any body know of a counterbalanced engine other than lifan

[randy]

hi everyone, i mentioned in other post that im waiting for lifan enduro to become carb certified for ca. but maybe like someone said i should take this a different route. my fingers fall asleep really bad on bikes, does any one know of a chinese bike (carb certified for ca. green sticker) that has a counter balancer in the engine to lower vibration. i will also post this in the dirt bike forum. thanks for your reply, randy

[Savage]

All thumpers vibrate - chinese, japanese, astrian, etc.

[randy]

hi savage, yes i know that all thumpers vibrate. i remember my 85 honda xl 600 thumper and it vibrated and im pretty sure that it had a counterbalancer in it. but after talking to a couple dealers they all said the vibration between the lifan 200gy-5 and the older engine difference was like day and night. thanks, randy

[Savage]

I had a KTM 400 LC4 and the guys complain the it vibes alot. I thought it was pretty smooth compared to my Lifan 200; especially when cruising up in the 50's and 60 mph. Just for a comparison.

[ambassador]

Sorry, didn't get to this post in time... ALL MOTORCYCLES VIBRATE... and thats what makes them fun, the 200GY is an enduro, counter-balanced or not its gonna vibrate, it's the nature of the beast... If you have medical problems, maybe not the bikes for you...

[knothead]

Bar end weights, foam grips, gel gloves.... there are a number of ways to fight the vibes coming through the bars. The new Lifan OHV is fairly smooth, but the vibes are still there and they are enough to numb your hands (and butt!) after a ride. To me the vibes, getting pelted with large bugs, wet feet, bad drivers, etc... it's all part of riding.

[AZ200cc]

I must be numb, The bike that vibrated the most for me was and old Kaw 250 Two stroke...But it was really nothing..Just the nature of the beast. I suppose I have just gotten used to it...Through work and through riding and so on. My Honda seemed like a caddie , Might try some better gloves like Knothead suggested...

[randy]

hi knothead, thanks for the ideas, i never thought about gel gloves. i have a suzuki 650 v-strom that i wrapped high density weather stripping around the grips and then wrapped high voltage rubber electrical tape(the kind you have to peel wax paper off the back side)it really helps as i ride this to work 100 miles a day both ways. the bike came standard with the end bar weights. do you have the lifan 200gy-5 or have you ridden it? it looks like people are going to give me a hard time about my problem with my fingers falling asleep. its fun to ride but when you have to stop every 10 minutes and stretch your fingers it becomes torture. thanks, randy

[gyjoe]

I test drove a 650 V-Strom yesterday and noticed that the last two fingers and part of the palm of my left hand wanted to cramp up while riding the bike. I have never had this problem while riding any machine with handlebars. I didn't notice much vibration with the V-Strom; it has less than my own bikes, so I assume in my case that it had more to do with the change in handlebar/seating position. Loved the bike otherwise.

[ob1]

A set of aluminum bark busters can be a big help. Changes the resonant frequency of the bars. Also save your behind in the woods and protects your levers.

[Savage]

DL650 - Sweet!
Kinda like the brand new Kawasaki Versys

[TheBrainII]

I have the 07' Lifan 200GY-5 with the balanced engine and it's pretty darn smooth. When I get up to 61/2-7k rpm's at about 55-65 mph there is a slight buzz in the bars but not enough to numb my hands, even with the stock rock hard grips on it. Between 45-50 mph the thing is smooth as glass. I drive 20 miles one way to work and I could go longer without problems I think. Also, If it had real road tires I think it would be even smoother. I love the bike.

BTW, if you are doing a 100mi. each way I would never try that on a Lifan 200. You might as well do it on a horse because the seat on the Lifan is anyghing butt comfortable.

[knothead]

hi knothead, thanks for the ideas, i never thought about gel gloves. i have a suzuki 650 v-strom that i wrapped high density weather stripping around the grips and then wrapped high voltage rubber electrical tape(the kind you have to peel wax paper off the back side)it really helps as i ride this to work 100 miles a day both ways. the bike came standard with the end bar weights. do you have the lifan 200gy-5 or have you ridden it? it looks like people are going to give me a hard time about my problem with my fingers falling asleep. its fun to ride but when you have to stop every 10 minutes and stretch your fingers it becomes torture. thanks, randy

Hey, you should be fine if you're ever struck by lightning on that bike! :)

Yeah, I have the '07 GY-5. It's pretty smooth, but I can still tell it's a single cylinder bike. I think I may have an engine mount coming loose, when I first got it the bike vas very smooth.
You ride 200 miles a day!!?? You're not planning on riding a Lifan like that are you? If so I think you'll have more roblems tha numb fingers! They are good bikes, but I think that's asking a bit much of one.
You know, really if you are having such a bad time with your hands going numb, you may have a medical condition... I had a neighbor who couldn't mow because his hands and arms would go numb. Turned out it was poor circulation due to a bad heart, but he didn't find out until he'd had a heart attack and wound up with a pacemaker... you might want to have youself checked out.

