Yo Almon! I gotz a question for you on this bike!

[LightWavePro]

Hey guys and possibly Almon ,

Ok I have been pretty much been a ghost on the Lifan-moto forum and I fell in love with the FL200III. Now I am on a tight budget cause of my age with other bills to pay thats why I started looking into china bikes. I was going to order my bike off rabbit like in the next few weeks but then I came across this bike on ebay called the LB200-V Linkage: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BRAND...em250232631484
Ok so it look almost exactly like the FL200III but with different colors, decals, and wider stock tires. Why this bike struck my fancy so much was the price b/c I live in Oklahoma. So I called the owner of the shop up and asked a few questions and then he said that we can work out a deal if I wanted to go pick it up from the shop...*Bing* even cheaper. So what Im pretty much asking is do you think its basically like a lifan clone so it will run almost the same and such?!? I called you out cause I respect your opinion on this matter. Any information would help a lot Thanks guys

~Josh

[kczukiman]

I don't know anything about that bike so I'm no help but I did see that on ebay a few weeks ago and it cought my eye.I havn't seen a chinese street bike looks exactly like this one.It has good eye apeal it would be nice to know who makes it.
It is the same dealer that I and a few others on here have purchased our hibirds from.His name is Tim and he owns vbike.I would be interested as well to hear any info about it.

[katoranger]

That seller has received good reviews from other members here. That is an important factor.

Allen

[Buyingchina]

Originally Posted by LightWavePro

Hey guys and possibly Almon ,

Ok I have been pretty much been a ghost on the Lifan-moto forum and I fell in love with the FL200III. Now I am on a tight budget cause of my age with other bills to pay thats why I started looking into china bikes. I was going to order my bike off rabbit like in the next few weeks but then I came across this bike on ebay called the LB200-V Linkage: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BRAND...em250232631484
Ok so it look almost exactly like the FL200III but with different colors, decals, and wider stock tires. Why this bike struck my fancy so much was the price b/c I live in Oklahoma. So I called the owner of the shop up and asked a few questions and then he said that we can work out a deal if I wanted to go pick it up from the shop...*Bing* even cheaper. So what Im pretty much asking is do you think its basically like a lifan clone so it will run almost the same and such?!? I called you out cause I respect your opinion on this matter. Any information would help a lot Thanks guys

~Josh

Hi. I took a look at that bike and find it could be the right one for some one wanting a low cost 200cc bike. This model covers a lot of the short comings that the LF 200-iii has. The tires are much wider and mounted on the correct width rims. There is a big improvement in the brake system with the dual disc's. The exhaust appears to be better quality and most LF parts should fit. Most parts are manufactured by independent vendors, and many of the same components are used by other assembly plants like Lifan and Longbo just to mention 2 out of hundered.s The best part is the lower price, and the motor which is built by Lifan. A member on LifanCycle forum is interested in this exact bike, and so am I. This seller has done his home work and offers good value for your money. I spoke with him on behalf of a fellow member and mentioned the LF 200iii durring our conversation and I ar agree that buying a bike that requires to many "mod's" is no bargain at all.

If I lived close enough I would definetly buy it. His reputation is well known, and when a dealer sells at his location and you can pick up your purchase, well, that says a lot.

I bought a 250 4Vs atv (4 wheel bike) from him and it was, and still is a excellent experience. Buying on line is a risky proposition that I feel uncomfortable with recommending. The risk would not be mine, it would be the potential buyer(s) that read my posts.

Below is a link to 2 threads on this subject. The photo shows a NST which is not the current model, I believe the current version he sells is built for V-Bike at the Longbo (China) factory.

http://lifancycle.com/viewtopic.php?...47bf9021fa4e62
http://lifancycle.com/viewtopic.php?...47bf9021fa4e62

[LightWavePro]

Originally Posted by Buyingchina

Hi. I took a look at that bike and find it could be the right one for some one wanting a low cost 200cc bike. This model covers a lot of the short comings that the LF 200-iii has. The tires are much wider and mounted on the correct width rims. There is a big improvement in the brake system with the dual disc's. The exhaust appears to be better quality and most LF parts should fit. Most parts are manufactured by independent vendors, and many of the same components are used by other assembly plants like Lifan and Longbo just to mention 2 out of hundered.s The best part is the lower price, and the motor which is built by Lifan. A member on LifanCycle forum is interested in this exact bike, and so am I. This seller has done his home work and offers good value for your money. I spoke with him on behalf of a fellow member and mentioned the LF 200iii durring our conversation and I ar agree that buying a bike that requires to many "mod's" is no bargain at all.

If I lived close enough I would definetly buy it. His reputation is well known, and when a dealer sells at his location and you can pick up your purchase, well, that says a lot.

I bought a 250 4Vs atv (4 wheel bike) from him and it was, and still is a excellent experience. Buying on line is a risky proposition that I feel uncomfortable with recommending. The risk would not be mine, it would be the potential buyer(s) that read my posts.

