Thoughts So Far With Paladin 300

[LowBrewTow]

PSM ended up sending me out a new fuel pump which was a nice surprise considering they never really followed up with me. But I emailed them 6 days ago so that is a much better turn around time than what I've seen from on the forum. I guess I'll be returning the JB weld and adhesive, or maybe I'll keep them for the next inevitable defect/repair I come across.

I would like to drop in my two cents on here regarding the quality and fit and finish on the Paladin. Ive had this bike in my garage since October and it's almost perpetually been in some form of repair/modification which has kept me from riding it. (Rear bearing, broken clutch lever, exhaust leak, rough idle, misaligned assembly, crappy stock tires, fuel pump leak). While I am new to motorcycles I am more mechanically savvy than the average person and enjoy working with my hands. But this bike has been one frustration after the next.

It is one thing to be expected to go over the bike upon arrival to grease and tighten everything up to spec but it is another to have to completely dismantle/replace/modify/fabricate major components of the motorcycle before I feel safe driving it down the road. People should learn their bike through routine maintenance and incidental repairs, we shouldn't have to spend countless hours on forums and YouTube taking a crash course on everything all at the same time. I feel like you need to come into owning this bike with a great deal of knowledge and experience.

I have seen others mention that this is what makes owning these bikes so much fun, you get to learn about bikes! I respectfully disagree and believe this is making excuses for piss poor craftsmanship on the part of Xpro/Zuumav. They know how to replicate existing mechanical components (Engine, frame, suspension) these parts all seem fine. It is the execution of putting them all together where they really come up short and seem to cut corners to the detriment of their customers. It might not be a big deal on a 150cc pit bike but the Paladin is a 30 hp street legal motorcycle and shipping them all out with fucked up fuel pumps, leaking exhausts, and seized bearings is negligent and unacceptable.

This brings me to my main point. Whenever you tell someone you bought a motorcycle from China on the internet they mostly scoff and think you are buying some janky piece of shit that will fall apart within a year. I don't believe that and know there is good value to be had by cutting out the unnecessary middlemen, but the problems I've had with the Paladin only reinforces the negative stereotype of these bikes. A lot of you guys are very mechanically inclined and don't mind doing the necessary work to make the bikes safe and rideable but the vast majority of people are unwilling or unable to put in the time and effort to go to these lengths. It's like telling someone to buy a house that is falling apart. "Hey you'll learn how to do roofing and plumbing!" Most people just want a house, like most people just want a bike to have fun in their spare time.

I've still got a laundry list of things I am doing to the bike before I ride it again and probably won't have it on the road until Mid February/early March with my work/life balance and speed I can work on things I am not familiar with. I am hoping that Xpro/Zuumav can get their shit together and make a decent bike, not just sell us a bunch of decent quality components haphazardly slapped together and tied to a wooden pallet. A lot more people would start buying their products.

[Mumen Rider]

...stock tires kept you from riding your bike? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?

[Bruces]

You can have all of your issues taken care of very easily if you were not so cheap and just bought a Honda for double the price .Also ,buying the first run of anything new is always a risk and clearly there are some issues so far with these bikes .

[BugSpatteredJacket]

Having owned 4 Honda products (two cars and two Ruckus Scooter - all new), 2 kawasakis (1 used, 1 new), a suzuki (used), and 4 yamahas (3 used, 1 New) - amongst a host of other bikes (HD, RE, Vespa, etc) - I can honestly say I had the most difficult time with Honda. Dunno if I just had terrible luck or what, but the electrics were the single biggest issue with them for me. Had similar headaches with used jap bikes in general.

So pulling the trigger on a brand new Lifan KPX 250 (proven engine reliability) was actually a no brainer for me. They have been around for 25 years and I think that their build quality on this bike is really not that different to Jap 250's and 300's. Like H-D, I feel like the big Four have gotten too greedy and big for their boots. The Honda XR150L is a good example of this. Don't get me started on the cost of ownership for the CT125, etc... here in Canada.

