Lifan 200 Cross

[AllanB]

It has been a while since the subject of this Thai built bike was debated here and I assume there are a few owners out there who have been running theirs for a couple of years now.

I would be interested to hear from these owners, to find out what they are really like, including how the bike was ridden and what problems they have had. Useful information I feel, bearing in mind this bike is still around a third of the price if the Japanese competition.

[zyphodb]

i've had 1 for about 1 1/2 years now & the 2 problems i've had repeatedly are dodgy wiring to the headlight, it does'nt come on some of the time & you have to give the light unit a bash with your fist to get it to work & if you go over a bump at speed & take off, theres a good chance that upon landing your valve comes away from your inner tube giving you an instant flat tyre, although that's more a criticism of badly made Thai inner tubes, I'm sure if you could find a Japanese made 1 this problem would go away... Apart from that they go very well off & on road & seem to be quite ruggedly built.

[ktm jeff]

Ive hired one from "Red Ride" in Chiang Mai and used it on and off road for weeks and despite the suspension being budget , it was perfect. The Lifan costs 46,000 Baht and comes with full size (21" front/18" rear)wheels , offering a better tire choice if you wish to fit "motorcross" tires to it.Its a budget bike but went very well , returned 40 KM/L on the road , suspension crude , brakes need a squeeze and the gear change sequence (all 5 are down) takes getting used to.Performance great , didnt try out top speed - only up to about 80 KPH - but not above 110 KPH i guess. Lights fine , started every time on starter.Great for dirt roads/tracks , but not anything too extreme.Nothing ever fell off and the guys i ride with - once they stopped laughing - are now considering some as cheap "knock-abouts".Service - although friendly in CM is sometimes dis-organised!. If you dont want more aggressive tires , then consider the Keeway TX 200 Enduro which is 60,000 Baht and a better bike (IMO)but fitted with 19" front/17" rear tires , and a proper gear change pattern!!!.

[canuckamuck]

I have had mine for more than three years now. Yes the headlight issue is annoying, you will find that it is the actual light bulb holder that is a fault. I have been meaning to snip it and splice on a different brand, But I always forget (don't ride in the dark much).

I also had a bad bearing in the front wheel, but they have changed the bearings that come with the bike since I bought mine. The front brake seems permanently squeaky, and I lost the heat guard on the muffler.

That being said the bike runs very nicely although I treat it quite badly. When I need it, it runs. It does 110km indicated, but my bike mainly is for off road and rarely sees 5th gear.

[peter124]

I've had mine for just over a year now, no problems only the ones I have caused like forgetting to turn the petrol on, or that I used the engine stop button and did not reset it. I have stripped a couple of screw threads but once again me being heavy handed, soon fixed with helicoils. I have treated it really rough and it has done everything I asked of it, dirt trails, through water up to my knees even dropping into a dried up river bed and getting stuck in crack, took best part of an hour to get it out but still kept going..

I want to use the bike on the road a bit more now, so I'm currently trying out different sprocket sizes on the rear wheel as these seem easier to come by than the smaller front sprockets, they are available but you need to check if they will fit your bike as there are lots of different makes out there. I would also like a spare set of the Motard style wheels & tires to use on road but no one seems willing or able to sell them to me, a couple of offers to rebuild my current wheels with 19" rims and smaller spokes but this defeats the object of a quick change over from off road to road use. I have fitted a 12volt socket to charge my GPS and phone, easy to do and very useful.

[AllanB]

Well that seems pretty good to me for a bike that cost 1/3rd of the competition, I sat on one today and it seems to fit, a couple of years ago I rode one and it was okay, yes an odd gearchange but at just £840 it is worth a go.

Rewiring a light is easy and keeping an eye on wheel bearings not rocket science, just a few baht to change them all and I would probably bring back a sheepskin for the seat.

So thanks a lot lads, very useful information direct from the horse's mouths.

[AllanB]

With the Honda CRF at 130k and Kawasaki at 152k that is just under, to just over 3 times the price and as we can see the Lifan is a reasonably good bike. Dirt bikes do get much harsher treatment than normal, so for me it make a lot of sense, to spend less.

We are told that Hondas depreciate less, well I recently saw a CRF for sale in absolute mint condition, 20k's worth of extras, for 100k. If your work out that depreciation in terms of the cost of a Lifan, it is over 100% and that's high.

