Lifan X Pect owners?

[emt1581]

So I've been wanting a dual sport for 20 yrs. Ended up with a cruiser (86 VS700) that's served me well for 12 years.

Last night, I was introduced to the Lifan X Pect and I'm thoroughly impressed except for a few concerns. For those that own them, especially in the northern half of the US/Canada (I'm in eastern PA), please share your experience with the following issues....

1. Winterizing- What's the process of getting the bike ready for storage in the colder months? With my carburated Intruder I had to shut off the pet cock and let the gas run out. Then just change the oil in the Spring each year.

2. How do warranty claims work- There's not another Lifan dealer for 50 miles and I just found out there's a mechanic willing to work on them if I bring them the parts about 25 miles away. How/what does Lifan support and cover costs?

3. Care/Maintenance- Other than changing the oil/filter and air filter....what care and maintenance do these require?

4. Finding parts- The mechanic 25 miles away said parts can be very difficult to come by for these (China bikes) because they are made for a couple years then they change the models/builds. I'm not worried about upgrades but what if a crucial part within the motor/controls breaks?? How easy is it to find all core components IN STOCK?

5. Upgrades- Thinking about adding saddle bags. Maybe a folding shift lever. What else do people upgrade on these and why?

6. Problems- In watching a lot of vids the valve adjustments, which just requires a socket and feeler gauge, what are known issues with these bikes....whether it's upon delivery or two years down the road? I've also...quite frequently read about cross threading and stripped nuts....what's the fix??

7. Anything else- Please feel free to share anything else I didn't think to ask about.

THANKS!!!!!

[Boatguy]

Originally Posted by emt1581

So I've been wanting a dual sport for 20 yrs. Ended up with a cruiser (86 VS700) that's served me well for 12 years.

Last night, I was introduced to the Lifan X Pect and I'm thoroughly impressed except for a few concerns. For those that own them, especially in the northern half of the US/Canada (I'm in eastern PA), please share your experience with the following issues....

1. Winterizing- What's the process of getting the bike ready for storage in the colder months? With my carburated Intruder I had to shut off the pet cock and let the gas run out. Then just change the oil in the Spring each year.

Draining the gas out might be a good idea. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never done it. I just go out and ride when I feel like it. I have let it sit for a couple months before. Just press the button and it instantly works. That’s fuel injection. But really old bad gas is probably good to dump in your car and fill up the bike fresh in the spring.

2. How do warranty claims work- There's not another Lifan dealer for 50 miles and I just found out there's a mechanic willing to work on them if I bring them the parts about 25 miles away. How/what does Lifan support and cover

I have no idea whatsoever. I never imagined trying to go do warranty work on the bike. Everything I have owned that has come with a warranty it is more of a hassle to try to get warranty work then to just fix it yourself quickly. Generators, outboards, it’s just easier to fix them. It takes too long to bring them in for warranty. Nothing ever went wrong with the bike at 5000 miles so, never looked at this.

3. Care/Maintenance- Other than changing the oil/filter and air filter....what care and maintenance do these require?

The manual is very clear. It has a complete service interval page. 4000 km I think is your first service interval. Or maybe that’s miles. I think it’s 5000 km. I never changed the air filter yet. I never even looked in the airbox yet. I changed the oil and I tightened the chain. That’s it. 5000 miles.

4. Finding parts- The mechanic 25 miles away said parts can be very difficult to come by for these (China bikes) because they are made for a couple years then they change the models/builds. I'm not worried about upgrades but what if a crucial part within the motor/controls breaks?? How easy is it to find all core components IN STOCK?

The end of all your parts worries is here. We have a great resource.

kpclubusa.com

The entire bike is there in parts. You just select whatever part you want, fill up your cart, and they ship it out in like 24 hours. It’s here in the United States. All the parts are right here in the United States. They get to you in a couple days. I’ve had nothing but great experiences with these people. They even sent me a free Lifan hat because I’m probably a shill online for them and I don’t even realize it. Lol. Not associated with them in any way. I have just broke enough stuff on my bike and ordered enough stuff like that from them that maybe they noticed me.

5. Upgrades- Thinking about adding saddle bags. Maybe a folding shift lever. What else do people upgrade on these and why?

Look closely at my avatar. Top box and saddlebags for adventure riding. Overnight trips. Camping. Works great going to the grocery store also. I upgraded nothing. I am riding 100% stock. However, I am getting ready to upgrade some things. The one thing I really feel like I needed and didn’t get from the start was guards for the clutch and brake lever. I bent my front brake lever.

6. Problems- In watching a lot of vids the valve adjustments, which just requires a socket and feeler gauge, what are known issues with these bikes....whether it's upon delivery or two years down the road? I've also...quite frequently read about cross threading and stripped nuts....what's the fix??

Unless the place putting the bike together stripped them, it’s your own fault if you strip something. You have to just put it in slowly and get the threads right before you start torquing the thing down. That’s more down to bad mechanical skills. You have to take the seat off to do just about everything to the bike. So there’s a lot of on and off of those bolts. Just be careful and don’t strip them. Getting ready to do my first valve adjustment at 5000 miles. I think these items will depend a lot on where you order it from. Moto-pro did a great job on mine. There was nothing wrong with the bike. They put it together properly. I have not tightened anything. I have not checked anything. Nothing. Nothing has come loose. I have not lost a single bolt and valves came adjusted. I have no complaints with that place.

7. Anything else- Please feel free to share anything else I didn't think to ask about.

THANKS!!!!!

More about the bike itself. It’s really reliable. You can forget about that stuff. If you weigh a lot, it might feel a little slow. The seat height is also a little bit low. At least for my taste. It’s flat foot with knees slightly bent. I would prefer a couple inches higher. I wear 30 inch pant legs. But I guess the good part is anyone can just get on this thing and ride. The stock gearing will keep you at about 55 mph on the street at 7000RPM. Too slow for the highway. Secondary road and off road bike. Keeping that gearing makes it nice off-road. It’s perfect off road. It’s a bit underpowered if you are used to really spinning that back wheel. But it has enough power to get you around and go up whatever hills with all of your gear. It’s a little challenging finding neutral with all of these Chinese bikes. Better to go from second into neutral than from first. It seems to find it easier.

A lot of people on the Forum gear them up a little bit with bigger front sprockets. I didn’t do it because I like the low end stuff off road. If you ride just about all road, you should probably change the gearing a little bit.

I don’t think there’s much else to it. Just go riding. That’s what I do.

PS: I’m currently on the NY/NJ border now in case you want to see an xpect in person be do you order it. Not promising a test drive, but, you can take a look if you like.

[emt1581]

Originally Posted by Boatguy

Draining the gas out might be a good idea. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never done it. I just go out and ride when I feel like it. I have let it sit for a couple months before. Just press the button and it instantly works. That’s fuel injection. But really old bad gas is probably good to dump in your car and fill up the bike fresh in the spring.

So fuel injectors need to have the pet cock shut off and line drained as well? Side question but do these have a reserve tank?

I have no idea whatsoever. I never imagined trying to go do warranty work on the bike. Everything I have owned that has come with a warranty it is more of a hassle to try to get warranty work then to just fix it yourself quickly. Generators, outboards, it’s just easier to fix them. It takes too long to bring them in for warranty. Nothing ever went wrong with the bike at 5000 miles so, never looked at this.

Ok, I get it. And I hope I never need to use it either but if it does come and is broken or a complete basket case I want to know I didn't just throw away $2k or sign up for some major headaches.

The manual is very clear. It has a complete service interval page. 4000 km I think is your first service interval. Or maybe that’s miles. I think it’s 5000 km. I never changed the air filter yet. I never even looked in the airbox yet. I changed the oil and I tightened the chain. That’s it. 5000 miles.


Sounds easy enough, especially if the manual guides through the service intervals and what should be done. Is there anything on these bikes that would be extraordinarily difficult to DIY whether it's the relays, wiring, clutch, engine rebuilds, etc.?? I wasn't able to work on the carbs/engine/or shaft drive of my Intruder. I'm curious if these bikes are significantly easier to access and work on everything?

The end of all your parts worries is here. We have a great resource.

kpmotoclub.com

The entire bike is there in parts. You just select whatever part you want, fill up your cart, and they ship it out in like 24 hours. It’s here in the United States. All the parts are right here in the United States. They get to you in a couple days. I’ve had nothing but great experiences with these people. They even sent me a free Lifan hat because I’m probably a shill online for them and I don’t even realize it. Lol. Not associated with them in any way. I have just broke enough stuff on my bike and ordered enough stuff like that from them that maybe they noticed me.

EXCELLENT to know!!! I'll have to take a look at the site to see what pricing and then the procedure of throwing various parts in looks like. I'm guessing youtube can guide me through most, if not all, possible repairs.

Look closely at my avatar. Top box and saddlebags for adventure riding. Overnight trips. Camping. Works great going to the grocery store also. I upgraded nothing. I am riding 100% stock. However, I am getting ready to upgrade some things. The one thing I really feel like I needed and didn’t get from the start was guards for the clutch and brake lever. I bent my front brake lever.


Unless the place putting the bike together stripped them, it’s your own fault if you strip something. You have to just put it in slowly and get the threads right before you start torquing the thing down. That’s more down to bad mechanical skills. You have to take the seat off to do just about everything to the bike. So there’s a lot of on and off of those bolts. Just be careful and don’t strip them. Getting ready to do my first valve adjustment at 5000 miles. I think these items will depend a lot on where you order it from. Moto-pro did a great job on mine. There was nothing wrong with the bike. They put it together properly. I have not tightened anything. I have not checked anything. Nothing. Nothing has come loose. I have not lost a single bolt and valves came adjusted. I have no complaints with that place.

Great to know. But what if something does come stripped/bent/broken from the factory? Is it all easy to fix or have there been some headaches shared on here?


More about the bike itself. It’s really reliable. You can forget about that stuff. If you weigh a lot, it might feel a little slow. The seat height is also a little bit low. At least for my taste. It’s flat foot with knees slightly bent. I would prefer a couple inches higher. I wear 30 inch pant legs. But I guess the good part is anyone can just get on this thing and ride. The stock gearing will keep you at about 55 mph on the street at 7000RPM. Too slow for the highway. Secondary road and off road bike. Keeping that gearing makes it nice off-road. It’s perfect off road. It’s a bit underpowered if you are used to really spinning that back wheel. But it has enough power to get you around and go up whatever hills with all of your gear. It’s a little challenging finding neutral with all of these Chinese bikes. Better to go from second into neutral than from first. It seems to find it easier.

I weigh about 175. So I'm thinking the bike will easily handle me and maybe my 90lb son as well?


A lot of people on the Forum gear them up a little bit with bigger front sprockets. I didn’t do it because I like the low end stuff off road. If you ride just about all road, you should probably change the gearing a little bit.

I've been seeing a LOT of people mention front sprockets. Confused a bit there....wouldn't the rear be more important to swap out since the chain wraps around that??

I don’t think there’s much else to it. Just go riding. That’s what I do.

PS: I’m currently on the NY/NJ border now in case you want to see an xpect in person be do you order it. Not promising a test drive, but, you can take a look if you like.


Appreciate the offer but I'm about 2 hours from the NY border....only 10min. from Jersey (right near P-burg). Not sure what your zip is though. Would love to see one in person!

Thanks for the info. See the bolded replies above.

[KSSK]

As noted, this website is owned by Lifan and sells parts. When you're ordering from here, you're ordering directly from Lifan. When I placed my order, the company emails actually came from an American Lifan email account.

https://kpclubusa.com/

Free shipping, as well.

[KSSK]

Originally Posted by emt1581

2. How do warranty claims work- There's not another Lifan dealer for 50 miles and I just found out there's a mechanic willing to work on them if I bring them the parts about 25 miles away. How/what does Lifan support and cover costs?

Go through your dealer and get the parts mailed directly to you. That's what happened with my X-Pect that had a front rotor damaged in shipping. I contacted my dealer, Venom Motorsports, and had a new rotor in my mailbox three days later.


I think the warranty only covers parts, not labor, but I never read all the fine print.

[emt1581]

Originally Posted by KSSK

As noted, this website is owned by Lifan and sells parts. When you're ordering from here, you're ordering directly from Lifan. When I placed my order, the company emails actually came from an American Lifan email account.

https://kpclubusa.com/

Free shipping, as well.

Much appreciated. This website might be my saving grace and what gives me the ability to feel confident in ordering the bike. However, I don't see motor parts listed at all. I can understand the frame not being there because it's serialized. By why no motor components?

Thanks

[KSSK]

Originally Posted by emt1581

6. Problems- In watching a lot of vids the valve adjustments, which just requires a socket and feeler gauge, what are known issues with these bikes....whether it's upon delivery or two years down the road? I've also...quite frequently read about cross threading and stripped nuts....what's the fix??

Other than adjusting valves and other normal maintenance, the only significant issue I remember seeing is the wire loom rubbing through and causing electrical problems. I think it happens where the wiring harness rubs on the head tube. It's constantly moving when you turn and that cuts through the insulation on the wires. Maybe a good idea to wrap that area in some further protection.

Also, my factory chain was wearing quickly, so I replaced it with a 128 link JT sealed chain. The replacement chain was better quality than the factory one.

