Experience with Keeway Superlight 200 or TXM ?

[Dogbreath]

I would like to hear from owners of either of these two bikes. The good , the bad ,the ugly. I don't want to start another thread that trashes Taiwanese and Chinese manufactured bikes. I've heard enough of that to last quite a while. I have looked at but not ridden either one. The build quality looks decent enough and the Chinese have made some real improvements in QC, but actual use and ownership experience goes a long way towards determining whether these are worth owning. Thanks.

[zyphodb]

I have owned a Superlight 200 since last December & have notched up nearly 12000 Km on it, I like it, goes well, the top speed is spot on at 110 km/h, you can just about reach 120 downhill with the wind behind you but it'll happily go all day at 100 km/h.

Iv'e done several 400+ km runs on it with no problems & I think it looks much cooler, is more comfortable & handles better than a Honda Phantom, it's also more "Falang" sized than it's competitors, I am 6 feet tall & it isn't too small for me.

The only problem Iv'e had with it was a chain snapping after only 4000 km which I'm sure was a QC issue on the part of the chain manufacturers, but it did bring up the one "con" that Iv'e found with em, which is the customer service, of course this could have been because I bought it from a small town dealer in Issen.

In snapping the chain cracked open the front sprocket cover & it took them 2 months to get me another one, perfectly rideable without if you don't wear big flares lol but annoying none the less.

So in my opinion a good bike, especially for the 58000 Bht price tag with the nearest Japanese equivalent coming in at 3 times the price...

I haven't tried the other bike you've mentioned but I also have a Liffen 200 motorcross (Chinese, made in Thailand under license) which Iv'e had for the same length of time for dirt tracking & riding in the mountains, again a good bike, the only problem Iv'e had with it is if you neglect to check tightening the bolts & screws every week or so you can get water in places you don't want it like your electric starter, a fairly simple process to take apart & dry though, you also need to buy a 21mm spanner which fits under your your seat in case your chain comes off out in the sticks as the toolkit doesn't have one. (this hasn't happened to me but better safe than sorry). Front & rear disc brakes so plenty of stopping power, Again Falang sized, fine for a six footer like me, great fun in the mountains. This came at a 48000 Bht price tag from the same small dealer in Issen, The nearest Japanese competitor Iv'e seen was a Kawasaki which was a bit smaller in size but 250cc with a 150000 Bht price.

So in conclusion, being 50+ & having ridden in the UK for all of my life mostly Japanese Bikes, I find that these Chinese/Taiwanese compare very well & given the much lower price I would certainly recommend the two I have without hesitation, I look forward to what other people have to say...

[Dogbreath]

Thanks for your input. Sounds encouraging. Also nice to hear from someone without an axe to grind.. Hope to hear more.

I have owned a Superlight 200 since last December & have notched up nearly 12000 Km on it, I like it, goes well, the top speed is spot on at 110 km/h, you can just about reach 120 downhill with the wind behind you but it'll happily go all day at 100 km/h.

Iv'e done several 400+ km runs on it with no problems & I think it looks much cooler, is more comfortable & handles better than a Honda Phantom, it's also more "Falang" sized than it's competitors, I am 6 feet tall & it isn't too small for me.

The only problem Iv'e had with it was a chain snapping after only 4000 km which I'm sure was a QC issue on the part of the chain manufacturers, but it did bring up the one "con" that Iv'e found with em, which is the customer service, of course this could have been because I bought it from a small town dealer in Issen.

In snapping the chain cracked open the front sprocket cover & it took them 2 months to get me another one, perfectly rideable without if you don't wear big flares lol but annoying none the less.

So in my opinion a good bike, especially for the 58000 Bht price tag with the nearest Japanese equivalent coming in at 3 times the price...

I haven't tried the other bike you've mentioned but I also have a Liffen 200 motorcross (Chinese, made in Thailand under license) which Iv'e had for the same length of time for dirt tracking & riding in the mountains, again a good bike, the only problem Iv'e had with it is if you neglect to check tightening the bolts & screws every week or so you can get water in places you don't want it like your electric starter, a fairly simple process to take apart & dry though, you also need to buy a 21mm spanner which fits under your your seat in case your chain comes off out in the sticks as the toolkit doesn't have one. (this hasn't happened to me but better safe than sorry). Front & rear disc brakes so plenty of stopping power, Again Falang sized, fine for a six footer like me, great fun in the mountains. This came at a 48000 Bht price tag from the same small dealer in Issen, The nearest Japanese competitor Iv'e seen was a Kawasaki which was a bit smaller in size but 250cc with a 150000 Bht price.

So in conclusion, being 50+ & having ridden in the UK for all of my life mostly Japanese Bikes, I find that these Chinese/Taiwanese compare very well & given the much lower price I would certainly recommend the two I have without hesitation, I look forward to what other people have to say...

