Lifan Gy200 A5

[wana]

Even iPads are assembled in China. What else is not made in China? My Lifan 250’s rear bearing also crushed last week. The rear wheel was swaying a bit. I replaced with Kawasaki-made at B$360. I believe it was already damaged the first day I got the bike. I felt the bike swaying since my first ride. I thought it was my poor riding skill.

ibm thinkpads were regarded are the best laptops money could buy for businesses

now moved to china and changed to lenovo brand ,havent bought one to test it yet

but of course ,some hi-grade products "could" and are be made in china

[canuckamuck]

Even iPads are assembled in China. What else is not made in China? My Lifan 250’s rear bearing also crushed last week. The rear wheel was swaying a bit. I replaced with Kawasaki-made at B$360. I believe it was already damaged the first day I got the bike. I felt the bike swaying since my first ride. I thought it was my poor riding skill.

I assume the swaying has stopped then, has it? Interesting to know there was a second case of poorly installed or low quality bearings. It might be an idea for other Lifan owners check out their own bearings, you'll know there is a problem if the wheel isn't sittiing straight, or if it is making an unusual sound. I noticed the problem where the calipers meet the brake disc. It was a miracle I escaped a major injury as I had been in traffic for a couple hours already when mine siezed.

[canuckamuck]

Take you old wheel to a bike shop and get them to knock out the old bearings. The existing bearings will have a code on them; bearings are fairly standard, so it should be possible to get replacements. Asked them to put in 'medium quality' bearings; that is not the cheapest or the most expensive but somewhere inbetween. Then you have a spare wheel.

Someone mentioned about finding a good bike repairer? There are good Thai bike mechs about; its just a matter of finding them. I suppose that is why alot of us foreigners here do our own mechanics.

Getting into the mindset of the Chinese: most manufactured goods in the world now are made in China, but there is a big difference between a respected brand and a Chinese brand. Foreign companies use Chinese contract manufacturing to make things, but a spec is agreed upfront and the foreign company will do regular QA sampling to make sure that things are up to the agreed spec. However the Chinese brand will be looking to deliver at a cheap price AND with a good margin. They are only interested in your sale; they are not interested in repeat business and it appears they are not interested in building brand loyalty, thus the cheapest components will be used to meet the profit margin.

So after all these years is Lifan considered a good brand? Well it hasn't made any waves yet?

I took the bearings out myself, one fell out the other required some effort. The wheel is trashed on the inside, I would'nt bother putting new bearings in there because they would never seat right unless I had it machined.

[Richard-BKK]

What is this would you say... The pictures are from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 (less than a year old) and yes the rear wheel bearing failled, the rider should be happy he is still alive.

What went wrong and why Suzuki says the person has no warranty? Simple even when the rider had a strange feeling in the rear wheel he did not go to Suzuki service. Even the best bearing sometimes fail... 3% actual produce a problem within the first 6 months....

Sure I agree that the Lifan dealer was maybe not the best service guy, and I find it strange that the dealer/Lifan demanded that the owner needed to buy a new wheel.... I love to look into that because on a spoke-wheel why need to buy a whole new wheel, right... and I have some contacts with Lifan so maybe it's possible to resolve this misunderstanding....

Edited March 16, 2012 by Richard-BKK

[Issanman]

What is this would you say... The pictures are from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 (less than a year old) and yes the rear wheel bearing failled, the rider should be happy he is still alive.

Well this proves that Suzukis are also pieces of junk, no better than Lifans. I suppose I'll have to get rid of my DR200SE before I have a possible catastrophic bearing failure. I THOUGHT it was a good bike. Guess I was wrong.

[BSJ]

A couple of weeks ago I was up country. We went over to Phi Chit to buy a new bike for up country use and the Suzuki dealer had new Lifan 200 for 48000 baht.

We bought a Spark. Lifan 200 was too much bike for our needs....and not proven enough.

[LawrenceLam]

When you have a damaged bearing, you will notice the bike being unstable when riding in a straight route. At first I thought it was the strong wind that caused the swaying effect. Next, you will experience poor rear breaking.

[malcoml]

I thought I would update a little more about my Lifan 200 cross which I bought a litlle more than a year ago.

A continuing concern I have had about the bike was the fact that the front brake disk was not at a precise right angle to the calipers. It wasn't out much, but you could see it and the brakes wore in accordingly.

