Watch out for these dealers:

[Adam]

Hey guys...I've done a lot of research on different motorcycle dealers and I've found a lot of shady company's, here they are:

http://www.scooterdepot.us/Dirt-Bikes-110cc-4-Stroke-Dirt-Bike-p-291.html
http://www.powersports4sale.com/
http://super4less.com/
All of the above links, under different names, are the same company(Notice the phone numbers are the same). Watch out for any company with the phone number 1 888 839 7088. The real company name of the above links(and there are other fake names as well) is Sunny Sports Inc. Here is a little information about this company http://www.topix.com/forum/city/irwindale-ca/T2S8B3R74TGSQQHTQ
Also watch out for http://www.lifan-motorcycles-wholesale.com/
He sells Lifan products, and clams to be a HUGE company.....but yet he has no phone number???? He does have an impressive web site with a lot of information, I almost bought from him. I did call Lifan directly Toll Free: 877-341-2933 and they told me that this guy is NOT an official American Lifan dealer, and they have heard a lot of bad things about him.
If you are going to buy a Lifan product and you want more information about dealers just call them Toll Free: 877-341-2933. or check out there web site http://www.americanlifan.com/lifan2/products.html
There are a lot of scams surrounding online motorcycles, so do your homework before buying, and also ask "what company will charge my credit card" so that you can then google their real company name.
Hope this info helps.

[mrhyak]

We seem to go through this same discussion every few weeks.

American Lifan is NOT the only Lifan supplier. There are other importers of Lifan motorcycles that come out of China but do not have any connection with the importer American Lifan (example Hooper Imports).

The Lifan company in China makes independent contracts with different importers. They configure the bikes to the spec's as required by the importer and they then sell the bikes and they are LIFAN bikes. Not all Lifan bikes are the same, but they are still Lifan bikes. This is why American Lifan bikes are different then Hooper Import bikes and these are different still from some of the other Lifan versions floating around, but all are Lifan.

[frostbite]

American Lifan is NOT the only Lifan supplier. There are other importers of Lifan motorcycles that come out of China but do not have any connection with the importer American Lifan (example Hooper Imports).

Yes, BUT they are probably the only Lifan supplier with an established dealer and parts network and a 'standard' model lineup. An LF200GY-5 from the AL dealer in New York should be the same bike as purchased from an AL dealer in California. I also suspect that if you buy a bike from an American Lifan dealer you can get warranty support from any American Lifan dealer.

[Adam]

"American Lifan is NOT the only Lifan supplier. There are other importers of Lifan motorcycles that come out of China but do not have any connection with the importer American Lifan (example Hooper Imports)."
Hey mrhyak, to tell you the truth I didn't realize that there were different importers of Lifan. But my concern wasn't so much with if they were "American Lifan's" it was that he claims to be a huge dealer and yet has no phone #. I had emailed him several times and asked for a phone #, and his response to me was that his business was so busy that I should let him know when I would be around and he would call me. How good could the technical support be for his bikes if he is unreachable by phone?? Frostbite also had a good point that if you buy an American Lifan, it's a standard that parts will be obtainable from multiple sources, not just the person that you have bought the bike from.

[culcune]

Hooper Imports has been importing and dealing with Lifan for a few years now. However, he would be more the exception than the rule when it came to Lifan dealers other than American Lifan. Other dealers would be hit or miss, and I think that by going with an authorized American Lifan dealer, you can't do too bad; the exception being Hooper, who seems to have a good grasp on his business and what he carries, etc. when it comes to Lifans.

[mrhyak]

"American Lifan is NOT the only Lifan supplier. There are other importers of Lifan motorcycles that come out of China but do not have any connection with the importer American Lifan (example Hooper Imports)."
Hey mrhyak, to tell you the truth I didn't realize that there were different importers of Lifan. But my concern wasn't so much with if they were "American Lifan's" it was that he claims to be a huge dealer and yet has no phone #. I had emailed him several times and asked for a phone #, and his response to me was that his business was so busy that I should let him know when I would be around and he would call me. How good could the technical support be for his bikes if he is unreachable by phone?? Frostbite also had a good point that if you buy an American Lifan, it's a standard that parts will be obtainable from multiple sources, not just the person that you have bought the bike from.

I agree totally. I have a neighbor who sells chinese bikes out of his garage and he tells everyone "they are just like brand-x". I know better, especially since he does not ride one himself tells me what he thinks about his own bikes.

I know of Hooper Imports because I was going to buy a DS bike from them before I found the Tank on ebay. Hooper is only a few miles from where I live, has been selling China bikes as long, or longer then American Lifan and has a dealer network and parts as well. (http://hooperimports.com)
The only thing I stress is the company 'American Lifan' is not the only quality Lifan importer in the USA, but there are fly-by-night guys selling bikes too, that is for sure and they are all over ebay and craigslist.

[maf119l]

He shows the 200 d/s does 85+ mph.The only way i can get mine to go that fast is to put it in the back of my pickup then go down the road.

[mrhyak]

He shows the 200 d/s does 85+ mph.The only way i can get mine to go that fast is to put it in the back of my pickup then go down the road.

:lol:

[mike8349]

http://www.lifan-motorcycles-wholesale.com only sells the bikes - All paper work and shipping in done by T-motorsports in Cali. - They are a warehouse for Lifan and ship the LF250 under there own name TMS250 - I got mine quick and all is the same as my American Lifan 250. Once it is shipped you will get T-motorsports phone # and tracking info -

[culcune]

http://www.lifan-motorcycles-wholesale.com only sells the bikes - All paper work and shipping in done by T-motorsports in Cali. - They are a warehouse for Lifan and ship the LF250 under there own name TMS250 - I got mine quick and all is the same as my American Lifan 250. Once it is shipped you will get T-motorsports phone # and tracking info -

Are they reputable or not?

[mike8349]

I have had no problem with them. You will be dealing with Gordon -
The only problem I had was the MSO gave the power rating in HP and Florida requires it to be in CC's - The warehouse sent me a new one with in a week -

[mrhyak]

85mph? I doubt these bikes will do 85mph as configured when delivered. If you were to gear it to go 85 then good luck going up hills. Very misleading.

[naturebearsc]

yeah you have to read what your getting into and look at the warranties really close im noticing now the place i bought my bike mxmotorsports which mostly ships the bikes atvs pit bikes and all that by crates but that website not the only one and alot of the manufacturers void the warranty when a crate is shipped directly to a consumers house and put together by a consumer without ever being seen by a mechanic. i guess these bikes were never really meant to be sold this way and then somebody got the idea and it caught on and now the companies are voiding the warranty unfortunately we are the last to find out unless we check a deal is not a deal unless you can get parts the warranty is really there and the same as what you would have with a real dealer IN your town basically. i guess its like your betting and hoping the bike atv or dirt bike won't break and when it does thats when your savings start to dissapear unfortunately :(

a leason learned i guess by the way thanks for the post on the other sites i checked them out and i am even more glad i did not accidently find my way to them my gosh pages and pages of people with grief its awful i think
eventually hopefully some agency may have to crack down on some of these sites these poor people who have bought bikes for kids and never got them or got broken leaking bikes its awful hmm i think i wish i i never new all of this i wish i had bought some use heap that i found in the paper sad but true all these sad sides of life i have seen on the web about bike.

at one time this use to be a naive peaceful hobby i remember going to dirt bike dealers when i was younger thinking it was such a neat cool hobby and now over the last few months with a broken bike and finding some Chinese companies making bad products (and even bad cars soon to come ) and now some bad web sites also popping all over it just seems to almost spoil the whole sport of motorcycles and atv and dirt bikes its like my eyes are open and that innocence or what was left has been blown away and you have to almost mistrust everybody or you wonder if you must in business these days ... very dishearting

[Lifanrider]

yeah as I read his advertisement I'm thinkin' "man if I'd ordered from them, my bike would do 85+" :roll:

also--i noticed one of the ad says no vibrations. has there ever been a vehicle which incorporated an internal combustion engine (or any engine) that was free of vibration?

sometimes I wonder if the lies about these bikes are designed to make a buck OR to seriously damage the reputation of the Chinese bikes. but then...i always have enjoyed a good conspiracy theory.

[theENIGMATIC]

I think for the most part a wholesale dealer is buying in bulk too sell too other potential retailers, thus making it the buyer of a wholesale motorcycle(s) responsibility to gain titles, parts etc...
Im not sure wholesale means that the companies a fraud?

whole·sale [ hol sÃyl ]


noun

Definition:

sale of goods to retailers: the business of buying goods in large quantities and selling them especially to retailers for resale

I think that most dealers of China bike sell both wholesale,and individually, lets face it these bikes are primarily inexpensive because they do not have a major name, less money prob goes into production and American dealers can capitalize, although right now anyways dealing Chinese motorcycles is relatively sparce, in North America anyways, might grow later in size over in the States, CAN etc... I hear these companies are bigger in China than Honda, Chinese people mainly drive bikes alot because it is inexpensive! :D :wink:

[bigpaws]

I had no issues whatsoever with T-motorsports. They look to be a family-run outfit, and a bit understaffed, but took care of warranty claims quickly and efficiently. My TMS250 currently has 1200 km on it, and I've taken it offroad a couple of times to see how it would do. I'm definitely satisfied with the bike, and as long as you know what you're doing in assembly (I've worked on cars for 20 years), you will have minimal problems. Luckily for me, I have a friend who has worked on cars and ridden motorbikes for over 50 years. He helped me adjust the shift linkage more precisely during break in service.

I've got less than $2k invested total (including tax, road tax, and 1 year insurance). Try getting anything new made in Japan for that price, and have it be road-worthy.

I'm somewhat concerned about spares availability, but otherwise not worried at all.

[mikehvac]

I purchased a bike from them last year.Price was fair and shipping was very fast.
A few months later the cdi unit failed.I emailed them to purchase the part,recieved an email back quoting the price,so far so good.
Sent five emails in a two week period,no response.
Ok i'll try the phone.Six calls in a three week period,receptionist:you need to talk to so and so,he is not available,but will have him call you.
This was several months ago.I located my part elsewhere
That's my .02
mike