cruising speed?

[spanks100]

Hello All,


I'm a newbie, not only to this forum but to motorcycling. I haven't bought my first bike yet and I'm trying to do as much research as I can before I do. I was hoping I could get some straight up honest answers about these bikes and who better then the people that ride them.
SO here goes, I am a heavier guy( 215 Lbs) and I was wondering if these bike , especially the Zongshen Sierra 200 and UM SMF-200, can be ridden by me at a comfortable cruising speed of 50 MPH, after break-in ofcourse?
I'd probably being cruising at this speed for about an hour, can it be done, or am I asking to much from the machine? If either one of the bike could do it, do I need to get different sprocket sizes? Any info you guys can provide would be very helpful. Thanks

[frostbite]

My Lifan 200GY-2 cruises fine at 50mph (~80kph). I'm 6'3" and 205lbs. It all depends on the stock gearing (read: front/rear sprocket ratio). 65mph is really stretching it for me and I wouldn't want to run very long at this speed.

Mine has a 17 tooth front and a 46 tooth rear. Some of the China bikes come geared much lower from the factory. I would check on your gearing; you may need to change to cruise comfortably at 50pmh.

[ejcycles]

Hi spanks100
Welcome to ChinaRiders! You will have no problem with either bike you mentioned. Your best bet is to buy it from a legitimate dealer as you will see a bunch oh horror stories on here about buying from the internet. Waiting for paperwork, to title/register the bike etc. etc. I sell American Lifan & United Motors, both of these are Chinese, UM's larger bikes are made in Korea, 250 & up. A. Lifan has a good warranty that they stand behind and so does UM. The UM bikes are a little more pricey but you have a Three Year Warranty with them as long as you keep up with the service that they want done, by a real motorcycle shop.
I sold a few American Lifan's, one to a guy this last spring he weighs in about 220, he loves the bike. I also sold one to blimpman this fall {he is a member here}. I don't sell many of the UM bikes in my area due to the fact that I'm in the country, people here want cheap or free, and they don't want to be bothered with having to take the UM in for an oil change.
Ride Wild & Fly Like an Eagle :D 8O
Bruce

[RPM]

I am a Lifan dealer as Bruce is, but the other names you brought up are good as well. I think Bruce has pretty much stated the warranties on these bikes.

But as far as limitations and cruising, I can say that I keep a Lifan GY200-5 model as a demo and I know for a fact that it will take my 250lbs, down the interstate at 70, but that is pushing it pretty good, so I don't think that there would be a problem cruising at 55 on these bikes, but it will have to do with the gearing setup on each idividual bike as was mentioned.

With a combination of 17 front and 44/46 rear sprocket, you will be able to get the cruising speed that you want for your weight with no problem. These are tough engines and do a good job, whether be it a Zongshen, UM, American Lifan or whichever name you go with.

Just make sure that you have good knowledge about parts availability for your bike, which is the dealer's responsibility if you choose to make your purchase at a dealer. You get a lot of promises on the Net, but there are many stories that say otherwise as you can find on here among other message boards.

[spanks100]

Wow! You guys are on the ball here! Hey guys thanks alot, especially for the speedy response. Now I can't wait to get back to the states so I can buy my bike. Thanks again. I've lurked around other forums(research on other bike) and none were ever as quick in responding, actually you'd lucky if they responded at all. You guys represent your bike's well.

[spanks100]

Sorry to bug you guys again, but I just went to the UM parts link and it says the SMF200 has a 16 front and 44 rear sprocket. Would that work or would I have to go up one like RPM suggested? I don't know much about the difference in sprocket sizes so sorry for the dumb questions, but I'm just excited about being able to buy one of those two bikes. Thanks

[RPM]

That combination with a 200 engine shouldn't be any problem cruising at 55.
Bruce may be better able to answer that for the UM bike, but knowing what the 17/46 does on the Lifan, it seems to be a nice fit for these bikes. Being that they are light and nimble, you wouldn't want to get much faster than 60-65 of any of them.
The 16/44 combination should work out about the same, I don't see a problem to get the performance that you are looking for.

Hope this helps with your decision.

[fashby]

Hello,

This Excell file will calculate the speed in each gear for a given engine RPM if you have the gear ratio info for the bike. My GY200 red lines at about 70mph and will cruise at 60 with a 17 front and 45 rear sprocket.

http://www.box.net/public/h5zjtdu55e

[culcune]

The Zongshen Sierra is sold as the Qlink X-Ranger. One of the members here, 'Beerslayer' (yes, I think I will have one...) bought one of them. Search for his thread and it will (or should) be identical to the Zongshen(as they are the manufacturer).

