Just ordered my first Chinese bike, KPX250. Anything I should know?

FT · 03-24-2024, 02:01 PM

So I've only ever had Japanese bikes until now. I've been pretty impressed with a lot of the "Clone" products coming out of China recently and heard their bikes had really improved as well so I thought it was worth it for the price to see for myself so I ordered a Lifan KPX250.

It doesn't seem to have shipped yet, (it's only been like two days) but it's also the dead of winter here with like 6 inches of snow and ice so.. I'm not in a huge rush. From what I've seen and read though, they're not half bad.

Is there anything crucial I need to know going in? Anything that needs to be changed or modified right away? I know the chain and sprockets kind of suck, and I've heard the grips aren't great but that's sort of to be expected with any bike OEM. The chain that came on my Kawasaki back in the day was garbage. So where the tires.. That kind of stuff I'm aware of.

I'm wondering if there is anything more.. IDK, "deadly" that I should know that's unique or more common to these bikes? Anything that can cause a catastrophic failure if I don't torque it down? (but in theory should be from the factory)

What are the key points to check, is I guess what I'm asking. I've actually never bought a brand new bike before. Only used and a few dealer leftovers.

One more small, unrelated question. How exactly are these delivered? I know they're partially assembled in a crate. That's not what I'm asking. There's no way the UPS/Fedex guy is dragging it up my driveway. I've never bought anything like this before so I'm just curious. I'd rather it not be dropped on my front step.. Lets just say the topology of my property would require it be built right there. There'd be no dragging it back there. A truck can back right in up to the doors of my workshop shed though.

I see there's a bunch of shipping companies listed on the site (I got it from Venom). If anyone could explain the delivery process, I'd be grateful. Just so I know what to prepare for if nothing else.

Thank you in advance and happy riding!

Bill Hilly · 03-24-2024, 02:24 PM

They are delivered in a metal frame , like the other bikes, but the frame has a steel bottom as well. They come with the back.wheel, and shock all in place. The front forks are bolted to the bottom front of the frame. They come with plenty of that good rubber coated wire too. LOL. I love that stuff, and always save it. The bottom of the shipping frame is open enough that , with a little effort, you can jack the bike up right there in the shipping crate, after of course undoing all the twist wire, and removing the front axle bolt, which they use to bolt the front forks to the shipping frame. It was a nice day when the brought mine, and I assembled it outside, with no help, and it took very little time. I got the bike about 9:30 or so, then semi unpacked it, got frustrated because I couldn't find the keys, which are wired, or zip tied onto the front brake line. I then took my paperwork work to town, insured the bike, and went to the title place, and got it registered with DMV, came home, and put the solution in the battery, and put the bike together, and went for a ride that day. I evidently did not route my front brake line exactly right down by the fork guard, but I still have not re routed it. Make sure the seal is on the speedO side of the front hub, because evidently some people find the seal laying loose after they assemble everything. Also check the spokes. I had a couple of loose ones.I didn't have the problem with the front hub seal.Good luck, and enjoy the bike.

Phane · 03-24-2024, 03:26 PM

Make sure you grease the front axle and you might want to check the rear axle even though it may already be assembled! If you have idling and stalling issues you should contact Lifan because they have a ECU flasher meant to fix and improve upon these issues! You might also want to have the kickstand shortened because it seems to be a little too tall for the bike! At least mine was! You will have to remove the luggage rack in order to access the bolts that hold the seat on which needs to be removed to place the battery in! But if you have any problems that seem to be over your head contact JerryHawk250, he is an authority on this bike and you can see a lot on his YouTube channel!

thedakotakid · 04-06-2024, 01:53 PM

EDIT: Delivered on April 8th to my garage. No damage, perfect condition

How long did it take to have it delivered? Here is my timeline so far:
Pending Delivery In Transit 04/03/2024
Arrived Unloading Terminal 04/02/2024
Departed En Route 03/26/2024
Picked Up Anaheim, CA 03/22/2024
Pickup Request Received 03/21/2024
Ordered/Paid 03/17/2024

thedakotakid · 04-11-2024, 10:56 PM

And don't forget to check the clearance between the tire and the muffler when you sit on it. If not, you might burn off part of your tire.

