Lifan Cross 200

[Richard-BKK]

Had a bit of an adventure today. Our neighbor asked if I wanted to join him in a run out to the field. He said it was good off road trail. So I got my Lifan out of the shed and my wife said. “your tire looks a little low.” I said that's ok, we're going off road and low pressure is good for that (Actually I was thinking, I will be back in 15 minutes why worry).

The neighbor has a step through bike, though heavily modified for off road, with very aggressive knobby tread. My bike is still sporting the original tires with nearly 6000km's on them. The tread wasn't very aggressive to begin with, and now it is down to about 3mm. This is important because it has been raining for the last 2days and last night very hard.

The ride out was a lot of fun, I was following, so I don't know how the 2 bikes compared, I had to hit the brakes a few times to keep from running him over. But the main issue was the greasy mud, especially on the ups and downs. Going up you had to make sure you kept your speed or you would slide back down, and coming down it was all you could do to keep your bike upright. Heavy ruts and little streams.

We made it out to the rice paddy he was heading for and then we sat in the little shack for a bit with the rest of the guys who were there.

They were drinking lao kao from a jug that originally held waterproofing chemical for concrete. Something I know is toxic. But I has a little anyhow, it was the polite thing to do.

Now it was time to go home. We both new that going back would be difficult for the Lifan, because the harder climbs were in the homeward direction; and the Lifan had got stuck a couple of times on the way there.

But the Lifan performed awesome all the way up to the hardest climb. This hill was pure grease, and the rain had returned. I gave it my best shot, but got bounced into a deep rut, and in my efforts to get moving forward again, I managed to blow the under-inflated rear tube.

Now we had extra slippage because the rim would turn inside the tire as well as slipping on the mud.

The rest of the trip was much less glamorous. Babying the bike over the trail and needing a push now and then.

It sounds like it wasn't fun, but I had a great time. I don't blame the bike, I should have checked the tire pressure, and the treads are done, except for road travel.

I am going to get a new tire and tube tomorrow. In Chiang Rai. Does any one have a suggestion for a better tire. I don't want the aggressive knobby tire, but I would like a quality dual purpose tire.

I know exactly what you mean with greasy mud, in the days that I still had my Honda CRF450 I was helpless in that stuff. The smallest amount of throttle movement and the rear wheel was spinning, and the little grip the rear still had was used to dig itself deeper in the sticky grease like mud.

Officially I promised the original tires of my (250cc) off-road to a family member, but he still didn't pick them up. So I will call him this evening.. Otherwise you can have them, I classify them as 70% off-road and 30% on-road (heavy on the knobbels).

Edited July 24, 2012 by Richard-BKK

[motocrosser]

So anyone know what the best tires would be to get for off/on road,the ones i got with the bike ate very soft rubber and have worn down a lot in only 3 weeks!i need something with hard rubber that is good for off road and can still be used on the road too.

[canuckamuck]

I know exactly what you mean with greasy mud, in the days that I still had my Honda CRF450 I was helpless in that stuff. The smallest amount of throttle movement and the rear wheel was spinning, and the little grip the rear still had was used to dig itself deeper in the sticky grease like mud.

Officially I promised the original tires of my (250cc) off-road to a family member, but he still didn't pick them up. So I will call him this evening.. Otherwise you can have them, I classify them as 70% off-road and 30% on-road (heavy on the knobbels).

That is a very generous offer Richard, let me know.

[ryanwiley]

Sounds like a great day out Canuck!

[marcusb]

The tire slipping on the rim is probably what caused the blow out. I think the low pressure you had was ideal, but you need some rim locks to hold the tire and rim in one spot. google rimlocks, they do work great. I think they could put those in your rims for a decent price.

[canuckamuck]

Thanks I will look into it.

[ryanwiley]

Heading out on the LIfan at 4:30 AM tomorrow. 450K journey from Buriram to Trat...and then back! Report and pics this weekend! Have a good holiday. everyone!!!

[T182]

Safe trip, watch out for those cane truck's in the dark.