[driller]

I wondered about filling the bars with clear silicone caulk (which I may still try) I also found this , The BarSnake.

http://www.barsnake.com/

I made a recoil reducer for my o/u shotgun with a lead cylinder and a small spring in the bolt hole for the stock kind of the same principle.

By the way, the worst bike I ever rode was an '82 Yamaha 650 street bike and the best by far is any BMW

[TheBrainII]

THis is a pic the end of my stock bars. After a lady backed into my bike and the bar end went into the blacktop it cut the end of the grip open. I looked in and saw this. It appears to be a solid steel rod about 1/2i in. thick tack welded in there. It's not as thick as the bar opening (it's about a 1/8 in smaller) I don't know if it goes all the way through but it's at least 1inch long cause that as far down in there as I can see. It could be a weight to reduce vibs or a solid bar put in there before the bar was bent for extra strenght. What do you think. Could be like that bar snake thing only put in at the factory. Click on pic to enlarge.
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[randy]

hello everyone, now were getting some good information spread around here thanks. hey KNOTHEAD that was funny about the lighting. a friend recomended me to wear his thin leather gloves inside my thick rideing gloves and it really helped out. so as for your lightning joke im even better insulated still. i dont ride 200 miles a day, its 50 going to work and 50 returning and no the lifan isnt for street its just for dirt. 20 some years ago when i had the honda xl650 enduro i drove it every where to find different dirt bike hills, streams, etc. but with the semi knobby tires and the things weight was over 400lbs it was allways too heavy to have a good time in the dirt. it allways felt like too much of a work out. now it would seem neat to have the lifans 18/21" tires with a full knobby on the rear and its low weight i know i will have a lot of fun going thru the soft stuff.. i have had many accidents falling out of cars when i was a kid, crashing my 1980 yz 125 at full speed landing on my head and loseing my short term memory for half hour and the worst when a car fell on me and wiped out my upper body. yea all you young crazy kids this can happen to you to when you think your invinceable. anyway luckily my health is good i started eating healthier, i just have bad circulation. while ordering parts for my v-strom i asked about the gel coated gloves and they have gel coated grips called spider grips thier ad says it reduces vibration more than any other grip on the market DRILLER- a long time ago i tried filling the bars with concreate but i dont think it helped. was the worst bike the 82 yamaha the seca 4cylinder, i had a 82 seca 400 twin and its vibration was the worst i ever felt. good talking to you all when i get the spider grips i will let you know how they feel, im guessing im not the only one in the world that loves motorcycles but has fingers that fall asleep. bye, randy

[Savage]

Do you want to trade your Vstrom for my Lifan? I've got your knobby all mounted up.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/279000-279999/279399_232_full.jpg

:wink:

[randy]

hi savage that tire is so cool, but if we traded for my v-strom you might get the short end of the stick. i was mad one day at my wife and went and dropped my credit card on the counter for my 2006 strom and so far i have only made 2 payments. i had this discovery card with 8 month 0 interest and if i make 2 purchases a month at the 8th month its 0 intrest for the life of the balance. they think i will forget to make 2 purchases but as my gas card it will be getting used all the time. what size and where did you get that tire. did you have to lengthen the chain to get the knobbs from hitting the swing arm pivit area. is it the 200gy-5 balanced engine or the previous one. what state are you in. have i asked enough questions or would you like to go for more. take care savage. oh yea, i have had about 15 street bikes but the v-strom is the best so far in power, gas mileage, cornering, range with the 6 gallon tank and i love how big the beast is. when your on the street rideing a bike here in ca. you dont get much respect from cars and suvs, but i feel you get less on a smaller bike.

[Savage]

It's a 110/110 Kenda Trakmaster II. Only mod needed in order for it to fit was to shim out the rear of the muffler a little. Got it from bikebandit - no regrets. It's an 06 GY5.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/279000-279999/279399_231_full.jpg

[randy]

hi savage, i remember seeing that picture the other day not knowing it was you. i went to their website and i think it said the tire is also for the street. unless i find a more aggresive tire at my local shop this will be my tire. how many miles do you have on your lifan? that was cool putting the stock tire next to the real tire, no comparisen. which lifan do you have. thanks, randy

[Savage]

DOT legal, about 1000km, it's still an 06 GY5

[Savage]

I thought it looked too big at first but now the stocker looks dainty.
Looks and sounds great too!

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/279000-279999/279399_220_full.jpg

[goldshadow]

My Lifan is smooth as far as the handle bar goes but the seat......
Well it's like a walnut seat on a mechanical bull.

I really need to find some better seat for it.
8O

[Robertlamont80]

Tators getting a little soar on the rock solid lifan seat!!! :lol: