Lifan 200III, kickstarts but no electric start...

[AKTV8]

Just got a Lifan TMS200 in bright blue and it rides nice. For the price (even less if...) of a scooter, a true wannabe sportsbike crotch rocket.
My testicles will never be the same... ouch, I'm too damn short.

But I can only get it going by kickstarting it. The starter turns and then it seems to disengage or whir/spin after a few cranks when I give it gas.
3-4 quick, in-succession kicks and I can get her going.
The starter will only work when she is hot and I stall it - newbie , and I hit the starter right away.

I learned that disconnecting that annoying turn signal beeper also won't let you start the thing. Read that on the Lifan-moto.com forum.

I am trying to keep my bargain investment that way by NOT having to see a mechanic. Anyone have any clues or what I should be looking for?
I just got Motorcycle Maint. from the library so I will be reading up but a book is not the best way to learn mechanics... and neither is paying someone else!

[mrhyak]

My e-start does not work good either, but I found if I give it a light kick as I push the e-start button, that seems to work pretty good. Sort of an assisted electric start.

[ejcycles]

Most all of The 200cc bikes are like this, yes even the dual-sports. The compression ratio is what causes this, and mrhyak is correct if you use the kickstart to push the piston past it's compression point they all start a lot easier.

[AKTV8]

Hmmm, interesting. I have no probs starting my 150, but then it's like you say, it isn't a 200.

[AKTV8]

I'm still kickstarting away here. Still try the starter and every once in awhile, I get lucky. I saw the main jet upgrade video by mtliu who says it starts better with the larger #115 jet so I ordered 2 for it to start twice as well! hahaha. SO when I get it, we will see if this helps by shoving more gas down its throat! I also bumped the c clip on the needle from 4th to the 5th slot. Didn't change anything, darn.

[pacman]

I had the same problem for a looong time. I then replaced my battery and the spark plug cap. This helped a lot. I also found that my choke cable had some slag, so when I thought the choker was 100% engaged it was only 50%

This engine likes a little throttle when cold. Just around 5% when e-starting.

Mine starts in less than a second now
Before, I would run my battery down :(
-

[AKTV8]

I was wondering about the battery as it seems to turn over slow.
Since I have spares, I should have switched and tried them but being a new battery, I thought... Silly me?
Will try a battery switcheroo tomorrow.
Thx Pacman.

[kczukiman]

I have also read in another forum that replacing the wire that goes from the battery to the starter with a heavier gauge will resolve the weak power to the starter issue.

[bertg]

I just got my bike shipped to my doorstep. I assembled it with no problems. However, the darn thing will not start with the electric start easily?
I also have to use the kick start a few times before the electric start will give in and start my bike. Otherwise, it will just turn over and also acts as if the starter sometimes slips?
I am puzzled. want to try a few of the tips. such as the spark plug cap?
But I am not sure what it is?
Also, the Choke - Should it be pushed in when starting then pulled out after?
Or vice versa?

[kelly5150]

Lots of juice to the starter, new battery, big one, lots of cranking amps is always a good thing . Bigger wires help too .
Chokes are generally pull out or lift up for choke, push in or push down for un-choke . If it has a third notch too, then use all three in order from Choke on, to half, to nothing on .
Starter will slip if the starter drive gear , (Bendix) gets tired from cranking endlessly . Small bursts are always better anyway . They also drag or slip from crappy batteries , not enough crank amps.
You should not have to kickstart your bike a little prior to using this starter if all systems are tight, new, big and right . The fact that it is new means the motor is really tight, so it will get better in time, but I would address the ability to give it as much electricity as possible first right now .
It is really hard on a starter not to have strong current being applied to it under load of the compression from an engine, period . Hard on the bendix, hard on the battery, hard on your soul .

Spark plug gaps will only make it fire faster, not solve the underlying problem.
Band-aide on a broken knee the way I see that one . Thats almost as bad a fix as kicking it partially before it fires with the starter ? Why not just kickstart it to start with kicker if you went to all that trouble already and the lever is already out ?
It would help a little too if you kick it for awhile to start it too to loosen up the meshings of gears in the tranni ( Gear box for the die hard bikers, correct lingo there) . These motors are tightly made, so these crappy batteries are not helping them, trust me .
You will notice this absolutely if you keep your battery charger connected after a full charge to the bike , then start it with the starter .
But a bigger better more cranking amp battery is still a sure cure for this issue ultimately.
As long as you can still get a nice color on your spark plug with the new gap setting then by all means, change that too if your not going buy a new battery .

Cheers, kelly out

[bertg]

Thanks Kelly,
A friend of mine gave me some similar advice as you did in terms of small clicks. It seems to fire up every time now. But the starter is a bit slow. I am going to take your advice and buy a new batery with a high cranking amperage and new thick cables too.
Also, I want to inquire on buying a performace spark plug. Do you have a recommendation and or any trick as to how to gap it to get the most out of it?
Thanks in advance

[kelly5150]

I think Bruce ( EJCYCLES ) here could give much more enlightenment on the GAP issues with these China Street bikes . He knows way more than I do about them . I use NGK plugs and I runt he gaps a little tighter than the CHina man wants me too, but it works for me and I still get the right amount of carbon or lack of carbon built up on the tip, so it is a guessing game, trial and error anyway, along with Carb adjustments to find what your bike likes witha tighter or more open gap. You generally have to adjust both to get this thing to run right, as one effects the other . Ask Bruce, he wil respond I am almost positive of it. Good guy, and he knows alot about these bikes.

I run a larger than life Harley battery made in Japan in my Norton Commando just for this reason, it likes fire !!!! It is not a Starter bike either, just kick, but it has to have massive amounts of power to it to run like a bat out of heck . Same thing on my Iron Head Harley, big battery, lots of amps, it works, my starter sings now, and the bendix NEVER misses a beat ever anymore. Large wires helps too, don''t let anyone tell you different . You wouldn't wire your house with speaker wire would ya ? Ok then !

Later, Cheers, Kelly