The UM is much more pricey, but as Bruce stated, has a better warranty.

As far as cruising speed: my Jetmoto came stock with a 15 t front and 56 t rear and screamed for mercy at 50. It wasn't fun...well, actually it was, but I changed the rear to a 44 and it could cruise at 55 and touch 60--it wouldn't go faster, but the motor wasn't screaming, either.

If you buy the UM, you probably wouldn't have to change the sprocket(s)
The Lifan LF200GY-5 is a far cheaper alternative and comes equipped with a 17 t front and 46 t rear which, as Tom and Bruce (both dealers of LIfan) stated should do the 50 mph trick easily.

The Zongshen is apparently a different machine from the common GY's according to what I remember from beerslayer's thread. I think it has more in common with the Yamaha off-road bikes than the more common GY's which share parts from the Honda line. If I remember correctly, the rear sprocket will not take the common replacement rear sprockets that most of us have used. From what I remember, and from what he recently PM'ed me as I was trying to get info on the Zongshen myself, the Zongshen is a high quality machine, but slightly underpowered (not from personal experience, just from his experience).

UM has some good financing on their bike line to help you purchase their enduro according to their site, while the Zongshen is cheaper in price. I don't think that the UM should be overlooked, and just keep it maintained by a dealer, as Bruce stated, and you will have a sweet ride. But we do want personal experiences from you, as well as photos no matter which bike you end up buying...

[spanks100]

Culcane, when you say underpowered do you know if he(Beerslayer) means it'll only 40 mph MAX or it just slowly gets up to it's top speed? Sorry for the dumb questions, but obviously I'm a newbie and just want to know.Thanks

[culcune]

Spanks, here is a quote directly from his private message to me:

"The Qlink is a nicely finished bike. Best I have seen. That said, it is underpowered. Plan on a bigger carburetor, I don't think rejetting it will do it. If you don't mind having to tweak it, then I would go for it. It is a nice ride. "

I had asked him what he thought of it as I have been contemplating the Zongshen, and figured the Qlink is as close to the Zongshen as I could get an honest opinion on. He has pictures of it in the gallery, too.

[alchemy541]

Well now that the Jetmoto is street legal- I took it for a spin tonite. I told my wife " I need to see how bad this headlight is" Answer is "UPGRADE!!" :)

Any of *our* dealers stocking a Halogen 45/40 BA20D?

Speed wise I hit about 105kph, around 65mph. I have a 42t on the rear. The smoothest section is 90kph, everything else tends to vibrate a bit. Ran out the main tank so I tested the reserve, made 14km before I hit the gas station- took on 1.2 gallons. In theory I still had 3/4 gallons left.

[FMYStreetRacer]

i have a roketa db-07a with a zohngsten (sp?) push rod motor in it. i've been breaking it in and today was the first time i really laid into it. it moves out pretty good. still has a 17/56 gear setup but the 42 rear should be here wed. oh yeah, right now it only does about 50 screaming it's ass off. should do well over 70 with the 42 rear though. hope that info helps.

[Roketarider]

i have a roketa db-07a with a zohngsten (sp?) push rod motor in it. i've been breaking it in and today was the first time i really laid into it. it moves out pretty good. still has a 17/56 gear setup but the 42 rear should be here wed. oh yeah, right now it only does about 50 screaming it's ass off. should do well over 70 with the 42 rear though. hope that info helps.
haha...i had the same exact experience...haha. I am going to go with a 46T in the rear to start out with and see how I like that. I think I willbe content with that for a while.

[spanks100]

SO it's pretty much unanimous, 42/44/46 rear and 16/17 front is the way to go for the street?

[hunter]

i have a roketa db-07a with a zohngsten (sp?) push rod motor in it. i've been breaking it in and today was the first time i really laid into it. it moves out pretty good. still has a 17/56 gear setup but the 42 rear should be here wed. oh yeah, right now it only does about 50 screaming it's ass off. should do well over 70 with the 42 rear though. hope that info helps.I thought that roketa had an ohc motor on it.Sorry if this is a stupid question(don't know much ab out mechanics)but i heard the ohc was better.I plan on purchasing one for xxx motorsports.Any help would be appreciated.thank you

[red2003]

My Roketa DB07a (RSX200E) DOES have the OHC motor. It came with 14/45 (or 46?) sprockets. Cruises at 50 easily with plenty of throttle (but not a lot of power) left. Wind resistance becomes an issue before lack of engine speed does with the correct gearing.

[Roketarider]

SO it's pretty much unanimous, 42/44/46 rear and 16/17 front is the way to go for the street?
That is what I am gathering also from the past few days.