[LowBrewTow]

...stock tires kept you from riding your bike? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?

I never said the stock tires are keeping me from riding it. But I’m pretty sure you said it yourself, the stock tires are crap, and you have since swapped them out. I don’t want people to get defensive about what I said, I believe that with just a little bit more thought, care, and QA in the assembly process 99% of these issues wouldn’t exist. Crappy stock tires aren’t my main point, ive heard people complain about the stock tires on some KTM products and they are X5 the price.

[LowBrewTow]

You can have all of your issues taken care of very easily if you were not so cheap and just bought a Honda for double the price .Also ,buying the first run of anything new is always a risk and clearly there are some issues so far with these bikes .

You wouldn’t be calling me cheap if you actually knew me instead of being some random shit poster. Like I said, I am new to motorcycles, and I didn’t want to drop a lot of money on something I wasn’t sure I’d actually enjoy or have the time for. I just went through an expensive divorce and dont want another recurring bill right now. This bike is me testing the waters. It’s eventually going to be a great bike and has the potential to elevate the niche Chinabike market into a more reputable and respected group. To me it’s just been frustrating with all these assembly/quality control issues that could easily be avoided and wouldn’t add to the manufacturing costs for the seller/distributors.

[buzz]

Have to agree with you,new bike shouldn't have to do that much work. Think I'll stay away from this bike.

[Mumen Rider]

I never said the stock tires are keeping me from riding it. But I’m pretty sure you said it yourself, the stock tires are crap, and you have since swapped them out. I don’t want people to get defensive about what I said, I believe that with just a little bit more thought, care, and QA in the assembly process 99% of these issues wouldn’t exist. Crappy stock tires aren’t my main point, ive heard people complain about the stock tires on some KTM products and they are X5 the price.


I'm almost positive I said they're crap on the road, which makes sense because they are dirt tires and I'm sure my previous comments reflect that.

[LowBrewTow]

Have to agree with you,new bike shouldn't have to do that much work. Think I'll stay away from this bike.

I noticed the Paladins are back in stock online after being unavailable for a couple weeks , I’m curious if the new batch has these issues addressed. Honestly it’s a great motorcycle and can be compared to a CRF/KLX 300 on paper. I’ve only driven it around my backyard and in my neighborhood so far but it’s got great pick up.

[LowBrewTow]

I'm almost positive I said they're crap on the road, which makes sense because they are dirt tires and I'm sure my previous comments reflect that.

I’m not sure why you’re missing the point of my original post. But since we are fixating on the tire issue, I’m considering going with some variation of a Tusk barely street legal dual sport tire. I honestly only need the bike to get me 3 miles down the street before I’m on single track trails and national forest service roads where I plan on spending the vast majority of my riding. Maybe the stock tires would be decent for that application.

[LowBrewTow]

Having owned 4 Honda products (two cars and two Ruckus Scooter - all new), 2 kawasakis (1 used, 1 new), a suzuki (used), and 4 yamahas (3 used, 1 New) - amongst a host of other bikes (HD, RE, Vespa, etc) - I can honestly say I had the most difficult time with Honda. Dunno if I just had terrible luck or what, but the electrics were the single biggest issue with them for me. Had similar headaches with used jap bikes in general.

So pulling the trigger on a brand new Lifan KPX 250 (proven engine reliability) was actually a no brainer for me. They have been around for 25 years and I think that their build quality on this bike is really not that different to Jap 250's and 300's. Like H-D, I feel like the big Four have gotten too greedy and big for their boots. The Honda XR150L is a good example of this. Don't get me started on the cost of ownership for the CT125, etc... here in Canada.

I’m surprised to hear you had so many issues with Hondas. When I was stationed in Japan I owned/dailyed a few older Honda cars and never had any issues. Over there they have ridiculously cheap used cars (like $500!) that would easily go for $10k in the US bc their govt taxes the shit out of old cars to keep the population continuously buying new cars. I bought a Honda Odessy for $500 and when the registration expired I sold it to the scrap yard for $400 (where they ship them off to China for raw materials) and bought another cheap Honda for $500. You see a lot more mopeds/motorcycles over there. So many amazing mountain paths and places to explore. Looking back I wish I had gotten into dual sports out there! Instead I bought a Nissan R32 GTR for my thrills.