Below is a link to 2 threads on this subject. The photo shows a NST which is not the current model, I believe the current version he sells is built for V-Bike at the Longbo (China) factory.

http://lifancycle.com/viewtopic.php?...47bf9021fa4e62
http://lifancycle.com/viewtopic.php?...47bf9021fa4e62

Wow thank you very much for the information BuyingChina! It gave me much more insight on the bike and dealer. I am hoping to road trip up there(its like a 1 1/2 hour drive for me) some time this weekend to go look at it in person. If I do I will bring my camera to take some more detailed pictures of the bike. If you have any requests I will try and take a pic of a part of the bike you want to see for you. Thanks again for the information guys

~Josh

[Buyingchina]

Thanks! Any close ups showing the frame and attatched parts would help a lot. Try to look at the fit and finish of all the parts including the motor and also any maker markings on the bike and motor. I would love to see it in person but driving all the way from Ohio would be really tuff on me.

Thanks again! Buyingchina

[almonpoole]

These bikes have been around for quite a while. If I remember correctly they were first marketed as a NST almost two years ago. They are almost visually identical to the Tank Khaos 250 but they obviously have a different engine / transmission.

It looks like a neat little bike, but I have never seen one in person before though so I really cannot say what the quality is like.

As long as the dealer has parts and a good reputation it may not be a bad gamble.

I would also ask that Bruce jump in here as I'm certain he knows more about this bike than any of us.

Thanks,

Almon

[Thresh]

Hey all. Brand new to the forums and was reading this thread and was wondering if anyone had anymore news regarding this bike as I am considering buying one as well from the same dealer (on ebay).

Thanks

[ddesens]

I bought a black one from this seller. Everything went great. Got the bike in 3 days mso also. I like the bike alot. Just did the air filter and jet mod today. Still waiting for my 34tooth rear sprocket for more speed.

[Thresh]

This is going to be my first bike. I'm buying it for the purpose of commuting to and from work. I can understand the sprocket change but please explain what the jet mod and air filter are and do if you would.

Thanks

[Thresh]

Oh yeah and I've been looking at the Tank Khaos 250 as well after reading about it in this thread. It looks appealing to me due to being a 250. Anyone have any info as to the quality of that bike?

Thanks

[katoranger]

Stay away from Tank products. You will never see any parts.

Air filter and Jet mods.

Cone/pod type airfilter that replaces the stock airbox and allows more air to enter the engine.

The jet mod is replacing the main jet with a larger one. Requires removing the carb and then installing a new jet. Not difficult and may not be necessary with just the filter mod.

Step one would be moving the needle in the carb to the lowest setting and the turning the air/fuel screw out to about 2 turns.

Allen

[ejcycles]

Hey Thresh
Stay away from Tank Sports aka Yank Sports... I'm a Dealer for Redcat Motors, which Yank Sports currently owns. Even as a Dealer I have a tough time getting parts for the Redcat atvs. When Redcat was Redcat we had thousands of parts for every vehicle made... now the parts web site for Yank barely shows any parts available. This is a very long story and I don't have time to peck it all out.
BBB report on Yank Sports: http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Bu...nyID=100021979
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Almon is correct in that 200cc bike was imported by NST. NST carries no parts. Longbo, I'm not sure if they do or not, if I'm not mistaken The Longbo Distributor is out of Texas. There was another guy looking at one on this site. He e~mailed Longbo and didn't get a reply. I have heard nothing bad about V-Bikes, he seems to be a stand up guy with his business. I'm against Drop-shipping but if he backs what he sells it should be ok. If you have a bike drop-shipped to you, You better know what you are doing as far as Assembly, Prep & PDI. If you are not mechanically inclined... Do Not buy a bike on line, as you will have nothing but troubles with it. I have seen people buy bikes, scooters & atvs on line and couldn't put them together correctly at all... most of these guys shouldn't have a screw driver or hammer in their hands either.

[culcune]

I don't know if you are really set on a Chinese sportsbike because of the styling, but VBikes has a really good looking "naked" style Hi-Bird brand 250cc sportsbike.

I have sat on a Zongshen GS250 sportsbike, and for a Chinese bike, seems to be solid, but probably more expensive than a Lifan. However, there are probably deals to be found ( :wink: Bruce) with this bike if you look around.

[Thresh]

Hey thanks for all advice. I actually have sat on one of the Zongshen sport bikes and the styling is great. Before I knew what kind of a deal it was I actually found one for $1400 but what scared me off of that was the fact that even though it was a brand new bike the dealer had bought it from an auction and it had no warranty. (I called Zongshen in Miami myself and they told me that it would have no warranty due to it not coming through an authorized dealer.) My main problem is that I live in Laredo, TX., right on the border of Mexico, and everything sold through a dealership here seems to cost 4-5 hundred dollars more than it would in most places. As far as the Zongshen goes, there is an authorized dealer in Dallas called Speedy Wheels which sell them for right around 2k.

I think I have seen that Hi-Bird that you're talking about but I have no idea as to the quality of that brand and I am very meticulous about that kind of thing. If anyone knows anything regarding build quality and such I'd love to hear about it and now since I seem destined to become a regular of this forum I will most definitely post any info I find regarding these bikes. :mrgreen: