),  it doesn't have to mean lower price = bad quality .

mbox

[canuckamuck]

Where is the shop located, and is the 250b cruiser available?

[Richard-BKK]

Just some food for the brain, the Lifan LF200GY-5 is sold worldwide for the last 3-years, and while it doesn't match sales figures of the Honda Wave series.

It beats most motorcycles sold in Thailand by numbers, the Thai Lifan factory is currently the largest two-wheel employer in Thailand. The factory is so large you an hide for days a company as Kawasaki Thailand and not find it... Also, a lot Kawasaki workers now-a-day work for Lifan as they just pay more (10% with dental and full medical).

Just for indication, Kawasaki is currently, according to the Department of Road Transport, the smallest manufacturer in Thailand by numbers of registered vehicles in the kingdom. This is likely because Kawasaki stopped the manufacturing of step-through models.

Even Lifan, probably by its zero interest financing plan to support dealers, is currently creating more brand loyalty than Tiger, JRD, or Platinum. How can Lifan finance the smallest dealers in Thailand? Apparently they use no credit company and they backup themselves.... Not something a small company can offer....

Lifan has about 200 dealers in Thailand, I'm not sure how many the other alternative brandnames have, we once tried by telephone to call a old Tiger dealer list and most now not sell Tiger anymore... Most dealers compliant about the leak of support of the Tiger company. (the list of telephone numbers I have available if somebody want to check my findings)

With the tigersachclub.com Tiger went for direct sales, which which was for many of there dealers the final blow.

WITH THIS I DARE TIGER TO INFOM US ABOUT ANY ACTUAL DEALER(s) IN THAILAND....

Edited November 30, 2010 by Richard-BKK

[BSJ]

The true worth of a product, Lifan bike in this case, is whether or not thieves think they are worth stealing! So, as a measure of that statement I ask all Lifan owners to leave their ignition key inserted and not use any chain and padlock whilst their bike is parked in a public place.

[CMX]

Chinese bikes of several sorts are sold in the United States, mostly through e-bay where they are offered from warehouses disassembled from/for shipping. Many names as "brands."

However, when I was looking to shift from a little Honda I used when camping, I began to follow Lifan in a few motorcycle magazine articles or online. Lifan is (and I made this point elsewhere) a big outfit and heavily financed.

These model reports, of course, were not necessarily glowing. But they surprised me in sometimes finding the bike (250 "cruiser" in particular, I recall) acceptable - and something of a bargain.

Of course, this does relate to reliability. But it takes time to create a reputation; I think Hyundai auto was producing very good cars for years before it was noticed by the public how good they were.

We all know that this is the century of China. Whether Lifan is an example is an open question. But it is foolish to close the question -

And if someone owns a Lifan of any sort, I'd hope to hear of their experiences here.

[mbox]

Lifan has about 200 dealers in Thailand, I'm not sure how many the other alternative brandnames have, we once tried by telephone to call a old Tiger dealer list and most now not sell Tiger anymore... Most dealers compliant about the leak of support of the Tiger company. (the list of telephone numbers I have available if somebody want to check my findings)

With the tigersachclub.com Tiger went for direct sales, which which was for many of there dealers the final blow.

WITH THIS I DARE TIGER TO INFOM US ABOUT ANY ACTUAL DEALER(s) IN THAILAND....

Richard,

it is true the old list of Tiger Dealers don't sell tiger Bikes...thats why it is the old list .

Tigersachsclub.com is an online Sales Agent( basically my Hobby , doing this together with Khun Pariya & Tiger Motors) and you can imagine that online-buyers normally are Foreigners wishing to order in English (or German) , and receiving proper and accurate information.

Sadly, a lot of Dealers ( not only those from Tiger) are way off from their interest in actuall selling Bikes or providing correct info( or having english speaking staff). Which leaves a lot of Foreigners frustrated in doing a purchase.

Although there were some Thai's using the service from Tigersachsclub.com i sincerely think the majority of Thai's would actually buy from either local dealerships ( yes some do exist) or go and order it at showroom in BKK (which is the same deal they would receive as ordering online) or buy from large Sellers such as P-Bike .

Actually when i bought my first Tiger Bike i came into such scenario where the dealer had not much interest in accepting an order and a kickstarter as special request was a no-no ! which made me order direct , using the local dealership only as service Center ( and yes they do get a margin for doing that) .

Tiger surely have few dealerships this were the online shop came as alternative ,and you will be able to get Service for the bikes in Service Centers Nationwide (in some areas Tiger would send their Service Truck to)

Not sure for everywhere else but where i live there are 2 Tiger Dealers , in CM there are 2 but as you can see on this thread http://www.thaivisa....50-rs-question/ it is the dealers own fault not to sell . Naboo meanwhile ordered his Boxer online http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__4055752 I think it is not the fault of the Support from Tiger Motors( which i have to say is awesome ) but the lack of interest in selling some Brand that may have a lesser dealer margin( not sure if the reason, just my guess).

There is currently no Lifan dealership where i live...i only know the place which sells Lifan engines here but never seen any bikes as yet...sure they will come too but not here as yet.

Good to see more brands coming and if the product is decent , even better.

happy trails,

mbox

Edited December 1, 2010 by mbox

[katabeachbum]

This model already exists for three years now and even at the beginning a lot of users complained about the electric start or the plastic quality, nowadays you just can´t find more bad customers feedback. People started to do "Lifan club", it is a kind of recognized quality.

...

I admit to being a sceptic. Not prejudice though, just my experience talking to owners of various "alternative" brands of motorcycles. Platinum owners with a 50% failure rate on any trip. A friend whose JRD finally burnt out after a year where it was nothing but trouble.

If you are happy with this bike one year on - good for you. I am just as happy to wait and see, and to meanwhile buy vehicles of proven quality. Even if it breaks down once in a year, it's not worth the trouble - but I guess everyone's tolerance for this kind of thing is different.

As for the price - well. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

While i heard the same of JRd and Platinum but the Brand mentioned here is Lifan. Putting all the Brands in one Basket just because we have never heard of them is to my opinion not quite right. I sure hope we get some more choices of decent Bikes .

The Place where i live ,most of those 3 wheel Bikes( 2 front wheel for loading stuff and one rearwheel ) which are used for transportation ( usually at markets) are powered with Lifan engines....and they been around for years. So there is the reliability that quite a few Thai's know about them already.

Sure no free lunch but some brands have higher prices as they have massive spendings in order to be popular ( ie advertising) plus they may have some "extra" for Brandname in having that wing or whatever on that Bike. smaller Brands sell less and advertise less to keep their price lower nor do they add any extra for their Brand (since they unknown, noone would really pay for it anyways), it doesn't have to mean lower price = bad quality .

mbox

Platinum and JRD was/is crap.

Lifan has some qualities, and I ll get one of those 45k enduros 200cc. Its one third of kwaker 250.

90% of all Isarn tuk tuks are powered by a 150cc Lifan. 80-100k km before engine rebuild, pulling heavy loads

[shadyanna]

Where is the shop located, and is the 250b cruiser available?

The shop is on Sukhumvit. From Chalom thai in direction of BKK it is around 100 meters on the left side.

The contact is:

Motorcycle Co., Ltd. 038-285-333 038-285-711

The official list i there:

The owner ABSOLUTELY doesn t speak english, you have to go with a thai friend (better if he knows a little about big motos for tecnical questions)

I think you could ask for the 250B cruiser, he could surely provide you one.

But actually you can not turn on the motor and test the moto before buy it. He said because after, it is not more "new" motorcycle but second hand..!!??. He has no moto for test, so you have to trust the quality of the brand and the warranty offered.

For the first turn on, officials mechanicals from Lifan company came and did the settings, verified everything, register the warranty.

All the technical documentation and the maintenance book are in thai.. :S I have to ask Lifan if they can send me by mail, a correct english version.

You have to pay cash too, they have no credit card machine.

[Jonny B]

Where is the shop located, and is the 250b cruiser available?

The shop is on Sukhumvit. From Chalom thai in direction of BKK it is around 100 meters on the left side.

The contact is:

Motorcycle Co., Ltd. 038-285-333 038-285-711

The official list i there:

The owner ABSOLUTELY doesn t speak english, you have to go with a thai friend (better if he knows a little about big motos for tecnical questions)

I think you could ask for the 250B cruiser, he could surely provide you one.

But actually you can not turn on the motor and test the moto before buy it. He said because after, it is not more "new" motorcycle but second hand..!!??. He has no moto for test, so you have to trust the quality of the brand and the warranty offered.

For the first turn on, officials mechanicals from Lifan company came and did the settings, verified everything, register the warranty.

All the technical documentation and the maintenance book are in thai.. :S I have to ask Lifan if they can send me by mail, a correct english version.

You have to pay cash too, they have no credit card machine.

hey anna, good to see you on here, hope you didnt mind me starting a topic about your bike. hows it all going? i went for a drive to khao kheow area the other day, the roads leading towards the park look great for a ride, once at the park cant take the bike in though. better stay on topic, hope the bike is going well, ignore or the negative people on here, ur bike looks and seems awesome and a bargain and at the end of the day who cares as long as you like it, id definately get one now if had the spare cash!

[shadyanna]

Where is the shop located, and is the 250b cruiser available?

The shop is on Sukhumvit. From Chalom thai in direction of BKK it is around 100 meters on the left side.