[Slip]

Not the models you are interested in, but have you seen this?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/551631-keeway-rkv-200-any-good/

Several owners of the RKV have posted in it and their feedback seems pretty positive.

[Richard-BKK]

The Keeway Superlight 200 is a good alternative to a Honda Phantom TA200, and you will surely not set any speed records with a 200cc cruiser. If you like a bit more power I would recommend the V-twin 250cc, which has just that extra power to do two-up riding more enjoyable.

And if you not in a hurry to buy a motorcycle I would even recommend that you wait buying, as Keeway is gearing up to introduce a complete new line of cruisers with modern electronic fuel injection and other gadgets... But, what I understand it could be December before they arrive in the Keeway showrooms.

The Keeway Superlight 200 is not expensive for what you get, and as somebody said before you should select your dealer careful. And if you in need of a part, call Keeway HQ as some dealers don't like to order only one part from Keeway and wait until they have several items to order... saving some money on delivery cost, and forgetting that you would be willing to pay 50 THB extra to get your part directly...

[Dogbreath]

Good to know the product is getting positive feedback. I tried to sit on the RKV at Mityon in Pattaya. The tank is designed so that if you have longer legs your knees bang into the flaring edge at the top of the tank. Bad fit for me, but probably fine for smaller Thais. I'm 6' and 100kg.

Not the models you are interested in, but have you seen this?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/551631-keeway-rkv-200-any-good/

Several owners of the RKV have posted in it and their feedback seems pretty positive.

[brfsa2]

yeah, wait for the Keeway Blackster 250i, with EFI, some more power and torque, nicer wheels.

http://toetae-rider.com/index.php?action=printpage;topic=5035.0

[zyphodb]

The possible disadvantage in waiting for the new models is that the superlight 200 has had all the bugs sorted out on it by now, the same might not be the same for the Blackstar, although the extra power would be nice, bytheway I don't find I lose any significant power with my Thai wife on the back just have a bit longer stopping distance...

[mark131v]

I went down to the Sym dealer in Rayong to have a look at a TXM, I never got to see it as the one they had in had already been sold and picked up. I had a chat with the owner and she said that they pretty much fly off the shelf and she had a few people waiting on orders and she didn't know when another delivery would be in, if they are anything like the RKV's they should be a very good buy

[WolfgangGiesen]

Yesterday I bought a TXM 200 for little less than 59.000 Baht and drove it back from the dealer ( Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda ). I felt very comfortable on the bike and after 80 km arrived at my home in CM. Have a Scoopy I and an Airblade, no comparison, this is a better bike than the two Hondas for about the same price. Anyone likes to take the mickey about chinese bikes but very few have the bulls to bye one. It took me weeks to read all the available information on the internet about Keeway and Lifan and I must say, I like this bike. Prepared for a lot of flaming but will prove I made the right decision very soon. more news to follow.

[WolfgangGiesen]

hello china bike haters, drove so far a little over 300 km and nothing fell off and I think its a good bike for the money I spend

[BSJ]

hello china bike haters, drove so far a little over 300 km and nothing fell off and I think its a good bike for the money I spend

Hey Wolfman, cum back to the forum when you have 20,000 kilometres on the clock and tell us how it went for you. Be honest.

[WolfgangGiesen]

hello again,

met a thai chap today riding a Keeway TXM 200 from Lampang province, he told me in thai no problems at all and switched on the machine to show me that he had already 7000 km on the clock. I have small problems to get the hot engine into neutral but he told me no probs with his Keeway.

More to follow when the rain stops a bit.

[BSJ]

hello again,

met a thai chap today riding a Keeway TXM 200 from Lampang province, he told me in thai no problems at all and switched on the machine to show me that he had already 7000 km on the clock. I have small problems to get the hot engine into neutral but he told me no probs with his Keeway.

More to follow when the rain stops a bit.

Engage first before you come to a stop, it will just slide in easy. I know a lot of people kick it into neutral then select first when they are ready to go, but you need to wear in some of the components to make the gearbox happy first.

[WolfgangGiesen]

Thanks BSJ,

will follow your advise. After speaking with the Thai owner of a TMX with Lampang Number plates I met in Lamphun yesterday I passed another TMX here in Doi Tao CM province this time with Lamphun number plates and again a Thai raider. Too lazy to stop because it was raining heavily but the shop where I bought my bike in Ban Hong, Lamphun ( Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha Lifan and Keeway Dealer) replaced the TXM I bought in yellow with two TXM, yellow and red. Seams there getting popular here in my area.

