Lifan X-Pect 200 now available

[culcune]

American Lifan just posted on their Facebook page that the X-Pect 200 is now available. I hope that someone gets one and gives us a full rundown, but even more so if that someone is ME! This will be me in a month or so... :lmao:

[dpl096]

It would be sweet if you did!

[Megadan]

I wss kind of hoping they would have used the liquid cooled 6spd motor from the KPR, but I am assuming they were aiming for a price point. The rear drum is mildly disappointing as is the square tube steel swing arm. If I had to chose between the new DLX Hawk and this though, I would take this just for the Lifan quality. Definitely makes a good alternative to the TT250 for roughly the same price.

[culcune]

I was told that was the case--the liquid-cooled/FI engine, when I called Lifan months ago and happened to speak with Tony Sun, the president of American Lifan, on a random call. Or at least what I am quite sure he told me. I know it is a little primitive with its rear brake and swingarm, but I like the simplicity and back to basics of the bike. With an established Lifan network south of the border, I can envision taking this on a low-budget adventure to points south with some confidence; at least to the end of Baja and back.

[Wild Dog]

I was told that was the case--the liquid-cooled/FI engine, when I called Lifan months ago and happened to speak with Tony Sun, the president of American Lifan, on a random call. Or at least what I am quite sure he told me. I know it is a little primitive with its rear brake and swingarm, but I like the simplicity and back to basics of the bike. With an established Lifan network south of the border, I can envision taking this on a low-budget adventure to points south with some confidence; at least to the end of Baja and back.

Lifan is slowly gaining ground, they used to sell car under other brands. Now they sell it using their brand. Same goes for my motorcycle, made by them but sold under other brand.
I hope they keep going

[pete]

those forks do look small...


..

[NzBrakelathes]

So another hawk like bike

[culcune]

So another hawk like bike

Lifan's dual sports have been around longer than the Hawk. This site was founded in 2006 or so by Frostbite who was a member of a Yahoo! group called Lifan GY-5 or similar name. He owned 2 of the Lifans, and thought that a forum would be a better place to discuss Chinese motorcycles. I had started a group called Jetmotogroup (after Jetmoto, a San Francisco brand that imported and rebranded Shineray bikes) and me and the other guy who started GY-5 were two of the first groups discussing them. Frostbite wondered out loud about starting this site, and the rest is history. Hensim started selling a bike around 2009 that was one of the first dual-sports from China called a '250' but was really a 223 or 229 or whatever it was, and was one of the first over 200cc Chinabike. That was the Hawk's predecessor. I believe Asiawing had a bike around the time of Chinariders' infancy that was older than the Hensim that sold a '250' dual-sport under the Odes name, but it seemed like a one or two-container bike as no more discussion about them came about. Then again, it seemed to be the same thing with the Hensim bikes a few years after. The Hawk is a very 'new' bike, even though its popularity make it seem like it was always around and was/is the standard that seemingly every manufacturer copied.

[Wild Dog]

those forks do look small...


..

They are small, i don't understand why they keep using those forks and swingarm. They have this chasis and swingarm at their disposal
17144
It's just an Ok chasis and swingarm, in fact that bike is quite popular for MX begginers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSVpg7G09wI

[Megadan]

Eventually somebody will get the combination of parts right. I think what a lot of us want is a cross between the two types of bikes sold on the market. If you took my Hawk, put a 6spd 250 in it, and then added the Fast Ace suspension with its 10 inches of travel front and rear, and other billet and alloy hardware from an XTR 250 LC, I think I wouldn't want for anything else. I wouldn't even care about EFI or water cooling (though both would be nice). If I could get THAT combination for less than or equal to $3000. I would be happy.

[NzBrakelathes]

Everyone buys their bits from the same markets in china and screw together as to what ever brings money - they don’t care about the bikes etc no one at the factories really is into bikes cause that’s a “poor farmer transport “
Wealthy just drive cars etc

They all have the better parts mixed into cheaper Henson hawk have Usd fork digital gauge and rear drum as in the parts bike I got via my wholesaler from them
They are all non mech designed largely but catalogue assembled to your “liking” and what brings the usd$ from outside and into the big boys pockets which then gets used against westerners.

If only you knew what you inadvertently supported with your nice usd$:tdown:i

[roundhouse]

I wss kind of hoping they would have used the liquid cooled 6spd motor from the KPR, but I am assuming they were aiming for a price point. The rear drum is mildly disappointing as is the square tube steel swing arm. If I had to chose between the new DLX Hawk and this though, I would take this just for the Lifan quality. Definitely makes a good alternative to the TT250 for roughly the same price.

