Lifan, Tiger, Sym, And Keeway Dealer Now In Phuket.

[NomadJoe]

I recently discovered that there is finally a Phuket Lifan dealer listed on Lifans website. Went down today and test road the 200 Cross. They are using the name Stallion which is the company that makes a bunch of those little Gorilla bikes which they also sell. The shop is on Phra Baramee Rd which is the northern most road in Patong which runs from the beach towards Patong Hill. The shop is near the gas station on the opposite side of the road. 6 months ago I noticed the same shop on Maulung Rd. near the Mitsubishi dealer in Town, but at the time they only had Gorillas. Not sure if this is another branch or they have moved.

Sign says free book and reg, free helmet, and 1000B deposit.

The 200 Cross rides pretty much like a KLX250. Felt well balanced and natural to me. Still a but plasticy but not as bad as my old Platinum PX175, more powerful too. I could still accelerate up the steepest parts of Patong Hill. Unlike the Platinum, the exhaust has a nice note. The frame welds seemed clean, but those on the luggage rack were not so much. The controls were a bit sticky, requiring more strength than they should, even the throttle twist was a bit laborious. Nothing a little cleaning or perhaps some light modding wouldn't rectify. Seat is too hard and the 5 down shifting will take some getting used to. No signal cancel, you have to push the stitch back over which half the time makes me signal the other way. Overall I still like it and for 47,500B a good deal. The one major obstacle for me was not having any local service or support. The Lifans come with a 2 years warranty on the engine, 3 measly 3 month on the frame. Not sure where the electrics fall into that. Forgot to ask.

200 Cross

The also had the V250 Custom. Not sure how well this will sell at 82,500B. Maybe since the Phantom is no more. As far as I know there are no other small displacement cruisers on the Thai market. The only other one I know of is the Suzuki TU250X isn't quite the same thing.

The Sym 200CC Enduro MBike. (Taiwan) Actually looks nicer than the 200 Cross IMO. 54,500B

Keway 200cc. Looks like a Tiger Boxer. Not sure of price.

Financing is available.

Their flier and brochure:

"Off Rode" lol

[Ping]

Pardon my ignorance, 'Lifan' - never heard of them. Chinese, I suppose? By the location you describe, the shop must be just about next door to Yamaha.

That Custom V250, at B82,500, should run a good bit of competition for PCX 150 buyers (roughly the same price). Yes, probably a different market, but still likely to cut into Honda's sales.

Thanks for the informative post - (though given the amount of work you've put into it, it has the aroma of an ad).

[NomadJoe]

Pardon my ignorance, 'Lifan' - never heard of them. Chinese, I suppose? By the location you describe, the shop must be just about next door to Yamaha.

That Custom V250, at B82,500, should run a good bit of competition for PCX 150 buyers (roughly the same price). Yes, probably a different market, but still likely to cut into Honda's sales.

Thanks for the informative post - (though given the amount of work you've put into it, it has the aroma of an ad).

It's on the mountain side relative to Yamaha.

Lots of threads going in the bike forum on Lifan and other Chinese/Taiwanese manufacturers that are starting/increasing their dealer networks in Thailand. Lifan is largest and most well known. They have been selling bikes in Thailand, EU, US etc for several years. They have had ties to Suzuki in the past and are one of the largest manufacturers of motorcycle engines in the world. Lately they have been hooking up with Italian motorcycle manufacturers to gain more expertise.

RE the ad comment, I have no association with this shop. But because I post about motorcycles, and Lifan, quite a bit I get asked a lot about where you can get one. I think having Lifan and maybe some of the others in the market is a really good thing, IF they turn out to be somewhat reliable and the manufacturers support the dealers with parts etc. (Despite the bashing I give the Chinese in the world news thread over their human rights, currency tampering, dishonest trade practices, industrial espionage and patent infringement.)

Edited June 17, 2012 by NomadJoe

[NomadJoe]

^ you reminded me... they have a bunch of PCX/ maxi scooter type things too. Not sure on price or cc. Surely sub-250cc. I didn't get a chance to look around as much as I wanted as they were just closing up. (They close promptly at 5pm)

[NomadJoe]

It appears Lifan has come out with a moto-version of the Cross 200. The Xplore 200M. Looks like it comes with a better exhaust and no luggage rack.

[Photo credit: motorcycle.in.th]

[taninthai]

What's the red fully faired sportsbike first picture after finance sheet looks like a ducati copy....lol

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Good you now have a dealer down there. Pricing seems a few thousand baht higher on everything than Chiang Mai, but some how I expect that.

And lifan does have a factory in Thailand whre these bikes are made

[NomadJoe]

What's the red fully faired sportsbike first picture after finance sheet looks like a ducati copy....lol

Good question. Was wondering that myself. I didn't see anything in the shop resembling it. It's by Stallions. Seems to be basically a pit bike or maybe a child's toy bike. No idea if it is even street legal. The English title to that pic which isn't fully visible says "GP@1 150CC Hand Clutch 79,000B" So looks like a 150cc bike which unashamedly resembles a Ducati, even using "GP" which is what Ducati's MotoGP bikes are called.

The only info I could find on the internets is at RichardBKKs site. http://www.motorcyc....motorcycle-6192

And there is a Youtube vid.