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Lifan 200cc?

27K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  reallrfz 
#1 ·
I'm 16 and i'm thinking about getting a dual sport. Don't have much previous experiance but i'll probly just be using it for going around town, going to work and maybe a couple trails for fun. When i was on e-bay a i found a Lifan 200cc for 1,000 dollars. Compared to the other bikes about the same size thats about half the price. Is there a reason these bikes are so extremely cheap, or do they just quit after a month?
 
#2 · (Edited)
They come from China and are more or less a knock off of a XR200. They are cheaper because they are from China. The quality is generally lower. It may run great and run a long time or it may like you asked quit after a month. It's kind of a gamble. I own 1 Chinese ATV here and it was a gamble. It does run and does what it is supposed to do but not quite as well as it's Japanese counterpart but it was about half the price.

I would strongly advise you to not buy one from Ebay. If you really want one made by Lifan I would go to a Lifan dealer. You can find one by looking here.

http://www.americanlifan.com/lifan2/

That way there you can look at it close to see if it's what you want and ask a many questions you want before you buy it. You can also see if they stock parts. If they say they can get parts don't take "We can write the manufacturer and get what you need" as an acceptable answer, trust me on this. If you buy from a dealer it will already be assembled and set up proir to you buying it, that way there if there is something wrong with it they can't say "it must have been in the set up YOU did" or if it happens to be damaged in shipping. Also to you won't have that huge paperwork hassle you get trying to get a title from the DMV in case you want to licence it using the Statement of Origin (MSO) from the manufacturer.
 
#3 ·
Good advice

As usual CB you've given wise council. It may sound cheap but I see a thousand bucks as a significant stack of bills. I get the feeling the chinese may not understand the concept of "service after the sale" Probably better to spend the grand on a good, used, bike of a brand that has a dealer/parts network in place.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I learned from experiance with my kid's Pep Boys 4 wheeler. If I need a part I can get it but it's not exactly easy sometimes to find them. Sure it was cheap but I had to work on it and there isn't any "tech line" to call if you get stumped. I'm fortunate enough to know how to fix these things and have the spare time to hunt up parts. Finding parts isn't as easy as picking up a Dennis Kirk catalog and looking it up. 99 times out of 100 there isn't any aftermarket parts for the import bikes so it's either hard to sometimes find OEM or "rooting and digging to find stuff that works".

Some sellers of Chinese manufacturered ATV's and motorcycles claim Honda clone engines,which they do look identical to certain Honda engines, but there is no guarrentee that Honda parts will fit them and work.

If I were to ever buy a Chinese bike I would find a dealer who sells them. That way there I could ask if they stock parts and if they do what ones they stock. I could see if they have a service department. I could ask 90 thousand questions if i wanted to in real time. If there was a problem with shipping it's on them not me. Plus I hate to hear the dreaded "I can get you a set of brake shoes in a week" that most likely you will hear when you need parts for a Chinese bike. Worse if you have to order them yourself and it takes a week or 2 if you're lucky for something a dealer should have on stock. A good dealer will stock brakes, plugs, filters and cables for the models he sells, especially if he only sells a few models, like a dealer of the Japanese bikes will generally have. If I need brakes or any simple part thats a wear item for any 3 of my Yamaha's all I got to do is drive 3 miles to the Yamaha dealer. If I need something for my Honda and want it now it's a 40 minute drive and I have the part in hand so at most I lose maybe a day if I'm real lazy though most my parts I order for the Honda.

I buy and sell on Ebay fairly often and kind of know the ins and outs. I wouldn't buy a bike from there (new, used, don't matter where it was made) unless it was a local seller and I could look at it before buying. A good many of the sellers of these things will buy a shipping container of bikes and sell them off indivdually. You can go on there any day of the week and see a "dealer pack" of 3, 4, 5 or however many bikes or ATVs for a super low price. Usually someone will buy the package deal and sell those off.

There are tons of good sellers on there but there are some bad ones. besides if you buy one and the seller is 1000 miles away I doubt he will come to your house to look at it if something is wrong or tell you to bring it back. A good dealer will do that.

Lifan has been around awhile and from what i understand their quality is better than most of the ones coming from China but still I would hit up a dealer here before clicking the "Buy it Now". That way there at least you get to see what you're buying before you buy it.
 
#5 ·
Finding a Lifan Dealer in Your Area

They have over 5100 dealers listed with phone,email,fax,tollfree,websites across the country located in different ways. Select LIFAN as the manufacturer and find a dealer near you.

DISTANCE
powersportsgateway.com/Locator.aspx

VISUAL MAP
powersportsgateway.com/Powersports_Dealer_WorldMap.aspx
 
#6 ·
i actually own a lifan lf200. it has been alright. i have had it for 7 months. and yeah dont buy it over the internet. i was gonig to do that, but seems to good to be true. the bike actually costs about $2700. it preforms alright. it is good for commuting. 40 - 50mph is ideal speed for it. i got it up to 70 and stuff started to get loose. dont think about taking it out when there is any percipitation cause the tires are skinny the bike skids easy on water. But recently the steering lock locked up on me and i cant open it so i am trying to fix that. other than that its alright if you drive moderately. it saves a lot of money too -i get about 90 mpg. so, i mean if you want to get this bike you have to be a safe driver. oh yeah and if you dont start it up for a few weeks it takes forever to get started again. it really isnt as bad as it seems, but i would recommend a 250 ninja it seems more reliable, but doesnt look as nice.
 
#7 ·
i actually own a lifan lf200. it has been alright. i have had it for 7 months. and yeah dont buy it over the internet. i was gonig to do that, but seems to good to be true. the bike actually costs about $2700. it preforms alright. it is good for commuting. 40 - 50mph is ideal speed for it. i got it up to 70 and stuff started to get loose. dont think about taking it out when there is any percipitation cause the tires are skinny the bike skids easy on water. But recently the steering lock locked up on me and i cant open it so i am trying to fix that. other than that its alright if you drive moderately. it saves a lot of money too -i get about 90 mpg. so, i mean if you want to get this bike you have to be a safe driver. oh yeah and if you dont start it up for a few weeks it takes forever to get started again. it really isnt as bad as it seems, but i would recommend a 250 ninja it seems more reliable, but doesnt look as nice.
A Lifan200 costs neary about $2,000 in China.When it has been loaded across a half earth,the price must biger than 20,00. To use Lifan200 instead of your feet is a good idea,but it can`t be used for
racing.The redline speed for it is not more than 80Kmph,is Km not mile.
it can runs faster,but that`s may be will hurt the eng.
If you want a cheep Chinese motorcycle,I know some is considerable.
ZongShen,one of his 50CC sheep is a good one.two stroke,water cooled eng,top speed beyound 100Kmph,about 60mph.it requiers high quality eng oil. The price is about $1000 in China.
Jincheng ,monkey.50CC 4stroke air cooled eng.4 gears.It`s a little motor like for kids.But it`s fool with funny,Chinese price $750.
Jialing600,a new type,has been desinged not more than 1 year. In China this type don`t sell in shop,only can be ordered in clubs.
 
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