F***ers never seem to have tail light's

[ryanwiley]

Finished a 1200 km Buriram--Khlong Yai--Buriram trip on August 2nd, 3rd, 4th with DutchBike. The LIfan ran beautifully through the rain, up and over mountains, and across sandy beaches. Here is a full write up with pics and our course marked on Google maps.

Here are the numbers from "My Tracks." This is just one way, on the way there.

Total Time: 15:53:58

Moving Time: 9:57:31

Total km: 559.93 km

Average Speed: 35.22

Average Moving Speed: 56.23

Max Speed: 94.34 km/h

Cheers,

Ryan

Edited August 13, 2012 by ryanwiley

[yankee99]

Finished a 1200 km Buriram--Khlong Yai--Buriram trip on August 2nd, 3rd, 4th with DutchBike. The LIfan ran beautifully through the rain, up and over mountains, and across sandy beaches. Here is a full write up with pics and our course marked on Google maps.

Here are the numbers from "My Tracks." This is just one way, on the way there.

Total Time: 15:53:58

Moving Time: 9:57:31

Total km: 559.93 km

Average Speed: 35.22

Average Moving Speed: 56.23

Max Speed: 94.34 km/h

Cheers,

Ryan

what app did u use for your track?

[ryanwiley]

Finished a 1200 km Buriram--Khlong Yai--Buriram trip on August 2nd, 3rd, 4th with DutchBike. The LIfan ran beautifully through the rain, up and over mountains, and across sandy beaches. Here is a full write up with pics and our course marked on Google maps.

Here are the numbers from "My Tracks." This is just one way, on the way there.

Total Time: 15:53:58

Moving Time: 9:57:31

Total km: 559.93 km

Average Speed: 35.22

Average Moving Speed: 56.23

Max Speed: 94.34 km/h

Cheers,

Ryan

what app did u use for your track?

I used an app called "My Tracks." It's made by Google, so it works well with Google maps.

[motocrosser]

Anyone change there back tire yet and if so to what sort?the original is very soft and wheres out very quick off road.not sure if you can put anything wider on because of swing arm and chain guard would stop it!

[motocrosser]

Anyone know how to stop my front brake from squeaking!

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Finished a 1200 km Buriram--Khlong Yai--Buriram trip on August 2nd, 3rd, 4th with DutchBike. The LIfan ran beautifully through the rain, up and over mountains, and across sandy beaches. Here is a full write up with pics and our course marked on Google maps.

Here are the numbers from "My Tracks." This is just one way, on the way there.

Total Time: 15:53:58

Moving Time: 9:57:31

Total km: 559.93 km

Average Speed: 35.22

Average Moving Speed: 56.23

Max Speed: 94.34 km/h

Cheers,

Ryan

Nice blog and photos

What was your KPL on the trip ?

[ryanwiley]

Finished a 1200 km Buriram--Khlong Yai--Buriram trip on August 2nd, 3rd, 4th with DutchBike. The LIfan ran beautifully through the rain, up and over mountains, and across sandy beaches. Here is a full write up with pics and our course marked on Google maps.

Here are the numbers from "My Tracks." This is just one way, on the way there.

Total Time: 15:53:58

Moving Time: 9:57:31

Total km: 559.93 km

Average Speed: 35.22

Average Moving Speed: 56.23

Max Speed: 94.34 km/h

Cheers,

Ryan

Nice blog and photos

What was your KPL on the trip ?

Thanks Jeffery.

I didn't really track the KPL closely. I was traveling with Pieter (DutchBike). He rides a KLX 250, which has a bigger engine and a smaller gas tank--7.7 liter, as opposed to the Lifan's 10.5 liter. Every time he stopped to fill up, I topped up as well. We stopped 8 times, and each time I spent 200 - 250 baht. We went on a 3-day, 1200 km trip. When I left my house I had 6k baht in my pocket. When I got home I still had 2k and change. That means I spent about a hundred bucks for a great 3-day adventure!!!

[ryanwiley]

I'm looking for some US size 12 (Thai size 45-46) riding boots. New or used is fine. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Ryan

[dave_boo]

Anyone know how to stop my front brake from squeaking!

