What tires y'all using?

[Falkon45]

I can't tell what brand tires are on the KPM200, but I figured they were a Chinese brand bias ply. I don't think they'll be able to take the abuse I'm going to be dealing to them throughout the week, so I'm going to be removing them pretty quickly. Possibly, before I even ride the bike. If anyone has had to change their street tires yet, which ones are you using? There only ones I can find in the factory size are Avon and Bridgestone, without going to lesser known brands. Shinko didn't even have anything. Lol. But, it looks as if I can go 10mm wider in the rear, but not sure if I can in the front. If that was possible, it would open up a wider range of tires. I might experiment a bit. I have a set of Pirelli Diablo TDs that were to go on my KTM. But it's still down, and the tires are just chilling in my dining room. Lol. Anyone know the KP series wheel widths? This will help me get some ideas of tire sizes I can play with.

[Falkon45]

So, I'm looking of tires, and trying to find a balance between cost effectiveness and performance. I know I'm going to exceed what the stock tires are capable of handling, so they're coming off immediately. Let me know if anyone wants/needs them.

So, I'm thinking the best cost/performance balance is in the shinko 006 podium in 110/70/17 and 140/70/17. But, for $46 more, I can get some bridgestone Battlax S20 tires in the same size. Now, I have experience on these, because they're on my MT-10 right now. Should I splurge and get what I know, or try my hand on tires that will offer a little less performance but longer longevity?

[Its_not_a_honda]

I'm assume you are talking street tires. I don't have experience with the pure street. The tires that came on my apollo 250 were cheap Chinese tires.....I thought. Wore them out quickly. Went out and got some name brand and highly recommend kendas. I could hardly ride the thing. Felt like my tires were flat all the time. Went back to the Chinese tires. They are sticky as heck it turns out. They just don't last long. And get this, they cost twice as much as the kenda tires. So don't knock the stock tires until you try them.

[Landsvw]

I put Shinko on my bike and love them. No issues

[Falkon45]

Originally Posted by Its_not_a_honda

I'm assume you are talking street tires. I don't have experience with the pure street. The tires that came on my apollo 250 were cheap Chinese tires.....I thought. Wore them out quickly. Went out and got some name brand and highly recommend kendas. I could hardly ride the thing. Felt like my tires were flat all the time. Went back to the Chinese tires. They are sticky as heck it turns out. They just don't last long. And get this, they cost twice as much as the kenda tires. So don't knock the stock tires until you try them.

Well, it depends on the brands and compound and all kinds of stuff. I guess I can give the factory tires a shot. But again, I do plan of getting as much lean angle as I can out of this bike. That's why I'm more partial to the S20s. I've gotten track time on them. We can see what happens.

Here's a pic from the July 17th track day.

[Cypher1982]

Originally Posted by Falkon45

Well, it depends on the brands and compound and all kinds of stuff. I guess I can give the factory tires a shot. But again, I do plan of getting as much lean angle as I can out of this bike. That's why I'm more partial to the S20s. I've gotten track time on them. We can see what happens.

Here's a pic from the July 17th track day.

Holy crap!!

[Falkon45]

Originally Posted by Cypher1982

Holy crap!!

Lol. Yeah. 3 tech days total on them. I think I can get one or two more, as I'm still in the novice group, and need to get my body position correct before I can get more speed. The rear end actually got loose on me over the weekend. Traction control saved the day. Lol.

I went ahead and got the S20s, as I find them kinda cheap overall on motosport.com. AANNNNDDD Bridgestone is doing a rebate on them! Lol. So I get $40 back, if they qualify! Overall, the same price as the shinkos!

I'll keep the stock tires in case the +10mm tires don't work out. Overall, that'll make 3 sets of tires for the KTM. Lol

[Falkon45]

Soooo, the bike came in today!!! Guys brought it on a box truck, and didn't call me beforehand, like I asked. My neighbor sent me a text when it arrived.

[Falkon45]

Need more pictures, but it started to get dark. I wish I could upload a video I took. Basically, all my other moto batteries were too big for this, and I didn't want to wait on it to charge. But, I had an extra 12v battery from my son's 24v electric pocket bike. It has a hard time starting the bike, but it does on the first try, every time! Lol.

[Falkon45]

Took it a couple miles down the road to the gas station. Since this will be my work commuter, I had to see how it does on 55mph roads.

It rides like a Suzuki TU250X. The pegs seem a bit high, and way forward than what I'm used to. But very comfortable. The handlebars are tall, and keep you very neutral. You could ride for miles happily. The seat is okay for me. But, I prefer harder seats (except for the Corbin on the Yamaha. That's nice). Some of you guys may want to look into figuring how to add a gel pad.