I suppose they are just doing this to keep price point down but the drum brakes I do not get. Wouldn't a disk brake and caliper cost less?

[Wild Dog]

what brings the usd$ from outside and into the big boys pockets which then gets used against westerners.

If only you knew what you inadvertently supported with your nice usd$:tdown:i
Sorry but that's an invalid point. The big boys will get the cash from the west, even if people don't buy motorcycle from them
You own a PC? Then you are supporting the CPC
You own a cellphone? You are supporting the CPC
You own a Japanese, European, 400cc and less motorcycle? Then you it's most likely you have some chinese made parts.

High rates suicides, questionable ethics, Human rights disputes. Everyone that can read knows about it. Also everyone that the Orient is not a big fan of the way the west lives.

But not buying a chinese motorcycle, is not going to change a thing. The big companies like Apple are the one that can change things, but you think apple stop making Iphones in china??? That would be a disaster for them, so they are going to stick with the
"PROUDLY DESIGNED BY AMERICANS MINDS IN CALIFORNIA!!! made in china "

The west needs china, in the same way china needs the west.

[dpl096]

I don't know guys....I just like the bikes and love riding 2 wheels. The rest of the political bs is, for me, just noise that the wind in my face washes away.

I also believe as Dan does... Someone is going to put the complete package together at some point and then - wow look out ! Lifan, Zong, Bashan ect...don't care who I will continue to enjoy watching the evolution of the 250 revolution in our bike world.

[JerryHawk250]

Well Culcune the X-Pect is officially out for sale. So what color are you ordering. lol http://shopapmc.com/New-American-Lifan-XPect-200-Fuel-Injected-Digital-Dash-Dual-Purpose-Motorcycle--Shipping-Not-Included_p_116.html

[culcune]

Well Culcune the X-Pect is officially out for sale. So what color are you ordering. lol
Naturally, I gravitate towards the orange...but the 'wild sensitivity' side of me likes the green! :lmao:

[JerryHawk250]

Naturally, I gravitate towards the orange...but the 'wild sensitivity' side of me likes the green! :lmao:

It would be a toss up between the Orange and green.

[brianjmt]

Yes I agree tough call between these two colors. Not a bad price either. Someone needs to take one for the team ASAP, so I can make my decision easier. Just wish they make the damn dash a little more high tech looking and mainstream instead of that one they choose sorta cheezy like the original. I swear to god it wouldnt add $250 to the price of a these bikes to make them kick ass. We need a review!!

[brianjmt]

Eventually somebody will get the combination of parts right. I think what a lot of us want is a cross between the two types of bikes sold on the market. If you took my Hawk, put a 6spd 250 in it, and then added the Fast Ace suspension with its 10 inches of travel front and rear, and other billet and alloy hardware from an XTR 250 LC, I think I wouldn't want for anything else. I wouldn't even care about EFI or water cooling (though both would be nice). If I could get THAT combination for less than or equal to $3000. I would be happy.




Do you have the specs for the fast ace suspension that is needed for a bashan brozz? The reason I say brozz is because right now that is what I am leaning towards very heavy.

[JerryHawk250]

Yes I agree tough call between these two colors. Not a bad price either. Someone needs to take one for the team ASAP, so I can make my decision easier. Just wish they make the damn dash a little more high tech looking and mainstream instead of that one they choose sorta cheezy like the original. I swear to god it wouldnt add $250 to the price of a these bikes to make them kick ass. We need a review!!

I does have a digital cluster with an analog tach which is a big improvement over than what comes on the Hawk, Storm, Enforcer and a few others stock. Not sure how accurate though.

[culcune]

We need a review!!
I am in the process of moving back to Yuma to work back at the state pen. I would pretty much only be commuting on it. I commuted on my TMEC 200 for around 4 years, and that bike (actually had two of them; one for two years and another for 2 years) was great with the 17/17 wheel setup. Yuma's desert areas suck for 2 wheelers, so never really tried, or was interested, in riding around recreationally. My guess is the Lifan will be a great commuter for my 33 miles a day round trip rides. I am guessing it will hit at least 70 which will be more than enough for the sections marked at 50 and 55.