Either the rotor is warped or the pads are vibrating. A simple fix if it's the pads is to remove the caliper and apply a thick coat of silicone to the back of the pads (the metal part). Allowing it to dry will form a rubberised surface that prevents high speed vibrations. If this doesn't work a new rotor is in order.

[T182]

Finished a 1200 km Buriram--Khlong Yai--Buriram trip on August 2nd, 3rd, 4th with DutchBike. The LIfan ran beautifully through the rain, up and over mountains, and across sandy beaches. Here is a full write up with pics and our course marked on Google maps.

Here are the numbers from "My Tracks." This is just one way, on the way there.

Total Time: 15:53:58

Moving Time: 9:57:31

Total km: 559.93 km

Average Speed: 35.22

Average Moving Speed: 56.23

Max Speed: 94.34 km/h

Cheers,

Ryan

And all on the original Lifan seat.

You have ball's of brass and an arse of steel mate

That said your certainly showing what these little bikes are capable of.

Look's a fun trip.

[ryanwiley]

Finished a 1200 km Buriram--Khlong Yai--Buriram trip on August 2nd, 3rd, 4th with DutchBike. The LIfan ran beautifully through the rain, up and over mountains, and across sandy beaches. Here is a full write up with pics and our course marked on Google maps.

Here are the numbers from "My Tracks." This is just one way, on the way there.

Total Time: 15:53:58

Moving Time: 9:57:31

Total km: 559.93 km

Average Speed: 35.22

Average Moving Speed: 56.23

Max Speed: 94.34 km/h

Cheers,

Ryan

And all on the original Lifan seat.

You have ball's of brass and an arse of steel mate

That said your certainly showing what these little bikes are capable of.

Look's a fun trip.

Ha ha! Yeah, that's not exactly a touring seat! Nothing wrong with it, though. It's a good seat for off-roading, but it's too thin for a 15 hour ride! Need a big, wide cruiser seat that distributes my weight across all of my cheek real estate! We met up at a petrol station with a group of 1500 cc Honda Goldwing riders from Pattaya. Those bikes are like rolling homes. Seats were more comfortable than the office chair I'm sitting in now! We'd have taken them on the beach, though!

[motocrosser]

@ dave boo,have just put silicon on the brake pads and yes you were right seems to have solved my problem for now!thanks.it was getting to become a bad noise all the time!

[dave_boo]

@ dave boo,have just put silicon on the brake pads and yes you were right seems to have solved my problem for now!thanks.it was getting to become a bad noise all the time!

Glad I could help. There should have been some anti-squeal spring steel behind the pads; wonder where that's at...

[necronx99]

I just changed the oil on my cross (1500km).

how often should the gear oil be changed?

I can see the gearbox filler, just above the gear lever?

Where do you drain it and how much to put back in?

I read somewhere that this engine uses shared oil with the crank, but if thats the case why is there a port near the gear lever?

Also, is there an oil filter of any kind?

[Richard-BKK]

I just changed the oil on my cross (1500km).

how often should the gear oil be changed?

I can see the gearbox filler, just above the gear lever?

Where do you drain it and how much to put back in?

I read somewhere that this engine uses shared oil with the crank, but if thats the case why is there a port near the gear lever?

Also, is there an oil filter of any kind?

All the information you need is in the Lifan owner's manual, do you not have a owner's manual?

[necronx99]

I just changed the oil on my cross (1500km).

how often should the gear oil be changed?

I can see the gearbox filler, just above the gear lever?

Where do you drain it and how much to put back in?

I read somewhere that this engine uses shared oil with the crank, but if thats the case why is there a port near the gear lever?

Also, is there an oil filter of any kind?

All the information you need is in the Lifan owner's manual, do you not have a owner's manual?

I have "a" lifan owners manual and other than pointing out the need to change the gearbox oil pepriodically it studiously ignores telling you how to go about it.

[wantan]

I just changed the oil on my cross (1500km).

how often should the gear oil be changed?

I can see the gearbox filler, just above the gear lever?

Where do you drain it and how much to put back in?

I read somewhere that this engine uses shared oil with the crank, but if thats the case why is there a port near the gear lever?