03-24-2024, 02:01 PM	#1
FT Join Date: Mar 2024 Posts: 1	Just ordered my first Chinese bike, KPX250. Anything I should know? So I've only ever had Japanese bikes until now. I've been pretty impressed with a lot of the "Clone" products coming out of China recently and heard their bikes had really improved as well so I thought it was worth it for the price to see for myself so I ordered a Lifan KPX250. It doesn't seem to have shipped yet, (it's only been like two days) but it's also the dead of winter here with like 6 inches of snow and ice so.. I'm not in a huge rush. From what I've seen and read though, they're not half bad. Is there anything crucial I need to know going in? Anything that needs to be changed or modified right away? I know the chain and sprockets kind of suck, and I've heard the grips aren't great but that's sort of to be expected with any bike OEM. The chain that came on my Kawasaki back in the day was garbage. So where the tires.. That kind of stuff I'm aware of. I'm wondering if there is anything more.. IDK, "deadly" that I should know that's unique or more common to these bikes? Anything that can cause a catastrophic failure if I don't torque it down? (but in theory should be from the factory) What are the key points to check, is I guess what I'm asking. I've actually never bought a brand new bike before. Only used and a few dealer leftovers. One more small, unrelated question. How exactly are these delivered? I know they're partially assembled in a crate. That's not what I'm asking. There's no way the UPS/Fedex guy is dragging it up my driveway. I've never bought anything like this before so I'm just curious. I'd rather it not be dropped on my front step.. Lets just say the topology of my property would require it be built right there. There'd be no dragging it back there. A truck can back right in up to the doors of my workshop shed though. I see there's a bunch of shipping companies listed on the site (I got it from Venom). If anyone could explain the delivery process, I'd be grateful. Just so I know what to prepare for if nothing else. Thank you in advance and happy riding!
	2

03-24-2024, 02:24 PM	#2
Bill Hilly Join Date: Feb 2021 Posts: 915	They are delivered in a metal frame , like the other bikes, but the frame has a steel bottom as well. They come with the back.wheel, and shock all in place. The front forks are bolted to the bottom front of the frame. They come with plenty of that good rubber coated wire too. LOL. I love that stuff, and always save it. The bottom of the shipping frame is open enough that , with a little effort, you can jack the bike up right there in the shipping crate, after of course undoing all the twist wire, and removing the front axle bolt, which they use to bolt the front forks to the shipping frame. It was a nice day when the brought mine, and I assembled it outside, with no help, and it took very little time. I got the bike about 9:30 or so, then semi unpacked it, got frustrated because I couldn't find the keys, which are wired, or zip tied onto the front brake line. I then took my paperwork work to town, insured the bike, and went to the title place, and got it registered with DMV, came home, and put the solution in the battery, and put the bike together, and went for a ride that day. I evidently did not route my front brake line exactly right down by the fork guard, but I still have not re routed it. Make sure the seal is on the speedO side of the front hub, because evidently some people find the seal laying loose after they assemble everything. Also check the spokes. I had a couple of loose ones.I didn't have the problem with the front hub seal.Good luck, and enjoy the bike. Last edited by Bill Hilly; 03-24-2024 at 04:12 PM. Reason: More info
	2

04-06-2024, 01:53 PM	#4
thedakotakid Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: NoDak! (Kinda like Red Dawn w/o mountains) Posts: 65	EDIT: Delivered on April 8th to my garage. No damage, perfect condition How long did it take to have it delivered? Here is my timeline so far: Pending Delivery In Transit 04/03/2024 Arrived Unloading Terminal 04/02/2024 Departed En Route 03/26/2024 Picked Up Anaheim, CA 03/22/2024 Pickup Request Received 03/21/2024 Ordered/Paid 03/17/2024 __________________ 2023 Lifan KPX250 (The Lizard) 200? Shineray 200cc Enduro 2008 KLR650 2001 Bajaj Chetak 1996 Honda Shadow (Indian and Harley fenders, other mods) Last edited by thedakotakid; 04-11-2024 at 10:15 PM.
	0

04-11-2024, 10:56 PM	#5
thedakotakid Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: NoDak! (Kinda like Red Dawn w/o mountains) Posts: 65	And don't forget to check the clearance between the tire and the muffler when you sit on it. If not, you might burn off part of your tire. __________________ 2023 Lifan KPX250 (The Lizard) 200? Shineray 200cc Enduro 2008 KLR650 2001 Bajaj Chetak 1996 Honda Shadow (Indian and Harley fenders, other mods)
	1

03-24-2024, 03:26 PM	#3
Phane Join Date: Jan 2024 Posts: 13	Make sure you grease the front axle and you might want to check the rear axle even though it may already be assembled! If you have idling and stalling issues you should contact Lifan because they have a ECU flasher meant to fix and improve upon these issues! You might also want to have the kickstand shortened because it seems to be a little too tall for the bike! At least mine was! You will have to remove the luggage rack in order to access the bolts that hold the seat on which needs to be removed to place the battery in! But if you have any problems that seem to be over your head contact JerryHawk250, he is an authority on this bike and you can see a lot on his YouTube channel!
	3