[Ariel Red Hunter]

Lifan's dual sports have been around longer than the Hawk. This site was founded in 2006 or so by Frostbite who was a member of a Yahoo! group called Lifan GY-5 or similar name. He owned 2 of the Lifans, and thought that a forum would be a better place to discuss Chinese motorcycles. I had started a group called Jetmotogroup (after Jetmoto, a San Francisco brand that imported and rebranded Shineray bikes) and me and the other guy who started GY-5 were two of the first groups discussing them. Frostbite wondered out loud about starting this site, and the rest is history. Hensim started selling a bike around 2009 that was one of the first dual-sports from China called a '250' but was really a 223 or 229 or whatever it was, and was one of the first over 200cc Chinabike. That was the Hawk's predecessor. I believe Asiawing had a bike around the time of Chinariders' infancy that was older than the Hensim that sold a '250' dual-sport under the Odes name, but it seemed like a one or two-container bike as no more discussion about them came about. Then again, it seemed to be the same thing with the Hensim bikes a few years after. The Hawk is a very 'new' bike, even though its popularity make it seem like it was always around and was/is the standard that seemingly every manufacturer copied.Yes, that's all true, but so what? You could say the same thing about Ford's Model T, but Ford's car hit the market right on the bullseye, and so did the Hawk. The Hawk had what many people wanted. It got a lot of older riders back in the saddle, and it was not so complex that you couldn't work on it yourself...ARH :D

[JerryHawk250]

I am in the process of moving back to Yuma to work back at the state pen. I would pretty much only be commuting on it. I commuted on my TMEC 200 for around 4 years, and that bike (actually had two of them; one for two years and another for 2 years) was great with the 17/17 wheel setup. Yuma's desert areas suck for 2 wheelers, so never really tried, or was interested, in riding around recreationally. My guess is the Lifan will be a great commuter for my 33 miles a day round trip rides. I am guessing it will hit at least 70 which will be more than enough for the sections marked at 50 and 55.
I think this will make a great commuter for you. At 102mpg a tank of gas will last a while. :tup: I average around 65mpg with a carb which is not bad but the 102mpg sounds so much better.

[2LZ]

Back to Yuma!? You'll miss the rush of center-lining in LA traffic!

[culcune]

Back to Yuma!? You'll miss the rush of center-lining in LA traffic!

Actually, come wintertime, the last 7 or so miles on a two-lane county road, you should see the traffic coming opposite complete disregard for me on the motorcycle. If I do choose to ride a bike once again, I will definitely invest in some LED strips of light to blind those who choose to pass at will coming straight at me, literally running me off the road at times. You read it here first...

[JerryHawk250]

I got an email from Don on Monday. Told me he sold one to a member on Chinariders. Was that you Culune? I guess we will get a full report when whoever bought it receives it.

[culcune]

Sadly, not me :( ! I hope the member sticks around to discuss the bike. I am actually going to try to work an angle to buy one. Once the weather cools down a bit (I am in Yuma this week and its not too bad...for Yuma, but I mean late fall), I would like to take a weekend trip to San Felipe, Baja Norte, Mexico on a bike.

[imapdog]

i actually was a day or two away from getting one, until i got audited by IRS and owe nearly 4k now!!!!!!!!!!!i will be down for a while.....

[JerryHawk250]

i actually was a day or two away from getting one, until i got audited by IRS and owe nearly 4k now!!!!!!!!!!!i will be down for a while.....

Man that sucks. I know you would of given us feed back on it.

[2LZ]

i actually was a day or two away from getting one, until i got audited by IRS and owe nearly 4k now!!!!!!!!!!!i will be down for a while.....

Don't feel too bad. I got nailed for 10.5 four years ago. Bye bye "shop building" savings and one street bike.

[Red Hawk]

Taxation is theft.

[dpl096]

Taxation is theft.

That's the fact Jack!

[oincman]

Received my Green Lifan X-Pect yesterday. Took a total of 2.5 hours to get it off my truck into the garage, unboxed, put the bars on, and get it off the metal crate.

Started right up after priming the fuel. And aired up the tires.

Didn't come with the green on the rims. Already reached out to TXmotorsports and American Lifan about that because all the pics show color matching rims (which I kinda like).

Didn't like the stock mirrors so I robbed the MICTuning ones I had put on my Hawk250.

Build quality looks great. Tires look nice and similar to Shinko Dual Sports.

Won't be as easy to adjust the valves since the side plastics will have to come off.

The cluster does have a gear indicator, which I couldn't get an answer to before I bought it.

It sits about 2" lower than the Hawk. Same rear swing arm (minus the disk brakes).

[culcune]

I can't remember where I saw that these wouldn't come with color-matching rims, but it was a while ago. They should change the photos to reflect that detail. Similar to how they show the KPM200 street bike with spoked wheels, but the US version has mag wheels. I have been eyeing the KPM200, but I really like the X-Pect! Congrats on your new bike!

[TerryE]

Bought one today, I am impressed, fun ride and quality is better than I expected.

[oincman]

Hell, get both (like we have). Love both of them. Looking at the KP 200 as well or might hold out until the KP 350 is released.

And both combined are STILL cheaper than a CRF250L!!!