Power wise, I will say this ... Plan way ahead before you jump into traffic. I figured as much, but man..., I'm glad there wasn't anyone on the road behind me. I think I made 60 by 5th gear (GPS verified). I think I made a top speed of 65-68 (GPS verified). The speedo gets to about 5mph fast at those speeds.

Another thing I will say is, there is no reward to winding out this engine, other than noise. It's definitely a mid rev range engine. But, the band is short, and comes quick. Short shift when you figure the power band, and you'll be rewarded with moderate acceleration.

Handling... Ok, so I can't be too hard on this, because I'm about 100 lbs heavier than lifan's target rider. Same for the KTM and Yamaha. I have no idea if the shock is preload adjustable. I looked at it, and it had what looks like an adjustment collar, but I don't see any threads. It's also two piece progressive springs. I really need to up the preload. I'm blinding oncoming drivers. Lol

Low speed agility is pretty nice, but gets sluggish at speed. I need to check the tire pressures. The CST tires are known a manufacturer, but known more for bicycle tires. I don't think I'll be able to squeeze anything out of them before the suspension gives up.

Overall, it's a fun bike. I'm gonna give it a good shakedown over the weekend. I also need some goo-gone to get the sticker residue off the tank.

[Falkon45]

Took it for another ride last night. Again, to the gas station. lol. I had to figure a few things out. This has a little more rake than my other bikes, so I had to figure what speed the transition from normal steering to counter steering happens. It's odd, because it feels like it'll do both at about 30-40. By about 30, counter steering kicks in on my other bikes. With the different seating position, I have to get used to low speed steering (i.e.: turning from a stop). I go way wider than I should.

The clutch is super grabby. Being a new bike, it makes sense. It should be a bit more slippery after a couple oil changes. I got spoiled because my first bike had a slipper clutch. And so does the other one. This is maybe the third bike I've ever ridden without one. Downshifts are very abrupt.

Brakes... needs better pads. My MT-10 has squishy brakes, and that makes triple digit speeds quite quickly. This thing needs a handful of brake lever and a near death grip at about 50. lol. I'm gonna have to remember that when transitioning between bikes. Thankfully, this is the only one without ABS, so I won't endo the other two if I forget. I did get part numbers from Venom, but they're Lifan specific. I should ask for a SKU. I'll have to pull a couple pad and see what I can find with similar dimensions. Bike Master, Galfer, and EBC should have something. I found some for a honda dirt bike that might be close. The rear brake is also very squishy. It'll wait until day time to try and do goofy stuff with it. lol.

I put in as much coolant as i could. I'm not sure what kind it is, but I'm gonna drain it, and put in engine ice today, possibly. The twin radiator design is interesting... but still a better design than my RC390! lol. I'm not sure if this has a temp gauge. I haven't really looked, though. The cluster is cool, but very busy. It's also well out of the way, so checking it is a bit concerning while riding. I'll more than likely be using my phone as a speedo most of the time.

This bike also has no on bike storage, if you were wondering. I really wish it did. There's space under the seat, but the seat has to be bolted in. No way for easy access.

The headlights are okay. I haven't tried the high beam, but the low casts light a bit unusually. It's vertically narrow, but really wide horizontally.

Overall, I think the only thing this engine needs is timing advance and a slightly larger cam. Those seem to be what holding the engine back from about 20-22 hp. I'm waiting to install the exhaust, which came in Thursday. I'll post pictures of that also. Looks like it'll fit, but it relocates the O2 sensor closer to the exhaust port. Possibly for faster warm up. Great idea, honestly. It
s too shiny for my taste, though, so I'm going to be wrapping it. It's actually a legit piece of kit. Very well made. Better than ALL my chinese mufflers (i'll explain later. lol).

[JerryHawk250]

Man she sure is pretty. I'm sure it will pick up some power after a few hundred miles. The KPR200 performance exhaust should help it breathe better too. Advancing the timing will help for sure. 4* on my X22R made a big difference.

[Falkon45]

Here's pics of the exhaust. Even had the Lifan emblem laser etched into it. Seriously number also. Looks very well made. Very well welded also. They actually sealed around the muffler body, so it won't be blowing packing all over the place. It has a permanent baffle on the muffler inlet, and a removable silencer at the muffler outlet. Polished stainless steel. Send lighter than the factory exhaust, but I went know until I remove it. I also can't find a scale to weigh either one. I'll have to look.

[JerryHawk250]

I see your removed the cat already. I couldn't resist.

[Falkon45]