I took it to the shop about 5 times over the last year about this issue, each time they told me there was nothing wrong. In my mind I began to believe that the calipers were fautly and mounted crooked. I intended to go by a new set of calipers at some point when I needed new front pads. About 2 months ago a noise developed which I thought was the brakes. It was a grinding sort of sound that came and went and particularly when I was just coming to a stop. I took it to the shop and they once again said there was nothing wrong. I even took it another local shop but because I told them it was the brakes, they also said there was nothing wrong.

I am not a mechanic, and I did not suspect what the problem reall was.

Well about 2 weeks ago up in the mountains my front wheel seized while I was going downhill on a highway. My bike dove down for a split second, and then whatever grabbed, released and I managed not to crash. It turns out that one of my bearings had been colapsed the whole time and the constant pressure on the good bearing finally forced it to seize.

Not only where both bearings totally gone, but also the chamber in which the bearing seats was ripped up as well. Here is a picture

I took the wheel back to Lifan with a bag full of shredded metal and told them I wanted a new wheel. They looked at the shredded wheel and told me straight up that there was nothing wrong; they could just stuff 2 new bearings in there and everything would be fine.

I blew up at this point, but there was no point to it, as the boss wasn't there.

Anyhow since I no longer live in Chiang Mai, I couldn't wait around to get it settled so I demanded they sell me a new wheel and I left there with a strong distaste for Lifan support and service.

From my experience, I can longer suggest Lifan as a good choice for motorcycles. My next ride will almost certainly be Japanese.

I have the Lifan 250 and would take it for rides from Pattaya to Baan Chang.

I started to notice the bike feeling not stable and thought it was due to the bike being light and strong wind. Nah when I took it ot the shop there was a bearing problem and since it has been replaced no problems.

[canuckamuck]

What is this would you say... The pictures are from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 (less than a year old) and yes the rear wheel bearing failled, the rider should be happy he is still alive.

What went wrong and why Suzuki says the person has no warranty? Simple even when the rider had a strange feeling in the rear wheel he did not go to Suzuki service. Even the best bearing sometimes fail... 3% actual produce a problem within the first 6 months....

Sure I agree that the Lifan dealer was maybe not the best service guy, and I find it strange that the dealer/Lifan demanded that the owner needed to buy a new wheel.... I love to look into that because on a spoke-wheel why need to buy a whole new wheel, right... and I have some contacts with Lifan so maybe it's possible to resolve this misunderstanding....

Hi Richard: I am glad you made time to comment. I am not trying to infer that Lifan bearings are any worse than any others, I am sure there are many bearing suppliers to all types of bikes and bearing failures do happen. My dissapointment stems from the fact that: I did notice a problem and repeatedley returned back to the dealer, only to be told over and over that there was no problem. It is too bad I guessed it was the front brake misaligned and not a bearing, but I have very little bike maintenance experience. I did have the good sense to take it in and there was clearly a sound coming from it so Lifan should have taken me at my word and looked into it instead of brushing me off.

They sent me out the door with a dangerous bearing problem at least 5 times before it failed and I somehow survived what should have been a terrible crash.

I did not get a whole new wheel, just the part that holds the spokes on the inside part and also acts as the bearing seat (I don't know what to call that part). I demanded that because the bearing seat had been tore up, and I felt a new bearing would likely fail if it was put in the old one. I kept my old rim and tire.

I don't really need anything worked out with Lifan, I don't have that kind of patience for 3000 baht repair (likely overcharged too).

I would like to know if you have any advice about me gettting future work done on this bike. I am going to keep it for a whille yet but I am done with Lifan the company.

Edited March 23, 2012 by canuckamuck

[wana]

What is this would you say... The pictures are from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 (less than a year old) and yes the rear wheel bearing failled, the rider should be happy he is still alive.

What went wrong and why Suzuki says the person has no warranty? Simple even when the rider had a strange feeling in the rear wheel he did not go to Suzuki service. Even the best bearing sometimes fail... 3% actual produce a problem within the first 6 months....

Sure I agree that the Lifan dealer was maybe not the best service guy, and I find it strange that the dealer/Lifan demanded that the owner needed to buy a new wheel.... I love to look into that because on a spoke-wheel why need to buy a whole new wheel, right... and I have some contacts with Lifan so maybe it's possible to resolve this misunderstanding....