[Mumen Rider]

Ive had this bike in my garage since October and it's almost perpetually been in some form of repair/modification which has kept me from riding it. (Rear bearing, broken clutch lever, exhaust leak, rough idle, misaligned assembly, crappy stock tires, fuel pump leak).


I never said the stock tires are keeping me from riding it.


I’m not sure why you’re missing the point of my original post. But since we are fixating on the tire issue....




:crazy:

[Dusman]

Spot on re: the XR150L. I was looking hard at one of these and they wanted $4220 OTD. That’s $1200 over MSRP! I went with the Storm DLX 150 and have been very, very happy with my purchase. This little guy will go everywhere I need him to and weighs 100lbs less than the Honda and is more capable offroad in every way than the Honda.

[LowBrewTow]

I hit a top speed of 75mph indicated, I am sure that's what most of you want to know or care about for some reason. The 51 tooth rear sprocket means you can start out in second gear no problem. The first thing I will be changing out is the rear sprocket for less teeth followed by the OE tires. If you are going to use this as a dual sport the tires have got to go, I almost ate shit taking my first left on level pavement. I can see lug wear on the rear after ~5 miles on pavement.


This you? :)

[LowBrewTow]

Spot on re: the XR150L. I was looking hard at one of these and they wanted $4220 OTD. That’s $1200 over MSRP! I went with the Storm DLX 150 and have been very, very happy with my purchase. This little guy will go everywhere I need him to and weighs 100lbs less than the Honda and is more capable offroad in every way than the Honda.

I had my GF sit on an XR150L and an XT250 and she liked the XR150L more surprisingly. But these dealership mark ups are absurd. They were quoting me almost $5k out the door for the Honda.. I ended up getting her a Lifan Xpect. Less than $2k including shipping, 200 cc fuel injected. I couldn't get her any of the Xpro dual sports since she is 5'3" and they all seem to come with 35"+ seat heights and I didn't want to have to mess with suspension geometry at this point.

[Mumen Rider]

This you? :)


https://www.chinariders.net/showpost.php?p=415330&postcount=8

[Dusman]

I love Lifan’s offerings. They have that KPM200, which is apparently a very reliable bike. Looks like my next purchase for the street!

[OldGuy]

TIRES: I am absolutely delighted with the reasonably priced Shinko SR241 trials tires I swapped. They are GREAT on the pavement, and do quite well in most offroad conditions (not good for sloppy mud & roots ... but what really is?). Excellent compromise tire.

I had already purchased bearings after reading about the problem. What I found was that actually they were fine once given a tap to move away from their over-compressed state. I did use my new ones, but the originals spun fine after giving them room. When it was a burden for my BIG impact to remove the rear axle nut, the problem was rather obvious! Alignment of the plastic - yeah, it takes a little work during assembly. Broken clutch lever? As in it shipped that way? Odd, but okay. Now my release mechanism was making contact with the exhaust pipe, shortening each part about 1cm at the connection & shifting the pipe upward solves that. Fuel pump - 2 reports so far?

Not making excuses for them, but I knew I would have a bit of setup to do. The price/performance is off the charts for 2025. I was honestly thinking about a Honda CRF450L or whatever it's called (450 enduro in old lingo!) but 11k ... nah. This bike for 3100 to my door - still works GREAT for me. Well worth the additional cost over the lesser 250 bikes. It could be a bit lighter, and I would like somewhat softer springs, but otherwise this has enough performance to do most anything I would have wanted from the Honda. IF the engine proves to be reliable, I would have no problem using this bike for the TAT - in fact it is the clear cut econ bike to take on that! Plenty capable for all of the roads in the East, and would handle the tougher singletrack in the West.

