Lifan KPM200 Top Speed

[culcune]

Not my video; just thought some of you would be interested to know how these 200s perform on freeways.

[imapdog]

[QUOTE=culcune;330209]Not my video; just thought some of you would be interested to know how these 200s perform on freeways.

but this speedo does seem correct for my kpm, as not the case for my other chonda experiences...

[culcune]

Caesar from Small Engine Velocity confirmed his KPR200 was 5 MPH off.

[imapdog]

it is kinda funny to think about it tho. why the 1st question is always top end speed. no matter what you mod on this kpm I will not be riding this kpm on the interstate or well above speed limits elsewhere. yes it will barely do it but why.... if top speed is the most important buy a crotch rocket 600cc or more. wishful thinking gets the best of us.... i will gps test it at 10mph increments to verify. incl top end on level ground to make the youngins happy. i been asked this top speed from every corner

[JerryHawk250]

Originally Posted by imapdog

it is kinda funny to think about it tho. why the 1st question is always top end speed. no matter what you mod on this kpm I will not be riding this kpm on the interstate or above speed limits elsewhere. yes it will do it but why.... if top speed is the most important buy a crotch rocket 600cc or more. wishful thinking gets the best of us.... i will gps test it at 10mph increments to verify. incl top end on level ground

You nailed it! That was one of the first question I got asked for the X22R. As long as I can ride it 65-70 mph comfortably it will be doing exactly what I bought it for. I already hit 72 mph without ringing the throttle. You just need to gear it right for the speeds you intend to do.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by imapdog

it is kinda funny to think about it tho. why the 1st question is always top end speed. no matter what you mod on this kpm I will not be riding this kpm on the interstate or well above speed limits elsewhere. yes it will barely do it but why.... if top speed is the most important buy a crotch rocket 600cc or more. wishful thinking gets the best of us.... i will gps test it at 10mph increments to verify. incl top end on level ground to make the youngins happy. i been asked this top speed from every corner

To be fair, it isn't about top speed for going fast. I have a 198mph capable bike already. The top speed is more of a measure of what the bike is truly/realistically capable of in terms of what type of road you can ride on comfortably. Take the Hawk for example. With bolt ons and proper tuning with a 17/43 sprocket setup, top speed was basically 70mph with its neck being wrung on flat ground and zero wind. That meant it could handle 55 to 60mph all day as a realistic top speed with that setup.

So, if a kpm200 completely stock can do 70 to 75mph maxed out, it can likely handle a 65mph highway without being pushed to its limits, and with some basic upgrades maybe another 5mph-ish on top of that.

[culcune]

I agree with you guys on top speed, BUT, I kind of understand people's curiosity with it having grown up in So. Cal. and the freeway system there. One needs to be able to hit 75 to 80 for piece of mind. I do see the curiosity more so with dual-sports. This video did show a short ride on a couple of typical So. Cal. freeways, and the speed was irrelevant. But, from a marketing perspective, people do want numbers, and the number given was 79 mph on a bike that I am guessing is not broken in all the way. The bike running in and at times above the surrounding traffic's speed was far more relevant even if the speedometer was to have been broken.

[imapdog]

but a 200cc on interstate/freeway at 70+ mph gotta be youngins asking. hope they read our sides. and not put so much emphasis on knowing the very most it can do on an intersate

[Megadan]

Living where I do, in the Northern Great Plains, top speed is a big factor for a small bike if you plan on leaving the local town or city. Every state and county highway, many of which are 2 lane undivided roads, have speed limits of 65mph. Being able to maintain that speed is rather important. The same is true for many people which is why the top speed question is brought up so often.

Like my Hawk example. If the maximum speed was 65mph but had to be wide open all the time, but the bike was happiest at 55mph, where it had lots of throttle left and wasn't being raced at 8000rpm the whole time wide open, the more realistic top speed is 55mph in my opinion. I wish more people would speak of top speed in those two respects as it paints a clearer picture.

[imapdog]

ok. i guess. are you saying 65mph roads are the main way to and from out there? and when has a full size bike 200cc or smaller been suffice out there? i have been in all 48 states in my lifetime on goldwings. having a 200cc out west for those roads? no way. we are on a 200cc thread arent we?

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by imapdog

ok. i guess. are you saying 65mph roads are the main way to and from out there? and when has a full size bike 200cc or smaller been suffice out there? i have been in all 48 states in my lifetime on goldwings. having a 200cc out west for those roads? no way. we are on a 200cc thread arent we?

There are many reasons why someone might choose one of these smaller bikes over what is arguably a more practical larger one. Not saying you are wrong in your thinking as I have also been to basically every state on Goldwing and other larger bikes.

In fact, it isn't impractical for one of these bikes to be able to do 65 if needed for shorter journeys. I do it all the time. Are they the main way? Only when you need to go between towns and cities. In my case, living within the biggest city here the smaller bike is actually a practical choice. The few times I need to venture out of town with it I only need to maintain 60-65 for maybe 10 to 15 miles tops. Something I have upgraded two Hawks to do now, and been rather successful with it.

The Hawk isn't even the best bike for that job. A bike like the KPR is actually even more highway capable than a Hawk, so I don't actually see it as that impractical for more regular state and county highway use if needed, but I wouldn't want to use it as a touring bike by any stretch.

That said, outside of the cities at least, use on the interstate here is an entirely different situation, and you would have to be a brave fool to try it. 75mph speed limits and people doing well past 80 most of the time.

[imapdog]

if it tops at gps 70mph flatland. then wouldnt need one to top out at 90mph to sustain a comfy 70? no need to speedo check it for freewy use i can already say it will go 55 easily. not going to steer youngins wrong impression for any 200 to date under 5k. i change my mind on verifying it. it catches more wind than kpr and thats the one the youngins need then. seems like 70 is the threshold/benchmark every youngin wants on a chonda budget. comfy at 70 will not happen unless you are bilt like a horse jocky

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by imapdog

if it tops at gps 70mph flatland. then wouldnt need one to top out at 90mph to sustain a comfy 70? no need to speedo check it for freewy use i can already say it will go 55 easily. not going to steer youngins wrong impression for any 200 to date under 5k. i change my mind on verifying it. it catches more wind than kpr and thats the one the youngins need then. seems like 70 is the threshold/benchmark every youngin wants on a chonda budget. comfy at 70 will not happen unless you are bilt like a horse jocky

I wouldn't know what it tops at via GPS. I am just giving generalized statements. If the bike can't go beyond 70, then it isn't much better than a Hawk, and thus my remarks on the Hawk are more fitting.

Not only that, but compared to a Chonda dual sport, that bike is an aerodynamic machine. A Hawk/TT250/Brozz etc. are parachutes on wheels with all of their big high fenders, tall wheels, and tank panels poking out with the frontal area of a barn with how high they sit. If I can get a Hawk to cruise at 60 and not be straining itself to death, it should be a breeze with a bike that has more top end power to work with, much smaller and lighter wheels, and just a smaller bike overall.

Why change your mind on verifying it? If you are so concerned about people buying the bike for the wrong purpose then actually verifying it's real capabilities is important. You would also be able to give your own opinion on what you feel is what I considered the realistic speed the bike can do where it isn't being pushed at 100%. I never once said any of these bikes were "comfy" at 70. As far as I know, most of these bikes are being wrung out at 70 if they can even get there to begin with, and depending on gearing, "comfy" around 55-60 tops.

[culcune]

I didn't want to open a can of worms here, and I actually think we are all on the same page. In L.A., for a bike like this, many people would be interested to know how it goes on any of the local freeways. This video showed one could ride amid traffic and not hold it up. The rider did call out speeds (non-GPS verified, but speedo verified) and hit 79 mph, indicated. I do believe there are a few more MPH in it since this bike is near brand-new. Generally, yes, young riders (and not so young riders) want to know top speed, but not because they think this will be outrunning GSXR600's (or even GSXR250's), but rather could they get a cool-looking retro bike and use it for everyday runarounds, with a stint on the freeway not being too much to ask. Speed in MPH is for all intents and purposes, irrelevant; I find the bike doing fine amid moving freeway traffic far more relevant. And I would expect it to be moving right along at a general pace above pretty much any Chinese dual-sports under the same circumstances, with its advertised 17 hp, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine with 6-speed transmission doing easy work here. I cannot begrudge anyone interested in the top speed or even just interested how it does on any one of the greater metropolitan area of L.A.'s numerous 65 MPH freeways. I actually think Lifan will move more of these because of videos like this, and I don't see any 'bad' in that.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by culcune

I didn't want to open a can of worms here, and I actually think we are all on the same page. In L.A., for a bike like this, many people would be interested to know how it goes on any of the local freeways. This video showed one could ride amid traffic and not hold it up. The rider did call out speeds (non-GPS verified, but speedo verified) and hit 79 mph, indicated. I do believe there are a few more MPH in it since this bike is near brand-new. Generally, yes, young riders (and not so young riders) want to know top speed, but not because they think this will be outrunning GSXR600's (or even GSXR250's), but rather could they get a cool-looking retro bike and use it for everyday runarounds, with a stint on the freeway not being too much to ask. Speed in MPH is for all intents and purposes, irrelevant; I find the bike doing fine amid moving freeway traffic far more relevant. And I would expect it to be moving right along at a general pace above pretty much any Chinese dual-sports under the same circumstances, with its advertised 17 hp, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine with 6-speed transmission doing easy work here. I cannot begrudge anyone interested in the top speed or even just interested how it does on any one of the greater metropolitan area of L.A.'s numerous 65 MPH freeways. I actually think Lifan will move more of these because of videos like this, and I don't see any 'bad' in that.

100% what I was thinking and trying to say myself