Hi Richard: I am glad you made time to comment. I am not trying to infer that Lifan bearings are any worse than any others, I am sure there are many bearing suppliers to all types of bikes and bearing failures do happen. My dissapointment stems from the fact that: I did notice a problem and repeatedley returned back to the dealer, only to be told over and over that there was no problem. It is too bad I guessed it was the front brake misaligned and not a bearing, but I have very little bike maintenance experience. I did have the good sense to take it in and there was clearly a sound coming from it so Lifan should have taken me at my word and looked into it instead of brushing me off.

They sent me out the door with a dangerous bearing problem at least 5 times before it failed and I somehow survived what should have been a terrible crash.

I did not get a whole new wheel, just the part that holds the spokes on the inside part and also acts as the bearing seat (I don't know what to call that part). I demanded that because the bearing seat had been tore up, and I felt a new bearing would likely fail if it was put in the old one. I kept my old rim and tire.

I don't really need anything worked out with Lifan, I don't have that kind of patience for 3000 baht repair (likely overcharged too).

I would like to know if you have any advice about me gettting future work done on this bike. I am going to keep it for a whille yet but I am done with Lifan the company.

ifr your in a situation like this and cant be bothered or dont have time to do all the service yourself

sell it and buy a honda /kawasaki/ yamaha

i had a tiger boxer 250 that neither the service centre or the factory could fix (INSIDE WARRANTY as well )

and i just got brushed off with excuses and the bike was shaking itself to pieces ,it just didnt feel safe to ride at 80+ ,but im not a mechanic either ,i just wanted

a bike that works

after multiple factory visits, brackets were failing ,cables were snapping ,oil was constantly leaking no matter how many times i brought it back they were unable or

unwilling to fix it properly (i dont know which )

after that i bought a 20 years old honda cb400 that hasnt let me down yet ,doesnt leak oil and seems to be a "ancient" but well made bike that is easily fixed everywhere

[Richard-BKK]

What is this would you say... The pictures are from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 (less than a year old) and yes the rear wheel bearing failled, the rider should be happy he is still alive.

What went wrong and why Suzuki says the person has no warranty? Simple even when the rider had a strange feeling in the rear wheel he did not go to Suzuki service. Even the best bearing sometimes fail... 3% actual produce a problem within the first 6 months....

Sure I agree that the Lifan dealer was maybe not the best service guy, and I find it strange that the dealer/Lifan demanded that the owner needed to buy a new wheel.... I love to look into that because on a spoke-wheel why need to buy a whole new wheel, right... and I have some contacts with Lifan so maybe it's possible to resolve this misunderstanding....

Hi Richard: I am glad you made time to comment. I am not trying to infer that Lifan bearings are any worse than any others, I am sure there are many bearing suppliers to all types of bikes and bearing failures do happen. My dissapointment stems from the fact that: I did notice a problem and repeatedley returned back to the dealer, only to be told over and over that there was no problem. It is too bad I guessed it was the front brake misaligned and not a bearing, but I have very little bike maintenance experience. I did have the good sense to take it in and there was clearly a sound coming from it so Lifan should have taken me at my word and looked into it instead of brushing me off.

They sent me out the door with a dangerous bearing problem at least 5 times before it failed and I somehow survived what should have been a terrible crash.

I did not get a whole new wheel, just the part that holds the spokes on the inside part and also acts as the bearing seat (I don't know what to call that part). I demanded that because the bearing seat had been tore up, and I felt a new bearing would likely fail if it was put in the old one. I kept my old rim and tire.

I don't really need anything worked out with Lifan, I don't have that kind of patience for 3000 baht repair (likely overcharged too).

I would like to know if you have any advice about me gettting future work done on this bike. I am going to keep it for a whille yet but I am done with Lifan the company.

I understand your frustration, and your feelings toward Lifan, but it's not really Lifan that did the mistake. Okay the bearing failed, what should not have happened, and the dealer / mechanic failed to identify the problem what could have resulted in a very terrible accident. I'm very happy that you didn't get hurt.