Let's face it cheapo Korean cars are only around 10-15% cheaper in the west and people still buy them, (not me you understand) but with that huge level of saving, that level of reliability, spares and accessories available and it is a home product, it has to be a bargain.

[ktm jeff]

If people are honest with themselves ,a Honda CRF can loose more in a year or so , than the cost of a cheap bike , as you say. The Honda is a better bike (although not by as much as some people think) but my hired Lifan didnt show itself up - although i only had it one month - there are plenty of long term owners who are more than happy they are ,after one year , riding around on a free bike. Have you had a look/sit on the Keeway 200 Enduro.It costs a £250 more but has several better components , and a correct pattern gear-change. You wont be making a mistake with the Lifan , but look at the Keeway. keep us informed.

[canuckamuck]

Yes it is all about economy with the Lifan. It is a lot of bike for the money, because the money is very small. But I need to say that Buying a Lifan Cross is like buying a cheap pair of shoes. They will do the job, but you will never love them or show them off. I am very pleased that my bike does what it needs to do, and yes if it depreciated like a Honda it would not only be free for me (3 years plus ownership). It is more like money in the bank as I am quite sure I could sell it to the mountain guys around me for 25k. That means the depreciation was about the same as some people put into a new exhaust. and less than 10k a year.

Low on cool, but not an investment to worry about.

[ktm jeff]

A cheap pair of shoes - maybe , but like a mutt of a stray dog , you can love the dam things!.Its almost a "badge of pride" to ride these things everywhere the "better" bikes will go.Almost a perverse sense of mischief.Rather than having "All the gear/no idea" it brings you back to the basics of biking -FUN - isnt that what its all about.

[canuckamuck]

Yes it's true Nigel

[ll2]

A cheap pair of shoes - maybe , but like a mutt of a stray dog , you can love the dam things!.Its almost a "badge of pride" to ride these things everywhere the "better" bikes will go.Almost a perverse sense of mischief.Rather than having "All the gear/no idea" it brings you back to the basics of biking -FUN - isnt that what its all about.

Funny really:lol:

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited June 21, 2014 by ll2

[canuckamuck]

Although sometimes I feel bad that the bike I ride now is no more technically advanced than the one I had in high school in the 80's.

It is also makes me a bit nostalgic. My 30 year reunion is next week, I should carry a picture of my bike, we all had dirt bikes. We were farm kids.

[ktm jeff]

The Lifan , like the bike in the 80,s , are as technical as a rock - but i bet your smiling about them !

[AllanB]

Nigel talks about riding around on a "free bike", an interesting point to make, plus at 40km/litre no downside with running costs and with only a 46k baht outlay, this starts to look like a no brainer.

As for cool, who gives a monkeys, I personally don't find any Jap bike cool, they are all knock-offs of British bikes, whether it be Cafe Racers ha ha ha! or copies of TT bikes, or the Yank's very own choppers, only with a little engine ha ha ha2. All us Farangs are too big for them and end up looking like an elephant on a daisy and in fact the only original Jap bike is the Cub and that ain't cool at all, unless it has a sidecar with 4 sexy women sitting inside.

Na! put some Repsol stickers on it, start going places and getting it dirty....that's cool.

......and before some of you guys criticise my idea of cool, go to the "12volt Harley" topic and read about what they saying about that joke of the century, I am pretty sure someone mentioned the word cool there. <deleted>!

Trust me, old tech is cool........my dad told me that.

[zyphodb]

I don't know if us 'falangs' think my Lifan's cool but mines covered in shit, ridden through streams, Jungles & up mountains & all the Thais love it & a lot of them want one although a lot of them are afraid of it as it looks very big & quick to them compared to a 2 stroke scooter with knobbly tyres that they mostly have...

They all like my Keyway superlight 200 'chopper' too, although any Harley riding falang would laugh their socks off at it...

It's the riding that counts, not how cool your bike is, coolness didn't enter my head when I bought either of them...

[mania]

For sure it is not what you ride but that you ride & enjoy it.

[ktm jeff]

Elephant on a daisy !. LMAO. When i first got the bike, i took it for a "spin" . 118 KM later , i filled the tank again (the bike was delivered full) to get an idea of fuel consumption - no fuel guage - and it took 2.8L , so 42KM/L. On tarmack and some streets. Uses more off-road ! , but 10.5L tank gives fantastic range. How does one define COOL? "Mind over matter" - i dont mind what i ride , and your opinion doesnt matter ? Or is it just your take on life. Steve McQueen - on a space hopper - - - THATS COOL !.