Also, is there an oil filter of any kind?

All the information you need is in the Lifan owner's manual, do you not have a owner's manual?

I have "a" lifan owners manual and other than pointing out the need to change the gearbox oil pepriodically it studiously ignores telling you how to go about it.

I doubt that the Cross 200 has seperated engine and gear oil.

Why not take a picture of the "gearbox filler", so we can help you to identify its pupose

There will only be a metal filter screen, no real oil filter. If the bike is new check it after the run in. There may be some small metal parts to remove.

Maybe a user manual helps?

Edited August 20, 2012 by wantan

[canuckamuck]

Anyone change there back tire yet and if so to what sort?the original is very soft and wheres out very quick off road.not sure if you can put anything wider on because of swing arm and chain guard would stop it!

I was going to respond to this sooner, but I just got around to taking some pics.

I did change out the rear tire on my Lifan, with an agressive Moto Z tire from the dirt bike shop in CM

Here is the specs

It did fit, so I took it on a serious ride up the backside of Doi Chang - in the rain. We took pics, but the other guy has them, I will post if they are good.

But riding up some of the different mud surfaces really jammed up in the swing arm. it really made the climbing difficult in places because it trying to stall me out. So when I got back down I decided I needed a bigger chain.

I got a D.I.D. chain two links longer and it gave me about 3 cm clearance to the front of the swing arm but probably less than a centimeter to the sides.

It is looking a little more off road now

And while I was tinkering I got around to putting on new Renthal bars and hand guards as well

[necronx99]

Anyone change there back tire yet and if so to what sort?the original is very soft and wheres out very quick off road.not sure if you can put anything wider on because of swing arm and chain guard would stop it!

I was going to respond to this sooner, but I just got around to taking some pics.

I did change out the rear tire on my Lifan, with an agressive Moto Z tire from the dirt bike shop in CM

Yes, aggressive indeed. You could probably put it to work weeding ricefields now!

[necronx99]

I just changed the oil on my cross (1500km).

how often should the gear oil be changed?

I can see the gearbox filler, just above the gear lever?

Where do you drain it and how much to put back in?

I read somewhere that this engine uses shared oil with the crank, but if thats the case why is there a port near the gear lever?

Also, is there an oil filter of any kind?

All the information you need is in the Lifan owner's manual, do you not have a owner's manual?

I have "a" lifan owners manual and other than pointing out the need to change the gearbox oil pepriodically it studiously ignores telling you how to go about it.

I doubt that the Cross 200 has seperated engine and gear oil.

Why not take a picture of the "gearbox filler", so we can help you to identify its pupose

There will only be a metal filter screen, no real oil filter. If the bike is new check it after the run in. There may be some small metal parts to remove.

Maybe a user manual helps?

I think I was googling myself into confusion with references to older or other models.

So we'll assume single oil supply and no filter screen.

The port I assumed was for gear oil is probably just a casting plug.

[canuckamuck]

Anyone change there back tire yet and if so to what sort?the original is very soft and wheres out very quick off road.not sure if you can put anything wider on because of swing arm and chain guard would stop it!

I was going to respond to this sooner, but I just got around to taking some pics.

I did change out the rear tire on my Lifan, with an agressive Moto Z tire from the dirt bike shop in CM

Yes, aggressive indeed. You could probably put it to work weeding ricefields now!

About the new tire, I wouldn't suggest it for someone who primarily does road travel. Your cornering ability on pavement is reduced by quite a bit. Also your braking.

I was heading down a steep slope on a paved road the other day; the road was wet. I was engine braking but I stepped on my rear brake and felt nothing happen. I realized that I was already sliding on just the engine braking. I rode it out, but it could have been nasty because I was going though a corner.

The grip is phenomenal on dirt and mud though. But I have a feeling that I have also lost some top end speed because of the larger tire circumference. 5th gear just can't push it as well.

Maybe a bigger carb eh?

[taninthai]

Cannock what were the prices for handguards and tyre and do you have contact details

I can only seem to find acerbic guards which are 3000 bht

Thanks