Okay I now understand that you got a new wheel-hub (what is basically the center of the wheel). I can understand you wanted a new wheel-hub, the bearing probably got extremely hot and we deal here with forces that can do some serious damage and in a wheel axle a few millimeters is already something you can register in the handlebars.

I'm sure that your 3,000 THB is overcharged, the wheel-hub would have probably be free from Lifan, and re-spoking a wheel is something a average Thai mechanic does in 10 minutes while talking to his friends...

For problems in the future with your Lifan motorcycle I would suggest that you contact Lifan and ask if they have another dealer in the area. Always a good idea to have a second opinion, also, I'm sure that Lifan would like to hear about your experience with your current dealer.

As I once said before, Lifan needs to know which dealers are the good ones and which they need to rethink about. For this Lifan needs feedback from it's customers...

[Kf6vci]

I wouldn't give up yet. Document the mess and send it to Lifan's corporate head office.

It would be madness for them to let the word get out about such issues.

[madjbs]

So the bearing fails, the dealer fails to notice and fix it on numerous occasion, once it has resulted in a severe failure the dealer fails to repair it properly, and when he does he overcharges the guy, and you are saying none of this is Lifan's fault......

Actually, all of the above is their fault, let's see if their head quarters will rectify the complete failings of their product and dealer network.

Edited March 23, 2012 by madjbs

[Richard-BKK]

I wouldn't give up yet. Document the mess and send it to Lifan's corporate head office.

It would be madness for them to let the word get out about such issues.

I fully agree, also 3,000 THB repair cost for replacing a front-wheel-hub, 2-bearings and re-spoking the wheel worth probably less than 500 THB.

[taninthai]

Ummm not really Lifan that done the mistake...

Would you care to tell us who made or done the mistake then Richard

The owner took it back 5 times thats 5 chances Lifan had to correct the problem and failed miserably and you claim not their fault so who is at fault then

[Richard-BKK]

So the bearing fails, the dealer fails to notice and fix it on numerous occasion, once it has resulted in a severe failure the dealer fails to repair it properly, and when he does he overcharges the guy, and you are saying none of this is Lifan's fault......

Actually, all of the above is their fault, let's see if their head quarters will rectify the complete failings of their product and dealer network.

For every company, doesn't matter what they sale or what they do, if they Chinese, American, European, or Japanese, end-user feedback is important. Only with end-user feedback a company can improve its service. If customers are unhappy with the service provided and do not inform the manufacturer that one of it's sale's points have failed to offer adequate service a company cannot take action to rectify it.

Edited March 23, 2012 by Richard-BKK

[wana]

if lifan headquarters agree to take responsibity and like the matter kept quiet ,ask them to buy it back for 45,000

and take the cash and RUN

if they cant fix this after 5 attempts and the owner could have been killed ,is that still a good reasopn to keep it

and having to trust the same network the next time it breaks ?

[wantan]

So the bearing fails, the dealer fails to notice and fix it on numerous occasion, once it has resulted in a severe failure the dealer fails to repair it properly, and when he does he overcharges the guy, and you are saying none of this is Lifan's fault......

Actually, all of the above is their fault, let's see if their head quarters will rectify the complete failings of their product and dealer network.

Would be nice, but i doubt there will be any reaction. Even in the Lifan head quarters there are thai people, no chinese. And thai people not like to adress problems. And in LOS even in customer relationships its not practised to say a simple "We are sorry for your inconvenience. There seems to be a problem. We will adress it.". An absolutely simple thing in western countries. Not possible for most companies in LOS. Instead Richard has to fight for Lifan here

[Richard-BKK]

Ummm not really Lifan that done the mistake...

Would you care to tell us who made or done the mistake then Richard

The owner took it back 5 times thats 5 chances Lifan had to correct the problem and failed miserably and you claim not their fault so who is at fault then

The owner of the motorcycle took it 5 times to the Lifan dealer where he bought it. As far as I can trace back Lifan HQ was never informed about this problem.

I would suggest that any motorcycle owner if faced with a problems what doesn't get repaired by a dealer contacts the motorcycle manufacturer direct.

[wana]

Ummm not really Lifan that done the mistake...

Would you care to tell us who made or done the mistake then Richard

The owner took it back 5 times thats 5 chances Lifan had to correct the problem and failed miserably and you claim not their fault so who is at fault then

The owner of the motorcycle took it 5 times to the Lifan dealer where he bought it. As far as I can trace back Lifan HQ was never informed about this problem.