The contact is:

Motorcycle Co., Ltd. 038-285-333 038-285-711

The official list i there: http://www.thaivisa....-lifan-lf250-b/

The owner ABSOLUTELY doesn t speak english, you have to go with a thai friend (better if he knows a little about big motos for tecnical questions)

I think you could ask for the 250B cruiser, he could surely provide you one.

But actually you can not turn on the motor and test the moto before buy it. He said because after, it is not more "new" motorcycle but second hand..!!??. He has no moto for test, so you have to trust the quality of the brand and the warranty offered.

For the first turn on, officials mechanicals from Lifan company came and did the settings, verified everything, register the warranty.

All the technical documentation and the maintenance book are in thai.. :S I have to ask Lifan if they can send me by mail, a correct english version.

You have to pay cash too, they have no credit card machine.

hey anna, good to see you on here, hope you didnt mind me starting a topic about your bike. hows it all going? i went for a drive to khao kheow area the other day, the roads leading towards the park look great for a ride, once at the park cant take the bike in though. better stay on topic, hope the bike is going well, ignore or the negative people on here, ur bike looks and seems awesome and a bargain and at the end of the day who cares as long as you like it, id definately get one now if had the spare cash!

Fine..!! hope we will enjoy a ride soon..!! (for me it will be this week-end, maybe chaochengsao, maybe koh sichan, maybe...well where i will enjoy riding.. )

My moto is getting really well , I didi the 666 th km today..

[canuckamuck]

Thank you

[ScubaBuddha]

I called the Surithani dealer listed on Lifans website a couple weeks ago, which is the closest one to Phuket, and they did not have the LF200 GY-5, nor did they have any idea when it would be available. That's assuming the translation vie the GF went OK.

[GarryP]

^Because its not Honda, your gf probably asked them about the latest model ceiling fan to deliberately confuse them.

I shall pop in to the local shop this weekend to see if they have any. They seem to have just about everyting else, Honda, Yamaha, Kawa, Suzuki (I bought my son's bike here), JRD, Tiger, Sachs and a couple of others I did not pay much attention to so there is a good chance they have Lifan too or can get them easily enough.

[GarryP]

^Because its not Honda, your gf probably asked them about the latest model ceiling fan to deliberately confuse them.

I shall pop in to the local shop this weekend to see if they have any. They seem to have just about everything else, Honda, Yamaha, Kawa, Suzuki (I bought my son's bike here), JRD, Tiger, Sachs and a couple of others I did not pay much attention to so there is a good chance they have Lifan too or can get them easily enough.

I was at the shop this morning. While they did not have the Lifan in stock, they owner said that they could supply Lifan. He took me into his office and pulled out the brochure to show me along with a load of other stuff from Lifan. As he only had one copy, he would not let me take it. He said he could get one within 7 to 14 days directly from the factory. The retail price he was quoting was 46,xxx including registration. This is in Bangkok, not Chonburi.

In my earlier post I failed to mention that he also sells Sym and had a couple of models on show. He also had the Tiger Retro and another model Tiger, I think its called the bulldog or something like that, it is the model with dual shocks on either side at the rear. Ideal for the portly gentleman to potter around on at the weekend.

This shop is quite small and he does not stock great numbers of bikes. What he does do is stock one or two models of each bike so when you go in you are faced by about 30-35 different models of assorted brands, from Nuovo to Dtracker 125, Suzuki Hayate to PCX, Sachs to Sym and JRD to whatever, etc.

To put the icing on the cake, on my way back I took a soi motorbike which just happened to be the new CBR 150 (in red) with only 662 kms on the clock.

Edited December 4, 2010 by GarryP

[ScubaBuddha]

Interesting that the OP's picture doesn't look like the one on Lifans website. I think it looks better actually.

Lifan Thailand

.

Edited December 5, 2010 by ScubaBuddha

[Richard-BKK]

Interesting that the OP's picture doesn't look like the one on Lifans website. I think it looks better actually.

Lifan Thailand

.

The official Thai Lifan website is http://www.lifanthailand.com/, the domain lifanth.com is hijacked by Lifan Thailand's previous website designer. Lifan Thailand is in the middle of legal action against that person - but the law in Thailand is a bit slow...

Edited December 5, 2010 by Richard-BKK

[ThunderDuck]

A ten minute google search indicates an understressed agricultural but bulletproof motor.

Not Jap build quality but definately a decent option for the price.

[GarryP]

Any TVers have any first hand experience with this model? A full report would be nice.

Edited December 28, 2010 by GarryP

[canuckamuck]

I just bought one in black.

It is still in it's plastic wrap, I can pick it up today at 2.

Here are some pics. They have 19 left, red, black, blue and orange.

I'll take better pics when I get it home.