Perfect? Nope - but I think I must agree that your complaints seem a bit much for the performance/cost ratio this provides. Being new to motorcycles, you may not realize it is not unusual for people to have to sort out a few things on new bikes. The guys doing assembly in most shops are marginal at best. Some may take pride in their work, others clearly do not. Factory assembly COULD be better, no doubt. But all-in-all, I am THRILLED with what my $3100 provided!

[LowBrewTow]

TIRES: I am absolutely delighted with the reasonably priced Shinko SR241 trials tires I swapped. They are GREAT on the pavement, and do quite well in most offroad conditions (not good for sloppy mud & roots ... but what really is?). Excellent compromise tire.

I had already purchased bearings after reading about the problem. What I found was that actually they were fine once given a tap to move away from their over-compressed state. I did use my new ones, but the originals spun fine after giving them room. When it was a burden for my BIG impact to remove the rear axle nut, the problem was rather obvious! Alignment of the plastic - yeah, it takes a little work during assembly. Broken clutch lever? As in it shipped that way? Odd, but okay. Now my release mechanism was making contact with the exhaust pipe, shortening each part about 1cm at the connection & shifting the pipe upward solves that. Fuel pump - 2 reports so far?

Not making excuses for them, but I knew I would have a bit of setup to do. The price/performance is off the charts for 2025. I was honestly thinking about a Honda CRF450L or whatever it's called (450 enduro in old lingo!) but 11k ... nah. This bike for 3100 to my door - still works GREAT for me. Well worth the additional cost over the lesser 250 bikes. It could be a bit lighter, and I would like somewhat softer springs, but otherwise this has enough performance to do most anything I would have wanted from the Honda. IF the engine proves to be reliable, I would have no problem using this bike for the TAT - in fact it is the clear cut econ bike to take on that! Plenty capable for all of the roads in the East, and would handle the tougher singletrack in the West.

Perfect? Nope - but I think I must agree that your complaints seem a bit much for the performance/cost ratio this provides. Being new to motorcycles, you may not realize it is not unusual for people to have to sort out a few things on new bikes. The guys doing assembly in most shops are marginal at best. Some may take pride in their work, others clearly do not. Factory assembly COULD be better, no doubt. But all-in-all, I am THRILLED with what my $3100 provided!

First of all I appreciate that your response is to have a constructive conversation as opposed to just being douchey like a couple others have been.

I looked into the Shinkos you mentioned and they seem to have really great reviews and the price is hard to beat, ill definitely consider them now.

As far as all the bearings, exhaust, clutch,fuel pump, these were all things I did not believe I should have to replace or fix (I was ok with tightening or greasing a brand new part that was otherwise functioning, NOT ok getting sent a product with multiple defects that make it unsafe to ride). And for me as a new rider already dealing with the normal learning curves having to also consider hidden safety problems has kept me from riding it until I know it's not going to kill me lol. Leaking gas all over yourself and having a seized rear bearing can end very very badly. Might not faze experienced riders that know what to look for but for me I wouldn't know until it's too late if something else goes wrong. There have been multiple people with fueling issues on these bikes, more than 2.

Getting factory direct pricing on this bike is unbeatable, there is no doubt about it. The components and performance for the price is unmatched anywhere else on the market and that is why I was made the purchase of the Paladin before there were any reviews or posts about it online. I am pretty sure I am the first Paladin owner in the US and I went in blind. I knew I was rolling the dice with an unproven product and unfortunately there has been some issues but I do not regret the purchase.

[OldGuy]

Yeah, I get your disappointment / concern. The fuel tank stuff is annoying, as is the rear axle. But both point to poorly trained assembly techs at the factory. Basic design isn't flawed - as I noted when my 1/2" impact was SLOWLY removing the rear axle nut, I knew my bearings would be stuck. Didn't even need replacing, as noted once I began to pull them they rotated freely. Anyway, enjoy the bike. For true dual-purpose riding (as opposed to a mile or two to a trailhead) the Shinkos seem unbeatable. As I am slowly gaining confidence, it is impressive how far over they can be leaned on the pavement!