Will keep posting regardless of pictures posted of war torn JRD scooters on the way to the shredder

[Dogbreath]

Went ahead and spent 59k on a TX200-EN. Only driven about 200km so far, but happy with it overall. Only gripe is some chain "slap" which is annoying. I adjusted slack to 10mm and it improved some but still get the clackety-clack at low speeds. Going in for an early oil change tomorrow and will see what the dealer (Mityon Pattaya) thinks. Should be interesting.

[BSJ]

Went ahead and spent 59k on a TX200-EN. Only driven about 200km so far, but happy with it overall. Only gripe is some chain "slap" which is annoying. I adjusted slack to 10mm and it improved some but still get the clackety-clack at low speeds. Going in for an early oil change tomorrow and will see what the dealer (Mityon Pattaya) thinks. Should be interesting.

10mm with you sitting on it? 10mm with no-one on it is probably way to tight!

[zyphodb]

Iv]e now done 13000 km on my superlight still no problems...

[nearlynormal]

Yes I have one now up to 8000km and it goes well.i had same problems as others ie chain stretched and seems not the right size but that has been replaced and is good now , the first week the rh.indicator light fell off and had to be glued back in and the exhaust guard screws failed and it has been thrown away.

The motor goes well and as one ogher contributor said it is good at 95 to 100 k and gets about 30 k per litre.wit a tank big enough for 350 km.it has the same tinkling in the chain or gearbox as another described .....cant find it if anyone knows I would like to get that out....but overall I think it is ok for the money.its heavy enough to sit well on the road and no probs with 2 up on a trip.

I rode to chiang mai ....10 hours ...then a great ride to pai .I have had the seat altered for my long legs and extended back to the custom made sissy bar for the gf comfort.service is not great from the dealer in kohn kaen but its cheap to work on by my local mechanic ....oh yed the indicators go crazy when it rains and will not turn off....I will get a different switch put on.

All up I am happy with it as a cheP option for getting around.

[zyphodb]

Am now up to 16000 km on my Superlight, guess what? no problems...

[mark131v]

I have 2 RKV 200's one at 5000 and the other at 4500km no problems at all, nothing has fallen off or broken and no problems with the lights or electrics since altering the headlight beam. Lots of people seem to like the look of them and seem shocked when you tell them the price, I would recommend them to anybody and it seems that all the Keeway bikes are pretty good value and quality when you realise that most of the alternatives are twice the price, I would like a bit more speed now and like the look of the Benneli 302 if they had a proper dealer in Pattaya I would seriously look at that or the 600 but I will probably end up with a Honda CBX purely because of the dealer and servicing situation

[zyphodb]

Now reached 20000Kms on my Superlight 200 & guess what? still no problems....

[ja99]

I was looking at a used one at an indie shop in Phuket - superficially it looked ok but that matt black finish was fading and patchy. Also, the springs in front of the the right footrest were all rusting badly which doesn't bode well and would put me off buying it, even though it is perhaps a minor issue. The bike is probably fine if garaged and mainly ridden in the dry, a bit of an ask in this country..

[BSJ]

Now reached 20000Kms on my Superlight 200 & guess what? still no problems....

You should post some picture's to annoy the he11 out of the Chinese bike haters!

[ktm jeff]

BSJ they wont believe it as they can only see "Honda". It must be a lie , they will cry - its on its third engine - etc etc. What a Honda CBR or CRF loses in the first year or so will about pay for one of these bikes. Used a LIfan this year extensivley off-road and it was great , no problems. I particulary like the Keeway TX 200 Enduro.

[zyphodb]

Thought I'd post some pics , my superlight 200 & my Lifan 200 dirt bike...

[ll2]

P1040045.jpgP1040046.jpgP1040047.jpgP1040048.jpg

Thought I'd post some pics , my superlight 200 & my Lifan 200 dirt bike...

that lifan 200 dirt bike was red before i guess?

[zyphodb]

The Lifan faded somewhat after a year in the sun outside the flat I was renting, my wife had just cleaned both bikes the day before otherwise you'd have hardly noticed the colour of the Lifan through the mud it's normally plastered with.....

[ll2]

The Lifan faded somewhat after a year in the sun outside the flat I was renting, my wife had just cleaned both bikes the day before otherwise you'd have hardly noticed the colour of the Lifan through the mud it's normally plastered with.....

Oh, ok. I thought you like your Chinese pink.

Happy rides whatever you are riding.

Edited July 18, 2014 by ll2

[ktm jeff]

I name the X-CROSS - "Lilly the Pink." Anyone English over the age of 45 may remember that song. The X- CROSS i had scrathed very easy. Cheap ( "second generation" plastics) , otherwise superb value at 46,000 baht. I can see you dont pamper your bikes , and they seem to be holding up very well. Good buys.