[KSSK]

One issue that no one here has mentioned is that the tires/wheels are an uncommon size, which really limits your replacement tire options.

There are some options out there, though.

I ended up replacing them with Bridgestone AX41 tires. 90/100-19 front and 4.60-17 rear. These aren't cheap, but perform well both on and off road.

[KSSK]

Originally Posted by emt1581

Much appreciated. This website might be my saving grace and what gives me the ability to feel confident in ordering the bike. However, I don't see motor parts listed at all. I can understand the frame not being there because it's serialized. By why no motor components?

Thanks

The engine is a Honda CG clone, so parts are not hard to find.

Also, I think you can contact them to get parts not listed on the website.

[TominMO]

"I've been seeing a LOT of people mention front sprockets. Confused a bit there....wouldn't the rear be more important to swap out since the chain wraps around that??"

Adding teeth to the front sprocket is the same as subtracting teeth from the rear, so it doesn't matter which you do.

Last winter I left a full tank of gas in the bike, and just pushed the starter button about five months later. It started right up like nothing happened.

[emt1581]

So quick update....

I think I'm going to order one. If not in the next few days then as soon as I sell my current bike.

I've done some calling and driving around today and I THINK I've covered all the bases to allow me to feel confident in ordering the X Pect but I'll list everything and would appreciate some thoughts.

1. Contacted the notary I usually go through. They mentioned the "L" serial number and said as long as the MCO lists the seller and is complete.....I can get a title and registration/plate sent to me through the state no problem.

2. Contacted PowersportsMax. They DO send a completed MCO AND will take care of all warranty claims for parts. So I send them pics of faulty parts, they send me the parts.

3. Contacted American Lifan.....which seems to be just a phone line that's still routed to China (same for PowersportsMax....both of which spoke broken English). They said the 2 year warranty is only for parts if bought online and not labor.....fine. They also verified that PowersportsMax would handle all warranty and MCO issues.

4. Drove to my local mechanic that I normally use. Wanted to talk to him in person to make sure I had his attention and that he understood me. He can get tunnel visioned sometimes in conversation, but does EXCELLENT work. He confirmed so long as I gave him ALL PARTS, he would be willing to do any work needed on the bike. But since he's a small shop, he said major repairs would have to wait until he is slow possibly in the winter time. That's good enough for me!!!

So now I have cleared the way to get it titled and registered, parts covered under warranty, and a mechanic to do the repairs in case I ever need it!!!

Great!!! All that's left now is to contact Progressive and see what they want to insure it. It's usually like $75/yr for full coverage so I'm not worried but that....and talking to my wife about when to buy it....is really the last steps.

Thanks for the replies thus far. Please keep them coming!

[emt1581]

Originally Posted by KSSK

One issue that no one here has mentioned is that the tires/wheels are an uncommon size, which really limits your replacement tire options.

There are some options out there, though.

I ended up replacing them with Bridgestone AX41 tires. 90/100-19 front and 4.60-17 rear. These aren't cheap, but perform well both on and off road.

Hmm, hadn't considered that. I'm guessing there are other threads listing the specific options but how much are we talking for front/rear tires?

Thanks

[emt1581]

Originally Posted by TominMO

"I've been seeing a LOT of people mention front sprockets. Confused a bit there....wouldn't the rear be more important to swap out since the chain wraps around that??"

Adding teeth to the front sprocket is the same as subtracting teeth from the rear, so it doesn't matter which you do.

Last winter I left a full tank of gas in the bike, and just pushed the starter button about five months later. It started right up like nothing happened.

Ok, that makes sense. The front is a lot easier to work on. No chain, drum, etc.

Do these have reserve tanks and a pet cock or is it just relying on the fuel gauge to know when to fill up?

Thanks!

[TominMO]

Just go buy it and hide it in a friend's garage. It is important to have intrigue and drama in a relationship.

First two things to do when you get it:
change the shipping oil it comes with to actual 15W40 motorcycle oil
adjust the valves. Lifan says .006". Chinese factories always seem to adjust them too tight.

[KSSK]

Originally Posted by emt1581

Hmm, hadn't considered that. I'm guessing there are other threads listing the specific options but how much are we talking for front/rear tires?

Thanks

I paid right about $200 for the set from Chap Moto. Bridgestone had a $50 rebate at the time, so after that I paid $150. I installed them myself.


There are some cheaper options. I haven't looked in a while, but based on my past research these tires should all have sizes appropriate for the X-Pect:
Kenda K761
IRC GP-1
Shinko 244
Bridgestone AX41


I think there are continental tires that will fit, but I don't remember.