[culcune]

Yes, use the Lifan GY-5 as the standard; 17 t front, 46 t rear gets those owners to 65 mph stock, 70 in a pinch...if you already have a 17 t front, you are half way there!!

[FMYStreetRacer]

i have a roketa db-07a with a zohngsten (sp?) push rod motor in it. i've been breaking it in and today was the first time i really laid into it. it moves out pretty good. still has a 17/56 gear setup but the 42 rear should be here wed. oh yeah, right now it only does about 50 screaming it's ass off. should do well over 70 with the 42 rear though. hope that info helps.I thought that roketa had an ohc motor on it.Sorry if this is a stupid question(don't know much ab out mechanics)but i heard the ohc was better.I plan on purchasing one for xxx motorsports.Any help would be appreciated.thank you

my owners manual says it's a push rod motor. it shows parts etc and it even shows push rods. does anyone know for sure what is what? i'll post hi res pics of my engine need be. honestly though, i could care less what motor is in it, it runs good enough for me.

i'll be sure to post back how it runs with the 17/42 combo.

[spanks100]

Hey Bruce and RPM, I went each of your websites. I hadn't really considered the Lifans but I think I will now. Good looking Bikes! By the way what is the seat height for those? I've seen conflicting reports. Also on the website they show drum rear brakes but I saw some on ebay with rear disk?

[red2003]

The Rokets DB07A (RSX200E) IS the OHC motor. The manual does show pushrods, but there aren't any. The manual is about as accurate as the assembly instructions were, NOT!

[RPM]

Spanks100,

Thanks for visiting the site and for considering the Lifan bikes.

The seat height is about 33" on the GY-5 and 32" on the GY-2 model when no weight is on it. They stand a little tall for some folks, but have plenty of travel. Some minor adjustments can be made to relieve some stiffness. They will soften a bit in time, the old saying ... the more you ride, the better it runs.

Both bikes, GY-2 and the GY-5, have the inverted front shocks now and disc brakes on front and back. I never ordered any of the GY-2 bikes last year, but I believe they came with drum rear brakes and conventional shocks according to the information I got, but maybe Bruce can answer this better as he was carrying all models. These are available now pretty much the same other than plastic, different exhaust, different seat and a covered tank for the GY-2 model.

If you want to get more specs, I have them from the handouts that I get from Lifan posted in my gallery on this forum.

Hope this helps!

[pacman]

Hi!

Just wanted to let you know my experience with changing the sprockets. My Loncin lx200 came with 14/42 sprockets. It could barely reach 90 km/h (50 mph I think). So I changed the front sprocket to a 17 toothed one. Then I could ride it with max speed of 120km/h ! HUGE change! I have also changed the rear sprocket to 40 now.

With the 17/40 configuration it will go just under 130km/h. 8) Cruising speed is 90-100 km/h. The disadvantage is that I need to rev the engine quite a bit when I start from a standstill, or else the engine will stall. So 17/40 is an absolute maximum gearing, IMO. I need this for a lot of highway riding, and I just hate when the engine is screaming for mercy :wink:

[FMYStreetRacer]

i just switched my sprocket today to my 42 tooth. it rides pretty good. i think it's a bit much and i proved that tonight trying to climb a hill and stalling out. it will probly go excess of 70 mph. i have no idea cause my speedo cable is broken. i think the 46 rear would be the best. i might put a 16 front on it now.

[spanks100]

Sounds good, thanks for the review!

[mule3010]

I have tried the 17/46, 17/42 and 17/40. I settled on the 17/42 as the best (for me) combo I have been recomending to folks that want a 70/30 or so street and trail ride. It will run a top speed (level ground) of 74 mph per Garmin gps.
Joe

[FMYStreetRacer]

that's excelent. i have my 17/42 now and i think i'll be trying a 16 tooth front just to see what it's like. that should be more like a 17/45. i miss the trails a bit. i need to get my speedo working as well.

[fatboy250]

Mule,
Is that with the OHC engine?

Jason

[ejcycles]

FMYStreetRacer
Send me a pic of your speedometer cable with the entire length. I have GY-2 & GY-5 cables in stock.

Ride Wild and Fly Like an Eagle! 8O
Bruce

[mule3010]

Yup. The regular Zongshen ohc engine. I'm almost certain that what you have as well.
Joe

[fatboy250]

Yes that is correct. Have you adjusted the valves or the cam chain tensioner yet? I have done neither and would like to find some instructions on these engines specifically.

Jason

[FMYStreetRacer]

i will be sure to do that if i ever pull it out. i will definatly be needing one better than the Roketa hollow one.

[mule3010]

I have not done either. I do have a somewhat generic service manual that gives the specs on the valves though.
Joe