[canuckamuck]

I only average 280 km's before I hit the reserve, I think it is closer to 30km per liter.

[AllanB]

I just remembered a guy I met about 3 years ago who bought a Lifan Cross, he used to be a semi professional rider and had competed in a half a dozen Paris-Dakars on bikes, so quite a recommendation. I had a little ride back then and thought the saddle a bit too high, (and the g/box a bit odd) but after riding the smaller Kawasaki 150, now think it is about right. The seat is very slightly lower than the CRF, but not by much.

I haven't seen him for a year or so, when he still had the bike, he used to really rag all his many bikes and the LIfan didn't look too bad compared to the rest. He had broken most of the bones in his body over the years, but that hadn't slowed him down, so if the Lifan is still running it will have been a real test.

I plan on buying one later this year, when I get back and get some off road practice in, low speed stuff to improve bike control and soft surface feel.

[ktm jeff]

AllanB . have a good look at the Keeway 200 Enduro . Seat modification is easy if too high. Costa 60,000 Baht but has "upside-down" forks , correct pattern gearchange , braided brake lines , and looks much better. The dealer in also very good , with a workshop that is like a F1 factory , compared to the Lifan dealer. Although , i doubht you will be using the Lifan dealer after the problens with the one in Chiang Mai.

[AllanB]

AllanB . have a good look at the Keeway 200 Enduro . Seat modification is easy if too high. Costa 60,000 Baht but has "upside-down" forks , correct pattern gearchange , braided brake lines , and looks much better. The dealer in also very good , with a workshop that is like a F1 factory , compared to the Lifan dealer. Although , i doubht you will be using the Lifan dealer after the problens with the one in Chiang Mai.

I think the Lifan is a simple bike, which is good and I will be servicing the bike myself, 46k baht is enough for what is a trainer and they sell them in Khon Kaen, I assume it is cheap because it is made in Thailand.

I have heard from a good number of happy owners and like I said all manufactures make good and bad model, I have had the best and worst of Honda.

Anyway, I have a few months to go.

[ktm jeff]

And i assume (and hope) the KK dealer will be better on any work you dont do yourself. Good luck , and happy trails.

[jdinasia]

What is the issue w/the gear box?

[canuckamuck]

The shifting is all the way up for neutral and down for each consecutive gear. Actually it makes sense, Neutral should be all the way to one end. But the vast majority of bikes have it between 1 and second, and shift up for higher gears.

That being said, it really messes you up when you ride a different bike. It sucks when you got the throttle wrapped and you think you are shifting to higher gear and you go one lower instead. Sending your revs into the stratosphere.

[jdinasia]

The shifting is all the way up for neutral and down for each consecutive gear. Actually it makes sense, Neutral should be all the way to one end. But the vast majority of bikes have it between 1 and second, and shift up for higher gears.

That being said, it really messes you up when you ride a different bike. It sucks when you got the throttle wrapped and you think you are shifting to higher gear and you go one lower instead. Sending your revs into the stratosphere.

actually that sounds great if your other bike is a wave etc w/ a step through gearbox! I assume it is street legal?

Edited June 24, 2014 by jdinasia

[canuckamuck]

Yes they are street legal.

[AllanB]

Actually I disagree, one down and the rest up is better, or obviously N,1.2.3.4.N, is easiest of all. Forget about 4th/5th etc, you are on the highway, that leaves 1st, 2nd and 3rd when you are in the traffic, so finding neutral is never more than 2 clicks away.

But, I understand what you mean about having neutral at the end too, but only if you have a weak gate spring. This is the problem with my old Phantom loads of gears and no torque, you are forever changing gear, even in the city you get into 5th. Then someone pulls out in front of you and it's click, click, click, click, click, click, click, as you miss neutral, or maybe not.

No one has commented, so I assume the Lifan Cross g/box is good, design aside?

[ktm jeff]

Never had a problem withe gearbox , or any of the bike. Neutral can hide sometimes - or is stiff - but this was on a hire bike. I treated it kindly , but it had about 8,000 km on it. After you run it in (medium to medium-high revs and LOW load/throttle openings) run it on semi , or better still , fully synthetic oil , Shell 15w50.

[zyphodb]

gears are ok, a mite confusing when you go back to a 1 down 4 up bike though...