I would suggest that any motorcycle owner if faced with a problems what doesn't get repaired by a dealer contacts the motorcycle manufacturer direct.

not always easy to deal directly with a big company ,usually you will get a standard response and be referred back to "the dealer and support network in place " and they

are expertly trained to take care of any and all problems

another good reason not to buy bikes that the support network is insufficent even if the bike is cheaper than a japanese equivalent

[canuckamuck]

I wouldn't give up yet. Document the mess and send it to Lifan's corporate head office.

It would be madness for them to let the word get out about such issues.

I fully agree, also 3,000 THB repair cost for replacing a front-wheel-hub, 2-bearings and re-spoking the wheel worth probably less than 500 THB.

Well I neglected to say that I also got two replacement tubes as well because I live out of town, but new tubes don't cost much either. I am certain the overcharge came from the fact that I became angry. I knew I was overcharged, but I just wanted out of that shop.

I agree with Richard that this is not Lifan the corporation's fault. Believe it or not I think Lifan is a great deal if you know your way around a bike. I have been riding bikes for a long time but my bikes (Honda, Suzuki) never broke much. I am just at the point where I realize that I did not get a bike that comes with customer support and Thai Mai phen rai culture has multiplied this fact.

[Richard-BKK]

Instead Richard has to fight for Lifan here

Fight? Just try to keep it honest. Everybody talks about Lifan, but who is the dealer who failed to indentify the problem in the first place? I'm sure that they not only sell Lifan motorcycles, so who are they? Because likely if you buy a other brand from them they will also fail to indentify serious problems...

[wantan]

Instead Richard has to fight for Lifan here

Fight? Just try to keep it honest. Everybody talks about Lifan, but who is the dealer who failed to indentify the problem in the first place? I'm sure that they not only sell Lifan motorcycles, so who are they? Because likely if you buy a other brand from them they will also fail to indentify serious problems...

But its the responsibility of Lifan to build up a support networt that people can rely on. Same for Tiger, Yamaha, Honda and any other company wanting to sell motorbikes. It seems that nearly all service centers for small bikes lack quality. Regardless if a japanese, chinese or thai brand. It seems to be a matter of luck to get good support and quality service.

But just because most service centers lack of quality, the single case doesn't get any better. Sad to say, but TiT. Some will say this is why we live in LOS. I will certainly not say this

[taninthai]

Ummm not really Lifan that done the mistake...

Would you care to tell us who made or done the mistake then Richard

The owner took it back 5 times thats 5 chances Lifan had to correct the problem and failed miserably and you claim not their fault so who is at fault then

The owner of the motorcycle took it 5 times to the Lifan dealer where he bought it. As far as I can trace back Lifan HQ was never informed about this problem.

I would suggest that any motorcycle owner if faced with a problems what doesn't get repaired by a dealer contacts the motorcycle manufacturer direct.

The company/manufacturer is responsible for making sure it's employes are competent in buying selling and repairing their product lifan have failed here tell me again Richard who is at fault here

[Richard-BKK]

Ummm not really Lifan that done the mistake...

Would you care to tell us who made or done the mistake then Richard

The owner took it back 5 times thats 5 chances Lifan had to correct the problem and failed miserably and you claim not their fault so who is at fault then

The owner of the motorcycle took it 5 times to the Lifan dealer where he bought it. As far as I can trace back Lifan HQ was never informed about this problem.

I would suggest that any motorcycle owner if faced with a problems what doesn't get repaired by a dealer contacts the motorcycle manufacturer direct.

The company/manufacturer is responsible for making sure it's employes are competent in buying selling and repairing their product lifan have failed here tell me again Richard who is at fault here

First most dealers in Thailand are independent companies, which are not employed by the brand of motorcycles they sell.

Second this is not Europe or America where the manufacturer holds the end responsibility, in Thailand the company who sold the product is by law responsible for servicing the product.

[taninthai]

Your 2nd statement is utter rubbish anything I have ever bought in Thailand of any value I.e electronic goods I have always had to contact the manufacturer for service

Example buy a samsung laptop from big c any problems with it you take it back to samsung.

I'm sorry but time and time again for me it had been proved that these cheap bikes are crap yes you have owners who say I don't mind it's cheap and I know how to fix bikes myself,well for me the whole point of buying a new bike is for peace of mind and reliability and you certainly don't get it with lifan or any other of these cheap model bikes.

[wana]

Ummm not really Lifan that done the mistake...

Would you care to tell us who made or done the mistake then Richard

The owner took it back 5 times thats 5 chances Lifan had to correct the problem and failed miserably and you claim not their fault so who is at fault then

The owner of the motorcycle took it 5 times to the Lifan dealer where he bought it. As far as I can trace back Lifan HQ was never informed about this problem.

I would suggest that any motorcycle owner if faced with a problems what doesn't get repaired by a dealer contacts the motorcycle manufacturer direct.

The company/manufacturer is responsible for making sure it's employes are competent in buying selling and repairing their product lifan have failed here tell me again Richard who is at fault here

First most dealers in Thailand are independent companies, which are not employed by the brand of motorcycles they sell.

Second this is not Europe or America where the manufacturer holds the end responsibility, in Thailand the company who sold the product is by law responsible for servicing the product.

i dont think this is true

i bought a samsung fridge freezer from the bic c

when it broke a few weeks later ,samsung had to send an engineer out to acess the damage

then some somchais to pick it up and bring it back and they are making a refund since whatever is wrong cant be easily fixed

big c sold it ,but samsung is cleaning up the shit for their own defective product themselves

Lifan is leaving the shit for the dealers to clean up ,ok the quality of these bearings may be low

the quality of the garage is even lower if they cant know to replace them after 5 examinations

the dealer is the face of lifan ,if lifan wants to clean up its image it needs to clear up cases like this

or lifan will be known as a brand you should only buy if you are an experienced mechanic with your

own workshop

[wantan]

the dealer is the face of lifan ,if lifan wants to clean up its image it needs to clear up cases like this

or lifan will be known as a brand you should only buy if you are an experienced mechanic with your

own workshop

I now have started to do service and repairs for my Yamaha Nouvo on my own. Its a mess at the Yamaha service center i was used to go. They are not trained professionals. They are OK for changing the oil and the air filter. But anything a bit more complex is too much for most "small bike mechanics". The most of them are very young guys and noone ever has trained them. Its not only Lifan, its the same with all small bike brands in LOS.

[Richard-BKK]

Your 2nd statement is utter rubbish anything I have ever bought in Thailand of any value I.e electronic goods I have always had to contact the manufacturer for service

Example buy a samsung laptop from big c any problems with it you take it back to samsung.

I'm sorry but time and time again for me it had been proved that these cheap bikes are crap yes you have owners who say I don't mind it's cheap and I know how to fix bikes myself,well for me the whole point of buying a new bike is for peace of mind and reliability and you certainly don't get it with lifan or any other of these cheap model bikes.

You bought a notebook from Big C and for service you went to Samsung. So why the owner of the motorcycle, bought from dealer whoever, and never informed the manufacturer.

[taninthai]

Your 2nd statement is utter rubbish anything I have ever bought in Thailand of any value I.e electronic goods I have always had to contact the manufacturer for service

Example buy a samsung laptop from big c any problems with it you take it back to samsung.

I'm sorry but time and time again for me it had been proved that these cheap bikes are crap yes you have owners who say I don't mind it's cheap and I know how to fix bikes myself,well for me the whole point of buying a new bike is for peace of mind and reliability and you certainly don't get it with lifan or any other of these cheap model bikes.

You bought a notebook from Big C and for service you went to Samsung. So why the owner of the motorcycle, bought from dealer whoever, and never informed the manufacturer.

Richard you either don't know what your talking about or mid typed your comment that I wad referring to.

This is going of topic but yes in the case of samsung you take it to a local samsung service centre basically the same as a local motorbike dealer , in the case of samsung if the local service centre cant fix or repair they will notify samsung head office and then the problem is sorted.

Perhaps lifan could learn from this bit no just seems you take the lifan bike back to where you bought it who should be capable of fixing,repairing or diagnosing what the fault is and they tell you can't find anything wrong with it and send ypu on your way.

So for the third time of asking Richard who is at fault if not lifan

Don't really know why you defend Lifan so much ypu cannot expect any thing more from bikes priced this cheap.

Edited March 23, 2012 by taninthai